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The manifestation of the disease is always different from the disease! Symptoms are just that, symptoms; they are not the disease. James identified a symptom of spiritual illness among his brethren, but he was not content to merely identify the symptom; he wanted to identify and eliminate the disease. The symptom: Partiality and favoritism (James 2.1-4). The disease: Failure to recognize that willful partiality and favoritism is tantamount to rejecting the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

I hope you followed the opening paragraph. The sin of partiality that existed among the believers…  ( Click for more )

Almost every worthwhile activity in which a person can engage stresses the basics (fundamentals) of that discipline. Beyond the fundamentals, a person expands on these basics, and continues to honor these fundamentals as long as the discipline is practiced. Consider how this principle applies to math, science, grammar, cooking, football, fishing, etc., etc. What we learn of math in the second grade isn't thrown away in the third; it is honored and expanded upon. The good things that young cooks learn from older mentors is but a means to an end as they apply these basic lessons to…  ( Click for more )

Yesterday's devotional closed with three questions for your consideration; here they are again: 1) Is the perfect law of liberty a law of the letter or a law of the spirit? 2) Is it possible for people who follow this law to become legalistic and nullify a portion of its effectiveness? 3) Is there a way to prevent and/or deal with legalism that might derive from following the perfect law of liberty? Today's message will end our three part sidebar on the Perfect Law of Liberty.

First, we address the question, “Is the perfect law of liberty a law of the letter or a law of…  ( Click for more )

The title passage from which this series gets its name is James 2.12-13. It reads: “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." This text contains the expression Mercy Triumphs over Judgment as well as another phrase of interest, the law of liberty. Yesterday, we noted that this latter phrase is contained in James 1.25 except it is amplified by the addition of the word perfect before it such that it reads the perfect law of liberty. This somewhat paradoxical…  ( Click for more )

What is a paradox? That's easy; two docs in a row! OK, I admit it is a groaner! However, the text which we are considering in this series (James 2.1-13) is based on a paradox. Today's message along with the next two will take a brief look at this paradox and some lessons that should be derived from it. First we will quote the foundational verse of which we speak. “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1.25; emphasis mine, jb).

Law…  ( Click for more )

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (James 2.8-9).

Jesus did not come to destroy the Law; He came to fulfill it (see Matthew 5.17). In other words, He came to live it perfectly, an example of holiness that can never be repeated. In that same way, believers have the capacity to “…really fulfill the royal law.” Not that we will or can live it perfectly, but we…  ( Click for more )

The rich perpetually persecuted believers; it had been that way from ages of old and it was still that way during the early days of the New Testament church. In word and in deed, the rich proved to be adversarial to believers at every turn. This background prompted James to ask the third of his rapid-fire rhetorical questions. “Do they [the rich] not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” (James 2.7).

First, we need to understand the word blaspheme. Literally the word simply means “to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile…” (On-Line…  ( Click for more )

In a context all its own, Solomon asked, “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?” (Proverbs 6.26-27). Such rhetorical questions go back ages in time and literary usage. Our study of James 2 revealed three rhetorical questions (James 2.5-7) We are looking at these questions systematically and our focus today is on the second of these great attention getters.

“Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?” (James 2.6). Everyone knew this to be the case! For almost…  ( Click for more )

Three rhetorical questions form the heart of James’ straightforward approach to challenging the actions of believers in showing partiality to the rich and dishonoring the poor. Today’s message will begin a three part look at these questions and gather practical lessons from each of them.

Here are the three questions: “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? (James 2.5) “Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?” (James 2.6). “Do they not blaspheme…  ( Click for more )

Common sense is not always a good guide, but most of the time it is. However when one has to go against common sense, against the reality of the present, and against God, his chances of being successful are less than slim to none! Yet, that was what the believers to whom James was writing were doing. Their actions in favoring the rich while denigrating the poor made no sense at all!

To preface our study, try to recall a time when one of your parents, or someone else in authority prefaced their mini-sermon with the words, “Listen to me!” Usually when a speech begins…  ( Click for more )

Showing partiality to someone due to factors which are spiritually irrelevant is sinful! This is the essence of James 2.1-4. Lest someone think that such a sin is relatively minor, James explained that the sin of partiality was as grave as any other sin (see James 2.5-11). In fact, in this very context, he said, “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2.10).

But what does it mean to show partiality? James answers this question by a straightforward example; here it is: “For if there should come into your…  ( Click for more )

“For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,' have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2.2-4).

The rhetorical question posed by James, as all such questions do, has an obvious answer. It is as if he had said, “When you show favoritism…  ( Click for more )

God speaks through James: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,' have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” James 2.1-4).

The entire text quoted…  ( Click for more )

Practical Christianity is the only Christianity that exists. If one's religion isn't practical, it isn't Christianity. Conversely, if one's religion is practical, it is Christianity.

Like many, many authors before me, I see the book of James as the quintessential example of Practical Christianity. I see it as ironic and naive for someone as studious as Luther to have referred to one of God's inspired books, and especially the book of James, as “...a right strawy epistle in comparison with them [the epistles of Paul], for it has no gospel character to it.” I would claim…  ( Click for more )

Although an astute Bible student could literally write hundreds of messages on The Love of the Truth, this particular message will conclude this series for now.

Paul wrote that the coming of the lawless one would be “...according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the…  ( Click for more )

Delusions are damning deceptions that occur in ill-prepared minds. I remember an old adage that says, “An idle mind is the devil's workshop.” While that is not scripture, it reflects a biblical principle.

Paul said “...The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they…  ( Click for more )

A favorite ploy of modern deceivers who are self professed healers is to postpone the healing of some diseases due to their nature. In reality, they put them off because they have NO POWER to heal anyone, and that lack of power becomes all the more obvious as the symptoms of the disease become more obvious. In other words, the immediate restoration of a missing leg is hard to fake just as the instantaneous healing of a leper's decaying flesh is something that cannot readily be palmed off on intelligent audiences. For that reason, those who seek to deceive pick and choose the diseases…  ( Click for more )

We live in a culture that is accustomed to seeing and hearing false prophets; they are commonplace among us. All one has to do is turn on the TV at virtually any hour of the day or night. Men and women openly speak and do things contrary to the word of God and all the whilst claim to be spokespersons for Him! I don't even have to know what the truth is to know that many or most of them are not telling the truth. All I have to do is listen to their conflicting and contrary doctrines to know that somebody is in error, yet they remain popular enough to regularly be featured on our public…  ( Click for more )

Quoting from our previous message, “Those who claim to speak for God apart from that which is written [the Bible] are purveyors of error and seek to delude others with their lying signs and wonders. There are few exceptions to this rule!”

God has spoken through His written word and He still speaks in this manner. There are no new revelations today; those who claim such are the very sources of error against whom Paul warned when he wrote, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all…  ( Click for more )

The tragedy of false prophets and false teachers is all about us. Every “Christian denomination” is but a silent witness to error! Most of the teaching that one hears and sees today via television is fraught with error and bears testimony to the fact that strong delusions await those who do not receive The Love of the Truth (see 2 Thessalonians 2.8-12). Jesus did not come to create confusion and conflicting doctrines; He came to deliver truth and set man free from the shackles of sin and false religions

On several occasions I have heard false teachers “blame”…  ( Click for more )

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3.1-5).

The passage just quoted contains some key words and phrases. In order to connect it legitimately with today's…  ( Click for more )

There is hearing, and then there is hearing! As we saw recently, it is possible to hear, and yet not hear. In order for this to be true, the word hear must be used in two different ways. First, there is the hearing that occurs with the ears, and then there is the hearing that occurs with the heart. Hearing with the ears is something that all people do who are not deaf; hearing with the heart is something that all accountable people (deaf or not) are or have been capable of doing. Hearing with the heart is essential to eternal life; hearing with the ears is optional!

Notice a classic…  ( Click for more )

“And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: “Hearing you will…  ( Click for more )

The parables of Jesus, precious and memorable as they are, were the source of great controversy. It was here that a great separation of the ways occurred between His followers and His would-be followers. This was all part of the plan, the plan to winnow the harvest of followers so that only the cream of the crop was left. The parables were not the cause of division, they were just the catalyzing effect that made existing divisions obvious!

The heart of the disciple is what must be affected by the gospel; that was and is the target of the parables. They were told in order to impact…  ( Click for more )