Series: The Book of James

Every person seeking to follow Christ will most assuredly encounter tempation along the way.  This is an unavoidable fact that we must be willing to deal with.  It is during these times of temptation that what we believe about God and about His salvation becomes clear.  We quickly see what the things we turn to are and who we blame for our situation.  But James makes it clear, that being able to stand up in the face of temptation is a valiant expression of our faith; one that leads to eternal glory.  Furthermore, God is there every step of the way through our times of temptation to see us through to the other side.  

James begins to look at the input and output of our religion.  He reinforces the idea that whatever a person allows to rule inside of them will naturally flow through them.  There is a natual expression of the change in our identity that occurs with Jesus Christ.  Whlie James isn’t claiming that it is works that save us, he does state plainly that it is the works that show our faith, for good or bad.  Whatever we allow in to shape our identity will be the thing that is expressed through what we do.  Furthermore, this is not a passive process but an intentional shaping and molding as we allow the word of God to become implanted deep into our spiritual DNA.  

Too often we judge a person by their financial wealth and ability to produce. We give fine seats to those who have money and influence and place them above others. Through God, however, this system is turned on it’s head. God, having all the riches of the world, chose to come to those who were poor and in need. Likewise, James exhorts the readers to do the same. Money causes problems and conflict and generally serves as the sign the world uses for worth, even intrinsic worth. With God, however, the sign of worth comes from knowing and being known by our creator and heavenly Father.

Our relationship with Chirst is transformative in that it seeps into every creavase of our being. While the bible does contain many commandments for the Christian to follow, this is not the point.  The point of the Gospel is that we are saved and transformed by the power of God and guided towards a new way of living. If we believe that Jesus Christ came and died for our sins then we understand that He is offering us a new and transformed life.  Our faith goes beyond mere knowledge and straight to expressing that same belief.