Worldy and Godly Wisdom

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4

What is the proper relationship that a person of faith should have with the world? Must me take James' absolutist perspective that the world is totally bad and always oppossed to God?  Can anything good come from the world?  Throughout his letter, James offers stringent exhortation for the community of faith. They must reject the wisdom from below (worldly wisdom) and seek to follow the wisdom from above (Godly wisdom). Following the way of the world is dangerous because it fundamentally challenges the community of faith to stay connected to God and to one another.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. James 4:1-2

Worldly wisdom promotes competition and envy among people. We crave what we do not have and we crave more of what we do have. These cravings drive our behavior to acquire more and cause us to see others as opponents or obstacles that stand in our way, rather than fellow human beings worthy of dignity and respect. Within the church, a worldly widsom driven by envy and competition is disastrous for the mutual spiritual building up that we are called to live out.

James rightly calls out this behavior and mindset and calls the faithful to abide by the wisdom from above. The wisdom from God never forgets that God is the source of all blessings; God is the one who blesses us and provides for our needs. Godly wisdom is humble. Godly wisdom does not crave and strive for more but finds contentment and peace within God's grace. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (James 4:10)

James writes to a community of people who continually find themselves in the tension between worldly and Godly wisdom, a tension that continues today. We cannot ever truly separate ourselves from the world, nor should we strive to. God created the heavens and the earth and called them good. There is much beauty, goodness, and love in the world. But we also must remember that the ways of the world tear down and destroy. We must be in the world but not of it. We must be able to be in the world in order to share God's love and grace with others. But we must also be able to stand back and view the things of this world from a spiritual perspective. We must be able to critique the world and call ourselves and others back to faithfulness. Like any tension, it is always a difficult balance to maintain. Thus the Christian community is so vital because it can offer us support, encouragement, and correction.

Taming the Tongue

But no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. James 3:8-9

Growing up I remember being taught: "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Usually this was the last line of defense against those who said mean and nasty things to me. The only problem is it isn't true. Words do hurt. Words cause lasting and deep pain. In fact, the physical pain we endure often heals while the emotional pain from words of judgment and condemnation can last a lifetime. So, how are you using your words? To build people up with praise and encouragement or to tear people down with words of judgment, critique, and meanness?

James really understood human nature and the capacity of the tongue to spout venom and evil words. I cannot imagine meeting someone who at some point in their life has not said things they regret; hasn't used hurtful words. Unfortunately, the most hurtful words we use are often against those we love the most. We speak words of hurt and judgment to our children, parents, and our partners. These words cannot be taken back or undone. James' words for us are convicting words of caution, but also words of encouragement. Our tongue can be used to tear people down, but can also be used to build people up. We can speak words of love into people's lives. We can bless people with encouragement. We can console people who are hurting. Our words can give hope and comfort. The choice of what comes out of our mouth is ours to make. What will you choose to say?

Faith and Works

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? James 2:14

James is deeply focused and dedicated to help the early Christian community live as fully dedicated followers of Jesus. He speaks powerfully against those who profess to be followers of Jesus with their mouth, but whose actions do not measure up. Hypocrisy has always been a major challenge for the faith community and remains the biggest complaint against Christians today. When we say we love others, but act in mean spirited ways, we betray our faith. When we say we are concerned for the poor, but do nothing to address poverty we demonstrate our hard hearts. When we say we love God, but only focus on ourselves we prove to be a shallow imitation of a disciple. James wants us to live our faith in action as well as in our hearts. James' call to the church is to be one that cares for the most vulnerable, is committed to loving acts of service and is seeking a community where all people are included and respected as people of God. The good fruit of faith is works of love and service.

For all this we can commend James' contribution to the cannon. He has much to say to all of us and we need to take his challenge seriously. But James also speaks about being justified (made righteous) through works not through faith.

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. James 2:24

James argues that faith alone cannot justify our relationship with God. It is through works of love that people's relationship with God is made right. This is the opposite of what the apostle Paul argues:

Yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. Galatians 2:16

Paul says that we are justified by faith in Christ and NOT by works of the law. This is the complete opposite of James. How do we reconcile such opposing view points on a topic as important as salvation?

Martin Luther saw this contradiction clearly and advocated dismissing James from the bible as he called it "an epistle of straw." His theological vision was closely tied to Paul's articulation of justification in Galatians and Romans (see Romans 3:21-26). For Luther, works could never get us closer to God. Only Jesus can provide salvation which comes as a free gift of grace through faith. Since the time of the Reformation, Luther's interpretation has held sway among Protestants leading to the marginalization of James' influence. But did Luther get it right? Are James and Paul really arguing against each other? Does James really have nothing to offer? Is it possible to follow Paul's interpretation of salvation and James' exhortations for living the Christian life?

I find it helpful to remember that neither Paul nor James were writing as a systematic theologian. They were both deeply concerned about the real lives of the Christian community and write pastorally. Their concern is not to carefully articulate a well-reasoned and precise theological argument for how salvation happens. Rather their primary concern is for people to live faithful lives. James' argument is compelling because he does not allow us to be self-satisfied in our relationship with God. It is not enough to be a believer; true faith will be expressed in action. Paul says many similar things about good works and loving others. In the end, I think Paul probably gets justification right but James is more helpful in encouraging us to live faithful lives. Without the letter of James we would be without a strong and powerful voice calling us to live lives worthy of being called a follower of Jesus. This voice is needed today.