Two Kinds of Wisdom

August 30, 2020 Background Scripture: James 3:13 – 18; 5:7 – 12 Lesson Passage: James 3:13 – 18; 5:7 – 12 Just when we thought we had understood everything we need to know about wisdom from the lessons this quarter, James reminds us that there are two kinds of wisdom. And, by the way, that is good news because it makes sense based on the way he explained it. James seemed to have been determined to continuously move Christianity in the direction of becoming a practical faith. James made it easy for a person to distinguish between the two kinds of wisdom. In general, wisdom is reflected in the person’s attitude, disposition, and practices. On the one hand, envy, selfish ambition, and evil practices are the product of worldly wisdom. Worldly wisdom is associated with the devil—the prince of this world. On the other hand, wisdom that comes from God produces peace, mercy, and the fruit of the Spirit in believers. You don’t need a special discernment to determine which is which. You just need to be a spiritual fruit inspector. Professional fruit inspectors in this country label the best product that meet certain quality criteria “USDA certified”. Christians should take special care when inspecting the spiritual fruit of individuals. Before labeling a person’s spiritual fruit as USDA certified, be sure the person is Unselfish, Saved by grace, Deliberate in their love, and Available to be used by God. These qualities will ensure they have the wisdom that only comes from God. Character traits run deep within a person and develop over a very long period. The new birth in Christ and the renewing of the mind will produce the wisdom of God in the person and be manifest through the fruit of the Spirit. Christians are forgiven but not perfect. However, if observed over a span of time, one will notice peace, mercy, and the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of a Christian’s character. Spiritual fruit inspectors don’t have to be able to read a person’s mind; they just observe character traits over time. Many adults, if not most, will exhibit some form of wisdom in their dealings with others. What form that wisdom shows up as says a lot about that person’s relationship with God. This was James’ point in identifying both kinds of wisdom. James encouraged Christians to continue to do good works. We don’t have to prove who we are. Be patient waiting for the results of your good works as the farmer waits in anticipation the results of his labor. As one’s character is refined by the Spirit, it is reflected in how one is living day-in and day-out. In other words, one’s wisdom will also be on display. The wisdom that comes from God should also serve as a reminder of the faithfulness of God towards those who put their trust in Him. God has a stellar record concerning deliverance. Since the beginning of recorded time, God has been shown to be a deliverer of those who put their trust in Him. You can be assured that God will deliver you just as He delivered those who persevered in the past. Perseverance is important. Perseverance is good old fashioned “stick-with-it" when the times get tough. Though the answer to our struggles may tarry, we can always rely on God to come through. Isaiah said, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Our faith informs us that God will deliver us. Our perseverance reminds us that God is sovereign and will work according to His predetermined time. The wisdom that comes from God, knows this. Robert C. Hudson July 27, 2020

Taming the Tongue

August 23, 2020 Background Scripture: James 3:1 – 12 Lesson Passage: James 3:1 – 12 I confess at the start that I know a whole lot about an untamed tongue! It doesn’t matter if you call it “a sharp tongue”, “flippant”, “a smart mouth”, or “quick witted”, I can speak to it. I don’t believe these are learned traits. It really seems as though this behavior is inextricably intertwined with one’s DNA. This trait is inextricable until God gets involved. God can undo anything within the person through the new birth. We were born with our DNA, but God can change the person on any level when they are born again. In fact, the purpose of the new birth is to bring about a change in the person. James wrote about the tongue not as an evaluation of the biological part of the person, but rather the use of the biological tongue to send forth language that has the capacity to speak blessings or curses into the lives of others. In this sense, the tongue is not viewed as part of the person’s biological makeup but as a biological tool that is used by the intellectual and moral being of the person. Taming the tongue is not a matter of what you can do to the biological material. But it is a matter of what can be wrought within the intellectual and moral being that is submitted to the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ in a saved person informs their intellectual and moral response to the environment around them. This is the only way I know to address “taming” the tongue. James goes to great length to talk about the power of the tongue. He warns his readers in a unique way not to overlook the tongue because of its size. He gives several examples of small things that can have great impact. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the human body, but it can do great harm if not properly controlled. Although James wrote about the tongue as though it has a mind of its own, the mind that controls the tongue is part of the same person. Taming of the tongue involves submission of one’s self to God. A submitted person will follow the biblical admonishment to be transformed by the renewing of their mind. Through the renewal of the mind, that which is within a person that is like the world can be changed to become more like God. A tongue that is tamed speaks what God speaks. Thankfully, James does not set the bar so high as to make it impossible to reach. He wrote that we all stumble in many ways. He went on to state that if any person is never at fault in what they say, then that is a perfect person. If you can control your speech to such perfection, then the remainder of the body is easier to keep in check. Other than Jesus in the flesh, no other person gets to wear the label of “perfection”. Perfection is our aspiration and becoming better than who we are is our continuous goal. With this mindset, we can reach our ever-changing goals and move in the direction of perfection. This necessitates that the taming of the tongue should be included in our ever-changing goals of being better. It is reasonable for us to do this and yet it is not so challenging as to render it impossible. So, as we consider a better diet plan, a commitment to maintain a sane personal agenda, and a closer walk with the Lord, let us not forget to include taming of the tongue on our list of personal improvements. This is a tall order for many of us in the “fixer upper” stage. Thanks be to God for giving us the power of the Holy Spirit working within to assist us in our pursuit of better. Robert C. Hudson

Living Faith

August 16, 2020 Background Scripture: James 2:14 – 26 Lesson Passage: James 2:14 – 26 I have expounded on this passage of scripture many times. Yet, I have not felt a sense of sufficiency after I was finished. It’s difficult to talk about this passage without going back and forth between it and Paul’s dissertation in Romans. The difficulty is that Paul and James used the same words, but they were speaking from two very different perspectives. Paul, in his defense of the doctrine of grace, wrote about the sufficiency of faith alone for salvation. James, on the other hand, wrote about the need for works as proof of sincere faith—which, at least on the surface, appears to violate the doctrine of grace. Both writers used the same incident to illustrate their position: Abraham’s encounter with God when Abraham believed what God told him and was considered righteous by God because of it. Paul saw that justification of Abraham at the time he believed God as justification without works. James saw Abraham’s action with Isaac about thirty years later as the works that proved the genuineness of Abraham’s initial faith. Based on this example, James seems to have implied that genuine faith will eventually produce works of righteousness—provided the opportunity to do so will exist. Both Paul and James conclude that God is the one who justifies believers because of their faith in Him. I know that Paul and James are both right because of the absolute integrity of the Bible. Now, let’s consider the opportunity to do works of righteousness. The thief on the cross next to Jesus did not have an opportunity to do anything after his confession of faith. However, Jesus’ response to him makes it clear that he was justified because of his faith. I believe James is right in that if this thief could have survived his crucifixion, those around him would have seen a very different person. That’s the point of living faith. As we live, our confession of faith should be repeatedly demonstrated through our actions. A person cannot make a confession of faith and continue to live contrary to that confession with a clear conscience. Genuine faith produces an internal change in people. That internal change will manifest itself through actions that would have been peculiar for that person prior to faith. An example of this can be seen in what a person believes about the local church. If one believes (has faith) that the Bible teaches that a saved person should be connected to a local church (by membership in today’s lingo), then that person will not avoid local churches and say, “God understands.” That person’s faith in the word of God will not allow him to continue to live as though he were an island, separated from others. That’s what living faith does. James gives other examples of it in his letter. There are many more that could be considered. James’ conclusion is that faith without actions that follow, based on it, is a dead faith. This is the same as saying that what was called faith by the person was never faith. People can make confessions that are not based on something they sincerely believe about the word of God. Faith begins with the knowledge of God’s word. The person who comes into this knowledge must decide if they choose to believe it or not. If one believes the word of God and confesses it as the truth, then their faith in the word of God will come alive within them. Their actions after their confession will be the manifestation of living faith. Robert C. Hudson July 25, 2020

Hearing and Doing

August 9, 2020 Background Scripture: James 1:19 – 27 Lesson Passage: James 1:19 – 27 Christians are admonished to be swift to hear. Much of what we learn we learn by first listening to someone who already knows. That is one of the preferred teaching methods in Western culture. Whenever we are around someone knowledgeable, the more we listen the more we tend to learn. It is foolish to be around a knowledgeable person and talk so much that we don’t allow time for the person to share their knowledge which could be of benefit to us. Being swift to hear is an admonishment to always be prepared to listen when someone wants to speak. I have learned that there is something to be learned from both children and fools if one is willing to listen when they are speaking. We gain new insights when we listen to someone who views life from a different perspective than our own. Being ready, or willing, to listen at all times, keeps us in a learning mode. Being slow to speak is the corollary to being swift to hear. Sometimes we speak out of turn when we are not paying attention before we start speaking. Likewise, we can easily find ourselves answering the wrong question because we didn’t pause to reflect on the question we are attempting to answer. If others observe this and it embarrasses them, it might prevent them from speaking something that we could benefit from hearing. Many projects are not attempted until we are confident that we have all the resources we need to complete the job. We should treat speaking the same way. Emotional disposition plays a significant role in our interactions with others. Too often anger allows others to dictate our emotional response. Sometimes we are angry because anger is our emotional response to what someone has said or done. We don’t like the way we feel, and we attribute that feeling to someone else rather than how we have mentally processed the situation. That type of response gives others too much control over our emotional state. There are times when we take something personal that we don’t have to accept at all. We should be slow to allow someone to control our emotions. We are rarely at our best when we are angry. And besides that, anger does not reflect godliness in us. Christians should strive to have a godly disposition. Christians should also strive to be teachable. We grow when we learn. Christianity should be a continuous process of growth. We can never learn enough about God, faith, and holiness. When Paul declared “I die daily”, that only happens through daily growth in Christ. Our Christian character grows when we die more to the world and become more alive to the presence of Christ in us. Learning is part of character growth. To receive the word with meekness is to have a teachable spirit. This requires faith in God and the process He chooses to use in our lives. Faith is directed towards God, but religion is directed towards mankind. Our faith quantifies our trust and reliance on God. We demonstrate our faith by believing God, trusting God, and obeying God. Our religion can be quantified by our concern and love for mankind. We demonstrate our religion by meeting the needs of mankind. Some of the most vulnerable persons in the first century were widows and orphans. To look after the welfare of widows and orphans, was a great demonstration of religious love. To summarize this, let us not just hear the word of God, but let us be doers of the word as well. Robert C. Hudson July 24, 2020