“Eight
Rules of Faith”...A Study of the Book of James”
(Sept.
17- Nov. 19, 2013)
Week
1...”The Rule of...Faith and Temptation”,
Ja. 1.1-16
What
is Faith? Read He. 11.1...faith is substantial...that
is, having considerable value, or worth; it's considerable, solid
and essential. So how much is faith worth...how essential is it,
and how firm is it? Well, as an illustration, take that chair for
example (the brown pleather one in the corner). When I came into this room tonight I
thought...I like to sit in this chair (my Lazyboy rocker-recliner!), because I know this chair. I know it's
value, and it's solid...it's stood the test of time and use. But that other chair...I wouldn't sit in that because I don't have faith in it's
ability to hold me up. When we bought it, it was on sale because of a
crack in one of the legs, but we liked the look of it, so we went
ahead and bought it anyway, thinking...well, it doesn't really matter
because neither of us plan to be using it! But I figured that
chair would some day let someone down! I don't have much faith in its
ability to stand the test of time...it's not of very good
quality...it's not worth a whole lot, it's not solid, and it
certainly isn't essential to either Mary or me. It may look
substantial at first glance, but it's not (I have since made a seamless repair by the by).
Well
that's the way with faith. Faith reflects trust, and it
reflects value and it reflects substance. The Divine Author of
Hebrews says that...”Faith
is the substance (or the confirmation) of all that we hope for, the
proof of things we cannot see but believe to be there, resulting in
the conviction that they are real.” So
the letter of James to the church is about that kind of
experience...the act of trusting in things that we only read and hear
about, resulting in our belief that they are in fact, true; in other
words...faith.
So
having said that, let's read
James 1.1-16...
Now
James starts his letter with a very curious saying...”Be
joyful when you fall into temptation”!
Now I don't know about you, but I don't find much joy in being
tempted! In fact, I hate it when I'm tempted, because when I'm
tempted I don't want to make a decision. I have that little imp on
one shoulder whispering in my ear, and a little angel on my other
shoulder whispering in my other ear. Paul explains it perfectly in Ro.
7.14 where
he says...”I
am just a creature of the flesh, sold into slavery to sin”.
Let's
turn there...
Read
vss. 14-24...
So
when you give in to your temptations...shame on you! No,
not at all. The fact is, even we believers are still creatures of the
flesh, as Paul says in vs.
25...
But
He doesn't hang us out to dry, or does He?
Read
8.1-6, 11-18, 24-25...
That
describes the end of our faith, our hope in what we cannot see, which
brings us right back to James
1...the
matter of our patient faith.
Read
Ja. 1.3-8,12...
So
here we have the order...the trial of our faith-->patience-->
maturity-->abundant life--> joy.
Note
“...the
trial of your faith”...1 Pe. 1.5-9, 4.12,13
So,
just for the record, since we've had a glimpse of the end of our
faith (the salvation of our souls), what about the potential end of
our temptation, without that endurance of our faith that we read of
in vs. 12?
Read
vss. 13-16...
So
here is the “anti-thesis” of the formula given in the previous
paragraph...
But
first, note where temptation does not come from, although many are
heard to complain...”why does God...?!”.
...temptation-->lust-->sin-->death.
Compare
vs. 12...the crown of life, offered to the enduring believer. In fact,
there are various crowns for the Christian...
- "Crown for eternity"...1 Cor. 9.25
- "of the soul-winner"...Phil. 4.1, 1 Thess. 2.19
- "of righteousness"...2 Ti 4.8
- "of life"....Ja. 1.12, Rev. 2.10
- "of glory"...1 Pe. 5.4
It's
important to note that these crowns can't be earned by trying...for
eg., the crown of life can't be earned, any more than eternal life
can be earned. Christ paid the price for us, and I believe
that there is nothing worthwhile we can add to that, other than to believe and receive! So the
Crown of life is our reward for enduring the trial of our faith, in
its many forms and on its many occasions, and coming through even stronger on the other side. As I read it, if you fail, or fall into sin during the time of your
trial you will not lose your salvation, but you may certainly suffer some consequence, as a result of the lapse in that most important aspect of life...your enduring faith.
But
there's one other crown that we cannot overlook...the
crown of thorns...John 19.5-16.
The very reason for faith in the first place...a considerable faith, a substantial faith and an essential faith!
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