", This introduces then the famous passage which has been the perplexity of so many minds: "What should it profit, my brethren, though a man may say that he hath faith, and have not works? And yet the very mouths and tongues which had frequently and piously blessed God, were the very same mouths and tongues which cursed fellowmen. See James 2:1-4. Surely, then, an individual solicited to yield up what he believed to be truth, or what were cherished convictions, might properly assign this text as a reason why he could not, and ought not; and if an individual might, why not any number associated into a church? He does call for works, and is not content simply with faith, but the works he produces are works that owe all their value to faith. By good fruits he generally refers to all those duties which benevolent men perform towards their brethren; as though he had said, it is full of benevolence. It originally meant spinning for hire and was used of serving women. Was this the time for an Israelite to lie for profit and get gain by it? The governing and guiding of all the motions of a horse, by the bit which is put into his mouth: Behold, we put bits into the horses' mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body, v. 3. It was a time of general cruelty and unconcern for the unfortunate. WebJames 3:17 In-Context. THE MAN WHO OUGHT NEVER TO BE A TEACHER ( James 3:13-14 ). Strenuously by the Holy Ghost, there is no question that the facts which scripture presents to us regarding the church in Jerusalem are as I have endeavoured to state them. These qualities, including that of purity just mentioned, are exactly those extolled by the Master in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount; thus James continues his fidelity to the teaching of the Lord. All rights reserved. This type of peace is not some mysterious emotion falling upon man at Gods whim but, rather, a condition of inner calmness knowing all is well with his soul. But when certain Jewish Christians come down from Jerusalem, he separates himself from these Gentile Christians "fearing them which were of the circumcision." Whatever they may know to be their own proper place as Christians who never were in such a position, and, so far from being led into it, guarded from it. It is nothing more. "Is any among you afflicted? Or, according to the original word, psychike, it is animal of human--the mere working of natural reason, without any supernatural light. It remains constant and predictable. The influence on the man is to make him upright, sincere, candid, holy. James then describes this arrogant and bitter wisdom in its effects. Of course, this refers only to cases where it is right and proper to be easily persuaded and complying. It is full of love and a giving heart, consistent with the holiness of God. You can also change some of your preferences. Undeserved! True wisdom may be known by the meekness of the spirit and temper: Let him show with meekness, c. It is a great instance of wisdom prudently to bridle our own anger, and patiently to bear the anger of others. The wisdom which has a heavenly origin, or which is from God. There were teachers who lived out nothing of the truth which they taught, whose life was a contradiction of their instruction and who did nothing but bring dishonour on the faith they represented ( Romans 2:17-29). What can be conceived more contrary, I will not say to reverence for what claims to be inspired, but even to all sense and discrimination, than such a thought? Therefore, the phrase most probably means the whole of life and living. In this sense the phrase very nearly means the wheel of fortune, always changing and always variable. 3:7-8 Every kind of beast and bird, and reptile and fish, is and has been tamed for the service of mankind; but no man can tame the tongue. Can faith save?" For this doctrine and practice the Pharisees were quite unprepared. Temptations elsewhere mean trials, not inward solicitations of evil; they have no bearing upon, nor connection with, the evil nature, but on the contrary are the ways in which the Lord out of His love tries those in whom He has confidence, and works for the greater blessing of those whom He has already blessed. James 3:13-18 Two Kinds of Wisdom; PHIL NEWTON. He said, "It's not really that which goes into a man that defiles a man, but that which comes out of a man that defiles him. Surely, brothers, a fig-tree cannot produce olives, nor a vine figs, nor can salt water produce fresh water? in 1 Corinthians 14:1-40, and in practice throughout the church of God. Yet the remarkable feature we have also to weigh here is that when works are thus introduced, attention is directed to what would be perfectly valueless if they were not the result of faith, nay, worse than valueless, positively evil, and entailing the severest punishment. We pray father god here tonight that our hearts would be open to receive all the things you have for us. Instead, he must recognize the feelings of others and, at times, sacrifice his own rights (1 Corinthians 8). ( Galates 3:1 )_ 2. With one voice the Jewish sages agreed that wisdom came to men from God. He does not take a position, and then hold it whether right or wrong; he is not a man on whom no arguments or persuasions can have any influence. A man that did look straight up to God, swift to hear and slow to speak, was Abraham; a man in whom the loud voice of nature was utterly silenced, that God's will and word might alone govern his soul. For light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart; and the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Now it is evident that this is only foolishness. Alas! Many of the letters also end with the wish for peace. Otherwise Abraham in man's eye was a father ready to murder his own son: what could be worse than this? It consists of these several things:-- 1. This wisdom is without hypocrisy: Without pretending to be what it is not; acting always in its own character; never working under a mask. In almost every part of the New Testament kosmos ( G2889) means the world with more than a suggestion of the evil world. Hence, if a man be wise, the question arises, how is it to be proved? If we are wiser than others, this should be evidenced by the goodness of our conversation, not by the roughness or vanity of it. Paul instructs Christians to possess the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). But this is not the law of liberty in any wise, but the law of bondage, condemnation, and death. Their authority was thrown into question. In their twisted way of thinking, the heart had nothing to do with purity. This does not mean that mortals are directly inspired by such wisdom, but that God is the ultimate source from which their wisdom is actually received; and the means of their receiving it, while not in view in this text, must surely be allowed as the gospels and apostolic writings themselves, there being no other possible source of it. 3:1 My brothers, it is a mistake for many of you to become teachers, for you must be well aware that those of us who teach will receive a greater condemnation. (See Luke 16:1-31) Accordingly their hatred grew until it resulted in the cross of the Lord; and hence this is one of the elements, though of course not the only one, which calls down the judgment of God; and the Spirit of God so treats it here: "Ye have killed the just." peaceable: The next characteristic of true wisdom is that it is "peaceable" (eirenike). An oath, therefore, should not be refused when put by a magistrate. That is why I seek to be so careful in teaching the Word of God to keep, as much as possible, my own opinion out of it and speculation out of it completely.A lot of times people want you to speculate on a subject and to me that is extremely dangerous. WebHere, in verse 17, James describes the characteristics of the wisdom from heaven. James 3:17-18 (Smarty Pants / Heavenly Wisdom) May 8, 2021 / Jeff Stott. - Utley, gentle -- a character trait of sweet reasonableness - MSB. When we are mild and calm, we are best able to hear reason, and best able to speak it. His word for zeal is zelos ( G2205) . Many have fallen by the edge of the sword; but not so many as, have fallen by the tongue. Not that any one acquainted with the truth denies that a saved soul has still the flesh in him, and is liable to sin if unwatchful. He also calls it gentle or tractable; by which he means that it widely differs from pride and malignity. It is fatally easy for a teacher to distort the truth and to teach, not God's version, but his own. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. . Lie not against the truth. The hypocrite, on the other hand, quietly leads his deceptive life and, thus, may subtly influence others in a negative manner for years. Verset 17. [That is a lie against the truth, the bitterness and striving and envyness within your heart.] Compare James 2:14-26. This word "pure" (hagne) is closely related to the word "holy" (hagios). The word he uses for selfish ambition is eritheia ( G2052) which was also a word with no necessarily bad meaning. "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (or endurance). 4. The same promise is repeated to Noah: "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered ( Genesis 9:2). For in many things we offend all. It is not true that the scripture teaches, here or elsewhere, that purity of doctrine is to be preferred to a peaceful spirit; or that it always leads to a peaceful spirit; or that it is proper for professed Christians and Christian ministers to sacrifice, as is often done, a peaceful spirit, in an attempt to preserve purity of doctrine. Hypocrisy was a vice which Jesus exposed and denounced with all the vehemency of his being, the entire 23chapter of Matthew being given over to such a purpose, the conduct of those ancient Pharisees being the perfect example of what Christian teachers today ought not to be and ought not to do. "Easy to be entreated" (eupeithes) is found only once in the New Testament and means "easily obeying, compliant" (Thayer 261). Accordingly, I have not the slightest doubt that what our Lord and His servants reprobated was the introduction of an oath in common conversation; and this, it is plain, does not apply to an oath administered by a magistrate. It is true that a church should be pure in doctrinal belief, but that is not the truth taught here. Let us prayerfully seek to avoid the snare. (It is but too true that much unseemly strife has had the aegis of this text thrown over it. Compare the notes at 2 Corinthians 10:1. For out of the mouth comes blasphemies and evil speaking." We must spend a little longer on this passage, because in it there are two specially difficult phrases. WebSupplements to Commentaries Chapter 17: 2.1 New Testament Introductions Chapter 18: 2.2 New Testament Theologies Chapter 19: 3. It is James' warning that the teacher has of his own choice entered into a special office; and is, therefore, under the greater condemnation, if he fails in it. As a whole, you are aware that the prophets addressed themselves to the people of Israel. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. One can understand "the spirit of a man that is in him;" as the apostle Paul, when describing the human spirit, does put it in1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, but hardly the spirit that dwelleth in a man. How often one hears people in the habit of quoting from this verse for what they call practice, who dwell on the first part to the exclusion of the last. May we never forget what the new nature loves and feels to be true and holy according to Christ. This, then, I suppose though not venturing to speak with more decision is the practical result. It means, properly, not to be distinguished. Here it may mean either of the following things: (a)Not open to distinction or doubt; that is, unambiguous, so that there shall be no doubt about its origin or nature; (b)Making no distinction, that is, in the treatment of others, or impartial towards them; or. "And lie not against the truth." Ben Sirach began his book with the sentence, "All wisdom cometh from the Lord, and is with him for ever" ( Sir_1:1 ); and he makes Wisdom say, "I came out of the mouth of the Most High" ( Sir_24:3 ). Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the Moon at 3:56 a.m., 21 July, British time. Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. The people to whom James was writing coveted the prestige of the teacher; James demanded that they should never forget the responsibility. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. You must take what the Bible gives, and thus seek to form a just judgment according to God. Without hypocrisy. James enters upon this expressly in the next chapter. Be slow then to speak, swift to hear. He does not, I apprehend, restrict himself to public speaking, though opening with it, as we have seen. Whence such wisdom cometh: It descendeth not from above, but ariseth from beneath; and, to speak plainly, it is earthly, sensual, devilish,James 3:15; James 3:15. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers.

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