Rev. Jean's Bible Study

 James 2:14-18   Faith Without Works is Dead  Martin Luther in the 1500’s was ready to eliminate the Book of James because it placed too much emphasis on what he called ‘works righteousness’—the idea that God rewards us based on our good works. Taken to its extreme, such theology led in Luther's time to the idea that you could buy your way into heaven at first by charitable works but later by paying the church in Rome enough to put in a good word for you.  Such practice was called an indulgence.  Now some people indulge themselves or excuse themselves by the opposite. They think that good works don't matter, that as long as you call Jesus your Lord and Saviour, or support your local church, you can live however you want: despoiling the planet, hoarding wealth while others lack basic needs, refusing to accept refugees into the country, blaming the poor for their condition while voting to make sure they stay poor.  In the faith or works debate, it is n...

 James 2:1-8  Show no partiality The members of the early church, like us, were inclined to be impressed by wealth and discomforted by poverty.   Love you neighbour as yourself is a hard one if we take seriously God’s definition of neighbour. If we consider as neighbours—as equals, companions, and friends—all those that God considers beloved children, then the simple command to love your neighbour as yourself is not so simple.     Who is it that impresses you? Who are you inclined to impress?   Who is it that you would rather not have to encounter?   It becomes a bit easier when we realize that love in the Bible is a verb that refers to our actions, not a noun describing a feeling.   Even when we meet neighbours that don’t bring out that “loving feeling” in us, we can still act with loving respect towards them.  

  James 1:19-20     “Be quick to listen, slow to speak” “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”   Need one say more?   Someone once said that there is a good reason why we have two ears and only one tongue!   Our culture teaches self actualization not self awareness.   “You can be whatever you want to be!”   The gospel teaches self-awareness and self-discipline.   “You are one of God’s beloved children”—important, not special and not the only one that matters!    We all need to “welcome with meekness the Word that has been implanted into our souls, the Word that can save us –and our world.