The"American
Wisdom Series"
presents
Pamphlet #5131 KCJames8-1
Why
is it that so many Christians do not see God's Word as relevant to their
daily lives, even their business lives?
You often hear the phrase, "Back
in Bible times".
What kind of statement is that?
These days we now live in are Biblest
of all Bible times.
In fact, we have documented in previous
studies that the majority of prophecy and instruction in God's Word was
given for these "last days" "upon whom the
ends of world are come" (1 Cor. 10:5).
James wrote his letter to the scattered
tribes of Israel who would be "waiting unto the coming of the Lord" (vs.
5:7)!
That's us!
In today's study James addresses
self righteous Christians who think they somehow have an exclusive on truth
and that gives them the right to judge others.
He also addresses the workers and
executives and owners of businesses who profess to be Christian.
He makes the case real well that
your life, your business, and everything you possess on this earth are
completely dependent upon the will of your Father allowing it to be so.
In fact in the next chapter James
is going to bring old Job into the picture.
If you remember, one day Job was
the wealthiest man in the east and the next day it was ALL GONE, his wealth,
his property, and his family.
He had only one thing left and that
was his life.
Yes, the dynamics of your life can
change in an instant.
Have you ever heard the saying,
"I am the tiger and you are the tail and the tail doesn't wag the tiger,
the tiger always wags the tail?"
While this may be true with the
tail, it should also apply to the tongue.
Unfortunately it does not for the
tongue cannot be tamed except it be bridled by the Word of God.
Since most professing Christians
are Biblically illiterate, it follows that they are wagged by their unbridled
tongues.
James now gives us another example
of "sin of the unbridled tongue".
It is another form of self-pride,
of exalting oneself by looking down upon a brother.
James
4:11
Speak not evil
one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth
his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou
judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
To "speak evil" of one another
means to be a "backbiter" and unfortunately one doesn't have to look hard
to find a great deal of backbiting between those of the different denominations
in Christianity.
We as Christians are to be one body
made up of many members instead of many fractured members warring and backbiting
against each other.
Far too many have set themselves
up as judges when they say, "If you are not part of our church, you aren't
going to make into the kingdom".
Really?
Does God give you or me or anyone
else the authority to judge our brother's salvation?
He does not!
Must all others pray and worship
and study and believe as you do, and if they do not you look down upon
them and judge them as not being among the children of God?
Don't you know that when you do
this you mock the perfect Law of Liberty and set yourself up as the lawgiver
Himself?
You cannot be a doer of the perfect
Law of Liberty when you judge your brother and set up your own White Throne.
God alone is the judge of the souls
of His children, for only He is able to grant eternal life or cast souls
into the lake of fire!
Who are we to say so and so is not
a Christian because he or she did this or that or he or she is a ...(insert
denomination or group name here).
[12]There
is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that
judgest another?
Reverence God and let Him be
the judge of others. Again, only He can save or destroy a soul.
Matthew
10:28
And fear not
them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather
fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
It should be pointed out that
the word "another" in James 4:12 should read "neighbor" as it does in the
texts and is rendered as such in most other translations (see note in the
Companion Bible).
This is significant because in verse
11 we are admonished about judging our "brothers" who would be those of
the scattered tribes of Israel.
Verse 12 addresses our "neighbor"
who is one who becomes an Israelite by adoption.
This gives a deeper spiritual meaning
to "Love thy neighbor as thyself".
Perhaps you are one who is actually
born through the natural seed line of Israel, i.e. from the ten tribes.
Millions and millions of Americans
are.
But a neighbor, even one who is
not of Israel, becomes as yourself, i.e. one of Israel through Jesus Christ,
through the spiritual grafting in, i.e. by adoption.
Love your "neighbor" therefore as
if they are as thyself, because in Christ they are!
What a beautiful truth it is!
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
1 Corinthians
10:11 Now all these things happened unto them {the
ancient Israelites} for
ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the world are come.
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