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As James brings his letter to a close, he insists that we watch out for one another, care for one another.  We are a redeemed and redeeming community.  And as James introduces the end of his letter, he sets the most important thing first.  “Above all,” he says, we must speak truth in love. Throughout history, some have thought this verse prohibited all oath taking.  But oaths have always had a place in the administration of justice, and God is…

A Warning and a Hope As James issues his stark warning to the unrepentant oppressors, he offers the faithful a word of comfort.  And the occasion for both is the same: Jesus is coming back soon.  And when he returns, it will not be as servant, but as king, as judge.  While we all need to heed the warning of James 4:13-17 lest we be condemned (James 5:1-6). We can also take comfort in the coming of the judge.  He…

Those who refused to heed the cautionary words at the end of chapter 4 should anticipate the harshest judgment.  They are told to week and howl for the miseries that are coming upon them.  But who are these ‘rich’ people?  Is this a blanket condemnation of the wealthy?  What is the crime they have committed? Laid up Treasure At the most basic level, the crime they are charged with is ‘laying up treasure’.  But saving money is not sinful.  The…

James 4:13-17 isn’t so much a condemnation of planning, as it is a condemnation of selfish planning.  The merchants’ words in v. 13 aren’t problematic in what they say. They are problematic in what the don’t say. Life is Short The merchants’ plans are, first of all, presumptuous.  Not only is the future uncertain, rendering all of our plans tentative endeavors at best, but the brevity of life and the impending judgment ought to set our plans in eternal perspective.…

In James 4:11-12, James warns us against passing judgment on others.  Obviously, he’s not against exercising discernment, nor is he against correction.  After all, he’s just called the congregation he writes to a bunch of adulteresses, correcting them for their rank idolatry. The 9th Commandment What James is concerned about, rather, is a judgmental spirit that holds itself above the law or above its neighbor.  Whenever we advertise the failings of our neighbor, we actually violate the law.  The 9th…

James 4:1-12 is a rich passage.  It begins by tracing the origin of all conflict (literally ‘wars’ and ‘duels’) to our own covetousness. But then James draws us into the idolatrous nature of such covetousness. And he does so by looking at our prayer life.  We want. We don’t get what we want.  Frustration which arises causes conflict.  But why do we not get what we want?  James points to two reasons.  We don’t ask.  And we ask wrongly. We…