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Patience in Suffering November 1, 2015

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Here are my thoughts on James 5:7-12.

Summary: James begins by exhorting his readers – in light of the preceding passage – to be long-suffering until the next manifestation of God’s judgment. To encourage them in this regard, he cites the example of the farmer, who waits for:

  • the land to yield its fruit – through hard labor
  • the rains that fall a little before sowing
  • the rains that fall a little before the fruit ripens.

Thus, they should be immovable in the faith and hope of Christianity, since the next manifestation of God’s judgment is at hand. Also, they should not injure each other over the topic of circumcision – or God will punish them; His judgment is at hand for those who injure each other in this regard.

James then exhorts his readers to imitate the prophets who were authorized to speak to the people in God’s place, since they endured their afflictions. Indeed, those who show fortitude in misery are declared to be happy by the whole Christian church; for example, Job showed fortitude in his misery, and God produced a happy outcome for him. The story of Job demonstrates that God overflows in His pity and pardon for the sins of believers.

James concludes by emphasizing the importance of not taking an oath by a creature; their affirmations and negations should be firmly grounded in simple truth – lest God judge them.

Thoughts: In this passage, James exhorts his readers to be patient in the midst of their afflictions. Manton offers some interesting thoughts on this point in his commentary on verse 11:

We would never have heard of Job if he had not been brought so low. Affliction makes saints eminent; Job’s poverty made him rich in honor and esteem. Stars shine only in the night; the lower we are made by providence, the greater we are made. God’s children never gain so much honor as in their troubles. Many people whose names now breathe out a fresh perfume in the churches would have lived and died obscurely, with their bones thrown into some unknown charnel, undistinguished from other relics of mortality, if God had not drawn them to public notice by their eminent sufferings.

While I assert that a believer does not need to be afflicted in order to gain great renown, God can certainly use afflictions to bring believers great renown. For example, as a believer in a First World country, I am acutely aware of the struggles of believers in Third World countries – especially when they face persecution for their faith. I have heard of believers who lost their possessions – and even their lives – for their faith. Now Manton’s point also raises the following questions: how many believers throughout history will live and die “obscurely?” Will I live and die in obscurity as a believer? Will those believers who endure great afflictions in this life be granted a higher place in heaven as a reward for their faithfulness? Regarding my third question…I assume that most of these afflicted believers do not seek out troubles that will earn them greater honor in the next life, as troubles are painful. Yet when believers remain patient in the midst of great afflictions, it would seem that God should reward them for their faithfulness. I suppose that I will have to wait until the next life to see if my hypothesis is correct.

Trials and Temptations July 28, 2015

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Here are my thoughts on James 1:2-18.

Summary: James begins by exhorting his readers to esteem it as a matter of chief joy when they are suddenly attacked with afflictions from pagans and non-believing Jews. This stems from the fact that they have been taught by the Spirit – and experience – that afflictions exercise the grace of faith and perfect patience. Moreover, patience must be perfected so that the whole image of Christ would be completed in them. Now when they lack wisdom for bearing afflictions, they should direct serious and earnest prayers to God, who gives bountifully and indefatigably to those who pray earnestly to Him. Yet they must place their confidence in Him at those times – instead of entertaining uncertain thoughts like wicked men. Indeed, those who entertain uncertain thoughts about God can expect nothing from Christ, as they have no constancy of soul.

James then asserts that a Christian who has been made low – on account of opposition for being religious – should boast in his sublimity. On the other hand, those who are noble and honorable should boast in having lowly minds – since they will pass away, just as the flower of the field fades. To establish this point, he notes that the rich eventually lose their wealth even while they pursue it.

Now James asserts that believers who patiently and constantly endure afflictions are blessed, because when they are found approved, God will freely give them heavenly glory; indeed, He has promised heavenly glory to those who suffer for Him.

James then tells his readers that when they are tempted to sin, they should neither say nor think that God is forcing them into evil; this stems from the following truths:

  • God cannot be drawn into evil
  • God does not seduce anyone.

Instead, their corrupt nature seduces them, triggering the following sequence of events:

  • they are drawn into evil
  • actual sin is brought to effect in them
  • actual sin settles into a habit in them
  • their souls are handed over to damnation.

Now James lovingly reminds his readers to refrain from wandering by believing that God forces them into evil. To assist them in this regard, he asserts that all special blessings come from heaven; indeed, they come from God – who is like the Sun that gives out its light to all the planets – and He always remains the same. James concludes by citing the following example of a special blessing from heaven: according to God’s will, they have been born again through the Gospel message – showing their dignity and their prerogative.

Thoughts: In verse 2, James exhorts his readers to esteem afflictions as matters of chief joy. Manton offers some insights on this point:

But you may object, does not the Scripture allow us a sense of our condition? How can we rejoice in what is evil…I answer (1) Do not rejoice in evil: that is so far from being a fruit of grace that it is against nature. There is a natural abhorrence of what is painful, as we see in Christ himself… (2) Their joy is from the happy consequences of their sufferings…To be called to such special service is an act of God’s special favor. Far from being a matter of discouragement, it is a ground for thanksgiving…

I recently discussed the problem of evil and suffering with a friend; at that time, I cited the example of Job, who, after losing his family and his possessions, gave praise to God. My friend remarked that it would be rather unnatural for anyone to immediately praise God after experiencing such a traumatic sequence of events. That is a good point, and it leads to the first point in Manton’s quote. Whenever believers face difficulties in this life, I believe that God allows them to experience feelings of sorrow and disappointment, as that constitutes a natural and reasonable response to their circumstances. Believers, though, must not allow those feelings to master them; instead, they must (often painfully) shift to a long-term focus and consider how God can be glorified in the midst of their sorrow and disappointment. I certainly need to improve in this regard; while it is relatively easy for me to recall previous trials and give praise to God for working in the midst of those difficulties, I need to be able to praise God in the midst of future trials.

In verses 10 and 11, James exhorts prosperous believers to boast in having a lowly mind, as they – and their possessions – will pass away. Manton offers some insights on this point in his commentary on verse 10:

This includes the noble, the honorable, those who have outward excellence, and especially those who remain untouched by persecution…A rich person’s humility is his glory…You are not better than others because of your possessions but because of your meekness…If we want to be made low in the middle of worldly enjoyments, we should think about how uncertain they are…It is mad to be proud about what may perish before we perish, just as it is the worst of miseries to outlive our own happiness.

I am fairly certain that Manton would place me in the category of “the rich” – as opposed to the category of “believers in humble circumstances,” especially since I live in a country where I am not being persecuted for my faith. Thus, I should view this passage as a challenge for my Christian walk. My thought on the topic of “the proper attitude for a ‘rich’ Christian” is that it is closely related to the topic of how believers should spend their time. Do we allow our material wealth to dictate how we spend our time, or do we allow God to dictate our daily activities? How can we maximize our productivity for God in this life? Do we need to follow the example of Paul, who often went without food, clothing and shelter as he preached the Gospel message? I constantly struggle with this topic, as I can participate in a panoply of relatively unimportant – yet tempting – activities on a daily basis. I do pray that God would enable me to use my time more wisely for Him, where I know that I am being productive for Him.

God’s Righteous Judgment December 7, 2010

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Here are my thoughts on Romans 2:1-16.

Summary: In this passage, Paul shows (in a somewhat indirect manner) that the Jews are also deserving of death based on 1:32, since they, along with the Gentiles, commit the sins in 1:29-31. Charles Hodge does a superb job of summarizing the five key principles by which God will judge all men that are presented in this passage, so I will simply quote from his commentary:

1. The person who condemns in others what he does himself by that very act condemns himself.
2. God’s judgments are according to the real character of men.
3. The goodness of God, being designed to lead us to repentance, is no proof that he will not punish sin. The perversion of that goodness will increase our guilt and aggravate our condemnation.
4. God will judge every man according to his deeds, not according to his words or his ecclesiastical connections or background.
5. Men will be judged by what they individually know to be their duty. Therefore God is perfectly impartial.

Thoughts: Verse 4 serves as a strong warning to those who believe that 1) due to His bountiful kindness, God will not punish sin or 2) if the Second Coming was not a fable, it would have already occurred. A cursory reading of various Old Testament prophecies, coupled with a superficial knowledge of the history of Israel, should remind us that while it is not uncommon for God to be patient with sinners, He eventually punishes those who remain in their sins. In those cases, He (patiently) gave sinners sufficient opportunities to repent and throw themselves at His feet. Those who abuse God’s loving patience will eventually be judged, and this judgment will be extremely unpleasant.

If one were to read this passage in isolation, especially verse 6, it would appear that Paul is promoting the doctrine of “salvation by works” instead of the doctrine of “salvation by grace through faith.” Hodge addresses this issue as follows:

In answering this question, two things should be borne in mind. The first is that, notwithstanding the teaching of free justification and perfectly consistent with it, the apostle still teaches that the retributions of eternity are in accordance with our deeds…Secondly, it is, however, more pertinent to note that the apostle is not teaching here the method of justification but is laying down general principles about justice, according to which, irrespective of the Gospel, all men are to be judged.

In fact, Paul notes elsewhere in his teachings that people are rewarded or punished in the next life based on their deeds in this life; for example, see 2 Corinthians 5:10 and and Ephesians 6:8. Thus, salvation by grace through faith does not offer Christians a license to sin. James 2:14-26 furnishes further evidence of the strong link between faith and works. Based on this evidence, if someone professes to be saved while leading a life of sin, their salvation may not be genuine.

In his commentary on verses 9 and 10, Hodge notes that one can infer that Jews who do evil will be punished “more severely” than Gentiles who do evil due to their knowledge of the law, while Jews who do good will be “especially rewarded” compared to Gentiles who do good. This raises a question that I have struggled with for quite some time, namely, how can there be distinct degrees of punishment (or reward) in the next life? If an unbeliever were to be tossed into the lake of fire for eternity, I wonder how their suffering could be increased or decreased compared to that of other unbelievers; would certain regions of the lake of fire be hotter than other regions? Similarly, in heaven, could a rescued believer’s joy be increased or decreased based on their deeds during this life? Along these lines, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 possibly indicate that one can be saved in a less-than-victorious fashion. Unfortunately, Hodge does not address this issue, at least not in this section of his commentary.