I have been in discussion for the last couple of weeks with my former teacher. He came to our school, when I was in my final year of matric. He’s a good man, by world standard… good singer as well – he conducted our choir as well. And our discussion started when he posted something on Facebook.
And what you normally see on Facebook is a lot of…God is love…a lot of… be thankful to God. A lot of… we thank God for our… for His healing. A lot of… we thank God for what he has given us. We thank God that he sent Jesus to die for us.
But you hardly, if any, do you ever hear…Therefore, we need to repent…therefore, we need to live our lives in accordance with the Word – you never hear of it! So, he posted something, and my response was to that post: My teacher, therefore, we need to repent and live lives according to how God wants us to. And that kicked off a discussion for… I think it’s three weeks now that we’ve been going back and forth. And the back and forth is because he would simply not acknowledge that despite having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, despite being saved by faith… by grace through faith, that we have a responsibility to live according to the calling that we have been called. We have a responsibility for our lives to reflect to whom we are slaves to. He says no one can be holy, so therefore, that is not what he wants to go to! He keeps saying, but you are justified by faith, I said, that’s fine, I understand, but we need to respond by repenting.
But we are justified by faith. No one can… So, I’m going to give you….What I said to him…
and his response! And this is the last message I sent to him. And I don’t think I’ll be sending anything else – unless the Lord has other plans!
I said, we cannot add to our salvation because he mentioned that he sees what I’m putting about as aiding to salvation, and I agree we cannot add to it – I fully agree. The question is, does the Bible teach us as Christians how we must live our lives?
Yes, or no? – cause I was tired of all this back and forth. Does it tell us teachers how to live our lives? Yes, or no?
And if yes, what does it teach us then?
And then his response was…and I think this, when I saw this last night, I just decided it’s better if I go to sleep.
He says it teaches us that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we too have put our faith in Christ. Jesus, that we may be cut justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. Because by the works of the law, no one will be justified. Remember what my question was?
Does the Bible teach us how to live?
In court, they will say, Your honor, this witness is not answering the question. This is exactly I have…tried everything…to get him to say to me, does the Bible teach us how to live or not? And he has simply either refuse to ask to answer it, ignored it, or avoided it altogether.
Christians ought to be rooted in God’s Word. Why, then, are we so much at sea
on basic issues of biblical teaching and morality?
I believe it is because in keeping with the spirit of the age, Christians have cut themselves adrift from the anchor of revealed truth from what the Scriptures actually teach.
Practical Christianity has become pragmatic Christianity. The basis for decision making has owed more to the weighing up of strategies and options with a view to what works done to an unshakable commitment to the bedrock of biblical principle, in the context of a life walked by faith rather than sight. The prevailing trend has been increasingly, in the direction of finding ways to explain why simple and straightforward biblical teachings should be reinterpreted to allow wider latitude in faith and practice.
A good example of this, which really disappointed me quite honestly, was during COVID. When people I look up to, people like John MacArthur, reinterpreted Romans 13, so that they can defy the government and continue to do church during COVID. It was very disappointing, especially when it came from people that you look up to.
But again, it reminded us that it is Jesus that we need to look up to – not people. That they make mistakes this way. They are not perfect.
Although to challenge John MacArthur, you need to know your story. Let me… let me just put it out there. But I think in this case they were wrong.
Uncertainty appears to be the universally accepted starting point for any discussion of the norms of Christian belief and behavior, even within the churches. No one knows. We can’t be sure. Every camp has its scholars and the more footnotes, the more flexibility riding on a very troubled tidal wave of contrary possibilities – A new universalism is sweeping through the evangelical world in which more and more people are right And fewer are wrong – even though they all contradict.
Now I wish I could claim you to be the author of all that absolutely high English, But I did not author it. It is from Gordon Keddie, the book, called The Practical Christian – A commentary on James, but I fully agree with him.
You will hear, especially those called the 2000s, born from 2000 onwards, saying:
It is my truth.
It is your truth.
It works for me, as long as it works for you.
The Book of James, on the other hand, is one book that is very popular among the leading Christians. This is almost a go to book when it comes to practical Christianity.
The Book of James is intensely practical, and those who are looking for specific biblical guidance on practical Christianity, appreciates James.
James contains a higher frequency, not number…higher frequency of imperatives than any other New Testament book – Imperatives meaning commands. So, you have lot more frequency of the commands coming through than any other book in the New Testament.
When you go to 1st John, you get the answer to the question: Am I a Christian?
If you need 1st John – the whole of 1st John, at the end of it, you will be able to answer the question. Am I… not… are you? Am I Christian?
With James, you answer the following question. Am I living out Christianity?
When people look at me, they see a Christian. James’ purpose has less to do with informing or teaching theology, but has everything to do with reprimanding, encouraging, and persuading Christians with regards to practical living – how to live as a Christian. How your life must reflect that you are a Christian.
How your life should differentiate you without you having said anything from others who are unbelievers.
James uses a lot of illustrations and metaphors – and this makes him easy to understand. James demands that Christian faith must be practical and aims to challenge his readers – then and now, to test the validity of their faith in how they live.
James makes a strong connection between profession of faith and that transformed life that must result from that profession. James insists that Christian practice must be consistent. It must align with Christian belief, and he does not have kind words for those who live their lives contrary to their profession. If I bring it to today, you don’t support the Bulls and go wearing the Sharks T-shirt to a Bulls /Sharks game. It just doesn’t make sense. It makes no sense. What you say you support must line up with your behaviour. If you support the Bulls, you unfortunately have to wear that pink jersey! If you support the sharks, you have to wear that black and white jersey, not the other way around. If you support Kaizer Chiefs, you don’t wear a Pirates T-shirt.
No, it’s… it’s an abomination. You just don’t do that. This is what James is saying! This is exactly what James is saying! You don’t say I’m a Christian and then live like an unbeliever. So, if you want to know how your faith in Christ must affect how you live your life on a daily basis, then the book of James is a very good start. It is not going to be pleasant. It is not going to be easy on the ears. This is not going to tickle anyone’s ears. But it is a necessity if we are going to be the salt and the light, here in Witbank. Our lives should reflect our profession.
Now, please take your Bibles and turn with me to the book / letter of James. I’ve been looking forward to this book, but I didn’t know that I would be hit so hard by it. I have titled this message simply this: Faith That Transforms Lives.
Now this word transform can also be…other ways that can replace it is reshaped, remodel, modified, reconstruct or rebuild. So, faith that transforms lives, faith that reshapes lives, faith that remodels life, faith that modifies life, faith that reconstructs lives. Faith that rebuilds lives. And the main point of this whole book is the following – It is not enough to be a Christian if this fact does not show in one’s conduct. It is simply not enough to be a Christian if this fact does not show in one’s conduct.
You wanna hear verses like:, Oh, you say you believe in Christ – demons do! You are not different to a demon, if your faith is simply profession, but your life does not align. This is not me. This is James. If you say I believe in Christ. But your faith does not align. The devil says welcome my brother.
Dankie my maat -jy is nou deel van ons!
You are no different. I told you. Brace yourself for James.
Brace yourself for the direct – I thought John was direct.
Oh no, I was wrong!
Oh, James is…Ja!
Nee, hy kan praat!
Now there are four pillars. When you study any book, any passage in Scripture. And these four pillars, those who attended Doctor Chou’s message would remember, is you look at the historical background.
You look at the literary context.
You look at the grammar.
And you look at the genre.
Now the genre is simply this. You don’t read the book, the letter from SARS, which says: Due by you – like you are reading a letter from your loved one.
Oh, how nice. I must pay SARS! No!
You don’t read a letter from a lawyer who says to you in 14 days you need to pay, like you’re reading a letter from your mom.
There are rules and regulations for reading every type of letter – that’s what genre is.
Grammar – It’s grammar. It’s present, past tense, verb. All of that.
Literary context is the context of the book itself. What is the book about and how does it fit in all other books?
And historical context is…. what was the context when this book was written?
Who wrote it?
Who were the recipients?
What was happening with them?
Why was this written?
All of those
need to take place… need to happen for you to be able to correctly study any book of scripture. I’m not talking about devotions. Devotions, you simply pick up and you read. I’m talking about studying. So, I’m going to do exactly that – because this is the beginning of the book of James. So, I’ll start with the historical background of the book of James starting with who wrote the book of James?