March 1-15
Daily Devotionals
by Pastor Larry Wilson
Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church March 1
Are You For Real? (James 3:14–18)
by the Rev. Larry Wilson
Scripture for Day 60—James 3:14–18
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.... 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotional:
Here in James 3, our Lord warns that there are two kinds of wisdom among professing Christians. Indeed, there are two competing wisdoms in each Christian heart. How can you tell the difference between true and counterfeit wisdom? What is wisdom like?
The wisdom-not-from-above is marked by "jealousy and selfish ambition" (v. 16a). It is a kind of wisdom is from the world ("earthly"), that's produced by the flesh ("unspiritual"), and that Satan himself inspires ("demonic"). Its chief marks are "jealousy and selfish ambition."
It's the polar opposite of our Lord Jesus Christ "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6–8)! How sharply Jesus contrasts with the worldly-wise. There's not even a hint of jealousy or selfish ambition in our Lord Jesus! If you aren't yet scared enough of the wisdom-that-is-not-from-above, then be scared by this—it's not merely un-Christlike; it's downright anti-Christlike!
It is very different with the wisdom from above. "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (v. 17). Above all, this describes our Lord Jesus Christ, "who became to us wisdom from God" (1 Cor 1:30). Cling to Jesus. Ask him to grip you by true wisdom.
March 2
Are You For Real? (James 3:14–18)
Scripture for Day 61—James 3:14–18
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.... 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotional:
It's helpful to notice that the wisdom from above expresses itself in three directions: toward God, toward others, and toward self. Toward God, "the wisdom from above is first pure …" If you are in the grip of the wisdom from above, then you love God sincerely. You live for him fervently and righteously. You purify yourself, as he is pure.
Second, toward other people, "the wisdom from above is … peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial…" True wisdom is not merely peace-loving; it is positively peace-making; it is "peaceable." It is like our Lord Jesus, who says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9). If you are under the influence of Jesus, then you'll seek to make peace by being "gentle" and "open to reason." You'll also be "full of mercy and good fruits." You'll display the faith in action that James 2 stresses—especially in mercy to the needy. But you won't stop at mercy. True wisdom is full of all other "good fruits," such as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22–23). True wisdom is also "impartial." This is the same word that we saw in chapter 2—without partiality. True wisdom will not show favoritism.
Third, toward self, "the wisdom from above is … sincere." If you are gripped by the wisdom from above, then you won't wear masks with other people. You won't need to because you'll have nothing to hide. You'll never have to play roles. You won't need to conceal your real aims and motives because you are sincere. The wisdom from the world, the flesh, and the devil will turn you into a chameleon. You'll have to act differently when you're with different people. But the wisdom from above will set you free to be yourself. It will give you integrity and set you free to be the same inside and out, no matter who you're with.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5).
March 3
Are You For Real? (James 3:14–18)
Scripture for Day 62—James 3:14–18
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.... 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotional:
Our Lord Jesus says, "you will recognize them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:20). In that case, what fruit does counterfeit wisdom produce? What fruit does true wisdom produce? How can we recognize which is which?
The wisdom from below produces "disorder and every vile practice" (v. 16b). The word translated "disorder" is used elsewhere in James. If you are gripped by the wisdom from below, you will be "unstable" (1:8) and "restless" (3:8). Counterfeit wisdom also produces "every vile practice." In the long run, double-mindedness can't be kept inside. Eventually it must break out. And when it does, it produces "every vile practice." This is especially telling if God is primarily addressing teachers and would-be teachers in the church (compare James 3:1). I grew up in Protestant liberalism. The gist of the message I was taught there was, "Now that we're modern, we know that the miracles of the Bible aren't really true. But the morals are. So be good. It's good to be good and it's bad to be bad." But what is the fruit of that teaching? Today these very same denominations not only defend "every vile practice;" they also want to ordain to the highest offices in the church those who actually do practice them!
The wisdom from above, on the other hand, produces "a harvest of righteousness" (v. 18). This is the exact opposite of "every vile practice." "Righteousness" conforms to God's holy character. The fruit of following heavenly wisdom is lives that are pleasing to God! O, may God grant us the wisdom from above that produces this fruit!
March 4
Are You For Real? (James 3:14–18)
Scripture for Day 63—James 3:14–18
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotional:
This great "harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." Notice how firmly God stresses Christian relationships! When he unites you to Jesus Christ, he at the same time unites you to his redeemed children who are also united to Christ. How important to God the communion of saints is! How important to your spiritual well-being godly Christian fellowship is!
One of the saddest things in a local church is when walls divide its members—even worse, when members gossip about each other, bicker with each other. That's a sure sign of the influence that is from below—from the world, the flesh, the devil! I'm fully persuaded that one of Satan's chief strategies is "divide and conquer" and that he uses it relentlessly to turn God's redeemed children against one another.
But one of the most beautiful things in a local church is when those who make peace sow in peace. Do you seek to "make peace" in your church? In the broader body of Christ? God blesses such labors with a great harvest of righteousness.
March 5
Are You For Real? (James 3:18)
Scripture for Day 64—James 3:18
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotional:
Amazing grace! The living God works in his people and through his people to produce "a harvest of righteousness"-a vast multitude that no one can number being won to the Lord, getting right with God, being conformed to the image of Christ, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit to his glory. What a vision for the church! How can you contribute toward its coming to pass?
First of all, plant the right seed. The "seed" that God uses to produce this great harvest of righteousness is "the wisdom from above." "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (v. 17). Ultimately, this is our Lord Jesus Christ, "who became to us wisdom from God" (1 Cor. 1:30). And so, on the one hand, keep confessing and forsaking the sinful counterfeit wisdom that comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil. On the other hand, keep looking to Jesus in faith, walking with him, and abiding in him in order to be gripped and governed by his true wisdom that comes from above.
Second, plant this seed in the right soil. What is the "soil" from which this harvest of righteousness grows? "A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace…" That is to say, the soil that produces the harvest of righteousness is peaceful, loving relationships between believers.
March 6
Are You For Real? (James 3:18)
Scripture for Day 65—James 3:18
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotional:
Amazing grace! The living God works in his people and through his people to produce "a harvest of righteousness"—a vast multitude that no one can number being won to the Lord, getting right with God, being conformed to the image of Christ, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit to his glory. What a vision for the church! How can you contribute toward its coming to pass?
First of all, plant the right seed—the wisdom from above. Second, plant this seed in the right soil—loving Christian relationships. Third, be the right kind of sower. The "sowers" God uses to plant this "seed" are "those who make peace." Many see themselves as peace-makers because they avoid conflict and are often able to smooth over tense situations. Peace, however, is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the presence of Christ-like love and service in order to bring reconciliation. To avoid conflict is not to be a peace-maker; it is to be a self-centered peace-lover (in his excellent book The Peacemaker, Ken Sande calls this being a "peace-faker"). But the God of grace calls and enables you instead to follow Jesus and to be a positive peace-maker. This is the kind of sower that God uses to produce the great harvest of righteousness.
Nothing reveals God's concern for peace more vividly than his decision to send his beloved Son to "guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:79; cf. Isa. 2:4). From beginning to end, Jesus' mission was one of peacemaking. Long before he was born, he was given the title "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Throughout his ministry he was constantly preaching and giving peace (John 14:27; Eph. 2:17). As the supreme peacemaker, Jesus sacrificed his life so we could experience peace with God and with one another now and forever.†Commit yourself to keep receiving the wisdom from above—our Lord Jesus as he imparts himself by his Word and Spirit— and to keep sowing it faithfully as a peace-maker in the soil of Christian fellowship.
† Ken Sande, The Peacemaker (3rd edition) [Baker Books, 2004], p. 44
March 7
Are You For Real? (James 4:1–6)
Scripture for Day 66—James 4:1–6
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
Isn’t it striking that even though chapter 3 ends with peace, chapter 4 starts with quarrels and fights? "And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?" (3:18–4:1).
The wisdom from above is like seed. It produces a harvest of righteousness. But in order to produce a harvest of righteousness, it must be "sown in peace," that is, in the soil of loving Christian fellowship. And it must be sown "by those who make peace."
In order to set us on the path to reaping the harvest of righteousness, God exposes and calls us to wipe out the weeds of hostility in the church. The wisdom from below is also like seed. The harvest it produces, however, is "disorder and every vile practice," James 3:16. Those who sow it are not Christ-like peacemakers; instead they are marked by "jealousy and selfish ambition," James 3:14.
And—as God now insists in chapter 4—what makes this tick is the breaking of the third mark of genuine Christianity. Chapter 1 revealed three "leading spiritual indicators," three signs of a genuine walk with God—a controlled tongue; care for the needy; and cleanliness from the world (1:26–27). Chapter 2 applied the second—care for the needy. Chapter 3 elaborated on the first—a controlled tongue. Chapter 4 now applies the third—cleanliness from the world. "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?"
The topic that begins chapter 4, then, not only flows directly from the teaching of chapter 3, but it also applies the third sign of genuine faith—"to keep oneself unstained from the world."
Do you experience "quarrels" and"“fights" in your Christian relationships? They are signs of worldliness. They are reminders of our ongoing need of the grace of God in Christ.
Are You For Real? (James 4:1–6)
Scripture for Day 67—James 4:1–6
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
In these opening verses of chapter 4, God speaking through James exposes our failure to keep unstained from the world. "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
Notice that he uses the word "passions" twice. What that conveys is the strong desire to please one's self. God, speaking through James, does not identify this or that specific desire as wrong and as a mark that someone is worldly. That is what we usually look for though, isn't it? We want a list—"Don't drink, don't chew, don't go with girls who do." But the underlying principle of worldliness is a whole lot deeper. Worldliness is not merely breaking a list of taboos. It is adopting the attitude and approach of the world. It can take many forms—some of them even very religious and respectable. At bottom, worldliness involves putting self at the center of everything.
"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?" Now undeniably this applies to wars in the world. But in this text, God is actually talking about conflicts in the church ("among you"). What causes conflicts in the church? The answer is, "Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" This does not so much mean that your passions fight against each other inside you, although they surely must. But here the emphasis is that all your desires and passions are actually marshaled like an army to fight for you. They’re ready at the drop of a hat to attack anyone who gets in the way of something you want for yourself. We see it in little children when they suddenly want the same toy. It’s the experience that we sometimes candy-coat when we say, "So-and-so really pushes my buttons." It’s the inner bent of putting self at the center—demanding that above all else self must be satisfied—that leads to fighting in the Christian fellowship. This can even happen in the cause of truth and right, but with a worldly attitude. It can cause prolonged conflicts ("wars"). It can cause sudden skirmishes ("quarrels"). They all stem from the same root—worldly self-seeking.
March 9
Are You For Real? (James 4:1–6)
Scripture for Day 68—James 4:1–6
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
"You desire and do not have, so you murder." Murder exists even in the church, at least in the sense of conflict, anger, bitterness, gossip, slander, and any manner of hurting others. Our Lord Jesus said—"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" (Matt. 5:21–22). Likewise, God speaking through the apostle John says—"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15).
"You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel" (v. 2a). In order to get and have for self, we are ready to go to war against one another. Conflict in our relationships is a proof that we are worldly. At bottom, worldliness is putting self at the center over against everybody else. This reminds us that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. How critically we need the grace of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
March 10
Are You For Real? (James 4:1–6)
Scripture for Day 69—James 4:1–6
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
Worldliness involves putting self at the center of all things. Thus, it gets in the way of all your relationships. Worldliness does not just wreck your fellowship with each other. It also wrecks your fellowship with God! It hinders your prayers. "You do not have, because you do not ask" (vv. 2b).
Prayer is such an amazing privilege. The infinite, eternal, and sovereign God gives his redeemed children amazing access into his very presence. God freely answers their prayers—he does not withhold one good thing from those who walk uprightly (Ps. 84:11); but rather, with his only Son, freely gives them all things (Rom. 8:32). Our Lord Jesus promises, "Ask, and you will receive." (John 16:24).
But verse 3 flies like a monkey wrench right into the middle of this amazing privilege—"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." The same bent to self-centeredness that breaks Christian fellowship even inserts itself into our prayers, breaking our fellowship with God. Why is that? What happens when worldliness—giving in to the desire to gratify and satisfy self, to put self at the center of all things—gets in the way of your walk with God?
For one thing, you break your marriage vow to Jesus Christ. Verse 4a—"You adulterous people!"—literally says, "You adulteresses!" It slays me when Bible translators shrink from saying what God himself clearly says. More than anything else, the picture of marriage brings out the intimate and personal oneness with God to which he graciously brings us. It is not only the church that is the bride of Christ, but also as a Christian you are personally espoused to Jesus Christ (Rom. 7:4; 2 Cor. 11:1–3). †
But if you rush off in love with the world—if you put self at the center of all things—then you break your marriage vow to the Lord. You become guilty of spiritual adultery. Confess this grave sin for what it really is. Look to Jesus for full and free forgiveness, and rededicate yourself to walking with him and living for him in love.
†See "Adultery and Apostasy" by Francis A. Schaeffer
March 11
Are You For Real? (James 4:4–6)
Scripture for Day 70—James 4:4–6
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
The greatness of our Savior’s work on the cross is that "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Rom. 5:10). He has made "peace by the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20). Peace with God is the chief upshot of Calvary. But when we let the worldly insistence on gratifying self above all else creep in, then our enjoyment of that peace goes right out the window.
Every hint of worldliness in us is one more proof of just how little we value the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Rather than enjoying the peace and pursuing the friendship with God that our Lord Jesus purchased at such a great price, we break it by pursuing self instead. "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (v. 4b). We trade peace with God for enmity with God. Some bargain!
"Friendship with the world is enmity with God." By definition, we cannot love both God and the world at the same time and in the same respect. It has to be one or the other. You’ve got to choose. Will you be godly? Or will you be worldly?
None of us starts as a blank slate. As fallen sinners, worldliness is actually our default mode. Consequently our coming to Christ for salvation necessitates forsaking the world. But even as believers, we still have the problem of indwelling sin. There is a constant "gravitional pull" of our flesh toward the world, urged along by the devil. Make this your conscious choice, today, tomorrow, and every day—I will pursue the friendship with God that my Savior bought at such great cost; therefore I will forsake the world, resist the devil, and put to death my sinful deeds and desires, so help me God.
March 12
Are You For Real? (James 4:4–6)
Scripture for Day 71—James 4:4–6
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
Worldly self-seeking breaks your marriage vows to Christ. It breaks your fellowship with God. It also breaks God's heart. "Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'?" (v. 5).
The approach of the whole epistle of James stems from the new birth—"Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (James 1:18). It starts from the fact of this inner transformation and pictures God as longing with a pure and jealous passion for your undistracted love for him.
When, however, God sees you instead with a "cheatin' heart"—loving and pleasing yourself rather than him—then he feels the anguish of unrequited love. "He yearns jealously!" That’s really an amazing thought! Think about it. God loves you so much that he actually envies the sinful self that you devote yourself to. He is jealous of it, because he sees you as loving it more than you love him.
Of his worldly people in the old covenant, God said through Ezekiel, "how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols" (Ezek. 6:9). Through Zechariah, he says, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion" (Zech. 1:14).The entire book of Hosea both dramatizes and declares God’s grief and jealousy over his spiritually adulterous people. Our sin grieves God (Eph. 4:30).
Do you believe that? Does it grieve you that your sin grieves the God who so loves you that he sacrificed his only begotten Son to save you?
Thanks to that saving sacrifice, there is forgiveness. "But he gives more grace." Imagine that! Even when you forfeit any claim on or right to his love and friendship, "he gives more grace."
March 13
Are You For Real? (James 4:4–6)
Scripture for Day 72—James 4:4–6
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Devotional:
There's a backward slide in these effects of worldliness. There's a growing failure on your part to respond to the grace of God. Breaking your marriage vows to him exposes how shallow and insincere is your love for him. Breaking your fellowship with him shows how lightly you take his saving sacrifice. And breaking his heart is the deepest cut of all. Self-seeking worldliness "blows off" the magnitude of God's grace and love which sent forth his only begotten Son into the world to redeem you; and having adopted you through Jesus Christ, sent forth the Holy Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying out, "Abba! Father!" God knows very well "My people are bent on turning away from me" (Hosea 11:7). Or, as the KJV puts it, "My people are bent to backsliding from me." What's to keep the holy God from casting you away in disgust?
But—thank God—God's Word doesn't stop here. It goes on to assure you: "But he gives more grace" (v. 6a). Your worldliness reveals your ongoing need of Jesus Christ. And God reveals his ongoing grace in Jesus Christ. "But he gives more grace."
Are you guilty because your heart yearns for the things of this world? "But he gives more grace." Are you guilty because your selfishness breaks your relationships with other believers? "But he gives more grace." Are you guilty because your worldliness hinders your prayers? "But he gives more grace." Are you guilty because your self-seeking breaks your communion with the Lover of your soul? "But he gives more grace." Go straight to the Lord who so loves you that he gave his only begotten Son to save you. God cannot resist the humble, broken, and contrite heart. "But he gives more grace." Hallelujah!
March 14
Are You For Real? (James 4:6–10)
Scripture for Day 73—James 4:6–10
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Devotional:
Notice that God gives a series of commands: "submit," "resist," "draw near," "cleanse," etc. He by no means gives a recipe for instant, easy sanctification. On the contrary, he summons you to fight! In other words, God calls you to make war against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Shorter Catechism
Q. 33. What is justification?
A. 33. Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.Q. 35. What is sanctification?
A. 35. Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.Larger Catechism
Q. 77. Wherein do justification and sanctification differ?
A. 77. Although sanctification is inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputes the righteousness of Christ; in sanctification his Spirit infuses grace, and enables to the exercise thereof.
In [justification], sin is pardoned; in [sanctification], it is subdued.
[Justification] equally frees all believers from the revenging wrath of God,
and that perfectly in this life, [so] that they never fall into condemnation;
[sanctification] is neither equal in all, nor in this life perfect in any,
but grows up to perfection.
And so there's no quick fix for "victorious Christian living." From the start, God through James warns you that you are still in the world—"to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion..." (1:1). He says that you will be subjected to endless pressures—"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…" (1:2). But he calls you to rejoice because by undergoing and resisting these pressures, you are walking his appointed path to Christ-likeness—"for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (1:3–4).
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
In this text, God first reveals what makes up friendship with the world—4:1–5. Then he takes the faults one after another in 4:6–5:6 and he calls you to fight to rid your life of worldliness. But as he commands you to fight this good fight, look at the wonderful way he starts—"but he gives more grace" (v. 6). That has to be one of the most comforting verses in the Bible. If you are resting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, then whatever you might lose when you put self instead of God at the center of your life, you can never lose your salvation—"he gives more grace." Your salvation does not depend upon yourself. And so you cannot threaten it in the ultimate sense even by your sinful self-centeredness. Why not? Because "he gives more grace." Even when you grieve the Holy Spirit and break the heart of God, his response is that "he gives more grace."
As a result, getting rid of the blemishes of the world is not merely an exercise in you reforming yourself and turning over a new leaf. God offers his grace for you to receive both his forgiveness for failure and his enabling for success. And how do you receive God’s grace? Through the means of grace—God’s ordinances, especially the Word, the sacraments, and prayer. Therefore, diligently use the means of grace.
How wonderful that "he gives more grace"! Even if you say, "Lord, you haven't given me enough grace to clean up my act," God will reply, "Well then, you may have more grace." Even if you admit, "Lord, actually you've given me more than enough grace. But I've squandered it all. I'm not worthy to be called your child," God will reply, "Well then, you may have more grace." He never runs out of resources. He never runs out of patience. He never lets up. He never lets down. He never lets go. "But he gives more grace."
"Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
