James 1:17-27, “Be doers of the word!”Today’s text is from James 1:17-27, about who God is, who we are, and what it means to be God’s people. Traditionally, the Book of James is not viewed favorably, being treated as focusing on “doing” rather than having “faith.” That is why Martin Luther even said that the Book of James should not be included in the Bible. However, if we read James carefully, we can easily see that James does not differentiate between having faith and doing in the true sense of the word. The book of James emphasizes that true faith accompanies doing, and good works are byproducts of having faith. In other words, faith and work cannot be separated. Having faith means producing good works, not vice versa. Good works cannot produce faith, but without producing good works, “faith” should be questioned. Many philanthropists and non-Christians can give and do good work; however, doing good work does not lead them to salvation. Many people, when asked whether they are believers, answer. ‘I try to be good, helping and not harming others.” We ought to know that even if one sacrifices one’s life for good causes yet does not have faith in God through Jesus Christ, they cannot have salvation. According to the Book of James, “faith” is not a simple series of truth claims–something limited to their heads or their words. For James, that is not enough.
Throughout the letter, James emphasizes that the faith that counts is the faith that operates in a person’s life. People might say they believe one thing and yet do something completely different. Therefore, James insists that true faith is something operative in one’s life. Faith that is not active is not faith at all. That said, let’s go to the text for today.Our text provides answers at least two tacit questions. The first is, “Who is God?” James presents God as a “giver.” Verse 17: “Every perfect gift comes from above; the gifts come down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow or variation due to change.” Our God is the Giver. What is more, this Giver, the Father of lights has no “shadow side.” For those who are Star Wars fans, you may recall that the Force is said to be an energy field comprised of all living things, and the Force has a dark side. The lives of major characters in Star Wars are shaped by whether they draw on the bright or dark sides of the Force. In our text, however, God does not have this kind of dark side. God is perfect and perfect light. There is no shadow or dark side in God and with God. “There is no shadow of turning with thee…” as we often sing. Also, God is not simply an energy field that people tap into at their will; God is the Life-Giver who gives life to people by His will. This leads to the second point, “Who are we?”We ought to note that the “life” God gives, or the birth verse 18 talks about, “He chose us to give birth through the word of truth…” does not refer to giving life to all His creations in the beginning, but to the new birth we received through Jesus Christ, “the word of truth.” In this birthing process, Jesus is God’s creating agent, as he was in the beginning. Jesus gives birth to a new life in a person. This new life is not limited to the beating of the heart or breathing of the lungs. It means a new life in a relationship with God. Our text says that those given new birth become “first fruits” (1:18b). In biblical tradition, the first fruits are the first ripe sheaves of grain or the first fruits that appear and ripen on a tree. They are signs of a greater harvest yet to come. The Old Testament mandated that the first fruits be offered to God as a sign that the entire harvest belonged to God. In other words, the first fruits were consecrated to God, being claimed by God and being wanted by God.As the first fruits of God’s new creation, who are given a new life through Jesus Christ, we ought to live as who we profess to be: Christians, the followers of Christ. In verses 22 to 24, James speaks about a lack of correspondence between hearing and doing, between who one is and what one does. He asks us to picture ourselves standing in front of a mirror. We are to pause there as James asks, “Do you see who you are?” Ordinarily, standing in front of a mirror might mean that we see our outer appearances, –thin or overweight, blemished, disheveled, wrinkled, or scarred. But that is not what James is getting at. Instead, we are to look at ourselves in light of who we are in Christ. Do we see who we are? We are someone who has been blessed by God’s perfect gift, someone who has been brought to new life through God’s true word, the first fruit who is set aside as someone who belongs to God. Accordingly, we are to live.If we do not live as who we are, who we profess to be, our text says that we are like those who immediately forget what they saw themselves in a mirror, being forgotten who they are. What is worse, if we forget who we are, then we will be forgotten by God. Then, how should we live as Christians? How does it look in our daily lives living as Christians? Verses 26 to 27 give the gist of being religious, holy, and blameless. Number one, we are to keep a tight rein on our tongues, not to curse, criticize, or utter angry and bitter words. Our language should be seasoned with salt, full of grace and love. Some people cannot restrain their tongues even in the church, fellowship hall, narthex, or sanctuary. Sometimes, out of frustration, one can raise one’s voice in conversation or discussion, trying to communicate or teach certain principles that need to be operational in our personal and church life. However, uttering habitual criticism, curses, or expletives might indicate how wicked and evil one’s heart is. If you find yourself constantly voicing negative opinions or stirring up troubles, you might have to question whether Jesus Christ is in your heart. Of course, we all fail, and no one is perfect. In repentance, we all need to wash our tongues with the blood of Jesus Christ daily to be God’s new creation. However, some people in the church do not know Christ; that is why they cannot help but have uncontrollable tongues. Again, the number one standard being God’s new creation is to keep a tight rein on our tongues. Secondly, we are to care for orphans and widows. In today’s language, we are to help those in need. Of course, we must discern who to help without enabling anyone, but the truth remains. We are to care for those who are in need. This principle is not optional but mandatory. Verse 27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” Yesterday, Wanetta passed away. Her close relations abandoned her. Dave and Mary had been taking care of her until the end. It was Dave who was there at her dying moment. Dave and Mary had been Wanetta’s family. Like this, in Christ, we are to broaden our concept of family beyond our blood-tied relationship. Matthew 12:48-50, Jesus urged his hearers to expand their family boundary, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” “Those who do the will of my Father in heaven are my brother, sister, and mother.” In Heaven, there is only a family of God, no one else. Being Christian means, we are to expand our family boundaries. We are not to care for only our own blood family, but we are to care for all who are in need. In other words, there are no strangers in Christ; everyone is invited to the banquet table in heaven. Everyone we see in the street is our potential brothers and sisters. Lastly, we are to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. This world is evil and permeated with darkness. Jesus came as the light, dispelling the darkness. As the children of light, we are to be the light and the salt of the world instead of being darkened or rotten by the world. We are set apart to be holy and pure before God. Do people know that you are different, not following the world? We are to light the world with the light that is kindled in us through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen!