Did you know that there were some prominent theologians who argued that the book of James should be removed from the canon of scripture. They argued that James focused too much on action rather than the grace that brings us into the kingdom of God. Upon closer reading it can be clear that grace always comes first. The actions that we take don’t earn us some kind of better salvation. God loves His people no matter what and from there we must decide how much that knowledge affects our lives.
From that secure foundation we are called to act, called to remind people of the grace and love that has been given to them. James 1:19-24 says,
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
If more people lived into the first half of this passage, what a different world we would live in! We work so hard to make sure our voices are heard. Our ideas are the ones that are followed. Our authority is respected. Unfortunately, human anger rarely gets anything done, and often causes more division than what we had in the beginning.
If you claim the name of Christ, then you know you are called to more than just hearing a good word once a week. We can’t just listen to the scripture thinking, “mmm, that’s some good teaching.” We need to hear it and then go out and do what it says. The hardest part of living out our faith is not, knowing the difference between right and wrong. The hardest part is knowing what is right and then actually going out and doing it.
What’s the right thing for you to do today?