James 1:19-27

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James 1:19-2:26 PUTTING BELIEF INTO PRACTICE

The Bible and everyday life (James 1:19-27)

A tendency in human nature is for people to become ill-tempered, especially in times of difficulty or stress. Christians must not excuse their ill-temper by claiming that they are defending God’s honour. Such attitudes have no place in the Christian life. They must be replaced by new attitudes that arise from studying God’s Word and putting its teachings into practice (James 1:19-21).

Christians must not merely read God’s Word, but must do what it says. The Word is a ‘law’ that they must obey, but it is a law that sets them free, not one that makes them slaves. It is a law of liberty. Christians obey it not because they are forced to, but because they want to. When a person looks in a mirror and sees dirt on his face, he is not forced to wash his face, but it is natural that he should want to (James 1:22-25).

While some people thought their new religion meant that they could ignore the commands of the Bible, others thought that it required them to be stricter in obeying laws than they were before. This latter group prided themselves that they were very religious because of their law-keeping. James points out that the truly religious people are those who control their speech and express their faith in acts of kindness. At the same time they are careful not to copy the wrong behaviour of the society in which they live (James 1:26-27).