Now That You Are Gods

NOW THAT YOU ARE GOD’S NEW CREATURE

James 1:19-27

If you would, look at verse 19 again.

19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

You know, I really don’t want to hear this…and besides…I don’t know that I like what this says…so….rip out of Bible.

Let’s look at verse 20 now.

…for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Here we go again, the Bible telling us what anger does…I tell you what…rip out of Bible.

Look at verse 21: Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

This is a little better but still…rip out of Bible.

Now, we have laughed a little at what I have been doing…but did you realize that this is exactly what James is telling us not to do in this passage?

Let me show you what I mean. Notice first of all verse 18.

In verse 18 James tells us that we “have been brought forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.
In other words, God, through His word…has made us one of His.

Now, I want you to notice verse 21. James says:

Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

Some of these Christians had been brought to Christ by the Word.
The word had been “planted in them.”
But apparently, they were not “receiving the word” in such a way that they were living according to what the word teaches.

In fact, look at verse 19 again. James says: “Let every man be quick to hear.”

They weren’t doing that.
They had heard enough to know they had too be baptized in order to be saved.
And, like a lot of people today… they had done that.
When it comes to salvation…you better pay attention!

But after you are saved…well, that is a different thing.

Everything else the Bible says isn’t quite so urgent…so important.

So, instead of paying ready attention to the word now that they had been baptized, they were “sluggish to hear.”

They weren’t listening to it.

Look what else they were doing. James says: “Be slow to speak.”

I am not sure that James is simply talking about conversation here…and telling us to talk slowly…or to be “slow with a response” so you don’t say the wrong thing.

I believe, in the context of what he is talking about here, James is telling these people, “You be slow to contradict what the word says.”

Apparently, from what verse 21 says, some of these brethren were saying, “the Bible doesn’t mean what it says.”
“I know the Bible says we aren’t supposed to be bigoted and despise our Gentile brothers…but they never have been and never will be on the same level as we are.”
James is saying, “You be slow to talk back to the word…to contradict it.”

And then James says: “Be slow to anger.”

They didn’t like to be told about their sins.
The word told them that they were “prejudiced and bigoted.”
“Why, just because you are rich you think you are closer to God than the poor man.”
When the word exposes you for what you are, it can make you mad!
Do remember when Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers…and rebuked the chief priests with a quote form Isaiah and Jeremiah?
Remember what they wanted to do afterward.
Mark 11:18 says that they started trying to “find a way they could destroy Him.”
And over in Mark 12, Jesus teaches some of the priests the parable of the vineyard…and how the workers killed all those that the vineyard owner sent to collect the rent.
And when Jesus gets through teaching them…they get so mad that they want to seize Him…and the only reason they don’t is they are afraid of the crowds.

Apparently, some of these brethren that James is writing to were doing the same thing.

They were getting mad at the word.
So, in essence they were doing just what I was doing.
“I don’t want to hear this…besides…I don’t like what it says…

Well, if you do that, notice what happens. Vs. 20: You can never achieve the “righteousness of God.”

And Romans 8:10 says that the “spirit that lacks righteousness is dead.”

Brethren, it is a dangerous thing to be sluggish in hearing…or sluggish in istening to the word…to be quick to contradict it…and to be quick to get angry when it convicts us.

So now, look at verse 21. There is something very interesting here:

Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

Isn’t this interesting.
Up in verse 18 James refers to these same people as those “brought forth by the word to be first fruits among His creatures.”
But now he says, “put aside all filthiness and wickedness and receive the word implanted…which is able so save your souls.”
In verse 18 they are saved…but now in verse 21 they are not?
What is the deal.

Well, James answers for us in verse 22.

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (NIV – “deceive themselves)

It is not enough to just hear the word and not obey it.
It is not enough to just keep part of the word and ignore the rest of it.
If we think that we can be baptized unto salvation…and then just ignore the rest of the Bible…and live any way we want.
Or ignore the commands that we as Christians are to follow…then like James says here…we are only lying to

Look with me at 1 John 2: 3-6.

In this passage John is dealing with some people who claimed to have fellowship with God…and who claimed to love God…even though they didn’t “keep His commandments.”
Look what he says:

3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Yes, when you obey the word of God and are baptized for the forgiveness of your sins…you are saved.

But if you stop there…and you don’t obey His other teachings…if you just ignore the rest of what Christ tells you…then you can and will lose your salvation.

In fact, go back to James 1. Look at verse 23-24:

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

In these two verses James uses a brief parable to illustrate his point.
He speaks of a man looking in a mirror.

He says, “When a man looks in the mirror he sees his natural face.”

Now, why do we normally look in a mirror?
Normally, we look in a mirror to see how we look…to see if we are dressed ok…or if we are groomed properly.
The man who looks in can see if he needs to shave…or wash his face.
He can see what he needs to do to make himself look right.

But if he looks in the mirror and sees what needs to be done…and then neglects to do it…then his time looking in the mirror was wasted.

So it is with the man who looks in God’s mirror…the word of God.

As he looks into the word of God he sees the ideal face or character that God would have him be.
And by contrast, he sees his own faults in his moral and spiritual character.
And he realizes that he needs to make some changes to be what God wants him to be.

But if he sees his faults as the word reveals them…and yet he does nothing about it…his hearing the word is useless…and his time is wasted.

This is our mirror (Bible)…and in it we can see what God wants us to be…and we can see, by contrast, our blemishes and faults.

For us to look at it…and then neglect or ignore the changes that we need to make…is a waste.

But now look at verse 25:

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

Brethren, it is not and has never been enough to just hear the word. We must live it…obey it…and apply it.

Now: James tells us some things that illustrate how a man may be only a hearer of the word. Look at verse 26.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

The word “religious” has to do with attending services…or attending church.
So here you have a guy that “attends services” and thinks of himself as being a religious man….and gives others that impression.

But notice, James says that his religion is worthless if it is not sincere.

And notice what it is that reveals his insincerity…his tongue.

We can claim to be a Christian all day long….we can come to church every Sunday…we can know all that the word tells us about coming to church.

But if we do not do what the word says…if we are not sincere…it is a waste…and our religion is in vain.

And now, verse 27: This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

It is not enough to know what you are to do…you must do it.

We can claim to be as religious as we can be….we can claim to be a devoted Christian.

But if we tear out that which we don’t want to practice…or that we refuse to do….and throw it away…we only deceive ourselves into thinking that we are what God wants us to be.

Here is another passage that some tear out: Acts 2:38.

And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.