James: More GraceSample

 Do you know how much God longs for your undivided devotion?

God cares deeply about how we treat him. James’ readers are clearly treating each other badly, but how we treat others actually reflects how we are treating God too. What James has to say now about how these believers are treating God is devastating.

• What sin does he say they are guilty of (v. 4)?

Here is the very heart of all that is wrong in this congregation. All through the Old Testament, marriage is used as a picture of the relationship between God and his people. James’ Christian readers are married to God but they are currently having an affair with ‘the world’. James accuses them of adultery.

Marriage involves an exclusive commitment, a promise to ‘forsake all others’. Yet James’ readers have fallen in love with the unbelieving world around them and been unfaithful to their spiritual marriage vows.

James is not talking here about Christians having friendships with unbelievers. Jesus was known as ‘a friend of … sinners’ (Luke 7:34) and we should follow his example. James is speaking here of spiritual adultery – giving first place in your heart to someone or something other than God.

These Christians’ hearts are divided. They are still in church but their first love has become the things of this world – money, success and pleasure.

But God will not share our devotion with anyone else. In his grace and mercy, God gave us his Spirit to dwell in our hearts, and now, like a rightfully jealous husband, God longs for our hearts to return to him (v. 5).

• These believers are behaving like enemies of God, but there is hope. Why (v. 6)?

James’ readers have already received grace from God in Christ. Spiritually, he gave them ‘birth through the word of truth’ (1:18), and now God is willing to give these wayward Christians ‘more grace’. Their spiritual adultery need not be the end of their story.

The way to receive God’s grace has always been the same. In the scriptures there are only two basic categories of people: the proud and the humble. God opposes one and gives favour to the other (v. 6). The humble repent and come to God to receive his grace; the proud do not.

In the coming verses, James will help his readers see how to humble themselves before God. He so wants them to repent and receive again God’s grace.

Pray

Coness to God where you have given first place in your heart to the things of this world and thank him that he is always willing to give more grace.