Latest / Reformed Thinking / Faith That Works: The Royal Law in the Epistle of James | Thomas R. Schreiner

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Faith That Works: The Royal Law in the Epistle of James | Thomas R. Schreiner · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed thinking. This is the deep dive.
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Today we are opening up a letter in the New Testament that, maybe
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more than any other, has really forced the church to wrestle
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with how it defines grace and, you know, practical everyday
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living. We're talking about the Epistle
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of James. It's a letter that has caused
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while some pretty historic disagreements, a lot of that
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centers on the relationship between faith and action, that
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classic clash that so many people feel exists between James
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and the apostle Paul. Yeah, Luther's struggles with it
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are famous. For sure he had a very difficult
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time seeing where it. Fit and that historical tension
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is, I think, exactly what we need to get into today.
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Our mission for this deep dive is to try and clear some of that
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fog. We're going to be using the
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scholarly work of Thomas R Shriner to really unpack James's
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theology. We need to look at James's view
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of Christ, which is surprisingly high, the true nature of
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salvation as a gift, and of course the role works play.
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And we also have to touch on this idea of Kingdom wisdom.
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What does that actually mean for a a believer's life?
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It's necessary work, because if you approach James with his
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preconceived idea that he's just a legalist, you're going to miss
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how deeply coherent he is with the rest of Scripture.
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Shriner points out that James functions almost like the
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Proverbs of the New Testament. That's a great way to put it.
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It really is. He draws so heavily on Old
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Testament wisdom material, which was all about teaching God's
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people how to live, you know, practically and ethically under
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God's rule. So the big question we have to
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sort out for you the learner, is this.
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Is James teaching a different path to God?
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And the argument we're going to lay out is that no, he's not.
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When you look closely at his understanding of grace and the
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status of Christ, it's clear James is fully aligned with the
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gospel. He's just, well, he's addressing
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a different kind of error than Paul was.
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A completely different pastoral problem.
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OK, so let's unpack this. Let's start right where the
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letter is so often misunderstood James's Christology because at
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first glance, a lot of readers, they just don't see a lot of
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Jesus. That's a common reaction.
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He's not mentioned that frequently.
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There's no explicit mention of the cross or the resurrection or
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the atonement. And that scarcity has LED some
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critics to wonder, you know, is this really a Christian book at
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all? Or is it maybe just a Jewish
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wisdom text that got a light Christian gloss later on?
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The idea being he has a low Christology.
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And that is just a critical interpretive mistake.
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It's a huge misreading. You can't conclude that James
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has a low Christology just because he doesn't spend pages
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outlining the basic facts of Christ's work, right?
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It's not a catechism. No, it's a letter.
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It was written to Christians who already knew and accepted the
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core gospel facts. We can't mistake the letter
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scope for the whole of James's belief system.
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In fact, when you analyze his terminology, what you see is a
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remarkably high view of Christ's status, and it's woven right
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into the very fabric of his introduction.
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I think that opening versus where the whole thing is given
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away really. James 1.1 He introduces himself
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as a a slave, a doulos of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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That simple pairing, just placing Jesus right alongside
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God the Father, is just startling, especially when you
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think about James's background. It is stunning.
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You have to remember James is writing from a deeply,
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profoundly monotheistic Jewish perspective.
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The Shima, the absolute core confession of Judaism.
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Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God.
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The Lord is 1 and James reaffirms this himself later in
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chapter 2 when he says you believe that God is 1, you do
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well right? So given that strict non
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negotiable belief in one God, to then couple Jesus Christ right
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alongside God the Father as the shared object of his service.
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As his master. As his master, it's basically a
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declaration of shared divinity. He's assigning Jesus the very
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same status as Yahweh. And that status is confirmed
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over and over again through the title he uses Lord, yes.
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Now in some places the title Curious might refer to the
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Father, but the sources are pretty clear if you look only at
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the text where Jesus is undeniably the one being
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referred to, and there are several, there are at least 5
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clear examples, 1.1, twice and 2.1 and then in those future
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looking references in 5.7 and 5.8.
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And that sharing of the title Lord is such a crucial piece of
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evidence. It shows that James saw Jesus as
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sharing the divine identity. How so?
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Well in the Old Testament in the Greek translation the to
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Septuagint, the title Curious is the word they used to translate
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Yahweh, the personal covenant name of God.
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So to transfer that title to Jesus is to place him right
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inside the sphere of divine sovereignty.
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And on top of that, James also uses the term Christ in 1.1 and
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2.1. For a 1st century Jew like
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James, Christ the Messiah wasn't just a name, it was a title
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heady with expectation, signifying the promised King who
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would rule with God's own authority.
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Let's camp out on James 2.1 for a second because this one verse
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just packs so much of his high Christology into a few words.
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It talks about holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
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Lord of glory. Shriner makes a really
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persuasive case that this should be read as our glorious Lord.
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Why is adding glory here so significant?
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The term glory doxus is a direct theological call back to the Old
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Testament. It's an echo.
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You have to ask where are glory and lordship found together?
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They're ascribed to Yahweh. To Yahweh himself, Think of
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Exodus 16 where the people see the glory of the Lord.
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Or Psalm 24, Who is this king of glory?
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The Lord of hosts. He's a king of glory.
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So by attaching this descriptor glory to the title Lord Jesus
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Christ, James is confirming that Jesus shares in the very
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Shekinah, the majestic, visible presence of God.
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He's putting Jesus within the divine sphere of majesty and
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ultimate authority. So even though James doesn't
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detail the mechanics of the incarnation, you just can't
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claim he had a low Christology with language like that.
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Impossible. He's writing to an audience that
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already gets it. They already accept that Jesus
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the Christ shares in the glory of God.
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Absolutely. And this sovereignty isn't just
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a spiritual thing or something in the past, It has a clear
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future dimension. Jesus's lordship is confirmed by
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his future coming, the Perusia, which James mentions in 5.7 or
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8. This tells us that Jesus isn't
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just a figure from history, He is a present ruler who now
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reigns with God and who will return as the conquering king to
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finish that reign. Which is why the suffering
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believers are told to wait patiently for the coming of the
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Lord. They're waiting because they
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know the ultimate sovereign authorities on his way to
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vindicate them. And maybe the most practical
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evidence of all is just the direction of faith itself.
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James 2.1 tells believers to have faith in our Lord Jesus
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Christ. And as you said, in James's
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monotheistic worldview, saving faith can only be directed
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toward God alone. There's only one true God.
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So to tell his readers to place their complete saving trust in
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Jesus Christ as Lord, to treat Him as the proper object of that
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ultimate faith. It's the clearest sign possible.
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It is. It's the clearest indication
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that James sees Christ as fully divine, fully sovereign, sharing
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the very identity of God. He's establishing that Christian
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faith is Christ centered faith. It places you entirely under the
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authority of the reigning King, Jesus.
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OK, that contextual understanding of James's high
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Christology, that Jesus is God's Son, sharing divine status,
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glory and sovereignty. That is the theological
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foundation we need. So now that we've established
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James is writing to people who are already committed to a
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divine King, we can shift our focus to the nature of salvation
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itself. So Section 2.
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When we approach James from a Reformed perspective, salvation
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has to be seen as God's gift rooted entirely in his grace.
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That is the crucial starting point, and it's a point James
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fully affirms, which really runs counter to the perception of him
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as being solely concerned with human effort.
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James teaches that salvation is, at its root, a gift from God,
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initiated entirely by divine will.
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We see this so clearly in 2.5 where he writes that God chose
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the poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that he
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promised to those who love him. That one word chose it just
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establishes the whole priority of election.
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It does. Faith is presented not as
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something we contribute to earn salvation, but as a consequence
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of God's sovereign choice. Precisely.
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This immediately gets rid of any idea that James is teaching a
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system of salvation based on human merit.
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Or, you know, some kind of initiative that comes before
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grace. God's choice leads to having
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faith and the status of heirs of the Kingdom.
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So if faith is part of the gift that results from election, well
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then it can't be generated by the person on their own.
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Salvation is rooted in God's plan before any human response
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ever happens. And James even gets into the
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mechanics of this new life in 1.18.
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He says the new birth is a direct result of God's will.
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He chose to give birth to believers.
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And the means he used. The word of truth, this language
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of regeneration, of being given birth by God, is so active on
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God's part. It is all God's initiative.
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The Word of truth is the gospel message, the effective
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proclamation of Christ's reign and salvation, and this
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regeneration is described with the language of a pure gift.
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In 1.17, James says every good gift and every perfect gift is
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from above, coming down from the Father of lights.
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So new birth and the faith that comes with it is a gift that
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just streams directly from the sovereign God.
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It's conceived by him, initiated by him, and gifted by him before
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the human mind even registers what's happening.
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But, and this is a big but, James is also extremely
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realistic about the state of the person who has been regenerated.
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He is not teaching some kind of perfectionism.
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He's not demanding flawless obedience as a precondition for
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salvation. That would just contradict the
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very grace he just described. Right.
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James openly acknowledges how pervasive sin still is within
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the Christian community in 3.2, he says.
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For we all stumble in many ways. The all is universal.
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It is believer sin regularly, frequently and in all sorts of
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ways, especially with the tongue.
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And this admission is so critical because it means James
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has to have a robust theology of forgiveness to be able to make
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his ethical demands. So sins don't automatically kick
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you out of salvation. No.
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Instead, forgiveness is continuously available.
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And that theology of ongoing forgiveness is something that
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often gets well pushed to the side in discussions of James,
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which tend to focus so much on judgement and works.
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They do. But if we turn to James Chapter
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4, we see a tremendous amount of hope offered even to those who
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stray really far. What stands out to you and his
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discussion of repentance? The language is incredibly
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intense, but the offer of grace is just as striking.
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He calls people who are compromising with the world
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adulteresses or spiritual prostitutes.
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Which is about the highest level of condemnation you can get for
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breaking a covenant. It is, and yet even to them He
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offers a clear path back. He says draw near to God and he
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will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
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and make your hearts pure. You double minded.
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And the result of that dramatic repentance, the mourning over
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evil, cleansing hands, humbling yourself, is stated so clearly.
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He will exalt you. Yes, and being exalted in that
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context, coming right after a call to repent from spiritual
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adultery and mourning over sin, it has to be interpreted as
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receiving forgiveness and restoration.
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It's reconciliation. It's reconciliation, a pardoning
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of their very serious sins against the covenant.
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This shows James fully expects even major backsliding to be
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covered by God's gracious pardon when there's genuine repentance.
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And he even provides A practical sort of public mechanism for
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this restoration within the community in chapter.
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Five yes. In 5.1 Fenan 16, the focus
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shifts to how the community cares for its own.
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Confession of wrongs leads to two things, forgiveness and
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healing, he says in the prayer of faith, will save the one who
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is sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed
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sins he will be forgiven. So the forgiveness is not just a
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private spiritual thing, it's relational.
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It provides for communal restoration and the assurance of
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God's pardon. Absolutely.
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And this all culminates in that beautiful closing act of
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ministry in 5.1 Tune and 20 where he talks about rescuing
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the straying believer. This is his final plea for
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pastoral care. He says that if you cause a
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Sinner to turn back from the error of his way, you will save
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his soul from death. And we'll cover a multitude of
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sins. The death there being the final
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judgement. The final eschatological
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judgement. James teaches that even those
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who have wandered far from the Gospels, truth can be brought
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back, can be rescued from condemnation.
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And that phrase covering a multitude of sins, It just
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strongly echoes all that Old Testament language about divine
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pardon and atonement. So James, the supposed
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hardliner, the rigorous, is revealed to be deeply invested
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in proclaiming the availability of grace and pardon even for
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people who have committed what he calls spiritual adultery and
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a multitude of sins. It is entirely consistent.
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He teaches that forgiveness is available because God is the
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Father of lights. Now, James doesn't explain how
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that forgiveness is mediated. We know from the rest of the New
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Testament that it's through the substitutionary atonement of the
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glorious Lord Jesus Christ. But he clearly establishes that
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forgiveness is available to those who repent.
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And this lines up perfectly with the gospel message Jesus himself
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preached. He came to call sinners to
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repentance, not the righteous. It's the same message.
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Salvation begins with God's election.
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It moves through regeneration by the Gospel Word, and it's
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sustained by ongoing access to forgiveness.
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OK, so having laid that theological groundwork, Christ's
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divine status and salvation as a gift, we finally have what we
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need to tackle the really big question.
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The one that's centuries old? How does this divine gift relate
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to human works? This brings us to Section 3,
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Reconciling faith and works. This is the centerpiece of the
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whole controversy. The tension, which goes all the
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way back to Martin Luther, centers on James 2.24.
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James says a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
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Which seemed to Luther to just flatly contradict Paul in Romans
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3.28, saying a person is justified by faith apart from
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works of the law. But Shriner is very clear that
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while their contexts and their focuses are different,
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interpreters have really exaggerated the actual
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theological difference. Greatly exaggerated it.
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The two apostles are not arguing against each other.
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They're addressing two different errors happening in the early
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church. So to understand James, we have
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to start by defining the kind of faith he's actually targeting.
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That's the key. James agrees that faith is the
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rude from which goodness flows. He says the trials of life in
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1.3 exist precisely to test the authenticity of that faith.
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And his core concern is with what he calls false faith or
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dead faith. So what are the defining
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characteristics of this kind of, you know, inert belief?
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It is a purely intellectual abstract agreement with correct
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doctrine. The example he uses is the
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demons. Right in 2.19 you believe that
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God is 1. You do.
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Well. Even the demons believe in
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shudder. Their faith is an intellectual
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nod. It's a registration of assent to
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the existence and unity of God, but it doesn't result in any
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moral change, just fear. It's a creed that's confessed
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but stays abstract. It's divorce from daily life.
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And James is adamant that this kind of dead intellectual faith,
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the kind that demons have, it does not save, it does not
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justify. That's the critical distinction
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he's making. He's setting up a contrast
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between intellectual affirmation and genuine saving reliance.
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There has to be a kind of faith that brings profit, as he says.
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Yes. A faith that profits is one that
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truly saves and justifies. And this faith is not passive.
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It's active. It's energizing.
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It leads inevitably to a life that is pleasing to God.
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The very nature of genuine justifying faith is that it
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results in and leads to works. So if works are not being
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produced. Then the faith you think you
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have is simply not genuine saving faith.
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OK, so he's not adding works as a prerequisite for salvation.
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Not at all. He is introducing works as the
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necessary proof that the initial faith was real in the first
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place. I think this helps us bridge
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that perceived gap with Paul. Paul was dealing with people who
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thought their pre conversion works of the law, things like
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circumcision, dietary rules could somehow contribute to
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their standing with God. Right.
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And Paul insists justification is apart from those works.
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James, on the other hand, is dealing with people inside the
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church who claim to have faith but have absolutely no ethical
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evidence to back it up. Precisely.
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Paul's target was the legalist, who is relying on external
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obedience for his initial acceptance by God.
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And James's target. James's target was the
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antinomian, or maybe the nominal Christian who relied on a mere
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profession for their ongoing assurance while at the same time
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completely neglecting their ethical duties, like caring for
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the poor. They're attacking two different
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errors, but their core theology of salvation is the same.
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It's identical. Let's just nail down the
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Reformed understanding here. Paul also teaches that good
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works are absolutely necessary for inheriting the Kingdom.
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He does. He warns in First Corinthians 6
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and Galatians 5 that those who persist in vice will not inherit
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the Kingdom, and in Titus three he explicitly commands believers
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to be eager to do good works. So the unity of the New
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Testament on this point is it? Is Paul's point is that works
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are not the fundamental basis for your initial justification,
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and James would fully agree. The initial relationship with
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God is not earned by human merit.
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Therefore, the works that justify and save in James are
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the result of faith. They are not the basis or the
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foundation of 1's salvation. They function as the visible
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evidence that the person has been genuinely united to Christ
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through faith. That's it.
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In other words, James demands works to prove your faith is
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alive. Paul denies works as a way to
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generate that faith to begin with.
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Same theological reality, just a different angle of attack.
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James is focused on the fruit, proving the root is real.
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Paul is focused on establishing that the root is faith
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independent of any prior fruit. And his examples of Abraham and
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Rahab in chapter 2 illustrate this perfectly.
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They do. James uses Abraham's offering of
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Isaac to show that Abraham's faith was completed or perfected
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by his works. He wasn't made justified by the
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work. The work demonstrated that the
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faith he already had, the very faith that Paul references, was
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real saving faith. The faith was proven authentic
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by the Word. Yes, true faith, because it's a
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gift from God by its very nature acts and obedience.
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This moves us right into Section 4, how that genuine act of faith
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shows up through obedience to God's rule.
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We need to focus on His concepts of the Word and the Law.
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James is clearly connecting the gospel regeneration and act of
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obedience to the King. He is.
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We already noted that regeneration happens by the word
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of truth, but in 1.21 he uses this fascinating phrase.
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He encourages believers to receive with meekness the
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implanted word which is able to save your souls.
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The implanted word. That phrase, the implanted word,
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is the key to understanding his whole view of the law.
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I can see the connection to the new covenant promises right away
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if the word is implanted. It's talking about an internal
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supernatural work of. God, it absolutely is.
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The implanted word resonates directly with the prophecy of
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the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31. God promises I will put my law
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within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
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That's the essence of the new Covenant.
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It is God provides not only the demand, which is the law, but
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also the capacity to meet the demand, the internal writing of
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that law on the heart. And this reading is so vital
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because it preserves the priority of God's work.
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Salvation isn't from our own effort.
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It's rooted in that supernatural word that God plants in the
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heart. And he says it's that implanted
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word that is able to save your souls, meaning it delivers you
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even on the final day of judgment.
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Yet right after this, James follows up with the necessity of
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the human response. But be doers of the word and not
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hearers only deceiving yourselves.
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Right, the word can't just remain an abstraction.
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If you hear the gospel word, the call to submit, the ethical
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demands of the law, but you don't act.
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On them, James calls that self deception.
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God's Word is concrete. It's effective.
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It demands A tangible response in your life.
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But the theological subtlety here, and it's so key, is that
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even the doing of the word is presented as the result of the
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word being implanted first. The chain is unbroken.
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God initiates the internal work, creating the capacity and the
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desire to obey, and then obedience follows is the visible
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result. God's priority is preserved all
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the way through. James then elevates the status
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of this law, the requirements for this obedience.
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He calls it the Royal law in 2.8.
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The law of the Sovereign Lord, the King.
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And he says if you neglect to keep it, even one part of it,
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like showing partiality to the rich, you stand condemned by
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that royal decree. And then he gives this royal
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command a stunning name, the law of liberty.
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That's a paradox for anyone who only associates law with
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restriction and condemnation. But this designation, just like
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the implanted word, it evokes that whole New Covenant theme.
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So if the law is a lot of liberty, it must mean the
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ability to keep it comes from God's gracious work, not from
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human striving. Exactly.
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The law is not a shackle, it's the liberating path to life and
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blessing. And it's made possible because
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the Spirit has written God's rule in your heart.
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Grace comes before the demand for obedience, and it actually
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undergirds that obedience. And so the life of obedience
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that results is not a heavy burden.
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It's the natural, liberating response of a heart that has
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received the implanted word. The law, which was once external
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and condemning, is now internalized.
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It frees the believer to live in line with God's will.
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And the visible fruit of this gracious work, this liberated
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obedience, is what James calls wisdom.
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He connects wisdom directly with fearing the Lord, which just
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means living fully under the Lordship of King Jesus.
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This is a critical point to get. Jamiesian wisdom is not about
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being brilliant or having a lot of academic knowledge.
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It's a moral and spiritual gift from God, and it's granted to
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those who ask in faith without doubting.
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And on the flip side, this wisdom is withheld from those
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who are double minded. From those who are unstable
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because they can't decide if they really want to follow God
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or follow the world. The definition of wisdom is
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found in how it shows up in your behavior.
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James makes it so clear that true wisdom is revealed by your
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actual works and your conduct. It is entirely practical in
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chapter 3. The contrast he draws is so
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stark. Divine heavenly wisdom is
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demonstrated by humility, gentleness, mercy,
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reasonableness, being impartial, and living righteously.
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This wisdom is peaceable. It is.
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It's concerned with building unity and justice in the
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community. And the opposite, this earthly
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foolishness is just as concrete. It's characterized by
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destructive, self-serving qualities.
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Jealousy and selfish ambition. And James uses shockingly strong
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language for these traits. He calls them earthly,
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unspiritual, demonic. That word, demonic, really
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underscored the theological gravity of internal conflict in
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the Church, he says. Where these destructive traits
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exist, there is disorder and every evil practice.
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It's a sign that the heart hasn't fully submitted to the
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implanted word. Right, it's still operating
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under the influence of worldly, even satanic values.
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It's often pointed out that the treats of wisdom James lists
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peace, gentleness, reasonableness.
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They align so closely with what Paul calls the fruit of the
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Spirit in Galatians 5. And that alignment is not a
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coincidence. It strongly suggests that Jack
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sees wisdom as a gift of God, rooted in the new covenant work
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of regeneration, just as the Spirit is.
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Wisdom is the practical manifestation of God's work in a
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believer's life. It's the visible proof that the
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heart is now operating according to the King's rule.
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This moves us perfectly into our final section.
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Section 5. Kingdom, ethics and the present
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reign. So if James has established that
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Christ is king, that salvation is a gift, and that true faith
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produces good works rooted in the law of liberty, what are the
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practical applications? How do you live under this rain
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today? James requires a completely new
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life, one that's marked by a radical difference from the
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world internally, within the church, this change has to be
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demonstrated. The root of conflict, which he
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says, his selfish desires, fighting inside us, that has to
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be rooted out. Quarreling and fighting among
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believers is completely antithetical to living under the
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reign of the Prince of Peace. It is, and central to this
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ethical life is the regulation of the tongue.
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James gives so much attention to speech.
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More than almost any other writer.
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Maybe because it's the most difficult thing for us to
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manage, and it's the most immediate indicator of what's
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really going on in the heart. He uses these powerful
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analogies, the small rudder steering the great ship, the
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small sparks setting a forest ablaze.
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And he says the tongue is a restless evil full of deadly
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poison. It's the instrument we use to
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both praise God and curse people made in God's image.
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A stunning contradiction. It reveals a complete lack of
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genuine submission to the King. The implication is that only
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divine intervention, the work of the implanted word, can truly
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harness this unruly member. James also has a specific view
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of life's difficulties, the trials and sufferings believers
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go through. They're not just random
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misfortunes. No, they are preparatory work
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trials, which he mentions right at the start of the letter
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function to perfect the believers character, to move
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them toward maturity and godliness.
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They're proving grounds. Proving grounds that prepare
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them for the future reward the crown of life.
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So suffering is integrated into the plan of the sovereign King
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to bring his subjects to maturity.
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The external life of the Church also has to show separation from
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the world's values. James is so intense on economic
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and social ethics. Especially the danger of wealth
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and the sin of partiality. Believers have to actively avoid
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favoring the wealthy and the influential people in the
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church. To show partiality to the rich
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is for James, basically a rejection of the law of liberty
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and a denial of the gospel itself.
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He asks, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world
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to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom?
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So when the church elevates the wealthy, who often got their
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status through greed and oppression.
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It undermines God's own preferential choice for the
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poor, and it insults the very King who reigns over them.
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This is a warning against blending your allegiances.
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He uses that metaphor of spiritual adultery again in
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chapter 4, warning that friendship with the world is
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hostility toward God. You have to be aware of falling
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in love with the world system, its values, its approval.
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And James doesn't just talk to the church, he issues this
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prophetic indictment against the oppressing rich who are outside
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the community. He does.
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He points out that the rich are often the ones who persecute and
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defame Christ's name, and he says they are headed for certain
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a scatological destruction. He announces it with this
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chilling urgency in chapter 5. Come now, you rich, weep and
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howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
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What are the specific sins that draw that level of condemnation?
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It's primarily economic injustice and arrogance.
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They have oppressed and mistreated their workers,
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holding back wages that were due.
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They have lived in luxury and self indulgence.
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And crucially, they have substituted God's sovereignty
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with their own ingenuity and their own financial planning.
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You see that so vividly in chapter 4 where they're planning
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their business ventures with no reference to God.
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'S will today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a
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town and spend a year there and trade and a prophet.
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And that self-reliance, the failure to submit all their
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planning to the simple phrase, if the Lord wills, that's not
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just presented as bad manners, it's rebellion.
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It is rebellion, it's theological arrogance, and this
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really highlights the great tension of the present reign.
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James announces the arrival of the Kingdom.
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He declares Jesus is Lord, reigning now with God.
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And yet his reign is not yet fully consummated.
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Right. So believers are still suffering
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trials. They're enduring economic
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hardship. They're facing persecution from
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the wealthy and the worldly. So the believers response has to
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be patience and endurance. He uses the model of the farmer
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waiting for the harvest. They have to be patient and wait
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for the day when Jesus will return as the conquering King to
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exercise his lordship over everything and bring
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vindication. So eschatological hope is what
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underpins their present ethical action.
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It has to. OK, so to summarize the entire
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argument of the letter, God has by his sovereign choice and
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gracious will, granted believers faith and new life through the
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Gospel word. James then calls on these
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recipients of grace to live under the law and the rule of
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their King, Jesus. And the authenticity of their
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faith is seen in their works. The reality of their wisdom is
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manifested in their character. James has 0 tolerance for people
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who claim Jesus is Lord while their actions just explicitly
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repudiate his sovereignty in the practical areas of life.
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His whole ethical framework comes directly from the King's
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rule. It mirrors Jesus, his own
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statements about the necessary fruit of true discipleship.
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So for you, the learner, the key takeaways from Shriner's
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analysis are these James is fundamentally concerned with the
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reality of saving faith. True faith is a gift of God.
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It's rooted in election and regeneration by the implanted
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Word. And because it's genuine, it
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must produce works. Mere intellectual agreement is
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not enough for salvation. And critically, the priority of
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God's grace is preserved all the way through the letter.
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The new life, the election, the regeneration, these sovereign
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acts all come before any human response.
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And that's what makes the law law of liberty.
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Yes, the ethical obedience James demands is a liberating response
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to a gracious king, not some burdensome effort to earn
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something that's already been freely given.
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It's the natural outgrowth of the New Covenant realized in the
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believer's heart. So James really presents an
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ultimate test. The issue is not what you
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believe intellectually about Christ, but how your daily life,
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your speech, your use of money, your compassion for the poor and
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marginalized, how all of that demonstrates that you are truly
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living under the law and rule of King Jesus.
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So here's the final thought for you to take away.
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Considering James's blistering indictment of the rich who rely
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on their own ingenuity, and his warning about trusting worldly
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systems over God's stated will, what specific worldly practices
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must you patiently resist today while you await the final return
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of the conquering King? What are the areas where your
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own self-reliance is substituting for submission to
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the Lord's will? A question that connects
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theology directly to the choices you'll make this very week.
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Thank you for joining us for the Deep Dive.