LIKE FATHER LIKE CHILD
JAMES 1:26 27
Like father like son (mother daughter) is a well known phrase...and it's usually used when the less desirable traits of the parent are seen in their children. Song "Cat's in the Cradle" but also positive...Something we can be proud of as parents, when children follow in our footsteps.
Jesus commanded us to be just like our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:48)....etc He reminded us that when we love others as our Father loves us...then we prove ourselves to be His children.
In his letter so far, James has brought us in touch with our Heavenly Father at two points. First, that He is ready to give His wisdom to us. And secondly, that He shared His nature with us when He brought us forth as His children (v.18).
So now we need to look at the question, "What will life be like if it's controlled by God's wisdom? And what will it be like if that wisdom would really be worked out in this new nature we were given when we accepted Christ as Savior?
If any are following the outline I gave you at the beginning of our study of James, you'll note that we first looked at the Test of Faith...and now we're looking at the Characteristics of Faith...the first of which is that "faith obeys the word." Faith doesn't just hear something...it hears, accepts and then acts on it.
And now, without warning or preparation, we find ourselves reading about 3 marks of genuine religion: a controlled tongue...a caring ministry to the needy...and personal holiness. James goes from a broad call to obey the Word of God to specific areas of Christian living.
But of all the commands in Scripture, why should the tongue, care for the needy, and personal holiness be chosen to illustrate our obedience to God's Word? To answer this we need to look back and see the path James has led us on, up to this point.
In the passage we looked at last week, that precedes verses 26 27, he was dealing with the topic of listening...accepting...and then doing God's word. James stresses that this is a natural progression when one becomes a Christian and continues on in this new life.
We can see the actual sequence which begins with salvation, in verse 18...then speaks about growing in the faith (v. 19 25)...and then in today's passage, are the characteristics that a new life in Christ should display.
These three Christian characteristics are not just an arbitrary choice. They say to us "Like Father, Like Child." And it couldn't be any other way because the life He calls us to is one that should bear the same fruits in our lives that He exhibits in His.
And James is so convinced of this that he devotes the whole heart of his letter to it...from the first verse of chapter 2...to the sixth verse of chapter 5. He teaches us about how we should live, and he bases it on what he discerns to be true about God our heavenly Father.
Now, one thing that sticks out to me is that James uses a different order in verses 26 27 than he does when dealing with them in the next 3 chapters. He puts the tongue first...and actually puts a great deal of emphasis on it. And probably with good reason.
First off, the words that unite verses 26 and 27 are religious...and religion. Now, this is a word I generally like to avoid using. I don't like to have someone refer to me as religious because I usually think of that as a negative rather than a positive. (Scott Wesley Brown song...I'm not religious, I just love the Lord!")
The word "religious" seems to generally refer to the outward forms of religion. And the word for religion here is threskos and it does mean a ceremonial observance...a ritual. But to James, this threskos is just the external manifestation of eusebeo.
And eusebeo is a word translated religion that speaks of a real relationship to God that is rooted in the heart and shows in ones life. 1 Timothy 5:4 uses this word as an obligation on the part of children to express in practical ways the duty they feel toward their family.
So religion is really a comprehensive word for the ways that a genuine, heart relationship to God is expressed in our lives. It's not just something we do...but its how we live based on what we are...or actually who we are. If you are what you say you are there should be some evidence.
James lists 3 things that are characteristic of what should be seen in us. Now, James doesn't intend for this to be taken as a complete list of religious activities...so that if we do these things we can say that we're religious...even if we never pray, or read our Bibles, or go to church, or get baptized, or take communion etc.
But he does offer a good enough test to see if all that we do under the heading of religion is valid in God's sight. God wants to see the features of His own life in the lives of those who claim to be His children. The first test case is the tongue...which is something James links with the heart.
Notice that James doesn't call us to a silenced tongue...but to a bridled one, one that has a tight rein. And this is a good, clear picture that is also very realistic. A bridle is the headgear of a harness...and the bit is the metal mouthpiece that allows the bridle to be used to control the animal.
The horse is still able to "speak" (whinny, neigh, or whatever the official language of a horse is)...they can still eat and drink...but they are under the control of the one who has the reins.
When we get to chapter 3, we'll see in a lot greater detail that the tongue has all the power of a wild beast...and if not controlled it will allow all their savage instincts to just go wild. So the tongue, just like a wild horse, needs to be broken in and harnessed.
Now, there is a very special connection between the tongue and the central forces of our personality. Again, we'll get into this more in chapter 3, but James is making the point that if we profess to be Christians but don't control our tongue...we're deceiving ourselves.
We're telling ourselves things about our inner relationships that simply aren't true. We may have all the religion of the famous Pharisee of Luke 18...but just like him, we profess a religion that is actually worthless.
Now, the word translated worthless in NIV and vain in KJV is an interesting word which means "failing in its essential purpose." So many do just that...they work hard and do lots of "things" but they fail to develop that intimate relationship with God...which is the essential purpose of religion. So all the works they perform are worthless.
And the tongue is a good evidence of the fact that they've missed the mark. James says the tongue and the heart are linked, so that the tongue is an accurate index of what we really are deep inside. Go back to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 12 where He says, "Out of the abundance (overflow NIV) of the heart the mouth speaks."
We see that the first statement on the marks of a child of God is one of self examination...and he puts the tongue first because it gives an immediate answer to the question: "What are you? Are you a child of God? Are you sure you are? Does your life give evidence of the inner work of God? If the heart's right the tongue will show it!
The fact that James gives a whole verse to the tongue underlines the importance he gives to this aspect of Christian living...but it doesn't take away any of the importance of the other two characteristics, even if they have to share a verse. Read v. 27
Religion is pointless unless it corresponds to the mind and will of God. James shows us here that he wants our relationship with God to be pure and undefiled in God's sight. When he speaks to us about the tongue, he has us look inward to examine our hearts....
Now he points us upward to see if we really belong to the Father...to see if His life is at work in us, and if our heart really belongs to Him. Does His life pulse in our veins? And if so, how are we to know? James proposes a practical test.
And he doesn't speak in a generic sense either...but in specific terms about the caring ministry. I know lots of people who are good and kind...people who show genuine care and concern for others. But James isn't speaking about general kindliness that anyone could show. He's talking about whether our actual concern for others has the characteristics of God's concern for others.
The illustration of the care of orphans and widows gives us a picture of some main ideas...like a concern that is motivated only by the needs of others...a concern that looks for nothing in return. What could the widows and orphans repay?
And it is a costly concern...one that seeks to take on the whole need of another. For example, the indication in the case of an orphan is not just sending a couple bucks to an orphanage so they can have a meal or a treat...its taking the place of a lost parent.
It's a concern that takes the part of the needy in the face of a threatening world...defending their cause and looking after needs and concerns in all areas. It speaks of those who are in many ways helpless to help themselves. And it calls to mind the redeeming, Calvary love of Jesus as the model for a caring, committed Christian.
But there is another side to this. If our care for others in their need bears the marks of God's care for the fatherless and widows, then we have proof that He is at work in us. But this is only one area of our lives. What we need to ask next, is whether or not we're totally devoted to Him.
James calls us to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. Now, "the world" has the same meaning for James as it did for Paul and John. It is the whole human scheme of things...using human wisdom to obtain a human goal, with no reference to God, His laws, His values, or his ultimate judgment.
The world is anything and everything that is at odds with the Lordship of Jesus over our lives. If we're to live for Him in this world, there has to be a constant flow of commitment and loyalty to Him. So the question is simple...Are we really His?
And not by virtue of a past decision that you've allowed to grow stale....but in the daily pressure of the little things that often defile our lives. You see, its probably true that if life was all large decisions, most of us would not go wrong.
But we're faced with the world's endless barrage against our thoughts and imaginations...our eyes and ears are filled with their hellish erosion of values and standards...with the demand for our time, money and energy. They're small and subtle.
It's easy to adopt a way of life that avoids the large open pitfalls of sin...and yet not be distinctly different from the lifestyle of those who don't even know Christ. You may have made a decision to belong to Christ...and yet fail to carry that decision through in a way that proves it was a real decision.
It's one thing to yield our lives to Him...but its another to live each moment of the day on His side of the great gap that separates us from the world. Verses 26 27 form a very important transition. They look back to verse 18, which is the foundational verse of the whole book...and they spell out in general terms how a real experience of new birth will show itself in a persons character.
These verses provide the chapter headings for the rest of the letter...care, speech, and holiness. But in these verse James does more than build a bridge...he gives us space to reflect.
His words are so sharp, so 'black and white' that he leaves no middle ground for a moderate, mediocre religion...or a spirit of self excuse. He shows us that it is possible to assume that we're "religious" when really we're not....to profess and practice a vain, worthless religion, or one that is impure and defiled in the eyes of God. We need to examine ourselves.....we need to know......we must be sure!
Something as powerful as the new birth, if it really has taken place...can't be hidden! If you are a truly born again Christian, then that new life inside you simply can't fail to make its presence known. To have the life and power of God living inside us and yet to remain unchanged is just not imaginable! Paul says when you get saved all things become new!
So then...do we have the evidence to prove it? That, in a nutshell, is what James is asking. Whether you are 8 or 80...there should be a change in your life and your lifestyle that is evident...that never ceases...that never retires. Each and every day there should be fresh evidence that the Spirit of God lives within you.
If the Sheriff's department came busting through those doors right now and arrested you for being a Christian...would there be enough evidence to convict you? It's not enough to be able to say, "I don't do this or that." James is saying it's not what you don't do...but are you doing what your should be doing? Don't just be a listener...be a doer!
Do you keep a tight rein on your tongue...or do you use it to contradict everything you profess. Many use the excuse..."At least I'm honest and I tell it like it is." That could very well be true...but the fact may be that your heart is full of deadly poison and your mouth is where it all comes flowing out. I can't imagine God speaking to His children the way many adults speak to or about others.
What are you doing to help those who are helpless and in need? It takes much more than just throwing a dollar or two at the problem to ease your conscience. God wants you to invest more than money...he wants heart involvement.
And what are you doing to keep yourself from being polluted by the world? It's not the big major "sins" that most often get us...it's the little foxes that spoil the vine. What are you watching...what are you listening to...where do you spend your time?
How many of you just last night watched "Dr. Quinn" or "Touched by an Angel"...or both. Maybe even "Walker, Texas Ranger." Probably many did. But how many who watched any or all of these or other shows took even 5 minutes to read your Bible and pray? It's the little things that give evidence of whether or not our hearts are sold out for Jesus...or surrendered to the world.
Where do you stand today? Friday night an accident took place just a few miles down the road. In just a seconds time a woman was ushered into eternity. The circumstances are completely irrelevant! She will not face God to give account for details of the accident...she'll face a Holy God who will rightly judge her heart. I hope she was ready.
I hope you are ready as well. If not, you still have at least this moment to make sure. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. We need to live each moment in the light of eternity.
