Monday, August 18, 2008

James 3:9-10

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James 3:9-10


9 Therewith [en] [autos] bless we [eulogeo] God [theos], even [kai] the Father [pater]; and [kai] therewith [en] [autos] curse we [kataraomai] men [anthropos], which [ho] are made [ginomai] after [kata] the similitude [homoiosis] of God [theos].
10 Out of [ek] the same [autos] mouth [stoma] proceedeth [exerchomai] blessing [eulogia] and [kai] cursing [katara]. My [mou] brethren [adelphos], these things [tauta] ought [chre] not [ou] so [houto] to be [ginomai]. KJV-Interlinear



9 With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. NASB


Out of the same mouth can come courtesy or rudeness. And odd as it should seem, we can apply courtesy or rudeness to the same creatures that God, Himself, has designed.

Our differences in opinion are usually directed based on our subjective views of others. Thus James has been reminding us in this chapter and the last, to not tolerate or use bias or prejudice, or any form of unfair practice toward others.

Any and all sin is directed toward God. Any and all sin may be aimed at people or attitudes and such, but God is the author and designer of creation, so any complaints we may have, any opinions we may adopt, any ill feelings we may harbor, are a direct insult toward Gods design.

This will be explained more, when we get to verse 13 and on from there.

But, our double sided views of life come as a result of the existence of the sin nature within us. The sin nature is something ingrained in the body, not the soul. It has an influence on our soul with regard to what we believe and such. But when we die, and when our soul leaves the body, the sin nature remains with the body and is destroyed as the body decays.

Our soul sails off to heaven leaving the sin nature behind for good.

But, even though the sin nature is not a part of the soul, we still face life with decisions made from our own free will. God gives us all choices and in life we all choose of our own free will.

We cannot blame our predicaments on the sin nature, because we do have the ability to not listen to it. God has given us all the ability, through doctrine, to permanently run the influence of the sin nature out of our life, but of course its path is soooo easy to follow, and its enticements are soooo enticing.

And, rather than following the divine rules of authority and truth, we generally follow the counter authority called peer pressure and popularity, and follow the world in its views. So out of the same mouth, views are directed from the soul (designed by God) and from the sin nature (the choices of man).

And why is this? Because we choose it to be so. We were given something beautiful and make it into something rotten. And we do it all on our own, and by choice.