This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:17
17 Therefore [oun] to him that knoweth [eido] to do [poieo] good [kalos], and [kai] doeth [poieo] it not [me], to him [autos] it is [esti] sin [hamartia]. KJV-Interlinear
17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin. NASB
Whether you are proactively indifferent toward God, doctrine, Jesus Christ, your spiritual life, or anything having to do with the scriptures, or whether you are passively indifferent toward these things, meaning that you don’t really give them much thought on a day to day basis, makes no difference.
When you were born into this world, you had but one obligation to God, and that was to hear His gospel. He gave you life and in return, He only asks that you listen.
And by either listening or not, you make a choice in life that affects your entire future. Rejecting Christ, means that you will spend your eternal days separated from Him, whom you wish to have nothing to do with.
But, if you believe in Christ, then you become members of Gods family, in effect, and thus assume additional obligations. Gods house , Gods rules. If you want to live in His house, then you have to obey His rules.
Unfortunately, far too many folks want things both ways. They want God, but by their rules, not His.
And so we enter into another realm of disobedience toward God, which is a test of wills, so to speak, and when we object to the obligations He places on us, then we are rejecting His wisdom, His truth, and that is a sin. Or, the sin of presuming that we know better, or just don’t care.
There are right things to do in life and wrong things to do. Sin is not limited to simple lies, or more dramatic cursing, or any of the traditional crimes that we are familiar with. Sin is also concerned with responsibility, accountability, and our obligation to obey Gods mandates and such.
Just living your life out of fellowship, means that you are living in a state of perpetual sin. Generally, we call it human good. You could be doing good things, but when out of fellowship, you are performing them in the energy of your flesh (the sin nature), not within Gods fellowship sphere. And human good was rejected at the Cross. All human effort was rejected at the Cross.
Only the work of Christ is perfect and effective, and accepted.
So, you have responsibilities in life. We have covered them many times. To look the other way, to presume that someone else is going to fulfill your obligations, to be greedy or selfish in not wanting to do what is expected of you, to pretend or defiant or just indifferent, is a sin.
Showing posts with label James 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James 4. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
James 4:16
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:16
16 But [de] now [nun] ye rejoice [kauchaomai] in [en] your [humon] boastings [alazoneia]: all [pas] such [toioutos] rejoicing [kauchesis] is [esti] evil [poneros]. KJV-Interlinear
16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. NASB
To form your own plans for life, based on your own wisdom and confidence, both of which are founded on your worldly, academic, and day to day experience, all of which have been used to build up your own shrewdness, reasonableness, level-headedness, prudence, and so forth, is a certain path to your own spiritual destruction.
Your temporal life will last but a few decades. Your spiritual life will last forever. Which is the one that you should commit your attentions.
Any and all departures of thinking from Bible doctrine, from Gods truth, from a thinking pattern within your fellowship sphere, are in effect arrogance, and therefore evil.
Evil gains you nothing, and it takes away everything.
When you do not anticipate failure in life, when you presume that you will be alive indefinitely or until your plans are accomplished, when you refuse to recognize the many problems that can come into your life, and especially when you are indifferent to Gods role in your life, then you are guilty of the sin of presumption.
You by default, presume that God and His plan have no impact on your life. You presume that you can go about your own business with complete disregard to God. You presume that you already know Gods will for your life, and as such, have adapted your own ideas as to what you believe is His will.
All of this departure from God, from doctrine, from what is correct and true in life, is a form of boasting.
Boasting says that you know better. Boasting says that you deserve credit for who and what you are. Boasting says that you can adopt or define or subscribe to whatever views are popular, or convenient to you and to your life, and still be in the right.
Boasting says that you can do whatever you wish, so long as it does not interfere or affect someone else's life.
Boasting says that you do not have to 'always' obey God.
Boasting says that you can find another 'better' way in life, for yourself.
Most criminals are not remorseful while they commit their crimes. They see no harm, since there is no one to stop them, or interfere with their criminal activities.
However, they generally become remorseful when they are caught.
When your life ends in this world, you are in effect, caught by Christ. In heaven your first response will be either humility because of your spiritual commitment, or embarrassment (which is not a sin by the way) due to your worldly stupidity. Which will be your response?
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:16
16 But [de] now [nun] ye rejoice [kauchaomai] in [en] your [humon] boastings [alazoneia]: all [pas] such [toioutos] rejoicing [kauchesis] is [esti] evil [poneros]. KJV-Interlinear
16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. NASB
To form your own plans for life, based on your own wisdom and confidence, both of which are founded on your worldly, academic, and day to day experience, all of which have been used to build up your own shrewdness, reasonableness, level-headedness, prudence, and so forth, is a certain path to your own spiritual destruction.
Your temporal life will last but a few decades. Your spiritual life will last forever. Which is the one that you should commit your attentions.
Any and all departures of thinking from Bible doctrine, from Gods truth, from a thinking pattern within your fellowship sphere, are in effect arrogance, and therefore evil.
Evil gains you nothing, and it takes away everything.
When you do not anticipate failure in life, when you presume that you will be alive indefinitely or until your plans are accomplished, when you refuse to recognize the many problems that can come into your life, and especially when you are indifferent to Gods role in your life, then you are guilty of the sin of presumption.
You by default, presume that God and His plan have no impact on your life. You presume that you can go about your own business with complete disregard to God. You presume that you already know Gods will for your life, and as such, have adapted your own ideas as to what you believe is His will.
All of this departure from God, from doctrine, from what is correct and true in life, is a form of boasting.
Boasting says that you know better. Boasting says that you deserve credit for who and what you are. Boasting says that you can adopt or define or subscribe to whatever views are popular, or convenient to you and to your life, and still be in the right.
Boasting says that you can do whatever you wish, so long as it does not interfere or affect someone else's life.
Boasting says that you do not have to 'always' obey God.
Boasting says that you can find another 'better' way in life, for yourself.
Most criminals are not remorseful while they commit their crimes. They see no harm, since there is no one to stop them, or interfere with their criminal activities.
However, they generally become remorseful when they are caught.
When your life ends in this world, you are in effect, caught by Christ. In heaven your first response will be either humility because of your spiritual commitment, or embarrassment (which is not a sin by the way) due to your worldly stupidity. Which will be your response?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
James 4:15
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:15
15 For that [anti] ye [humas] ought to say [lego], If [ean] the Lord [kurios] will [thelo], [kai] we shall live [zao] [zao], and [kai] do [poieo] [poieo] this [touto], or [e] that [ekeinos]. KJV-Interlinear
15 Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.' NASB
Now, we do not go around repeating ridiculous and repetitious remarks like, 'If the Lord wills, I will eat this toast this morning.' 'If the Lord wills, I will choose what color carpet to get for the home.' 'If the Lord wills, I will go out and buy and sell and make money.' Etc., etc., etc.
Everything we do in life is subject to the Lords will. That is, or should be, the underlying truth of life.
We don't have to go around saying it, such that others know that it is what we mean. Our purpose is not to educate others or even to impress them with our repetitious quips. As a matter of fact, repetitious comments of this nature, can become meaningless, annoying and phony pretenses.
Likewise, just because we know that everything is subject to Gods will, that does not mean that we are without obligation and responsibility in life.
When an enemy attacks we defend ourselves and counterattack to defeat it. We plan and prepare. We place locks on our doors. We go to school to get an education so we can get a better job. We plan meals. We set out plans for the kids. We make career plans. We save if at all possible.
Likewise, we do not take on an attitude of ridiculousness, and pray about every little matter in life. We do not pray about what we are to wear. We do not pray about what to buy. We do not pray about many routine and normal day to day things, because God gave you a brain and the resources to think and make decisions.
Praying about every little thing, is a cute way to come up with an excuse to do or to not do something, or even to not be held accountable for bad decisions. Immaturity seeks out crutches. Maturity assumes responsibility and accountability for ones own actions - with no excuses.
When we look at life, we should look at life through Gods eyes, not mans. We do the very best we can with what God gives us, but when it is all said and done, we ultimately look to God to get us through life. And we acknowledge that everyone else is doing what they can, with what God has given them. In other words we do not judge others, regardless of their spiritual status, which in most cases, we won't have a clue regarding their spiritual life, if it even exists at all.
We approach life with our eyes toward God and His plan. We know that the world is destined for big trouble. We know that we live in the Church Age. We know that the Rapture will occur one day. We know that evil will never end its attempt to take charge of the world.
We know that our first priority in life is to grow up spiritually, and with that growth, God will guide us through a difficult history whether prosperous or not, to our ultimate destiny - heaven.
We make our plans with God in mind first. We make our plans while understanding how the world functions. We do what we can, in the very best way we can, and leave the details for success or not, to God.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:15
15 For that [anti] ye [humas] ought to say [lego], If [ean] the Lord [kurios] will [thelo], [kai] we shall live [zao] [zao], and [kai] do [poieo] [poieo] this [touto], or [e] that [ekeinos]. KJV-Interlinear
15 Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.' NASB
Now, we do not go around repeating ridiculous and repetitious remarks like, 'If the Lord wills, I will eat this toast this morning.' 'If the Lord wills, I will choose what color carpet to get for the home.' 'If the Lord wills, I will go out and buy and sell and make money.' Etc., etc., etc.
Everything we do in life is subject to the Lords will. That is, or should be, the underlying truth of life.
We don't have to go around saying it, such that others know that it is what we mean. Our purpose is not to educate others or even to impress them with our repetitious quips. As a matter of fact, repetitious comments of this nature, can become meaningless, annoying and phony pretenses.
Likewise, just because we know that everything is subject to Gods will, that does not mean that we are without obligation and responsibility in life.
When an enemy attacks we defend ourselves and counterattack to defeat it. We plan and prepare. We place locks on our doors. We go to school to get an education so we can get a better job. We plan meals. We set out plans for the kids. We make career plans. We save if at all possible.
Likewise, we do not take on an attitude of ridiculousness, and pray about every little matter in life. We do not pray about what we are to wear. We do not pray about what to buy. We do not pray about many routine and normal day to day things, because God gave you a brain and the resources to think and make decisions.
Praying about every little thing, is a cute way to come up with an excuse to do or to not do something, or even to not be held accountable for bad decisions. Immaturity seeks out crutches. Maturity assumes responsibility and accountability for ones own actions - with no excuses.
When we look at life, we should look at life through Gods eyes, not mans. We do the very best we can with what God gives us, but when it is all said and done, we ultimately look to God to get us through life. And we acknowledge that everyone else is doing what they can, with what God has given them. In other words we do not judge others, regardless of their spiritual status, which in most cases, we won't have a clue regarding their spiritual life, if it even exists at all.
We approach life with our eyes toward God and His plan. We know that the world is destined for big trouble. We know that we live in the Church Age. We know that the Rapture will occur one day. We know that evil will never end its attempt to take charge of the world.
We know that our first priority in life is to grow up spiritually, and with that growth, God will guide us through a difficult history whether prosperous or not, to our ultimate destiny - heaven.
We make our plans with God in mind first. We make our plans while understanding how the world functions. We do what we can, in the very best way we can, and leave the details for success or not, to God.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
James 4:13-14
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:13-14
13 Go to [age] now [nun], ye that say [lego], To day [semeron] or [kai] to morrow [aurion] we will go [poreuomai] into [eis] such [hode] a city [polis], and [kai] continue [poieo] [poieo] there [ekei] a [heis] year [eniautos], and [kai] buy and sell [emporeuomai] [emporeuomai], and [kai] get gain [kerdaino] [kerdaino]:
14 Whereas [hostis] ye know [epistamai] not [ou] what [ho] shall be on the morrow [aurion]. For [gar] what [poios] is your [humon] life [zoe]? It is [esti] even [gar] a vapour [atmis], that [pros] appeareth for [phaino] a little time [oligos], and [de] then [epeita] vanisheth away [aphanizo]. KJV-Interlinear
13 Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. NASB
Presumptuousness is the sin of arrogant confidence that what you want or believe in life, is reality, as you prefer it.
It is the unreasonable expectation that life is going to be what you want it to be, with the indifferent attitude that there are no real uncertainties in life, and especially that life does not depend on God, but is somehow self-determined or a matter of some natural course of evolution.
The sun came up today, and yesterday, therefore it will certainly come up tomorrow and the next day as it has always come up in the past.
You are alive today, and you have every reason to believe that you will be alive tomorrow.
You made this amount of money today, and you will certainly make as much or more, next month or next year.
You have plans, and dreams and expectations for your life, and if you work hard, hustle smartly, use common sense, and perhaps have a little luck or some good connections, then your life will only get better and better.
On the surface, these ideas and attitudes seem very reasonable, responsible, and appropriate, and even non-selfish.
But, when you take God and Gods plan for you and especially for all of humanity, out of your equation for life, then you have crossed over into the realm of insulting God, but worse than that, you have presumed that your beliefs are better than Gods divine plan.
Humanity is nothing more than life inserted into a lump of dust. God took dust and has made many phenomenal people out of it. Some are breath-takingly beautiful, while most of us are common. Some have extraordinary talents, while most of us find difficulty in boiling water.
And in every case, not one of us can guarantee our next heartbeat, while most of us have plans and dreams and 'presumptions' that we will be around to make money next month, to pay off thirty year loans, to get new cars or stereos, to marry and raise a family, and work and retire at a ripe old and comfortable age.
And then, just because we have been sincere and reasonable throughout our life, we will most certainly go to heaven and be welcome and given more blessing, because we have tried to do our best in life.
And, we could not be more wrong.
The sin of presumption steers you away from your spiritual life. The sin of presumption creates indifference toward doctrine in your life.
The sin of presumption causes you to be your own authority in life, or your own right to determine what is correct and true, for you, without anyone else telling you what you can or cannot, or must or must not, think or do.
Certainly God, someone whom you have never seen or heard, but only have some writings that record various begets, and cool stories of parting water and Goliath victories, has no advice for you regarding your personal life, your work life, your social life, or anything in your day to day pursuit of success and happiness.
Certainly you, who are made of dust, subject to a limited life, always exposed to illness or injury, you who have come to the absolute understanding of life and its meaning, certainly you will live a life that is but a blink on the calendar of ancient and modern history, certainly you have no need for advice from anyone but celebrities, lyrics from popular songs, opinions of those whom you know, and all of the public opinions regarding the world in general.
But, as you drive down the road, you pass churches, hospitals, cemeteries, and many other things that point to a definite limit to your understanding, and ability, and control over life.
You give no thought that your entire existence is dependent on God, and on nothing else. That everything you have is courtesy of Gods grace, not your effort, charm, or good looks.
Everything you possess, beginning with your human life, to every component of your life, including all that you have come to know, comes to you courtesy of Gods infinite wisdom.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:13-14
13 Go to [age] now [nun], ye that say [lego], To day [semeron] or [kai] to morrow [aurion] we will go [poreuomai] into [eis] such [hode] a city [polis], and [kai] continue [poieo] [poieo] there [ekei] a [heis] year [eniautos], and [kai] buy and sell [emporeuomai] [emporeuomai], and [kai] get gain [kerdaino] [kerdaino]:
14 Whereas [hostis] ye know [epistamai] not [ou] what [ho] shall be on the morrow [aurion]. For [gar] what [poios] is your [humon] life [zoe]? It is [esti] even [gar] a vapour [atmis], that [pros] appeareth for [phaino] a little time [oligos], and [de] then [epeita] vanisheth away [aphanizo]. KJV-Interlinear
13 Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. NASB
Presumptuousness is the sin of arrogant confidence that what you want or believe in life, is reality, as you prefer it.
It is the unreasonable expectation that life is going to be what you want it to be, with the indifferent attitude that there are no real uncertainties in life, and especially that life does not depend on God, but is somehow self-determined or a matter of some natural course of evolution.
The sun came up today, and yesterday, therefore it will certainly come up tomorrow and the next day as it has always come up in the past.
You are alive today, and you have every reason to believe that you will be alive tomorrow.
You made this amount of money today, and you will certainly make as much or more, next month or next year.
You have plans, and dreams and expectations for your life, and if you work hard, hustle smartly, use common sense, and perhaps have a little luck or some good connections, then your life will only get better and better.
On the surface, these ideas and attitudes seem very reasonable, responsible, and appropriate, and even non-selfish.
But, when you take God and Gods plan for you and especially for all of humanity, out of your equation for life, then you have crossed over into the realm of insulting God, but worse than that, you have presumed that your beliefs are better than Gods divine plan.
Humanity is nothing more than life inserted into a lump of dust. God took dust and has made many phenomenal people out of it. Some are breath-takingly beautiful, while most of us are common. Some have extraordinary talents, while most of us find difficulty in boiling water.
And in every case, not one of us can guarantee our next heartbeat, while most of us have plans and dreams and 'presumptions' that we will be around to make money next month, to pay off thirty year loans, to get new cars or stereos, to marry and raise a family, and work and retire at a ripe old and comfortable age.
And then, just because we have been sincere and reasonable throughout our life, we will most certainly go to heaven and be welcome and given more blessing, because we have tried to do our best in life.
And, we could not be more wrong.
The sin of presumption steers you away from your spiritual life. The sin of presumption creates indifference toward doctrine in your life.
The sin of presumption causes you to be your own authority in life, or your own right to determine what is correct and true, for you, without anyone else telling you what you can or cannot, or must or must not, think or do.
Certainly God, someone whom you have never seen or heard, but only have some writings that record various begets, and cool stories of parting water and Goliath victories, has no advice for you regarding your personal life, your work life, your social life, or anything in your day to day pursuit of success and happiness.
Certainly you, who are made of dust, subject to a limited life, always exposed to illness or injury, you who have come to the absolute understanding of life and its meaning, certainly you will live a life that is but a blink on the calendar of ancient and modern history, certainly you have no need for advice from anyone but celebrities, lyrics from popular songs, opinions of those whom you know, and all of the public opinions regarding the world in general.
But, as you drive down the road, you pass churches, hospitals, cemeteries, and many other things that point to a definite limit to your understanding, and ability, and control over life.
You give no thought that your entire existence is dependent on God, and on nothing else. That everything you have is courtesy of Gods grace, not your effort, charm, or good looks.
Everything you possess, beginning with your human life, to every component of your life, including all that you have come to know, comes to you courtesy of Gods infinite wisdom.
Friday, September 5, 2008
James 4:12
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:12
12 There is [esti] one [heis] lawgiver [nomothetes], who [ho] is able [dunamai] to save [sozo] and [kai] to destroy [apollumi]: who [tis] art [ei] thou [su] that [hos] judgest [krino] another [heteros]? KJV-Interlinear
12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? NASB
God the Father authored and designed the divine plan. God the Son, Jesus Christ, executes the divine plan. God the Holy Spirit sustains and reveals the divine plan.
Everything you see, hear, do, and have, are courtesy of God (collectively all three members of the Godhead) and His plan. There is only one plan. All alternative plans produced by Satan or man, are false and unsustainable, and destined to utter failure.
All of your hopes, desires, plans, goals, and such, are unattainable apart from Gods grace.
There is nothing that you are or ever will be, that can change, alter, modify, or replace Gods plan.
Humanity, that's you, is a dust created physical body perpetuated by biological life, and a God given soul, filled with human life. When you are saved, then God establishes inside of you, a human spirit, filled with eternal life.
Remove the body and what are you? A floating out of body entity, incapable of doing anything or going anywhere. Your very existence and capabilities are due to the grace of God.
What can you command in life. Can you do something like redirect the wind or stop a storm? Can you prevent or cause your heart beats?
When you were conceived, God in His infinite wisdom, brought together all of those chromosomes, and there, in that instant, your physical genetic destiny was established. The color of your skin or eyes, your IQ, the defects you might or might not inherit, and so forth, all were determined in that instant of conception. Out of the billions of possibilities, your attributes were established.
Then at the moment of your birth, God again, in His infinite wisdom, placed you and your soul inside of your physical body. And there you reside, temporarily, until He removes your soul out from your body. Discarding the body and eventually replacing it with something more permanent.
Our permanent resurrection body will not be given to us until the resurrection, but after physical death and prior to the resurrection, there is another form of body, implied. We have that temporary vessel while in heaven, until the resurrection occurs. That heavenly temporary body is really never described within the scriptures, only eluded to, and more or less left to our imagination.
As dust, we cannot invent, design, or create life, and likewise we cannot destroy life. Just as we cannot control the economies or the weather patterns of the world, so also, we have no, and repeat that, absolutely no control over any form of destiny that lay before us. The details of this will be covered in tomorrows study.
So, how is it that we presume that we can judge, evaluate, or even critic anything or anyone?
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:12
12 There is [esti] one [heis] lawgiver [nomothetes], who [ho] is able [dunamai] to save [sozo] and [kai] to destroy [apollumi]: who [tis] art [ei] thou [su] that [hos] judgest [krino] another [heteros]? KJV-Interlinear
12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? NASB
God the Father authored and designed the divine plan. God the Son, Jesus Christ, executes the divine plan. God the Holy Spirit sustains and reveals the divine plan.
Everything you see, hear, do, and have, are courtesy of God (collectively all three members of the Godhead) and His plan. There is only one plan. All alternative plans produced by Satan or man, are false and unsustainable, and destined to utter failure.
All of your hopes, desires, plans, goals, and such, are unattainable apart from Gods grace.
There is nothing that you are or ever will be, that can change, alter, modify, or replace Gods plan.
Humanity, that's you, is a dust created physical body perpetuated by biological life, and a God given soul, filled with human life. When you are saved, then God establishes inside of you, a human spirit, filled with eternal life.
Remove the body and what are you? A floating out of body entity, incapable of doing anything or going anywhere. Your very existence and capabilities are due to the grace of God.
What can you command in life. Can you do something like redirect the wind or stop a storm? Can you prevent or cause your heart beats?
When you were conceived, God in His infinite wisdom, brought together all of those chromosomes, and there, in that instant, your physical genetic destiny was established. The color of your skin or eyes, your IQ, the defects you might or might not inherit, and so forth, all were determined in that instant of conception. Out of the billions of possibilities, your attributes were established.
Then at the moment of your birth, God again, in His infinite wisdom, placed you and your soul inside of your physical body. And there you reside, temporarily, until He removes your soul out from your body. Discarding the body and eventually replacing it with something more permanent.
Our permanent resurrection body will not be given to us until the resurrection, but after physical death and prior to the resurrection, there is another form of body, implied. We have that temporary vessel while in heaven, until the resurrection occurs. That heavenly temporary body is really never described within the scriptures, only eluded to, and more or less left to our imagination.
As dust, we cannot invent, design, or create life, and likewise we cannot destroy life. Just as we cannot control the economies or the weather patterns of the world, so also, we have no, and repeat that, absolutely no control over any form of destiny that lay before us. The details of this will be covered in tomorrows study.
So, how is it that we presume that we can judge, evaluate, or even critic anything or anyone?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
James 4:11
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:11
11 Speak [katalaleo] not [me] evil [katalaleo] one of another [allelon], brethren [adelphos]. He that speaketh evil [katalaleo] of his brother [adelphos], and [kai] judgeth [krino] his [autos] brother [adelphos], speaketh evil [katalaleo] of the law [nomos], and [kai] judgeth [krino] the law [nomos]: but [de] if [ei] thou judge [krino] the law [nomos], thou art [ei] not [ou] a doer [poietes] of the law [nomos], but [alla] a judge [krites]. KJV-Interlinear
11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. NASB
The word for law, refers to the rules, mandates, principles, and so forth by which truth and life are guided. This is not a reference to the Levitical Law.
A judge of the law, is one who sets himself up as a critic, or evaluator, or one who questions of those rules and so forth. One who offers his personal views regarding the pros and cons of the laws of God, and suggests or implies that there may be room for interpretation, modification, or even improvement within them.
And when you commit a sin, when you speak ill against another person, then you have placed yourself in the place of God, as a judge.
A judge is one who makes decisions based on the facts, and God is the only one who has a complete set of facts for every situation that has ever existed, or ever will exist.
Humanity has never had all of the facts on anything, so humanity is not a good candidate for judging anyone. And we are speaking of social judging, not criminal judging.
In crimes, humanity was given the rules of due process, in order to bring people to justice. This is a part of the divine establishment laws that bring stability to society.
Socially, however, there is no crime, no evidence, and certainly no right to judge someone in a public forum, so as to cause harm against them. This is sort of a vigilante approach in the social realm. And no one has ever been appointed to, or even elected to, the post of social judge.
By presuming this right as a judge of others, you set yourself against God, and the truths, which He teaches us in the scriptures.
All gossip, maligning, or judging of others, whether your facts are correct or not, are a violation of Gods laws.
So, if you are violating them (by judging), then you cannot be abiding by them (being a doer of the law).
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James 4:11
11 Speak [katalaleo] not [me] evil [katalaleo] one of another [allelon], brethren [adelphos]. He that speaketh evil [katalaleo] of his brother [adelphos], and [kai] judgeth [krino] his [autos] brother [adelphos], speaketh evil [katalaleo] of the law [nomos], and [kai] judgeth [krino] the law [nomos]: but [de] if [ei] thou judge [krino] the law [nomos], thou art [ei] not [ou] a doer [poietes] of the law [nomos], but [alla] a judge [krites]. KJV-Interlinear
11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. NASB
The word for law, refers to the rules, mandates, principles, and so forth by which truth and life are guided. This is not a reference to the Levitical Law.
A judge of the law, is one who sets himself up as a critic, or evaluator, or one who questions of those rules and so forth. One who offers his personal views regarding the pros and cons of the laws of God, and suggests or implies that there may be room for interpretation, modification, or even improvement within them.
And when you commit a sin, when you speak ill against another person, then you have placed yourself in the place of God, as a judge.
A judge is one who makes decisions based on the facts, and God is the only one who has a complete set of facts for every situation that has ever existed, or ever will exist.
Humanity has never had all of the facts on anything, so humanity is not a good candidate for judging anyone. And we are speaking of social judging, not criminal judging.
In crimes, humanity was given the rules of due process, in order to bring people to justice. This is a part of the divine establishment laws that bring stability to society.
Socially, however, there is no crime, no evidence, and certainly no right to judge someone in a public forum, so as to cause harm against them. This is sort of a vigilante approach in the social realm. And no one has ever been appointed to, or even elected to, the post of social judge.
By presuming this right as a judge of others, you set yourself against God, and the truths, which He teaches us in the scriptures.
All gossip, maligning, or judging of others, whether your facts are correct or not, are a violation of Gods laws.
So, if you are violating them (by judging), then you cannot be abiding by them (being a doer of the law).
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
James 4:10
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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James 4:10
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord , and he shall lift you up . KJV-Interlinear
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. NASB
Though we look all around ourselves and see that we have to deal with people, bureaucracies, and systems in society galore, our first and only real relationship, is with God. All other interactions are based on the success of our spiritual life.
Psa. 51:4
4 Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge. NASB
Though people will be offended when you do something to them or when they perceive that you have done something to them, but our real failures in life are directly related to, and directed at, God.
When God promotes you, then and only then are you promoted. And Gods promotions are permanent.
When He gave you human life, that became a permanent promotion. When He gives salvation, that is a permanent promotion. When He gives blessings, they are permanent.
The only permanent cursing, goes to unbelievers who end up in the Lake of Fire. All other cursing, disciplines, or judgments are temporary and limited to this life only. There will be no judgments in eternity.
The way of discipline and heartache come through indifference toward God and doctrine.
The way of blessing and happiness is through humility, and humility comes through submission to, and obedience to, Gods will.
And, Gods will is simply to study daily His scriptures, to learn, to use, and to grow up spiritually. That is humility, or rather produces humility of soul. Humility is the opposite of arrogance.
Humility is unassuming and tolerant.
Arrogance is stubborn, presumptive, shallow, sensitive, opinionated, patronizing, intolerant, vindictive, condescending, implacable and so forth.
Arrogance gains you nothing although you presume everything.
Humility gains you exaltation from God, no less.
Exalt, here means to be lifted up, or acclaimed. And since man is nothing more than dust, then elevation to joint heir with Christ, of the new heaven and universe to come, is a mind-boggling promotion.
And that, is the reality and the difference, between the rewards of arrogance and the rewards of humility.
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James 4:10
10 Humble yourselves
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. NASB
Though we look all around ourselves and see that we have to deal with people, bureaucracies, and systems in society galore, our first and only real relationship, is with God. All other interactions are based on the success of our spiritual life.
Psa. 51:4
4 Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge. NASB
Though people will be offended when you do something to them or when they perceive that you have done something to them, but our real failures in life are directly related to, and directed at, God.
When God promotes you, then and only then are you promoted. And Gods promotions are permanent.
When He gave you human life, that became a permanent promotion. When He gives salvation, that is a permanent promotion. When He gives blessings, they are permanent.
The only permanent cursing, goes to unbelievers who end up in the Lake of Fire. All other cursing, disciplines, or judgments are temporary and limited to this life only. There will be no judgments in eternity.
The way of discipline and heartache come through indifference toward God and doctrine.
The way of blessing and happiness is through humility, and humility comes through submission to, and obedience to, Gods will.
And, Gods will is simply to study daily His scriptures, to learn, to use, and to grow up spiritually. That is humility, or rather produces humility of soul. Humility is the opposite of arrogance.
Humility is unassuming and tolerant.
Arrogance is stubborn, presumptive, shallow, sensitive, opinionated, patronizing, intolerant, vindictive, condescending, implacable and so forth.
Arrogance gains you nothing although you presume everything.
Humility gains you exaltation from God, no less.
Exalt, here means to be lifted up, or acclaimed. And since man is nothing more than dust, then elevation to joint heir with Christ, of the new heaven and universe to come, is a mind-boggling promotion.
And that, is the reality and the difference, between the rewards of arrogance and the rewards of humility.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
James 4:9
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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James 4:9
9 Be afflicted [talaiporeo], and [kai] mourn [pentheo], and [kai] weep [klaio]: let your [humon] laughter [gelos] be turned [metastrepho] to [eis] mourning [penthos], and [kai] your joy [chara] to [eis] heaviness [katepheia]. KJV-Interlinear
9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. NASB
Misery, mourning, your laughter turning into an even deeper mourning and gloom state. These are what you can expect if you ignore all that has been taught in these last several verses.
So, James says, go ahead and ignore all that has been taught. Go ahead and scoff at these principles of truth. Go ahead and follow your heart, your natural instincts, desires, beliefs, opinions, and see what they get you.
Lightning does not strike instantly when you stray away from common sense or truth. In fact God lets you go right ahead in doing or thinking the way you want.
He lets you crusade. He lets you gossip and malign and destroy someone else. He lets you press your political or religious or natural beliefs. He lets you make your beliefs more important to you, at someone else's expense.
God lets you ignore His mandates, His principles, His commands. God lets you mock and strut, and ridicule.
And …
God allows the repercussions of your thoughts and actions fall all over you.
Your laughter and smirkness will be short lived. Yes, you may smirk for years, but time catches up with us all, and one day, God will call you home and then your worst realizations will come to you.
Your few short years, perhaps decades in this life will all be behind you and your future, billions and billions and trillions of years of eternity and more, lay before you. And all those eternal blessings that you could have had, will never be.
You traded a gold mine of eternal blessings for a few short stubborn laughs for this life. You traded a kings wealth for the nothing pile of worldly opinion. You conformed to the world, and traded away your destiny.
So, James mocks you a bit. Go ahead and cry and worry and lose your security. Go ahead and be miserable and mourn your losses, and be gloomy from the very core of your soul. Why? Because that is exactly what you are doing when you reject the scriptures and pursue your own beliefs in life.
No, you won't feel these things right away, but sooner or later, you will. And, when that day comes, you had better hope (and pray), that God has left a little time for you to change your ways, and recover.
But alas, most won't change. Even people who happen upon this study, one day, will most likely roll their eyes and move on to a 'better' study. One which is more convenient to their choosing.
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James 4:9
9 Be afflicted [talaiporeo], and [kai] mourn [pentheo], and [kai] weep [klaio]: let your [humon] laughter [gelos] be turned [metastrepho] to [eis] mourning [penthos], and [kai] your joy [chara] to [eis] heaviness [katepheia]. KJV-Interlinear
9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. NASB
Misery, mourning, your laughter turning into an even deeper mourning and gloom state. These are what you can expect if you ignore all that has been taught in these last several verses.
So, James says, go ahead and ignore all that has been taught. Go ahead and scoff at these principles of truth. Go ahead and follow your heart, your natural instincts, desires, beliefs, opinions, and see what they get you.
Lightning does not strike instantly when you stray away from common sense or truth. In fact God lets you go right ahead in doing or thinking the way you want.
He lets you crusade. He lets you gossip and malign and destroy someone else. He lets you press your political or religious or natural beliefs. He lets you make your beliefs more important to you, at someone else's expense.
God lets you ignore His mandates, His principles, His commands. God lets you mock and strut, and ridicule.
And …
God allows the repercussions of your thoughts and actions fall all over you.
Your laughter and smirkness will be short lived. Yes, you may smirk for years, but time catches up with us all, and one day, God will call you home and then your worst realizations will come to you.
Your few short years, perhaps decades in this life will all be behind you and your future, billions and billions and trillions of years of eternity and more, lay before you. And all those eternal blessings that you could have had, will never be.
You traded a gold mine of eternal blessings for a few short stubborn laughs for this life. You traded a kings wealth for the nothing pile of worldly opinion. You conformed to the world, and traded away your destiny.
So, James mocks you a bit. Go ahead and cry and worry and lose your security. Go ahead and be miserable and mourn your losses, and be gloomy from the very core of your soul. Why? Because that is exactly what you are doing when you reject the scriptures and pursue your own beliefs in life.
No, you won't feel these things right away, but sooner or later, you will. And, when that day comes, you had better hope (and pray), that God has left a little time for you to change your ways, and recover.
But alas, most won't change. Even people who happen upon this study, one day, will most likely roll their eyes and move on to a 'better' study. One which is more convenient to their choosing.
Monday, September 1, 2008
James 4:8
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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James 4:8
8 Draw nigh to God , and he will draw nigh to you . Cleanse your hands , ye sinners ; and purify your hearts , ye double minded . KJV-Interlinear
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NASB
Typically, the mind is referred to as the residence of the content of the soul. The heart is referred to as the activity or the thought processes, or the circulation of that content throughout the soul, the thoughts and intents of the soul. The feet represent the pattern of life we choose as we walk, or travel through life, and the hands represent our actions, the tools by which we do what we do in life.
Draw near, means to approach God. But, we cannot approach God unless we are clean. If you were filthy dirty and stunk to high heaven, would anyone want you near them? No. You have to clean yourself up before anyone would want to be near you, and it is no different with God.
God smells your sin, and that is stench enough for Him to stay clear of you.
So, in order to draw near to God, you must first clean yourself up. That means to confess your sins, which is the cleansing action of the soul. 'Father, I did this and that, and this and that.'
You name your sins to God the Father, and to no one else. All spiritual business is between you and God and no one else. And all spiritual business is done in the name of Christ. That is the default understanding.
Washing your hands is symbolic of cleansing your soul. We cannot take a shower and be spiritually clean, but when we confess our sins to God the Father, then, as we studied in 1, 2, and 3 Jn., He is faithful and justified in forgiving us and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is the entire content and range of our wickedness whatever our sins may be.
You sinner, is referring to you, and all of humanity. No one is perfect in this world, and all imperfection is filth. And, in order to approach God, we must become perfect, or spiritually cleansed.
Purifying your hearts is the cleansing of your thoughts. You must transform your thinking into spiritual views, not worldly opinions. And you gain this transformation, by means of your daily study.
Most folks think that they speak to God only when they pray in some formal sense, or only when they go into a church and/or kneel before a cross. Not so. When you are in fellowship, you are in effect online constantly with streaming communication with the Father.
By the way all spiritual communication is directed toward the Father.
When you commit a sin, your line of communication is shut down, cut off, disconnected. So staying online is the best position to be in. Anything you say and do is received by God when you are in fellowship.
When you are in fellowship, He, God the Father, draws near to you. That is to say, He accepts your approach to Him and receives your presence.
Double mindedness is the oscillation or vacillation of ones life in and out of fellowship, in and out of contact with God. Double mindedness is the single biggest barrier to an effective spiritual life.
The secret to an effective spiritual life, is being resident in fellowship. The secret to a quality spiritual life, is through growth to maturity. And that comes with the purification process of your heart, or in other words, learning doctrine, using doctrine, and growing up to spiritual maturity.
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James 4:8
8 Draw nigh
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NASB
Typically, the mind is referred to as the residence of the content of the soul. The heart is referred to as the activity or the thought processes, or the circulation of that content throughout the soul, the thoughts and intents of the soul. The feet represent the pattern of life we choose as we walk, or travel through life, and the hands represent our actions, the tools by which we do what we do in life.
Draw near, means to approach God. But, we cannot approach God unless we are clean. If you were filthy dirty and stunk to high heaven, would anyone want you near them? No. You have to clean yourself up before anyone would want to be near you, and it is no different with God.
God smells your sin, and that is stench enough for Him to stay clear of you.
So, in order to draw near to God, you must first clean yourself up. That means to confess your sins, which is the cleansing action of the soul. 'Father, I did this and that, and this and that.'
You name your sins to God the Father, and to no one else. All spiritual business is between you and God and no one else. And all spiritual business is done in the name of Christ. That is the default understanding.
Washing your hands is symbolic of cleansing your soul. We cannot take a shower and be spiritually clean, but when we confess our sins to God the Father, then, as we studied in 1, 2, and 3 Jn., He is faithful and justified in forgiving us and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is the entire content and range of our wickedness whatever our sins may be.
You sinner, is referring to you, and all of humanity. No one is perfect in this world, and all imperfection is filth. And, in order to approach God, we must become perfect, or spiritually cleansed.
Purifying your hearts is the cleansing of your thoughts. You must transform your thinking into spiritual views, not worldly opinions. And you gain this transformation, by means of your daily study.
Most folks think that they speak to God only when they pray in some formal sense, or only when they go into a church and/or kneel before a cross. Not so. When you are in fellowship, you are in effect online constantly with streaming communication with the Father.
By the way all spiritual communication is directed toward the Father.
When you commit a sin, your line of communication is shut down, cut off, disconnected. So staying online is the best position to be in. Anything you say and do is received by God when you are in fellowship.
When you are in fellowship, He, God the Father, draws near to you. That is to say, He accepts your approach to Him and receives your presence.
Double mindedness is the oscillation or vacillation of ones life in and out of fellowship, in and out of contact with God. Double mindedness is the single biggest barrier to an effective spiritual life.
The secret to an effective spiritual life, is being resident in fellowship. The secret to a quality spiritual life, is through growth to maturity. And that comes with the purification process of your heart, or in other words, learning doctrine, using doctrine, and growing up to spiritual maturity.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
James 4:7
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves [hupotasso] therefore [oun] to God [theos]. Resist [anthistemi] the devil [diabolos], and [kai] he will flee [pheugo] from [apo] you [humon]. KJV-Interlinear
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. NASB
Submit means not what you would think it means. Typically, we think of submit, as meaning to present yourself, or to surrender yourself in a passive or helpless fashion.
When we studied the Armageddon campaign, we saw that the Southern power, or the Arab states as we know them today, will submit to the Northern power, after the fashion of a woman forced onto her back and given no mercy by a an onslaught of men. And she does this in order to save herself, which she does not. This is a passive surrender with no attempt to get away.
Likewise, resist in this passage does not mean as you would think. Again, the Southern power was (or will in the future) resisting the Northern power, by fighting as best they could, but to no avail. This is an active attempt to fight off an attacker, but with no good results.
And in both of these examples, at the end of the Tribulation, the Southern power is the first of the four powers to vanish away from history, permanently.
But in this verse, submit, means to become proactive, to choose, to select, to give of ones self freely, to openly force oneself onto another. This is similar to a wife submitting to her husband, which does not carry the fist connotation, but the second. She openly and voluntarily chooses and pushes herself into her husband's life.
Likewise, we are to rush, attack, deeply desire, the Word of God, and hurry as though we might miss the last train, in order to get on board, and ride into our spiritual life.
Think of being the last to be chosen for a golden super jackpot prize, or a pile of doggie doo-doo. Think of having one last chance of eternal happiness or eternal terror. Think of coming extremely close to losing that thing you want the most in the whole wide world, where everything depends on your final and last decision or effort.
That is the mood, the panic, the fear of missing out, that you should display when pursuing your spiritual life. God has a mountain of gold, or a pile of doggie doo-doo for you. Which would you want to receive?
That is the attitude that you should take toward God and His grace, because that is the reality of the blessing difference you will receive, or not receive, depending on your attitude toward God and your spiritual life. This is the attitude that you should take in the conduct of your daily life.
Resist the devil? Do we go out and buy guns and armor? Do we go out and burn all witches and bad guys? No.
This resistance is a passive one, not an active one. Our resistance is simply thinking doctrine, and not thinking wickedness. And, conducting or daily lives accordingly.
In both cases, evil and temptation will fade from your thinking, and Gods blessings will enter into your life.
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James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves [hupotasso] therefore [oun] to God [theos]. Resist [anthistemi] the devil [diabolos], and [kai] he will flee [pheugo] from [apo] you [humon]. KJV-Interlinear
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. NASB
Submit means not what you would think it means. Typically, we think of submit, as meaning to present yourself, or to surrender yourself in a passive or helpless fashion.
When we studied the Armageddon campaign, we saw that the Southern power, or the Arab states as we know them today, will submit to the Northern power, after the fashion of a woman forced onto her back and given no mercy by a an onslaught of men. And she does this in order to save herself, which she does not. This is a passive surrender with no attempt to get away.
Likewise, resist in this passage does not mean as you would think. Again, the Southern power was (or will in the future) resisting the Northern power, by fighting as best they could, but to no avail. This is an active attempt to fight off an attacker, but with no good results.
And in both of these examples, at the end of the Tribulation, the Southern power is the first of the four powers to vanish away from history, permanently.
But in this verse, submit, means to become proactive, to choose, to select, to give of ones self freely, to openly force oneself onto another. This is similar to a wife submitting to her husband, which does not carry the fist connotation, but the second. She openly and voluntarily chooses and pushes herself into her husband's life.
Likewise, we are to rush, attack, deeply desire, the Word of God, and hurry as though we might miss the last train, in order to get on board, and ride into our spiritual life.
Think of being the last to be chosen for a golden super jackpot prize, or a pile of doggie doo-doo. Think of having one last chance of eternal happiness or eternal terror. Think of coming extremely close to losing that thing you want the most in the whole wide world, where everything depends on your final and last decision or effort.
That is the mood, the panic, the fear of missing out, that you should display when pursuing your spiritual life. God has a mountain of gold, or a pile of doggie doo-doo for you. Which would you want to receive?
That is the attitude that you should take toward God and His grace, because that is the reality of the blessing difference you will receive, or not receive, depending on your attitude toward God and your spiritual life. This is the attitude that you should take in the conduct of your daily life.
Resist the devil? Do we go out and buy guns and armor? Do we go out and burn all witches and bad guys? No.
This resistance is a passive one, not an active one. Our resistance is simply thinking doctrine, and not thinking wickedness. And, conducting or daily lives accordingly.
In both cases, evil and temptation will fade from your thinking, and Gods blessings will enter into your life.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
James 4:6
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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James 4:6
6 But [de] he giveth [didomi] more [meizon] grace [charis]. Wherefore [dio] he saith [lego], God [theos] resisteth [antitassomai] the proud [huperephanos], but [de] giveth [didomi] grace [charis] unto the humble [tapeinos]. KJV-Interlinear
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' NASB
James is writing this letter to Jewish believers, and to all believers indirectly. He is not writing to unbelievers.
Thus far his message is, that you not be double minded, that you not operate in your life in a manner that suits you out of convenience at any given moment, that you not imitate the pattern of life of unbelievers, that you not consider your natural instincts as the primary design of your makeup, that you not function in your daily life in an envious mode, and so forth.
Because the world offers nothing of value as a reward for your thoughts, beliefs, or actions, or even the results of these things.
To all of humanity, God offers common grace. We all have air to breath, water to drink, divine establishment laws that rule society, economies, and nations, and provide stability in a world that is determined to run itself by jungle laws.
But to believers there is a spiritual grace that is unique to believers only.
When you believed in Christ, you became a member of Gods family. And as a member of Gods family, you are … well … family. In contrast, unbelievers are not family. They are strangers.
God treats His family with His family rules. We receive His discipline and we receive His special family grace. A grace which we simply call spiritual grace.
But James introduces us to a new category of grace. He calls it 'more' grace. And the word for more, 'meizon' actually means 'greater.' And greater, does not mean more of the same thing, but a higher level or a higher category of the policy we call grace.
Blessings in the spiritual life are unique to believers. They are not available to unbelievers. But as you advance to spiritual maturity, then you become a recipient of 'greater' grace blessings, which are unique to mature believers only, not to immature believers.
A child does not have the privilege to drive a car. He has to grow up into an adult before he can get a drivers license. In similar fashion, a mature believer has more capacity, ability, and responsibility to handle the greater blessings of the mature spiritual life.
And this is why so many folks do not receive these special blessings in life, because they do not get out of their 'baby' mode, they do not get out of their double minded mode, they do not get out of their 'world first' mode, and get on with their spiritual growth.
God opposes, or does not favor those who embrace the carnal life style. They choose to live under the control of the sin nature. But God does favor those who pursue the spiritual life, here described as the, 'humble.'
And again, the Bible makes it very clear that there is benefit, there is advantage, there is a unique gain when the spiritual life is pursued. And when it is ignored, there is nothing!
So why do you suppose folks do not subscribe to the mandates of God, but instead embrace their own ideas regarding life?
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James 4:6
6 But [de] he giveth [didomi] more [meizon] grace [charis]. Wherefore [dio] he saith [lego], God [theos] resisteth [antitassomai] the proud [huperephanos], but [de] giveth [didomi] grace [charis] unto the humble [tapeinos]. KJV-Interlinear
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' NASB
James is writing this letter to Jewish believers, and to all believers indirectly. He is not writing to unbelievers.
Thus far his message is, that you not be double minded, that you not operate in your life in a manner that suits you out of convenience at any given moment, that you not imitate the pattern of life of unbelievers, that you not consider your natural instincts as the primary design of your makeup, that you not function in your daily life in an envious mode, and so forth.
Because the world offers nothing of value as a reward for your thoughts, beliefs, or actions, or even the results of these things.
To all of humanity, God offers common grace. We all have air to breath, water to drink, divine establishment laws that rule society, economies, and nations, and provide stability in a world that is determined to run itself by jungle laws.
But to believers there is a spiritual grace that is unique to believers only.
When you believed in Christ, you became a member of Gods family. And as a member of Gods family, you are … well … family. In contrast, unbelievers are not family. They are strangers.
God treats His family with His family rules. We receive His discipline and we receive His special family grace. A grace which we simply call spiritual grace.
But James introduces us to a new category of grace. He calls it 'more' grace. And the word for more, 'meizon' actually means 'greater.' And greater, does not mean more of the same thing, but a higher level or a higher category of the policy we call grace.
Blessings in the spiritual life are unique to believers. They are not available to unbelievers. But as you advance to spiritual maturity, then you become a recipient of 'greater' grace blessings, which are unique to mature believers only, not to immature believers.
A child does not have the privilege to drive a car. He has to grow up into an adult before he can get a drivers license. In similar fashion, a mature believer has more capacity, ability, and responsibility to handle the greater blessings of the mature spiritual life.
And this is why so many folks do not receive these special blessings in life, because they do not get out of their 'baby' mode, they do not get out of their double minded mode, they do not get out of their 'world first' mode, and get on with their spiritual growth.
God opposes, or does not favor those who embrace the carnal life style. They choose to live under the control of the sin nature. But God does favor those who pursue the spiritual life, here described as the, 'humble.'
And again, the Bible makes it very clear that there is benefit, there is advantage, there is a unique gain when the spiritual life is pursued. And when it is ignored, there is nothing!
So why do you suppose folks do not subscribe to the mandates of God, but instead embrace their own ideas regarding life?
Friday, August 29, 2008
James 4:5
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:5
5 [e] Do ye think [dokeo] that [hoti] the scripture [graphe] saith [lego] in vain [kenos], The spirit [pneuma] that [hos] dwelleth [katoikeo] in [en] us [hemin] lusteth [epipotheo] to [pros] envy [phthonos]? KJV-Interlinear
5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us'? NASB
Well, if you have seen the news earlier, then you know that our national election just got really interesting, with the surprise announcement of the Republican V.P. candidate.
Rest assured, that Jesus Christ controls history. We know that our dispensation, the Church Age, is getting closer and closer, with each passing day, to its end. That end could still be decades away, and our history could easily have many ups and downs before it is all over. And in many cases, God allows humanity to choose its own leadership, whether good or bad. Perhaps good leadership will continue for a little while longer. Time will tell, I guess.
Anyway, continuing with James comments on the nature of the human condition.
Just because we have within us, a sin nature, and that its residence in our physical bodies is universal among humanity, that does not mean that its existence is normal, appropriate, or even good. Because it is not.
Just because the popular beliefs in this world are highly pursued by millions and even billions of people, does not mean that they are right, and God is wrong.
Truth comes only from God. It never originates from man.
Falsehoods originate from man, and in fact they originate from Satan, with man simply perpetuating and improving on Satan's fundamental concepts, which oppose truth.
And just because these facts exist, do you also believe that it is the fundamental nature of the spirit inside of us, to embrace the envious nature of sin?
The spirit inside of us can refer to the fundamental human spirit, which is our human life. Or you can refer to the spirit in us as being a reference to the Holy Spirit, which resides in believers.
And the answer to either presumption of fundamental human life or of the Holy Spirit indwelling, is that neither have been brought into existence by God, for the basic urges of evil.
Human life is created perfect, but then it is combined with the sin nature in the physical body and volition takes temptation and turns itself toward evil. Human life in the soul, and biological life in the physical body with its sin nature, are separate entities.
The Holy Spirit was placed inside of each believer at the moment of their faith belief in Christ, and that indwelling was made perfect. But again, it is the volition of the believer that commits sin and takes himself out of fellowship. And likewise, the Holy Spirit, the human life in the soul, and the physical body are separate entities.
The sin nature tries to exert its forceful influence on the individual through the many passions or inadequacies of sin, by means of deceit.
The Holy Spirit communicates the fundamental principles of doctrine, which allows the individual the freedom to make a choice without coercion.
God did not create life or its support mechanisms, whether carnal or spiritual, for the purpose of engaging in sin. God created us with the objective of making us perfect. People just get in the way of their own divinely designed destiny, and mess things up.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:5
5 [e] Do ye think [dokeo] that [hoti] the scripture [graphe] saith [lego] in vain [kenos], The spirit [pneuma] that [hos] dwelleth [katoikeo] in [en] us [hemin] lusteth [epipotheo] to [pros] envy [phthonos]? KJV-Interlinear
5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us'? NASB
Well, if you have seen the news earlier, then you know that our national election just got really interesting, with the surprise announcement of the Republican V.P. candidate.
Rest assured, that Jesus Christ controls history. We know that our dispensation, the Church Age, is getting closer and closer, with each passing day, to its end. That end could still be decades away, and our history could easily have many ups and downs before it is all over. And in many cases, God allows humanity to choose its own leadership, whether good or bad. Perhaps good leadership will continue for a little while longer. Time will tell, I guess.
Anyway, continuing with James comments on the nature of the human condition.
Just because we have within us, a sin nature, and that its residence in our physical bodies is universal among humanity, that does not mean that its existence is normal, appropriate, or even good. Because it is not.
Just because the popular beliefs in this world are highly pursued by millions and even billions of people, does not mean that they are right, and God is wrong.
Truth comes only from God. It never originates from man.
Falsehoods originate from man, and in fact they originate from Satan, with man simply perpetuating and improving on Satan's fundamental concepts, which oppose truth.
And just because these facts exist, do you also believe that it is the fundamental nature of the spirit inside of us, to embrace the envious nature of sin?
The spirit inside of us can refer to the fundamental human spirit, which is our human life. Or you can refer to the spirit in us as being a reference to the Holy Spirit, which resides in believers.
And the answer to either presumption of fundamental human life or of the Holy Spirit indwelling, is that neither have been brought into existence by God, for the basic urges of evil.
Human life is created perfect, but then it is combined with the sin nature in the physical body and volition takes temptation and turns itself toward evil. Human life in the soul, and biological life in the physical body with its sin nature, are separate entities.
The Holy Spirit was placed inside of each believer at the moment of their faith belief in Christ, and that indwelling was made perfect. But again, it is the volition of the believer that commits sin and takes himself out of fellowship. And likewise, the Holy Spirit, the human life in the soul, and the physical body are separate entities.
The sin nature tries to exert its forceful influence on the individual through the many passions or inadequacies of sin, by means of deceit.
The Holy Spirit communicates the fundamental principles of doctrine, which allows the individual the freedom to make a choice without coercion.
God did not create life or its support mechanisms, whether carnal or spiritual, for the purpose of engaging in sin. God created us with the objective of making us perfect. People just get in the way of their own divinely designed destiny, and mess things up.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
James 4:4
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:4
4 Ye adulterers [moichos] and [kai] adulteresses [moichalis], know ye [eido] not [ou] that [hoti] the friendship [philia] of the world [kosmos] is [esti] enmity [echthra] with God [theos]? whosoever [hos] [an] therefore [oun] will be [einai] [boulomai] a friend [philos] of the world [kosmos] is [kathistemi] the enemy [echthros] of God [theos]. KJV-Interlinear
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. NASB
We all have our one true love in our life. We all have our one true companion in life. And that one, is Bible doctrine. And through doctrine, which is designed to function within the spiritual sphere of life, we have a relationship with God, through Christ.
By being indifferent, by being disinterested, by pursuing anything other than our spiritual life, we are in effect committing adultery against our spiritual existence.
We are allowing the world to entice us, while we cheat on that which God has designed specifically and exclusively for each one of us.
So we cheat on our one true love, our one true and perfect love, our one and true and perfect companion. In salvation we were not only born again into a new and supernatural life, we were also married, as it were, to Christ. That is the perfect marriage made in heaven, which is intended to have phenomenal blessings for us.
In a perfect world, a man, a rich man, marries a woman, a beautiful woman. And, they live happily ever after, with him taking care of and pampering his wife. She provides the softness and beauty and pleasures for him and he provides the financial means for enjoying life, free from problems.
Of course this is not a perfect world and marriage generally offers more problems than it solves.
The two who are married, begin to look elsewhere and their troubles escalate exponentially, until there is a divorce.
In the spiritual life, humanity looks elsewhere toward the carnal world and lives his or her life outside of the spiritual realm. They cheat on God and embrace the world. They prostitute themselves in exchange for the cheap thrills that the world has to offer. And everything the world offers is by definition, cheap and worthless.
And in just two more verses, we will have a phenomenal contrast between these cheap thrills, and the awesome rewards that God has to offer.
But for now we learn, or we should learn, that anything of this world, is in direct opposition toward God. Anything in this world, which acts as a distraction, taking you away from a properly functioning spiritual life, is evil.
You are going to save the planet? You are going to save the world? You are going to save energy and wood, and fish and tender little animals that no one has ever heard of? You are going to define life as you see it to be? You are going to build up a life for yourself and not come to the aid of others under tyrants in the world?
You are trying to define your version of history?
And yet, one day, Christ is going to destroy it all. God did not place us here to make this world an eternally better place. He placed us here to be - 'perfect.' And our perfection requires a transformation of the mind, not the environment.
You can line up on Gods side and pursue your spiritual life, and everything else in this world will take care of itself.
Or, you can line up on the side of preserving the planet, forming an alliance with nature, reasoning with criminals and tyrants and religious fanatics, using only one square of toilet paper a day, taxing the rich, and otherwise pursuing your utopia, and become Gods enemy.
Wanted to throw the rich comment in there just to see if anyone will get angry, perhaps forgetting the study regarding Gods reservoirs of resources concept. Or perhaps get angry at anything stated here. Didn't the Pharisees get angry with Jesus when He stated truths?
And that is exactly what people of the world do, when they hear truth. They become intolerant and angry.
Which part do you play in life?
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:4
4 Ye adulterers [moichos] and [kai] adulteresses [moichalis], know ye [eido] not [ou] that [hoti] the friendship [philia] of the world [kosmos] is [esti] enmity [echthra] with God [theos]? whosoever [hos] [an] therefore [oun] will be [einai] [boulomai] a friend [philos] of the world [kosmos] is [kathistemi] the enemy [echthros] of God [theos]. KJV-Interlinear
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. NASB
We all have our one true love in our life. We all have our one true companion in life. And that one, is Bible doctrine. And through doctrine, which is designed to function within the spiritual sphere of life, we have a relationship with God, through Christ.
By being indifferent, by being disinterested, by pursuing anything other than our spiritual life, we are in effect committing adultery against our spiritual existence.
We are allowing the world to entice us, while we cheat on that which God has designed specifically and exclusively for each one of us.
So we cheat on our one true love, our one true and perfect love, our one and true and perfect companion. In salvation we were not only born again into a new and supernatural life, we were also married, as it were, to Christ. That is the perfect marriage made in heaven, which is intended to have phenomenal blessings for us.
In a perfect world, a man, a rich man, marries a woman, a beautiful woman. And, they live happily ever after, with him taking care of and pampering his wife. She provides the softness and beauty and pleasures for him and he provides the financial means for enjoying life, free from problems.
Of course this is not a perfect world and marriage generally offers more problems than it solves.
The two who are married, begin to look elsewhere and their troubles escalate exponentially, until there is a divorce.
In the spiritual life, humanity looks elsewhere toward the carnal world and lives his or her life outside of the spiritual realm. They cheat on God and embrace the world. They prostitute themselves in exchange for the cheap thrills that the world has to offer. And everything the world offers is by definition, cheap and worthless.
And in just two more verses, we will have a phenomenal contrast between these cheap thrills, and the awesome rewards that God has to offer.
But for now we learn, or we should learn, that anything of this world, is in direct opposition toward God. Anything in this world, which acts as a distraction, taking you away from a properly functioning spiritual life, is evil.
You are going to save the planet? You are going to save the world? You are going to save energy and wood, and fish and tender little animals that no one has ever heard of? You are going to define life as you see it to be? You are going to build up a life for yourself and not come to the aid of others under tyrants in the world?
You are trying to define your version of history?
And yet, one day, Christ is going to destroy it all. God did not place us here to make this world an eternally better place. He placed us here to be - 'perfect.' And our perfection requires a transformation of the mind, not the environment.
You can line up on Gods side and pursue your spiritual life, and everything else in this world will take care of itself.
Or, you can line up on the side of preserving the planet, forming an alliance with nature, reasoning with criminals and tyrants and religious fanatics, using only one square of toilet paper a day, taxing the rich, and otherwise pursuing your utopia, and become Gods enemy.
Wanted to throw the rich comment in there just to see if anyone will get angry, perhaps forgetting the study regarding Gods reservoirs of resources concept. Or perhaps get angry at anything stated here. Didn't the Pharisees get angry with Jesus when He stated truths?
And that is exactly what people of the world do, when they hear truth. They become intolerant and angry.
Which part do you play in life?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
James 4:3
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:3
3 Ye ask, and receive not , because ye ask amiss , that ye may consume it upon your lusts . KJV-Interlinear
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NASB
Bible doctrine and prayer are the components of our two-way dialogue with God. The written word is God speaking to each of us, and our prayer is our conversation with God.
In our current dispensation, there is no other form of communication between us and God. No dreams, no hearing of voices, no visions, no messenger angels, nothing but the written word which we study and thereby hear God through His written message in the scriptures.
Residence in fellowship is our online link with God. When in fellowship we are inside of Gods will, we are standing (as it were) in the presence of God, we are inside of His temple, protected by His fortress, and so forth. Our spiritual life operates only while we are resident in fellowship. Thus, prayer functions only while we are in fellowship.
When we commit sins and are out of fellowship, then our spiritual life becomes off-line, shut down, out of sync, we are standing outside and out of view of His presence, we are imitating unbelievers, so to speak, by operating in the world just as they do.
Prayer is our mechanism for making requests of God. However, there are prayer rules which must be followed, otherwise our prayers are not heard or acted upon.
And remember, that Gods overall policy is to do that which is best for us, not what we ask for.
Rule number one. You must offer your prayers while in fellowship. Any prayer offered while out of fellowship, is not received. Perfection does not lower itself to the levels of imperfection, and being out of fellowship is in effect a state of imperfection.
No unbelievers' prayer is ever heard, with one exception, and that is the moment of their belief in Christ. Salvation faith is in effect a prayer to the Father and He accepts that faith prayer and always grants salvation. That is divine policy - no exceptions.
And remember again, God always gives you that which is best for you, and compatible with His grace policy, and divine plan.
So, human history takes precedent in prayer. The details over your entire life takes precedent over your present moment. You may want something now, but that might interfere with something else in your later life, which would be better for you.
Prayer must be in sync with history. You cannot ask for the rapture now, because of your own selfish interest or misery now.
You cannot pray for someone else, to do or not do something. That interferes with their right to make their own decisions.
You cannot pray for anything that is from the sin nature. You cannot pray for anything that is incompatible with Gods grace policy. You cannot pray for anything that is inconsistent with truth.
Far too often people will pray for their own selfish interests, which have nothing to do with the function of their spiritual life.
But the biggest error that people make in prayer, is the error of being out of fellowship. The second biggest error, is the error of not advancing in their spiritual life, and thus not being familiar with Gods divine plan and policy, or not being oriented properly to life, to God, or to themselves.
And so the vast majority of all prayer, never gets any higher than the ceiling.
And even when you are in fellowship, and have substantial spiritual growth, your prayers must be compatible with Gods plan for human history, must be compatible with truth, must be compatible with Gods plan for your life, and must be in your best interest (and perhaps of people around you), in Gods view, not yours.
All prayer must be offered while in fellowship.
All prayer is directed to the Father, and to no one else. We do not pray to Jesus, to Mary, to birds, to angels, to wolves, or to the moon.
All prayer must be offered in Christ's name. Jesus Christ is our only means of approach to the Father. There is no other means, or method, or path of access.
And when you do not follow these requirements of prayer, then you are wasting your time. The more you advance in your spiritual life, the more effective your prayer life will become. The more you lack in your spiritual life, the less effective your prayers will be.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:3
3 Ye ask
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NASB
Bible doctrine and prayer are the components of our two-way dialogue with God. The written word is God speaking to each of us, and our prayer is our conversation with God.
In our current dispensation, there is no other form of communication between us and God. No dreams, no hearing of voices, no visions, no messenger angels, nothing but the written word which we study and thereby hear God through His written message in the scriptures.
Residence in fellowship is our online link with God. When in fellowship we are inside of Gods will, we are standing (as it were) in the presence of God, we are inside of His temple, protected by His fortress, and so forth. Our spiritual life operates only while we are resident in fellowship. Thus, prayer functions only while we are in fellowship.
When we commit sins and are out of fellowship, then our spiritual life becomes off-line, shut down, out of sync, we are standing outside and out of view of His presence, we are imitating unbelievers, so to speak, by operating in the world just as they do.
Prayer is our mechanism for making requests of God. However, there are prayer rules which must be followed, otherwise our prayers are not heard or acted upon.
And remember, that Gods overall policy is to do that which is best for us, not what we ask for.
Rule number one. You must offer your prayers while in fellowship. Any prayer offered while out of fellowship, is not received. Perfection does not lower itself to the levels of imperfection, and being out of fellowship is in effect a state of imperfection.
No unbelievers' prayer is ever heard, with one exception, and that is the moment of their belief in Christ. Salvation faith is in effect a prayer to the Father and He accepts that faith prayer and always grants salvation. That is divine policy - no exceptions.
And remember again, God always gives you that which is best for you, and compatible with His grace policy, and divine plan.
So, human history takes precedent in prayer. The details over your entire life takes precedent over your present moment. You may want something now, but that might interfere with something else in your later life, which would be better for you.
Prayer must be in sync with history. You cannot ask for the rapture now, because of your own selfish interest or misery now.
You cannot pray for someone else, to do or not do something. That interferes with their right to make their own decisions.
You cannot pray for anything that is from the sin nature. You cannot pray for anything that is incompatible with Gods grace policy. You cannot pray for anything that is inconsistent with truth.
Far too often people will pray for their own selfish interests, which have nothing to do with the function of their spiritual life.
But the biggest error that people make in prayer, is the error of being out of fellowship. The second biggest error, is the error of not advancing in their spiritual life, and thus not being familiar with Gods divine plan and policy, or not being oriented properly to life, to God, or to themselves.
And so the vast majority of all prayer, never gets any higher than the ceiling.
And even when you are in fellowship, and have substantial spiritual growth, your prayers must be compatible with Gods plan for human history, must be compatible with truth, must be compatible with Gods plan for your life, and must be in your best interest (and perhaps of people around you), in Gods view, not yours.
All prayer must be offered while in fellowship.
All prayer is directed to the Father, and to no one else. We do not pray to Jesus, to Mary, to birds, to angels, to wolves, or to the moon.
All prayer must be offered in Christ's name. Jesus Christ is our only means of approach to the Father. There is no other means, or method, or path of access.
And when you do not follow these requirements of prayer, then you are wasting your time. The more you advance in your spiritual life, the more effective your prayer life will become. The more you lack in your spiritual life, the less effective your prayers will be.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
James 4:2
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:2
2 Ye lust [epithumeo], and [kai] have [echo] not [ou]: ye kill [phoneuo], and [kai] desire to have [zeloo], and [kai] cannot [ou] [dunamai] obtain [epitugchano]: ye fight [machomai] and [kai] war [polemeo], yet [de] ye have [echo] not [ou], because [dia] ye [humas] ask [aiteo] not [me]. KJV-Interlinear
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. NASB
Mankind will lust for things, desire things, even commit murder in order to get the things he wants. And this ultimate sin, murder, is often used to justify an objective of getting something or establishing a belief in something, which things are falsehoods or temporary anyway.
Humanity will take life which is eternal, in order to obtain something that is temporary or false. Mankind will commit sin, prejudice, deceit, hatred, gossip, and so forth and in so doing exchange his eternal destiny for something that is temporary in this life.
Esau exchanged his birthright, his entire inheritance, for a single meal. Was that a smart trade? No. But then he never intended to keep his end of the bargain. He intended to cheat Jacob out of both the meal and the inheritance.
And no one can fool God and have life both ways.
So you repeatedly do things over and over again, and get the same results - nothing. And you get these poor results, you do not get what you expect to get, you are never satisfied, because the sin nature is incapable of providing what you want, and you do not look to God in the correct way, in order to get what you want.
And when you do ask, you ask for illegitimate things, or you want illegitimate desires fulfilled, or your whole pattern of life is based on the priorities of the sin nature.
Whether you want passion or power, wealth or food, something personal or something public, or whatever, when its source is based in the sin nature, then the only results you can get, are false or poor results.
Seeking provision from the sin nature produces dissatisfaction, never fulfillment. There will never be enough of whatever it is you want or need. Sooner or later, your attitude will resort to greater sins, even murder, even as you murder (ruin) your own destiny (life), in stubbornness, without having a second thought about it.
And who drives your attitude? You do. You are your own worst enemy and you are the only one who drives and drives and refuses to relent on your sin nature driven attitude or pattern of life.
Whether you are destitute or a billionaire, when operating in the clutches of your sin nature, you will never have fulfillment in life. You have only the delusion of what the world provides you with temporarily, or the perpetual frustration of never succeeding in life, or the constant agitation of facing problems in life.
And as James teaches us here, all of these inabilities lead to blame and strife, and discontent or even violence against others. And all of these and aggravations are due to your refusal to approach God in the right way.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:2
2 Ye lust [epithumeo], and [kai] have [echo] not [ou]: ye kill [phoneuo], and [kai] desire to have [zeloo], and [kai] cannot [ou] [dunamai] obtain [epitugchano]: ye fight [machomai] and [kai] war [polemeo], yet [de] ye have [echo] not [ou], because [dia] ye [humas] ask [aiteo] not [me]. KJV-Interlinear
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. NASB
Mankind will lust for things, desire things, even commit murder in order to get the things he wants. And this ultimate sin, murder, is often used to justify an objective of getting something or establishing a belief in something, which things are falsehoods or temporary anyway.
Humanity will take life which is eternal, in order to obtain something that is temporary or false. Mankind will commit sin, prejudice, deceit, hatred, gossip, and so forth and in so doing exchange his eternal destiny for something that is temporary in this life.
Esau exchanged his birthright, his entire inheritance, for a single meal. Was that a smart trade? No. But then he never intended to keep his end of the bargain. He intended to cheat Jacob out of both the meal and the inheritance.
And no one can fool God and have life both ways.
So you repeatedly do things over and over again, and get the same results - nothing. And you get these poor results, you do not get what you expect to get, you are never satisfied, because the sin nature is incapable of providing what you want, and you do not look to God in the correct way, in order to get what you want.
And when you do ask, you ask for illegitimate things, or you want illegitimate desires fulfilled, or your whole pattern of life is based on the priorities of the sin nature.
Whether you want passion or power, wealth or food, something personal or something public, or whatever, when its source is based in the sin nature, then the only results you can get, are false or poor results.
Seeking provision from the sin nature produces dissatisfaction, never fulfillment. There will never be enough of whatever it is you want or need. Sooner or later, your attitude will resort to greater sins, even murder, even as you murder (ruin) your own destiny (life), in stubbornness, without having a second thought about it.
And who drives your attitude? You do. You are your own worst enemy and you are the only one who drives and drives and refuses to relent on your sin nature driven attitude or pattern of life.
Whether you are destitute or a billionaire, when operating in the clutches of your sin nature, you will never have fulfillment in life. You have only the delusion of what the world provides you with temporarily, or the perpetual frustration of never succeeding in life, or the constant agitation of facing problems in life.
And as James teaches us here, all of these inabilities lead to blame and strife, and discontent or even violence against others. And all of these and aggravations are due to your refusal to approach God in the right way.
Monday, August 25, 2008
James 4:1
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:1
1 From whence [pothen] come wars [polemos] and [kai] fightings [mache] among [en] you [humin]? come they not [ou] hence [enteuthen], even of [ek] your [humon] lusts [hedone] that war [strateuomai] in [en] your [humon] members [melos]? KJV-Interlinear
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? NASB
I heard once a long time ago, a story in which an elder told a younger that he has to face the war within himself. There are two dogs at war within ones self. And the younger asked which one would win. The elder stated, 'The one to whom you say sick-em.'
And here James teaches us about the two dogs within us. What is the source of your contention? What is the source of your sin? What is the source of your sin nature?
It is described here as the pleasures that wage this war, from within the members of your body.
The sin nature resides in your physical body. It is at war with your soul.
When you allow it free reign, then it runs you. But, if you say no, if you stand up to the pleasures of your body, then you have a chance.
However, we have already studied that you, from the power of your own resources, cannot control the pleasures of your body.
But first what does the word, pleasures, mean?
As we saw recently, that is a reference to the various animalistic tendencies that come out of ones inner most needs or desires. These can be driven by hunger or cold, but in humanity, these tendencies are tied to arrogance.
Thus, the senses of appetite, desire, and lust are broad terms that can apply to gratification is every sense of the word, to indulgence whether mental indulgences or overt indulgences. It can be applied to seizing something by force or violence or deceit, to ambition, or to desires for fame or approbation. It can be applied to a small conflict in the street between thugs, or to the empire desires of a king or nation. It can be applied to the conflict or inordinate ambitions or competitions in social circles or in politics.
In short, pleasures, is a word that encompasses all of the sinful characteristics that exist within ones self. The desire for things, the love of advancement or conquest, the desire for power and rule, the urge for revenge, and so forth, are all brought about because of the war that exists within the members of ones body, and the inability of the soul to control it.
By the way, this is the reason that you cannot negotiate with criminals or tyrants. In order to negotiate one must first have two parties that are wiling to cooperate, and sin and good are never compatible negotiating parties. Since sin is uncontrollable, then trying to compromise with it is a losing proposition.
Good can never submit to the standards of evil and evil cannot rise to the standards of good.
In order to control sin, one must first have access to a power that is greater than sin. And that power comes only from God, and to us through doctrine. Anyone lacking these resources, cannot and never will, be able to control their sin nature tendencies. They will only delay or maneuver to a more advantageous situation.
As for you, your life will never get better so long as you keep on flirting with your sin nature. The sin nature has two areas of power - an area of weakness which is sin, and an area of strength which is human good. Both come out of the sin nature within you.
The sin nature will entice you with all manner of worldly arguments. And far too often people will bend to its call. It is simply easier to yield to ones pleasure vices (lust, anger, blame, wants, etc.), whatever they might be, rather than fighting them off with the self-discipline of doctrine.
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James 4:1
1 From whence [pothen] come wars [polemos] and [kai] fightings [mache] among [en] you [humin]? come they not [ou] hence [enteuthen], even of [ek] your [humon] lusts [hedone] that war [strateuomai] in [en] your [humon] members [melos]? KJV-Interlinear
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? NASB
I heard once a long time ago, a story in which an elder told a younger that he has to face the war within himself. There are two dogs at war within ones self. And the younger asked which one would win. The elder stated, 'The one to whom you say sick-em.'
And here James teaches us about the two dogs within us. What is the source of your contention? What is the source of your sin? What is the source of your sin nature?
It is described here as the pleasures that wage this war, from within the members of your body.
The sin nature resides in your physical body. It is at war with your soul.
When you allow it free reign, then it runs you. But, if you say no, if you stand up to the pleasures of your body, then you have a chance.
However, we have already studied that you, from the power of your own resources, cannot control the pleasures of your body.
But first what does the word, pleasures, mean?
As we saw recently, that is a reference to the various animalistic tendencies that come out of ones inner most needs or desires. These can be driven by hunger or cold, but in humanity, these tendencies are tied to arrogance.
Thus, the senses of appetite, desire, and lust are broad terms that can apply to gratification is every sense of the word, to indulgence whether mental indulgences or overt indulgences. It can be applied to seizing something by force or violence or deceit, to ambition, or to desires for fame or approbation. It can be applied to a small conflict in the street between thugs, or to the empire desires of a king or nation. It can be applied to the conflict or inordinate ambitions or competitions in social circles or in politics.
In short, pleasures, is a word that encompasses all of the sinful characteristics that exist within ones self. The desire for things, the love of advancement or conquest, the desire for power and rule, the urge for revenge, and so forth, are all brought about because of the war that exists within the members of ones body, and the inability of the soul to control it.
By the way, this is the reason that you cannot negotiate with criminals or tyrants. In order to negotiate one must first have two parties that are wiling to cooperate, and sin and good are never compatible negotiating parties. Since sin is uncontrollable, then trying to compromise with it is a losing proposition.
Good can never submit to the standards of evil and evil cannot rise to the standards of good.
In order to control sin, one must first have access to a power that is greater than sin. And that power comes only from God, and to us through doctrine. Anyone lacking these resources, cannot and never will, be able to control their sin nature tendencies. They will only delay or maneuver to a more advantageous situation.
As for you, your life will never get better so long as you keep on flirting with your sin nature. The sin nature has two areas of power - an area of weakness which is sin, and an area of strength which is human good. Both come out of the sin nature within you.
The sin nature will entice you with all manner of worldly arguments. And far too often people will bend to its call. It is simply easier to yield to ones pleasure vices (lust, anger, blame, wants, etc.), whatever they might be, rather than fighting them off with the self-discipline of doctrine.
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