James:Tests of a Living Faith
Faith Tested by Reaction to Injustice (5:1-11)
Steve Budd
Section Summary
The genuiness of a person’s faith is characterized by patience under persecution, no matter how severe or relentless the suffering.
Outline
I. The Sins of the Persecutors: The Cruelty and Oppression of the World. (1-6)
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
Here, as in Chapter 4:1-11, it is important to remember James’ intended audience. In 4:7-11, we saw James’ Ten Commandments, which were intended to solicit a response from professing Christians in the assembly (cf. Matthew 7:21-23). This was an evangelistic passage describing the characteristics of a true believer, paralleling Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. True believers would be reassured as they saw these characteristics in their lives, while false believers would hopefully turn to Christ and be truly converted.
In 5:1-6, James employs a rhetorical devise called an apostrophe, which is when a speaker seems to turn from his intended audience (professing believers in this case) to address an imaginary group with the idea of having the intended audience “overhear”. This is like the father who, with his disobedient child within earshot, turns from him and shouts into the air, “What am I going to do with this kid?” There is no call to repentance in these verses, but rather a scathing indictment of judgement. James is “addressing” an absent audience, most likely wealthy Jewish landowners of large estates in communities where the readers lived, with the intention of acknowledging before believers that God is not unaware of their unjust treatment. It was a reminder to believers that a final judgement awaits those who don’t repent and believe, and that they should not be discouraged by God’s delayed justice.
A. Their wealth was uselessly hoarded (2-3). James is describing those who had more than they needed, yet were consumed by uncontrolled greed. While gold or silver cannot rust, the terms used here could refer to alloys of the day that could actually rust, or more likely, the word “rust” could be taken to mean tarnish. In either case the idea is clear; Obsession with wealth and the acquisition of it can literally consume one’s flesh, and the consumption of their flesh is the testimony against them.
B. Their wealth was unjustly gained (4). Through his apostrophe, James reminds his readers that God will vindicate them.
C. Their wealth was self-indulgently spent (5). The verbs here describe the lifestyle of these unjust persecutors:
- Lived luxuriously: A soft life led at the expense of others. Used only here in the NT.
- Led a life of wanton pleasure: Plunging headlong into dissipation in an attempt to satisfy insatiable desires.
- Fattened your hearts: Self-indulgent robbers who have satiated themselves on plunder taken form their victims.
D. Their wealth was ruthlessly acquired (6). James describes the final progression in the downward spiral of human depravity; the murder of the righteous.
There is a fascinating irony when one observes the brutal treatment of these believers by wealthy Jews in view of how the Nazis treated the Jews in the 1930s and 1940s.
"His (James’) primary concern is to dissuade hesitant Christians from falling into a foolish attitude of envy towards the powers and privileges which wealth seems to confer on those who possess it." -C. Leslie Mitton
II. The Perspective of the Persecuted: A Godly Reaction to Injustices. (7-11)
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
“Therefore” connects this next section with the previous, as James now turns back to directly addressing his audience of professing believers. The following quote captures the transition:
"Christianity is strongly opposed to all forms of social injustice, but it also urges believers to maintain a proper attitude and perspective amid such injustices." -D. Edmond Hiebert
There are six things a Christian should do
A. Anticipate the Lord’s Coming (7-8). Christ’s Second Coming (parousia = arrival) is as certain to the believer as climatological realities are to a farmer, thus it is because of such certainties we should be patient, yet expectant. Both the believer and the farmer depend on circumstances beyond their control. Their job is to wait patiently and expectantly, for the Lord’s coming is near (eggizo = to come close). Any eschatological view that eliminates or minimizes the imminency of Christ’s Second Coming conflicts with the many passages that provide hope to the believer about His imminent return.
B. Recognize the Lord’s Judgement (9). This statement is connected to the previous one because while hope provides comfort through trials, Christ’s judgement (of believers, according to their works) provides a sobering caution to those tempted to complain in their trials.
C. Follow the Lord’s Servants (10). Believers should remember that they are in good company. If the world hated the Prophets (and Christ), they will hate believers.
D. Understand the Lord’s Blessings (11a). Note that blessings come to those who endure, not to those who do great things. True believers will endure to the end. Some say Christians have “Eternal Security”, which is true, but those two words do not state the doctrine in a way that acknowledges the process of sanctification. Reformed theologians correctly call the doctrine the “Perseverance of the Saints”. Saints (all true believers are saints according to Ephesians 1:1a and other passages) are not only eternally secure, God’s grace gives them endurance, which proves their authenticity as His own.
E. Realize the Lord’s Purpose (11b). We are blessed to know “the outcome of the Lord’s dealings” with Job; he didn’t have the same opportunity, being unaware of the behind-the-scenes drama. What are the purposes of job’s sufferings?
- To test his faith and prove it genuine.
- To thwart Satan’s attempt to destroy his faith.
- To strengthen his faith and help him see God more clearly.
- To increase is blessedness.
F. Consider the Lord’s Character (11c). We can patiently endure any suffering because of who God is. It is not our ‘faith in faith” that counts, but our faith in the One who is faithful and true.
Next Lesson: James 5:12- Faith Tested by Reaction to Self-Serving Oaths
