Chapter 5 Theme: Honesty

Although the last two paragraphs of James are often taught as detailed info about prayer, I think that, as valid as that info is, the real value in the passage is to back up and look at the big picture. I think James is talking about living honestly in community.

    Is anyone suffering? Let him pray.

    Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.

   Now there are passages, our opening one in James for example, that exhort us to sing joyfully while suffering. This passage does not. It is straightforward. Suffering…pray. Cheerful…praise. Be honest about where you are, first of all with God. In your communication with God, if you’re suffering, tell Him. If you’re cheerful, tell Him. No matter where you are in your relationship with God, communicate from that place. Be real.  

     We have actually had this theme of honesty throughout the book.

                1:22; But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

                1:26; ­­If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart; this man’s religion is worthless.

                2:14; What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but he has no works? [The man is making a claim to faith; it may be true or it may be false. Without the works to prove it, the claim remains unsubstantiated. Maybe this is not quite the same as deceit, but functionally it is very close.]

                3:14;  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.

                4:14;  [Even though you have made detailed plans for your life, ] you don’t even know what your life will be like tomorrow. [This is the perfect example of selfish ambition lying against the truth.]

                This deceit shows up in our claim to faith when we only practice religion. It is our profession of obedience to the word when we don’t look at the Bible closely enough to see what it says. It is the appearance of heavenly wisdom when we live by earthly wisdom. It is a fake submission to God while we continue to promote self. James is dead against it. Yet, he understands. We are easily deceived! Earthly wisdom is natural and demonic. It is exactly the way any human acts left to his own devices, especially when Satan still has influence in our lives. But it will destroy us.

                So I believe this final emphasis in the book is begging us in short, sweet, right to the point sentences… be honest when you come to God. And be honest when you come together.

                If you’re sick, call for the elders to pray over you. Don’t pretend all is well. Don’t believe you can deal with it on your own. What if there is a sin issue? Confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another. This is a condition of our survival. This is what endurance looks like. Honest dependence on God. Honest dependence on each other.

                When we’ve messed up, we want to hide. We experienced this conflict when we learned Aaron was going to have a baby. We were distressed. We were embarrassed. We were unsure of the future. And we just blurted it all out. We cried. We apologized. We worried. We needed the church to come around us. This was not a time to be proud. This was a time to be honest with both God and the brethren.

                There was another family in the church that just disappeared. No one ever saw them again. No one knew if they changed churches or what they did. Later we found out their daughter had become pregnant. They didn’t want anyone to know. I can understand that! But I wonder how they survived that stressful time on their own. I wonder IF they survived. I seriously didn’t ever see them again.

                So James finishes the book with an exhortation to honesty and an encouragement for us to follow in his example. “My brethren”… James is so direct and so straight forward and so black and white, but how often he has softened the blow with this endearment…”My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.”

                I’ve debated for 6 months now whether this might be the purpose statement for the book of James. I guess I don’t really believe that it is. If you remember the distinction we made reason the book was written and the purpose; the thing the author wanted to say.

                James is clearly worried these dear, dear brothers are straying from the truth. He’s desperate to turn them back. As Angela said during the winter bible study, maybe he’s even “ticked!” He knows the errors in their thinking will risk their souls, subject them to defeat in sin and maybe even result in their death. They have to grasp the truth and hold it honestly in the forefront of their life and relationships. Nero is coming.

                That may be the reason James wrote the book. But the thing he wants to say, his purpose, is to patiently spell out those ways of thinking that they need to survive. Right thinking honestly applied will allow them and us to encounter any trial, various trials… a lifetime of trials because we know we aren’t in heaven yet…. With joy…….