The Teacher and the Tongue

James 3:1-2

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly. For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well.

James continues his "practical theology" with a focus on teachers; however, the problem he addresses is certainly not limited to those who take on a teaching role. This passage introduces an extended teaching about the importance of guarding the tongue.

It is important not to separate verse 1 from the remainder of the passage. The Greek construction of the verses makes James' point very clear: Individuals should be cautious about becoming teachers, because teachers incur a stricter judgment. Knowing that we all stumble in many ways should cause us to be careful about the types of positions we seek. James' extended example on the tongue as a key source of stumbling certainly doesn't mean that speech is the only way in which a teacher can stumble, but in his typical pattern of statement-example, he wants us to see that this is certainly one way.

James is clearly not teaching that there should be no "teachers". Instead, he is warning people about the extra level of scrutiny they will receive - from God Himself - if they take on this role. Clearly, the church needs teachers: Eph. 4:11 tells us that God gave teachers to the church as a gift (along with evangelists, prophets, pastors, and apostles).

However, we must remember that James writes to a Jewish-Christian audience. To Jews, the "rabbi" or "teacher" was an exalted position of authority. Even after coming to know Christ, many wanted to be known as "teachers of the law", but according to Paul they didn't know what they were talking about (1 Tim. 1:7). Throughout the New Testament, cautions abound to protect the church from authoritative-style leaders:

• Jesus told His disciples that the path to greatness is found through servanthood. (Luke 22:26)
• Paul observed that the least visible parts of the body were often the most needed. (1 Cor. 12:22-25)
• The author of Hebrews taught that leaders would give an account for their work to the Lord (Heb. 13:17)
• John taught that the Holy Spirit, not someone of "higher spirituality", would lead them to knowledge, and that knowledge was available to all Christians equally. (1 John 2:26-27)
• James tells his audience that teachers will have a greater judgment. (James 3:1)

Thus, anyone who teaches should do so from a place of servanthood, with a profound sense of humility, and with an awareness of the judgment that will come. Teachers, like all of us, should watch out for areas where they might stumble -- including that biggie, speech.

James has really already introduced this theme in James 1:19 when he tells us to be "slow to speak". Here, he begins an extended discussion of the dangers of the tongue. This applies as one of the areas where teachers can stumble, obviously -- false teaching, a careless word overheard by a new Christian, and many other examples underscore the risks of speaking in a teaching capacity.

However, James quickly makes clear that this section is not only for teachers. "We all stumble", he says, and then uses an example that everyone can relate to, because to not stumble in our speech is a sign of full maturity -- and James knows that no one would claim to be a fully mature Christian. In fact, our awareness of why controlling the tongue could be an indication of other types of self-control needs no exposition - we've all experienced the head-slapping moment of "Why on earth did I say THAT." Possibly no human experience is more universal! And that is precisely James' point as he introduces this next section - one that reminds us that we truly don't have the right to 'speak our mind'.

Why Work? (James 2:14-26)

(Biblical text and some word studies from www.nextbible.org)

James 2:14-26 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness," and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

This passage is merely one of the most controversial in Scripture. It's the passage that led Martin Luther to reject the canonicity of James, and a passage that critics of the Bible point to when claiming the Bible contradicts itself. A close study, however, will show that James' teaching on justification is not contradictory to Paul's; rather, they are two sides of the same coin.

James begins by noting that faith, without works, is useless or "dead". If faith is not accompanied by practicial demonstrations of love - what Gal. 5:6 calls "faith working through love", then it is dead. James' question, "Can this kind of faith save him", references the faith just described, a faith without works. In the Greek construction it is a rhetorical negative question that expects a negative answer: No, that faith cannot save.

Verse 16 depicts a pat, spiritual answer to a real, practical need: "Be warm and filled". It was a blessing, to be sure, a verbal proclamation of something they wanted to see happen. A modern equivalent might be, "I'll pray for you - stay warm", as we walk away with a jacket on leaving someone outside Wal-Mart waiting on a ride. Saving faith goes beyond, meeting the tangible physical needs of the other person. James isn't imploring a social gospel here that ignores spiritual needs - we'll see that he gives plenty of attention to that area. But he does stress the need to balance eternal hope with temporal help.

Verses 18-21 have a significant cross reference in Roms 3:28, as well as all of Galatians 3 and Romans 4. In Romans 3:28, Paul introduces his extensive teaching on justification by faith with this statement: "For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law". Thus, we know that Paul's use of "works" in the section following with amplifies this theme refers to "works of the law". Paul contrasts genuine faith with works of the law. James, however, has already established that the "works" he refers to as accompanying saving faith are practical works of righteousness. James has just affirmed how easily the law can be transgressed, so we know that he agrees with Paul on the inefficacy of the law. We must make this distinction to really see that James and Paul agree: Legalistic works - rituals, etc. - never save! James further observes that doctrine alone is insufficient. Even fallen angels know that there is one God.

Instead of legalistic works or mental assent to doctrine, James provides the example of faith that was demonstrated in practical works - practical obedience to God. Abraham's faith was demonstrated at the sacrificial altar. He observes that through this Abraham's faith was "perfected" - a root meaning completed, or "carried to the end". This is a key word - James doesn't say that through this Abraham's faith was established ... he says completed or as it is sometimes translated, matured. Faith and works were partners in a maturing faith in Abraham. It was a "work of faith" (1 Thess. 1:3).

Paul and James quote the same passage from Gen. 15:6: "Then he (Abraham) believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." Abraham's later work of faith showed the fulfillment of this imputed righteousness - it simply worked! While Paul focuses on the faith alone that led to the establishment of Abraham's faith and his "justification" before the Lord, James emphasizes the maturing of that faith, the confirmation that we can see in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, the works that were essential to prove that Abraham's faith was real. James concludes his teaching with the example of Rahab and the notation that faith cannot be separated from works any more than body can be separated from spirit.

Application
What we do matters - a lot! In fact, what we do says more about what we believe than a doctrinal statement. But the "works" we are called to are not ritual works of law, but practical acts of love. These demonstrate the reality of our faith.

Partiality - or love? (James 2:1-13)

(Biblical text and some language studies from www.nextbible.org)

James 2:1-13 My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment.

Prejudice ... in our society we generally recognize the ugliness of this world. There were a lot of positive things about life in the US 60 years ago, but one good change is that we no longer idealize the prejudice that led us to accept "separate but equal" as a valid societal option. An understanding of James' practical Christianity could have saved us a lot of wrongdoings and, in fact, informed many Christians' responses to join the civil rights movement and fight to overturn the injustice.



As with many Scriptural admonitions, though, James doesn't stop at what negative things to avoid. Even well-meaning secular teachers who have an understanding of God's natural law (Rom. 2:14) come up with wisdom that addresses the negative. Confucius, for example, said "Don't do to another what you don't want him to do to you." True and good ... as far as it goes. But that's something we can do in our flesh. Jesus taught the full truth - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words, be intentionally looking out for treating others in a positive sense, as you would have them treat you. Don't just avoid a negative behavior ... enact a positive one.



In this passage, the NASB comes closest to the literal translation when it admonishes us: "do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism." Ouch! It's easier to avoid prejudice than to avoid personal favoritism. After all, it's only natural to prefer some people over others - right? But as we will see, that is exactly James' point.



The phrase translated by the NASB "personal favoritism" and by the NET "prejudice" appears in the KJV as "respect of persons." A.T. Robertson notes that the Greek idiom from which this word is derived means "to lift up the face on a person; be favorable and partial". The same word group is used in Scripture in a limited fashion:

• Jesus was perceived as not being "partial to anyone" (Luke 20:21)


• God does not distinguish between people groups for salvation, favoring one over another (Acts 10:34)


• God does not show partiality (favoritism) between Jew and Greek (Rom. 2:11)


• God does not show partiality between someone like Paul and leaders of "high reputation" (Gal. 2:6)


• God does not show partiality between master and slave (Eph. 6:9)


• God does not show partiality when giving consequences for wrongdoing (Col. 3:25)


• We are not to show partiality - "personal favoritism" (James 2:1)

Ultimately, personal favoritism is the subtle prejudice of preferring one group or type of person over another. James teaches that this is incompatible with faith.



In keeping with his usual pattern, James gives a general principle ("avoid personal favoritism") then follows up with an example. Our look at God's example in Scripture confirms that James' example of rich vs. poor is not the only area in which we must guard against playing favorites. However, this was the example James chose and as we will see, it is one that they certainly related to.



The example of fine clothing - literally "clean" - vs. dirty reflected the clothing status distinctions of rich vs. poor in the Roman world. In James' example, if they provided special seating to someone dressed nicer - and thus obviously rich - they were commiting the broader since of partiality. James actually says that this makes them "judges with evil motives."



James' word choice in v. 4, "made distinctions", is a different word than that of verses 1 and 9, "show partiality" or "show favoritism", but it is similar in meaning. It means "partial" and is from a root meaning "judge between". Scripture contains positive, negative, and neutral uses of this word.



Positive uses include the areas of salvation, edification, and truth. Specifically:

• Salvation was the same path for both Jew and Gentile, without distinction (Acts 15:9)


• Believers are to "judge" or "make distinctions" between brothers instead of going to court (1 Cor. 6:5)


• Believers are to "judge" or "make distinctions" of their own bodies before Communion (1 Cor. 11:39, 31)


• Believers are to "judge" or "make distinctions" about prophetic utterances (1 Cor. 14:29)

Negatively, the word is used of unbelief, superiority, and prejudice. For example:

• Doubting in prayer (Matt. 21:21; Mark 11:23)


• Misgivings about a course of action (Acts 1:20; 11:12)


• Taking issue with another believer (Acts 11:2)


• Wavering or doubting about an ethical decision (Rom. 14:23)


• Maintaining a superior attitude (1 Cor. 4:7)


• Doubting in seeking wisdom (James 1:5)

The word is also used neutrally of natural things such as discerning weather patterns (Matt. 16:3).



The bottom line of this is that good 'distinctions' are thosebased on truth with edify the body of Christ; bad distinctions are those based in unbelief, superiority, and prejudice. This is the balance Jesus struck in his teaching of John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." In this passage, James' warning is against the former - judging by appearance.



As a guard against favoritism, in verses 5-8 James lays out God's special care of the poor and the present persecution by the rich. Here we see a glimpse into why James chose to use rich/poor as the example in his teaching against showing favoritism. The rich were dragging them into court, oppressing them, and blaspheming Jesus' name. James wonders why would they want to honor them, but dishonor the poor?



God's choice of the poor parallels the upside-down election of 1 Cor 1:26-29: God chooses the weak so He will be glorified Himself, so that no man will boast before God. (The same word is used for "choose" in both James 5:8 and 1 Cor. 1:26.) "The poor" in verse 5 is singular - meaning "the poor person". James is not teaching that all poor people will be saved; instead, he is affirming that God does choose poor people to honor, and believers should not dishonor them.



Verse 5 also reminds us that the kingdom is for those who love God. Not merely those who have a profession, but those who love Him. This is a reminder that at its root, salvation is the creating of a heart in love with God. Jesus taught this in Matt. 5:3 and 25:34 - those who get the kingdom are poor in spirit, and those who get the kingdom are those who showed demonstrable acts of love for God by loving others. Again, James' very practical teaching has its roots in our Lord's words when He walked this earth.



The bottom line is summed up in verse 8: The opposite of favoritism in love. Our focus, as always in the Christian life, is not on the negatives but on the positive: love, the "royal law", should guide us. Gal. 5:14 goes so far as to say that love fulfills the whole law! When love is our guide, there is no room for either prejudice or favoritism.



James concludes this section by noting explicitly that partiality/favoritism is sin. He has finished his example, and comes full circle back to his main point. As we might expect since he is speaking to a Jewish Christian audience, he makes his point in the context of the Law with which they are intimately familiar. This brings the sin of partiality in the framework of being a violation against God, and reminds us to focus on mercy, which triumphs over judgment.



Application

This is really a massive text, when we think of all the implications of not showing partiality ... which is ultimately God's example to us. Mere focus on not being prejudiced - the "diversity" of today's modern world - is a counterfeit of what Christ calls us to - a lack of partiality. Instead of favoritism, practice its opposite: love.



As usual, this is a much higher standard, and one that affords more questions than answers. When does patriotism become favoritism? How do I not show favoritism when I am naturally drawn to some people more than others? How do I live out mercy when our world seems to need justice? These hard questions won't be answered by a quick Bible study.



Pauls' doctrines can be examined and codified into a creed; James' practical theology is in many ways more challenging than the free will/sovereignty debate! It can only be lived out in intimate relationship to Him.

Plain and Simple: Live it out

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does. If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:19-27)

These verses expound upon the kind of person Christians are to be since we've been brought forth as "first fruits" (v. 18). Summing up this first section of his letter, James doesn't hold his flock to a lower standard because of their trials. Instead, he takes pains to remind them that authentic faith should affect their actions. This section reflects James' overall theme that faith without works is useless.

James first addresses how authentic faith affects our reactions. Remember, he has been speaking of trials in this first section. Many times, we justify poor reactions because of our suffering. But in times of trial, as in other times, our reaction should be one of listening and patience ("slow to anger"). James' reminder to be 'slow to speak' reflects the wisdom of Solomon in Prov. 10:19: "When words abound, transgression is inevitable, but the one who restrains his words is wise." Our anger never accomplishes God's righteousness. And interestingly, being quick to listen and slow to speak makes it easier to not be angry -- simply put, we get all the facts first, and that defuses the anger that sometimes comes when we react rather than respond to the circumstances we face.

James also reminds his readers that even as Christians we have much to "put away". However, as we put things away, we don't leave a void -- instead, the Word is to become implanted in our hearts. This word is received in humility, but we prove it's been received by our actions. If we faily to act, we deceive ourselves. James parallels looking at the law to looking into a mirror - when we look into God's word we must abide in what we see!

James is highly concerned with the authenticity of our faith. While he teaches sound doctrine, he is dissatisfied with doctrine that doesn't impact life on a practical level - "where the rubber meets the road". This passage affords three such "tests" of authenticity. It is important to note that these are not requirements for salvation, but are demonstrations that one's perceived salvation is authentic and not a self-delusion.

James' first "test" is that authentic faith should help us bridle the tongue. In other words, authentic faith affects how we relate to others verbally. "Bridle" means to hold in check, to restrain - much as the bridle on a horse allows the rider to control the horse, faith allows us to control our tongue. This doesn't mean perfection - just that true faith provides the ability to have control over the tongue. James will pick this topic up again in chapter 3.

Next, James observes that authentic faith impacts the weak. Caring for "widows and orphans" is a Scriptural principle that falls under this broader category of protecting the weak; in other places in Scripture this is amplified to include resident aliens (immigrants) who chose to settle in Israel, and even workers who are exploited (for example, Mal. 3:5 equates mistreatment of these 4 classes with divination and adultery). Although Christians may differ on the "how" of James' admonition, Bibilical teaching throughout the entire Word of God does not allow us to ignore the weak.

Finally, James notes that authentic faith is not stained by the world. Again, James and Paul are incredibly consistent here: Paul admonished the Romans not to be conformed to the world. Being in the world affords us the opportunity to impact the weak; not being of the world means that we won't be stained by doing so, or shaped into the mold of the world. Withdrawal from the world is not an option for a biblical Christian, but neither is conformity to the world system.

As usual, James is plain and simple. The bottom line: Don't be conformed by the world - maintain pure, simple devotion to Christ, motivated by love, and live out what you learn.

Upside Down Thinking During Trials

Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away. Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:9-18)

As we previously established, James is writing as a pastor to a scattered flock of persecuted Jewish believers in Jesus Christ. Significantly, James is probably the earliest (or one of the earlier) New Testament texts ... so these believers lacked even rudimentary Christian teachings to carry with them into Gentile lands. What they did carry, however, was a strong background in the "Old" Testament and a fully Jewish worldview.

In this worldview, Deuteronomy 28-31 played a key role; blessings followed obedience to God, and curses followed disobedience. Prosperity, therefore, was expected to follow those in whom God was pleased. Suffering was considered a sign of God's judgment. Jesus' disciples expressed the Jewish worldview perfectly in their question to Jesus in John 9:1-2: Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?”

James knew his flock was suffering, and he also knew what they were thinking. So he sent them a letter filled with some "upside down" thinking to help them better understand their trials. After telling them to rejoice for the growth the trials were facilitating, and reminding them of the wisdom God offers, he interjects what at first appears to our linear Western minds to be a new topic, but in James' eastern circular presentation serves to expand upon the original idea of trials. Specifically, James "evens the playing field" for both rich and poor believers. Rather than feeling they are on the wrong end of judgment, each has something to glory in: those of "humble" circumstances have a "high position"; while those well-off should glory in the transitory nature of their riches. Neither is condemned here for undergoing trials; instead, each is exhorted to view their earthly financial circumstances through a broader, eternal perspective. Both have the opportunity to see their trials turned into a crown of life.

James then explicitly addresses the human tendency to blame God for temptations that we give into. Again, this is closely related to the original subject, trials, because every trial affords either an opportunity for growth or the chance to yield to temptation. James reminds believers that God doesn't tempt man. Sin instead comes about when man is tempted by desires - the picture painted by "lured and enticed" signifies an entrapping and indeed, the original Greek references a fish drawn out of the safety of its retreat. After yielding, it conceives and gives birth to sin, whose progeny is death. James is brutally straightforward here. We may parse Paul and come down on different sides of the interpretive coin, but here James is not so nuanced. Enticement - lust - sin - death. We might not like it, but we get it - without any further cross-referencing or word studies necessary.

James then cuts to the heart of how we can avoid temptation during trial - or any other time. "Don't be led astray - God gives good gifts" is the heart of his message. Ultimately, sin is the result of desiring something more than God, of thinking that what temptation offers is better than what God offers. James lifts up the promise of God's good and perfect gifts. Against the lure of temptation, God has something better - always. Whatever the trial they were facing, they could know that what He offers is wonderful. And He doesn't change. James here is reminisicent of Hebrews 13:5: Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” In other words: Be content with what you have, because what you have - is HIM!

James concludes this portion of his exhortation with a reminder: God gave birth to us through the message of truth so we can be firstfruits of all His creation. Interestingly, the phrase "gave birth" is the same as in verse 15, where desire "gives birth" to sin. Because God gave birth to us as His firstfruits, we no longer have to give birth to sin. Instead, He works within us to produce the fruits that reflect our Father. Here is the reminder that indeed, faith is at the heart of James' message.

Wisdom in Trials

But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)

We often look at this passage as wisdom in life - and indeed that is a Biblically consistent interpretation. This is the New Testament equivalent of Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

James covers the same points as Solomon: Faith, consistency, acknowledging God. We do well to look to God for wisdom in all areas of life.

But a look at the context of James 1:5-8 affords a special blessing, because we see that he broaches the subject of wisdom in the context of trials. As we considered previously, James presents trials as inevitable, and calls us to joy in them as God works them in our lives to complete us. The "But" of James 1:5 connects the two thoughts: James is essentially saying, "Trials are going to come - hang in there, have joy, let God work out in you what He intends. But if you need wisdom ...".

In times of trial, wisdom is often at a premium. So James lets us know that it's okay to ask for wisdom during those times. In fact, God will give it to us generously and without reprimand.

What exactly is "wisdom"? James himself defines it for us later in this letter. James 3:17-18 lays out the elements of godly wisdom, contrasted from the demonic "wisdom" of the earlier verses:

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.

During times of trial (as other times) we can expect God's course of action for us to include these characteristics-purity, peace, gentleness, accommodation of others, mercy, good fruit, impartiality, authenticity. We can also know that the fruit produced will consist of righteousness, and the soil is peace.

Faith characterizes our receipt of this wisdom. Ronald Dunn, in his classic work Don't Just Stand There, Pray Something, recalls learning this through the experience of his son's illness. While he prayed desperately for wisdom, he never experienced a flash of brilliance or a burning bush. Instead, he made the decision that seemed right to him after prayer, and upon reflection saw that at every point he had made the correct choice. That's when he realized that this passage doesn't say, "and he will feel wise". It says, "and it will be given to him." We have to believe that God has answered our prayer for wisdom!

Faith is a major theme in James, as is authenticity. In many ways this passage is the first example of the works that James expects to accompany a believer. James doesn't want his flock to be easily tossed, to be double-minded, or to be unstable. He contrasts doubt with the faith that God has granted prayers. This foundation of faith will be crucial as we progress in our study, for only in faith can a believer fulfill the works that God intends for him or her to pursue.

In this context we can see that even the seemingly "harsh" words for those who do pursue wisdom without faith, with instability, with wavering - that they should not expect to receive an answer - is still within the overall context of maturing their faith, making them complete. God challenges them to truly believe that He will give them wisdom in their trial - and the result, as James 3 states, will be righteousness.

The book of James consistently moves believers toward authenticity in their faith. The way we pursue wisdom needed during trials is just one example of the maturity God desires to bring into each believer's life.

Consider it Joy: James 1:1-4

(Biblical text and some background information from www.nextbible.org)

From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings!

My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

James doesn't waste any time with his dispersed audience. He immediately addresses the situation they find themselves in: trials. James' audience was the "12 tribes" in the Dispersion - the Jewish Christian community spread throughout the region. Jews were scattered throughout the Roman empire prior to the time of Christ, but two specific persecutions led to a diaspora of Jewish Christians from Jerusalem: the persecution of the church by Saul (approx. 34 AD, Act 7-8), and Herod’s persecution (approx. 44 AD, Acts 12). Whichever context led to the need for James to reach his flock by letter, the fact is that they were being persecuted before they left Jerusalem.

As James makes clear in both chapter 2 and chapter 5, their oppression was not merely because of their faith. To "fall into" trials literally means to be encompassed by them, surrounded. These people were poor, and rich landowners took advantage of the poor regardless of religious status. In Palestine before the fall of the temple in AD 70, most of the population were peasants with small land plots. Some family members worked the land, but most brothers were either traders or laborers. Wealthy landowners took advantage of the situation, robbing people of their lands, discriminating in hiring labor, and at times suppressing the church. This was a time in church history where most persecution was by Jews, as the church was still considered a sect of Judaism by the Jewish leadership. So, these Jewish Christians had the additional trial of their so-called brothers of the flesh persecuting them for their faith. A further trial was the prophesied worldwide famine (Acts 11:27-30) which happened around the time of Agrippa's persecution. Thus, the "trials" James addresses cover a broad range of challenging circumstances.

James' writing style typically involves a summary statement, followed by explanations, examples, and other supporting details. This passage is no different. James outlines to his audience the broad command: "Consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials". Obedience to James' admonition does not rely upon mere emotion or mindset. The word James uses for "consider" carries a connotation of judging, or making a determination, as a ruler would do. James is essentially teaching his scattered, persecuted, impoverished, hungry flock: "Weigh the evidence, and make a decision to view this as nothing but joy." James calls his readers to involve their will in the process. The difference this makes is significant: Rather than following our feelings, or trying to convince ourselves and others that it's really going to be okay, we can look at all the evidence and choose the side of joy.

Joy, of course, is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), so this decision will have to be a Spirit-empowered one. Yet James does not leave us without a tangible motivation as well. The very trials we are choosing to count as joy, James tells us, are the things that lead to our endurance, our perserverance. Endurance, Strong's lexicon tells us, is "characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings." Essentially, James is telling us that if we choose to consider THIS trial as joy, we will be strengthened and the next one will be less likely to sway us. Since the trials are presenting as coming "when" rather than "if", we can know that they will happen. We can be equipped for them by weighing our options and coming down on the side of joy.

Furthermore, James observes, perserverance isn't the end of the road for believers. We don't merely muddle through trials. As we learn to perservere in them, we are "perfected" or made mature ... lacking nothing or as this translation states, "not deficient in anything." Not lacking, not deficient ... calls to mind the literal translation of Ps. 23:1: "The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing." Mankind tends by nature to focus on what we don't have ... but by the Spirit-empowered decision to consider a trial as JOY we can instead grow in perserverance and eventually feel that we lack nothing.

One Powerful Message

If you were a church leader and had an opportunity to write a letter to your scattered flock undergoing persecution, what would you deem important to communicate? Would your purpose be logical, philosophical arguments for significant doctrinal truths - or would you be more intent on focusing on the practical application of the elements of the Christian faith?

That's somewhat the situation faced by James - not the apostle, most likely, but the brother of Jesus. James became a follower of Jesus after the resurrection and went on to be a leader in the Jerusalem church. These Jewish Christians were scattered following the stoning of Stephen (Acts. 8:1-4; 11:19) and endured persecution in other locales as well. At a very early date - likely in the mid-40s, even before the Jerusalem Council - James wrote a "circular letter" that was passed along the Jewish Christian networking lines. It is preserved in our Bibles as the book of James, possibly the earliest written text of the New Testament, and one that is not without controversy. Viewed in the context of its writing, however, many of the questions raised about James can be answered.

James' main purpose is to encourage scattered Christians to live out their faith in practical ways. In fact, the theme of the book could be simply, "A Working Faith." James is not concerned as much with orthodoxy - though he is fully orthodox in his theology - as with orthopraxy, or right living. His famous section in 2:17-26 includes a challenge that would have hit at the heart of his Jewish audience: "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." (v. 19). In the straightforward way of a man with no time to lose, he observes that the basic Jewish confession, the Shema, the heart of theology for Jews which was still recited by Jewish Christians, was incomplete by itself. Even the demons believe in one God, he writes ... but he goes on to challenge that confession apart from works of faith.

It was this section of the book, which goes on to extol the necessity of works for justification, that led Martin Luther (among others) to reject this book as non-canonical. However, a thorough study of the book will show that James is not inconsistent with the fundamental theology of the New Testament and its emphasis on justification by faith; he simply has a different emphasis or priority in his theology. Again, the fact that he is writing to a scattered audience undergoing persecution is critical to understanding his theology. James is teaching them as a pastor, trying to cover as much ground as possible in one letter, knowing that their need for teaching is probably urgent (remember, there likely were no other New Testament scriptures at this point). His pleading with them comes through as we read and re-read his letter. He repeatedly calls them "brethren", and carries a pleading, corrective tone along with exhortation and encouragement.

James is an epistle of wisdom. While it has an internal structure, its form is not obvious like Paul's doctrinal/practical divisions in his epistles. Instead, James blends the doctrinal with the practical. One possible way of viewing the internal structure is around the theme of faith: Faith and trials, faith and works, faith and prayer.

In the epistle, James touches on the themes of faith, perseverance, favoritism, works, the law of liberty, the tongue, sinful attitudes, wisdom, relationship with believers, judgment, and prayer. Some of his key points include:

• The testing of faith is a joy because it produces endurance.
• Become a doer of the word, not merely a hearer. Endure to do!
• Faith without works is dead - the works perfect or complete the faith.
• A truly mature person will bridle the tongue and practice wisdom from above.
• A mature person will maintain an attitude of humble submission to God.
• Believers should be patient during suffering - praying in faith.
  

That James does not contradict Paul's teaching on justification by faith will bear out over future lessons. However, one verse will show that while James is emphasizing the work of faith, he has a complete grasp of the Godward aspect of salvation:

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. (James 1:18)

Here James is very specific - God brought us forth by His will, by the word of truth, for a specific purpose: that we would be "first fruits" among His creatures. This is the basic teaching of Jesus - we are to be fruitful. We are chosen to bear fruit for God's glory, Jesus said, and here James wholeheartedly concurs. James' epistle focuses on what that fruit looks like in real life.

Radical Christianity

Something happened to the church around 311 A.D. After nearly 3 centuries of being persecuted, tolerated, or ignored - but not legally recognized in most places - the church in the Roman Empire experienced a profound cultural shift. Emperor Constantine reportedly saw a cross in the sky with the Latin words meaning "In this sign, conquer". He adopted the cross as his standard and in 313 A.D., through the Edict of Milan, gave Christians full legal status. Suddenly Christianity was not a religion of outsiders.

Like any cultural change, this one did not happen in a vacuum. Almost immediately, the church in Persia, previously at peace with the government there, began to be persecuted. It appears that the Persian leaders associated Christianity with being in opposition to Rome. Rome's enemies, therefore, were Persia's friends. But when Christianity in Rome became acceptable, Persia's Christians were no longer considered Rome's enemies. The worst persecutions of Christians to that date took place - including 153,000 Christians murdered in one incident.

Whether Constantine's edict was a good thing or not remains a debated question even within the modern church. But the fact is, when Christianity was accepted legally and even adopted by leaders, it became easier for people to be Christians. And with that came a high degree of nominalism and compromise - not unlike what we in American Christianity experience today.

These ripple effects soon had a significant impact on believers who were grieved at the lack of depth in Christianity once it became a mass movement. These "radical" Christians began to respond in extreme ways, living in the desert and adopting ascetic practices. The monastic movement soon developed as a direct response to nominalism.

Interestingly, monasticism developed in the other areas of the church as well, but with different dynamics. Ultimately the Coptic, Celtic, and Byzantine (Nestorian/Persian) churches all had monastic movements. We have seen how the Celtic monks preserved ancient texts after the fall of Rome. Another key contribution of the monastic movement was the continuation of the Christian mission. Simply put, without the monastic movement, not much would have taken place in missions from about 400 AD until the Reformation. While there were solitary individuals from time to time, by and large the monks of the various religious traditions carried the Gospel in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission.

This fact of Christian history can provide key lessons for us in retrospect. As 21st century Christians seeking to grasp "the big picture" and be on mission with God, what can we learn from a millenium where mission was dominated by monasticism?

• Don't underestimate the value of lay people. While church leaders did eventually come from the monastic orders, the initial movement was begun not by clergy, but by laity who were frustrated by spiritual leaders focused more on political power than on the Gospel. If you are Protestant, you can see in this example part of the origin of the idea of the "priesthood of the believer" - the idea (rooted in Scripture) that we are all a kingdom of priests.
• Don't minimize the impact of fringe movements. Ralph Winter observes that most if not all the key missions and renewal movements since the New Testament have started with "fringe" movements. The believers who wanted to pursue a radical lifestyle as a protest to the nominalism of their day soon grew into a movement significant enough to impact the world for Christ. We've seen this in our own day - half a century ago no one had heard of Youth with a Mission, but this "fringe" group now has nearly 16,000 people serving in 149 countries!
• Don't assume God waits until we're "ready". The various monastic groups spread the Gospel with varying levels of Scriptural understanding or even Scriptural texts. Their attempts to hide from the world usually backfired, and people found them to demand teaching. Their resources were slim and their methods radical: Celtic monks, for example, would set sail from Ireland without any direction in mind, trusting that wherever they landed was their mission field. In later years, when monks were pressed into leadership roles in the church it was often against their wishes and even despite their blatant protests. Yet the fruit of their labors remains - a Chinese inscription dated in the 600s AD shows us Nestorian monks made it to the other side of the world. All of which leads to another point...
• Don't reject the importance of the church structure. The core of the church played an important role in providing doctrinal guidance and spiritual leadership to a zealous monastic movement. While there was much that occurred that should not be emulated, there was also a thread of continuity that was vitally important. For the most part, the monastic movement knew that they were bringing new believers into the larger body of Christ and that the creeds and doctrinal statements were important to successful adoption of the new religion.
• Prioritize Scripture. Where they were most successful, the monastic movements spread with Scripture in the native language of the people. Those regions that had a stronger emphasis on Scripture taught to them were more likely to be orthodox than regions that only had Scripture minimally or as a veneer to paganism. Scripture also provides a safeguard - as discussed before there is a fine line between contextualization and compromise.
• Christ has built His church on a rock, and nothing can prevail against it. But we can boast only in Him. The study of church history has convinced me that only God could have caused the church to prevail through the centuries. Persecution couldn't kill her; compromised leadership couldn't kill her; theological hair-splitting couldn't kill her; and even a ragtag bunch of radical believers could be used in her advance. Whatever challenges the church faces around the world today - from humanism to nominalism to persecution to inept leadership to zealous but untrained laity - she remains the bride of Christ, the one He will present to God "without spot or blemish". Most remarkably, Paul says in Ephesians 3:10 that through the church - through this weak, fallible bunch of people - God displays His mainfold wisdom in the spirit realm. Surely that manifold wisdom is reflected in Christ Himself, as God chooses the foolish of the world but ultimately reveals His wisdom in Christ:

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many
were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:18-31)

Doctrinal Differences

This week I've studied about the advancement of the church into Asia and Africa, and the doctrinal questions that arose in the first centuries of the church. Looking beyond the borders of Christianity to the unreached world of India, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, it becomes apparent that as Christianity expands, doctrinal questions will continue to arise. In actuality, that is exactly what happened.

Because Christianity allows cultural adaptation in its forms, the potential for doctrinal adaptation exists as well. In fact, doctrinal controversies were more common than not as the Gospel spread.

One of the most important controversies was that of the doctrine of Christology - who was Jesus? Was He God in the flesh? Was He a man? Was He both? Some significant divisions arose over seemingly subtle differences in these definitions. The orthodox description of Jesus as fully God, fully man, developed over a couple of centuries of discussion, debate, and controversy. This was ultimately reflected in the Nicene Creed.

On the fringes of orthodoxy, the Nestorians - which would come to dominate the eastern church - emphasized the humanity of Christ, while the Monophysites - which strongly influenced North Africa - emphasized Christ's deity. Both groups were ultimately castigated as heretical by the Roman church, but both developed a strong missiological impact. It is noteworthy that while there were extremes in each group, the mainstream of both groups did not deny either Christ's deity or humanity - only the emphasis was different. However, there were groups that were fully outside the realm of orthodoxy which completely denied either Christ's deity or His humanity; these groups were more at home in the gnostic realm than the Christian world.

What made the difference? In general, as the Gospel spread, those regions that had all of Scripture in their language were closer to true orthodoxy. Areas that had some Scripture in their language tended to be orthodox in those areas they had Scripture, and fell into the fringes or beyond where they did not have Scriptural references. And regions where the church failed to produce Scripture in their own language were most likely to be completely outside the realm of orthodoxy.

This is significant for missiology today. As the Gospel spreads, it is crucial to provide written Scripture in the heart language of the people. Where written Scripture exists, literacy improves and other literature follows.

Another significant point: New churches need doctrinal guidance and direction. It is critical to train indigenous leadership and allow them to see for themselves the truths of Scripture, but this should not be done in a vacuum. Eph. 4:11-14 teaches that teachers are one of God's gifts to the church until there is unity of faith, so that we won't be swayed by every doctrine that comes along. That means that teaching should be a significant part of missions - even though the goal is not to stick around forever, but to equip the church to be able to carry on the faith "once for all given to the saints."

There may still be differences in doctrinal emphasis - each church arises in a unique environment, facing challenges that will naturally be expressed in the emphasis made in their doctrinal statements. Yet the common thread of orthodoxy, especially about the Christian distinctives, can unite believers despite other cultural differences.

Under the Surface of History

Christopher Dawson, in Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, highlights for us how the Apostle Paul's experience in Europe and Asia effected such a subterranean change that the world hardly saw it coming:

When St. Paul...came to Philippi in Macedonia, he did more to change the course of history than the great battle that had decided the fate of the Roman Empire on the same spot nearly a century earlier, for he brought to Europe the seed of a new life which was ultimately destined to create a new world. All this took place underneath the surface of history, so that it was unrecognized by the leaders of contemporary culture....a new principle had been introduced into the static civilization of the Roman world that contained infinite possibilities of change. (p. 27; emphasis mine)

The story of church history is almost inextricably bound to the story of world history. The difference is that what we consider "world history" - the rise and fall of empires, conquests and wars, peace treaties and negotiations - took place on the surface level. Yet just as Dawson notes that the seed of the Gospel planted by Paul in Europe would change the world, so too throughout history "the rest of the story" is what God was doing - "underneath the surface of history".

Consider some examples:

• In 410 A.D., Rome fell, due to internal and external factors that have been debated for centuries. The barbarians at the gates were desperate and could no longer be held back. A "successful" change from nomadic life to settled agriculture resulted in a population explosion. Their land was insufficient to feed their large contingents, and so out of desperation, they eyed the weakening borders of Rome. For the West, the "dark ages" soon ensued...yet for the barbarians, this was an age of enlightenment. They were suddenly exposed to those aspects of civilization Rome did best - political systems, literature, religion. From their exposure to Christianity more than a few barbarians were converted - in fact, "the Christianization of the Goths" provides a study unto itself! Under the surface of history, the invaders were exposed to the Gospel and transformed.

• When Rome fell, Ireland was just beginning to experience literacy and "civilization". Yet a growing Celtic church there developed a monastic movement that would become highly significant in the course of history. These monks, according to Thomas Cahill, "saved civilization" by copying everything of western literature they could lay their hands on. These Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian writings were then transmitted throughout the tribes of Europe and, when the Dark Ages were over, contributed significantly to the world as we know it today. Under the surface of history, God was preserving early Christian writings and Scripture, alongside literary works that shed much light on the context in which Christianity was formed.

• As the western part of the Roman Empire was ransacked and the eastern part continued to exist and gain more prominence for a time, the church in Asia was establishing itself as outside the Roman church hierarchy. For a significant period of time, it was the eastern church that sent out missionaries to the rest of the known world. Portions of the eastern church, including the Armenian church and the Nestorian church, continue down to this day. Under the surface of history, God was continuing His kingdom advance despite the turmoil of the western church.

One benefit of studying history from a Godward perspective is that it gives us a better grasp of our own times. The spiritual warfare and extensive prayers of the church behind the Iron Curtain is as much a part of the story of the stunningly fast fall of Communism, as are the political figures of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbechav. Similarly, we are wise to look below the surface in our own country's political scene. Under the surface of history - God is up to something!

The Spread of Christianity

In roughly 311 AD, Constantine's signing of the Edict of Milan made Christianity a recognized religion in the massive Roman Empire. In the almost three centuries since Christ's ascension, Christianity had grown from a motley crew of 120 in the upper room, to a sizeable force in the Roman Empire. The faith had indicated a willingness for cultural adaptation, and Gentiles far outnumbered Jewish background believers. Faced with a freedom they'd never had, Christians might have thought their battles were over. In reality, they had just begun.

With the broad acceptance of Christianity came an influx of marginal believers. While Christianity had spread in part because of persecution, combined with a sense of community, love, purity, the passion of the believers, and the spirit of the age which sought immortality, the widespread acceptance brought new dangers. Heretical teachings, present since the earliest days of the church, began to multiply.

Formalized doctrinal statements became necessary, and the "basics" of apostolic succession, the canon of the New Testament, and the Apostles' Creed became the center of the church in the West - what would become the Catholic Church. At the same time, a tension existed between this "inner ring" of Christianity - what was considered firm, unchanging, grounded - and the "outer ring" of fringe movements, which often touched in many points the inner ring but varied on some aspects. In many cases, the key difference was Scripture: those groups which had Scripture translated into their languages were more likely to be closer to the center or even influence a change in the center (such as the Reformation later challenged Apostolic Succession). Those groups which did not have Scripture translated into their languages remained on the fringe or even spun off into completely disparate movements.

Meanwhile, as the West began to centralize into a hierarchical church structure, Christianity spread in other directions as well. While Christians had been accepted in Persia while persecuted in the West, once Christianity was a religion of the state in Rome the believers in Persia were heavily persecuted -- 153,000 in one event. In fact, more Christians died in Persia's Great Persecution than in all of Rome's persecutions.

Christianity spread to North Africa as well, but unsuccessfully for the long term - the failure to produce a Punic translation of the Bible, North Africans' alienation from "Romanized" Christians, the emphasis of the church on the elite, Christianity's identification with Roman and Hellenistic culture and military - in short, the lack of cultural adaptation of the forms of Christianity and failure to provide Scripture, led to heretical movements and ultimately the development and acceptance of Islam. To this day North Africa remains an Islamic stronghold despite the early Christian movement's presence in that land.

More successful cultural transitions were made to the Celtic and Gothic peoples. The Armenian Church was formed and became very closed linked with Armenian nationalism, because it was so heavily contextualized to the area. During this season of movement and transition, much of the world known to Christianity was very open to the Gospel. The Moravians did an especially good job of developing worship in each of the own languages of the peoples they reached.

So what are some "takeaway" lessons for the modern missions movement? While there are many, many lessons to be learned from the historical theology of these groups, there are also missiological lessons. Among these are:

• Language is at the heart of missions. We can't ignore the need for people groups to have Scripture in their own languages.
• Christianity is highly translatable. Once the basics of the Gospel are understood, there is much freedom for form and practice within the Biblical parameters. The history of Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple, as well as any number of other religious groups, affords a dramatic contrast to the openness allowed Christian worshippers.
• We have to be aware of nationalism. Every people group is nationalistic to some degree. Tribal groups are proud of elements of their culture that are unique from other tribes. Nations love to boast of what they are "best" at. With few exceptions, people in other countries love to encounter individuals from "home" and enjoy sharing what is best about their native cultures. When Christianity is perceived as an "outsiders' religion", then, it will enjoy limited success (as in North Africa). When an "inner ring" of truths are held firm, and the church allowed to contextually develop, wise national believers can take what is best in their culture and use it to reflect the glory of God. When we avoid the "idolatry of form" we free the people to glorify God in unique ways.
• We must be aware of contextualization's limits. Failed contextualization is called syncretism. While there will always be degrees of understanding about the Christian faith, even in a fully "Christianized" society, we must guard against an "anything goes" approach which leads to doctrinal error.

Religion and Culture

One of the most significant questions raised in the early church is represented throughout the New Testament: What should Christian faith look like among non-Jewish followers of Jesus? Acts 15 records the official meeting that considered this question, known as the Jerusalem Council, but in a sense much of the book of Acts and significant portions of Paul's writings, such as Galatians, depicts the outworking of that decision.

The background
After being essentially a sect of Judaism that recognized Jesus as Messiah, the church was thrust into Gentile lands following the stoning of Stephen. As the Gospel spread, God called an apostle who would focus on the Gentiles -- Paul, who as Saul had been a persecutor of Christians. God also revealed to Peter that the Gospel was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews - and sent him to Caesarea to personally witness the outpouring of the Spirit upon the Gentile Cornelius and his family. Acts 11 records Peter explaining to the apostles and believers in Jerusalem, in answer to a challenge by the Judaizers, a Jewish sect within Christianity that emphasized keeping of the Jewish law and custom as essential to salvation. The end result? The leaders recognized God was working among the Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas soon formed a missions team that reached deeper into Gentile areas with the Gospel. The acceptance of Gentiles into the church, however, left open a crucial question: How should they approach their new faith? How much of the Jewish background of Christianity was essential?

Acts 15
The Jerusalem Council was an intentional, called gathering of apostles and elders. Various voices were heard in debate. Peter then proclaimed his argument that the yoke being placed on the Gentiles was a yoke the Jews couldn't bear; salvation for both groups had to be by grace alone. Paul and Barnabas told of God's work among the Gentiles. James brought a Biblical argument to the table, quoting Amos 9:11-12 and applying it to the in-gathering of the Gentiles. He recommended some basic guidelines for the Gentiles: Sexual purity and avoiding idolatry (and some associated basic dietary guidelines of avoiding strangled meat and blood). The council sent both the Gentile-familiar Paul & Barnabas, and the more Jewish-oriented Judas Barsabbas and Silas, with a letter of encouragement and guidance to the Gentile church in Antioch. The believers there rejoiced at the content.

Galatians
With the full backing of the Jerusalem Council, Paul developed a strong offense against the Judaizers, who continued to push for a more Jewish-oriented practice among the Gentiles. While many passages could be studied, a review of Galatians will cover many of the salient points.

In Galatians, Paul posts his strongest offense, calling the teaching of this group "another gospel". Essentially, their message was salvation by faith, continuance in salvation by obedience to the law. Paul vehemently argues that the One True Gospel never compromises the doctrine of grace and that any teaching that does so is false and "falls from grace". Paul presents a logically developed argument alongside an emotionally passionate one, to exhort the Galatians to walk by grace alone. In many ways, Galatians culminates and expounds upon one key verse (5:1): "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit against to a yoke of slavery."

Paul's example in Acts and his teaching in other passages (eg. Rom. 8 and 14) clearly does not reject obeying God's laws by grace through faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Nor does he rebuke voluntarily adoption of Jewish or other cultural practices as a demonstration of love or to more effectively reach the non-believers in the group. What he does strongly condemn is any teaching that requires such actions, or places believers who choose not to adopt these practices under condemnation. In fact, Romans 14 argues that those believers who recognize their freedom in Christ are actually the strong ones, but that they might need to makes choices on behalf of love for weaker believers. Likewise, weaker believers should not judge those who feel more freedom in Christ.

Paul also addresses legalistic keeping of the religious calendar (Gal. 4:10), calling these "elementary principles" that can enslave people. Again, Scripture shows Paul visiting synagogues and observing certain feasts in settings where Judaism was prevalent, but his argument was against the requirement of such actions.

Significance
Paul provides a strong example of the outworking of the Jerusalem Council's decision that believers don't have to be Jewish in form to be Christian in doctrine. Without condemning the Jewish form, the Council established a broad principle which Paul applied throughout his ministry. Gentile worship could be culturally distinct without compromising the basic message.

What does this mean for believers today? First, those of us in the West must realize that it means that believers don't have to be Western in form to be Christian in doctrine. Cultural distinctions are not only allowed in Christianity, they are encouraged. We must recognize the difference between a biblical principle and a cultural one.

This principle makes Christianity a truly multi-cultural religion. In fact, Ralph Winter calls it the only true "world" religion, in the sense that it is non-cultural in content. This is not true of most other major belief systems. To become Jewish looks the same in form throughout the world, with a few differences among the various branches. The same goes for Islam, Buddhism (though it is very syncretistic), Hinduism, even tribal religions (which often are restricted territorially because they view their god as limited to their geographic region). Christianity, though, shares doctrines across cultural lines, but not necessarily forms.

Of course, in his attempts to counterfeit God's design, the enemy tries to create a false "world" religion, by blurring the lines between the belief systems. Chrisitanity as a multi-cultural religion does not in any way blur doctrinal distinctives. It is clearly a different faith than Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, tribal religion. At its center is Jesus. The cross remains a stumbling block for those who will not believe. But for those who do, by grace through faith, the cross gives life. But the practice of that life - and especially the form of its worship - is not presented as a required part of the package. In Christ, some aspects of the culture will be rejected, others transformed, and still others highlighted as beautiful expressions of the mosaic of throne room worship, where every tribe, tongue, nation, and people is focused on the Lamb of God.

The Circumstances of God's Kingdom Advance

From the beginning, God had a plan. In our human-centered mind, we forget that in eternity past - before creation - a lot went on. Scripture tells us that while Father, Son, and Spirit were eternally existent, everything else - including the angels - were created beings. At some point in eternity past, one of those created beings, Lucifer, led an angelic rebellion. As a result, Lucifer and one-third of the angels (now called demons) were expelled from heaven. The rebellion, however, did not end.

Because Lucifer's primary goal was to have the honor and glory that belong only to God, he began immediately to interfere with God's very good creation. His first recorded act reveals that his nature was not changed: he tried to convince mankind they could be "like God" - blatantly attempting to steal glory intended for God alone. What he failed to consider, however, was that God would fight back. Rather than abandon His fallen creation, He would redeem it. In the end, all the nations of the world would bow at His feet in worship.

So while Genesis 3 records the beginning of our role in the conflict between God and Satan, it is by far not the beginning of that battle. However, it does demonstrate to us a clear choice. A battle rages, and we are either on God or Satan's side. There is no middle ground, no demilitarized zone.

The Biblical certainty is that God's kingdom WILL advance. Scripture builds to the crescendo of Christ's finished work on the cross, which won the certain victory despite the fact that mop-up operations continue. Along the way, we see that at every point, God's kingdom advanced because of His plan and His character - and despite human failings and circumstances. In fact, Paul's observation in Phil. 1:12 that his circumstances had worked for the furtherance of the gospel is not limited to the Apostle; Scripture is filled with examples of God's work in seemingly impossible circumstances.

As we study history from a Godward view, we begin to see the broad brush strokes of God's work in the world. Some of these are amazing. Pagan kings become His instruments (Cyrus). Boastful rulers are used by God to purify His people, then go to God's school of humility (Nebuchadnezzar). Ambitious rulers are used by God to unite the Mediterranean world under a common language for a soon-to-come Redeemer (Alexander). The dispersement of early believers due to persecution becomes a method of evangelization. The extremely organized Roman road system becomes pavement for the feet of the messengers of Good News. An exile to Patmos becomes a time of receiving not only revelation, but The Revelation.

Cultures change. Forms are modified to reflect new situations. But the message stays the same: God's Redeemer has crushed satan's head, and we are taking back his ground. Victory has been won! Glorify God, and come worship at His throne - as He intended all along.

The Supra-cultural Message of the Bible

As I dug into my studies this week after a brief break, I found that one of the themes I've encountered repeatedly over the previous two years kept coming back. That is the idea that the Bible - both the Old and New Testaments - has a relevant message for every people group in every place and culture of every time period of the world. It's the "supra-cultural" message of the Bible.

Grasping this gives us a little insight into why some things are left unanswered. Creation, for example, is presented in a way that is meaningful to an aboriginal bushman who looks up at the stars and wonders where they came from, as well as to a scientist who sees in the archaeological record distinct periods of time and the astronomer whose knowledge of deep space convinces him of design, not randomness. The basic story of creation is relevant to all cultures.

Another example: the Word of God tells us that God designed marriage to be a picture of Christ and the church, but doesn't spell out how we are to select a mate (other than specifying we should be equally yoked). Bible heroes had arranged marriages (Isaac and Rebekah), women were occasionally assertive (Ruth!), some appear as a partnership (Priscila and Aquila). Marriage is honorable, but we aren't told how to make it happen - so this teaching can be applied equally in all cultures.

Scripture also contains an answer to a supra-cultural mystery: evil, destruction. In all societies, we see so much potential alongside so much self-destruction. The Mayans with their calendars more advanced than ours practiced human sacrifice. Brilliant minds can still be evil minds. Destructive forces seem to be at work even in our plants as anyone who has seen a blighted crop can attest! The specifics vary, but the fact remains: This world is not perfect, even though it was created as good. What happened? Without a theological degree we can easily grasp the message of Genesis 3: man was tempted and sinned, and the result was death. Man's work became challenging; obstacles were in the way from that point on. Simple fact: Blight wasn't in the garden of Eden, but it was outside where they were cast away. And Adam and Eve carried with them the blight of sin.

So, this side of the cross, what are we to do? As Scripture unfolds, Genesis 1-11 spell out the problem but the solution is presented in Gen. 12:1-3 - Abram is chosen and told to go and allow God to bless other people through him. Rather than sit with the problem surrounding him, Abram will become part of the solution. As the story unfolds, we see God narrow the choice to a people through whom a Redeemer will come. Promises abound that this Redeemer will make all things right - including a creation that groans to be set free (Rom. 8). But the message is equally clear that, like Abram, we are called to be part of the solution.

Making sure that all people know the real story - not the warped one that was carried throughout the world and led to false belief systems, but the true story of God's original plan and the Redeemer He sent to restore the world to that purpose - is sometimes called "missions". But because of the priorities given in Scripture and the example of Christ, we know that while God cares about the soul, He doesn't ignore the needs of the body. So when we go out to meet those temporal needs, we call it "development" or, if the need is more immediate to a crisis, "relief".

As one reading from last year noted, it's not enough to say that "the church of God has a mission in the world." Rather, "The God of mission has a church in the world." He has a purpose to restore all things to Himself, and we are part of it. Wherever we are, we are called to be involved in God's mission to the world.

About Me (but it's really not)

Well, if you were invited to this blog you know what it is all about, but if you stumbled upon it, you probably are really wondering why yet another Christian blog exists. So many out there are all about "me" ... "my" opinions, "my" ministry, "my" church. One of the biggest goals I have for this blog is that it not be about ME! However, since I'm writing it, and you may or may not know me, I do want to give you a bit of background.

I'm a student at William Carey International University. I'm working on a Master of Arts degree in Global Civilization and I'm halfway through the program, praise God! The curriculum is World Christian Foundations (you can see it at www.worldchristianfoundations.org). One of the components of the coursework is to establish a method of communicating the material to others - something I've done the first half through lessons written for and reviewed by my husband. However, I wanted to expand the audience and hence this blog.

I plan to post a weekly entry discussing the material I studied that week. Please feel free to dialogue with me by posting responses! Since this is a distance education program, one thing I desire is interaction with others about the material. My mentor does a great job, but I'd like to interact with others as well. I simply ask that you be respectful toward each other, me, and the material, even if you disagree.

If you have no clue what this material is about, the first few posts will provide an overview. The course section I'm in is called a module (I'm in Module 3 of 4) and this Module is about The Expanding World, AD 200-1945. World Christian Foundations is an integrative program, meaning all classes are woven together into one over-arching course program. WCF is tied together by the theme that God is up to something in this world, and our role as Christians is to be about His work. We study history, cultural anthropology, Scripture, even linguistics, from this angle. If you've read this far, thank you for joining us! I look forward to talking to you on the blog!