The study in James so far has taken us through teaching on how we are called to live out our faith as we are tested by God. Tested that he may show his faithfulness and so prove that we indeed have been given faith in Christ to his glory and for our good. This testing is ongoing in our lives and is evidence of our blessed (favored) condition as those who are chosen and loved by God according to his will and promised eternal life in the Son.
In chapter 1, verses 2-12, we have the test of perseverance through trials of various kinds. As we are tested in counting it all joy, asking God for wisdom, relying on God, and glorifying Christ. As God himself preserves us that we might persevere and one day be glorified when Christ returns. In verses 13-18, we have the test of not blaming God when we are tempted. As we are tested in not being deceived by our own sinful desires. Instead acknowledging that God is good, and that all good gifts come from him and that he does not change. He is the one who has made us new creations in Christ Jesus.
Now we have come to the test of how we respond to God’s word.
Read verses 19-27 for context.
Look at verses 19-21
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Know this my beloved brothers:
First, we note that this is a command. Often in God’s word, commands are given in relation to our minds (Romans 12:2; Philippians 2:2-5; 2 Peter 3:14-18). What we are to know is not passive knowledge for the sake of simply knowing, but active knowledge that impacts our minds and hearts, and ultimately, our souls in such a way that we are changed. And this change is evident in how we live out our faith, both in word and in deed.
It is interesting that back in verse 16 there is also the command: Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Not only do God’s commands teach us what we need to do to directly obey him, but they also show us what we need to know that we might not be deceived.
What are we to know?
…let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger
Before we consider the rest of verse 19, let’s note the use of be in the command. There are other places where James uses this:
- 1:4 – And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
- 1:16 – Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
- 1:18 – Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
- 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
- 3:14 – But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
- 4:9 – Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
- 5:17 – Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
For those who are in Christ, there has been a change in who we are. Once we were dead in our sins and trespasses, living in the passions of our flesh like the rest of the world, but by God’s grace we have been saved through faith and are now his workmanship (Ephesians 2:1-10). In Christ, we are dearly loved children of God who are called to imitate our Father (Ephesians 5:1). Our lives are to characterize who we are in Christ as he lives and works in us (Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12-16; 2 Peter 1:3-10).
…be quick to hear, slow to be speak, slow to anger
Since we are called to be imitators of God, it is good for us to look first to him and his ways for understanding of how we are to live.
These phrases together remind me of how God is described in Psalm 103:8-10,
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
When God who is merciful and gracious is angry with us as we sin, he does not stay angry. In fact, he is patient and slow to become angry in the first place. He does not treat us as we deserve. As the Lord does not treat us as we deserve in our sinfulness but considers us with mercy and grace and love, so, we are called to do as followers of Christ.
In light of the knowledge of God and his ways, how we are to be in response to his word? Since James is writing to my beloved brothers the implication is that he is reminding them of their collective response as a body of believers in Christ, but also is reminding them as individuals (each person).
Look again at verses 19-21.
We are told three things about our response to God’s Word:
- how we are to be
- why we are to be
- what we are to do to prepare to be
How we are to be:
- quick to hear – We are called to be students of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Those who are eager to be taught by God.
- slow to speak – As learners, we are to be careful of being overzealous and presuming to be the teacher (James 3:1).
- slow to anger – If we must speak or teach, it should be done in the meekness of wisdom (James 3:13-18).
Since the command is to be slow to anger. The implication is that we can be angry.
We see this in other scripture:
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent. [Psalm 4:4]
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. [Ephesians 4:26]
Anger itself is not sinful. However, these scriptures teach us that before we speak when we are angry, we must first consider and not speak immediately. And we are also warned not to harbor anger. IF (and since we still live in our sinful flesh, this is a big IF) we are justly angry, it must be short lived and resolved without sinning. Jesus himself demonstrated righteous anger in his zeal for the right worship of God (John 2:13-17).
However, in Matthew 5:21-22 we are shown how we can sin in our anger. Jesus makes it clear that as God’s law prohibits murder, we are guilty of the sin of murder when we curse someone in anger.
And Paul warns us in Romans 12:16-21 not to act based on what we think is right, repaying evil for evil. Instead we are to think about what is truly honorable and seek to live peaceably with all as far as is possible. Not to take vengeance on our enemies but leave it to God who says he will repay injustice. We are to submit to God and not give in to evil. Instead we are to overcome evil with good by being kind to our enemies. No room here for acting sinfully in our anger. If this is how we are commanded to treat our enemies, even more then are we to be careful with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
You can see where James addresses the subject of anger in the body of Christ in several other places as well: 1:26; 2:12,13; 3:18; 4:1,11,12; 5:9.
Why we are to be:
… for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Because our anger does not produce the righteousness of God, we are to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
To gain understanding about this we need to consider the righteousness of God.
The righteousness of God is revealed in his gospel (Romans 1:16,17). His righteousness through faith in Christ by grace as a gift. Our sins (our unrighteousness) deserves his full wrath. The penalty for sin is death. In mercy by his own free will (under no obligation), God chose to overlook our sins for a time. God shows that he is both just and justifier by putting forward Christ to die in the place of sinners. We as sinners are redeemed not by any righteous works of our own through obedience to the law, but by faith, through belief in Christ and his obedience (Romans 3:21-26; Romans 4:1-8). He is the righteousness of God who has become our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When we sin in our anger, we are acting like we are judge, and a judge without mercy at that. God alone is judge and has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). One day we will all be judged by him. And since God has decided to be merciful towards us whom he is saving and to judge us according to the righteousness of Christ, we in turn are to act mercifully towards others (James 2:12, 13; 3:18).
Since we do nothing to bring about the righteousness of God in our own lives, it is certain that we cannot bring about the righteousness of God in the lives of anyone else. Therefore, as we remember that our anger does not bring about the righteousness of God, we can be slow to anger and keep ourselves from thinking that we are justified in being angry with a fellow believer over a religious matter or a teaching in God’s Word.
We can see the progression as James first gives the command: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Followed by the why: for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Then there is the Therefore which points us back to what is said previously that we may consider what it is there for. 😊 [Anyway, moving on…]
What we are to do to prepare to be:
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness…
Since our anger does not bring about the righteousness of God, we are commanded to put away our sinful desires (all filthiness and rampant wickedness). Picture here how we would cast off filthy clothes (unmentionably and disgustingly filthy clothes). Note the extent: all. Every piece is discarded, nothing excepted. And how wickedness is described: rampant. Overleaping restraint, out of control. Consider these scriptures: Romans 6:12,13; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 2:1,2.
…and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
meekness – In an evangelical sense, humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride, arrogance, and refractoriness.
To receive his word with meekness is to submit to the will of God. Not standing over his word in judgment, but instead coming in under his word, acknowledging the authority of God to teach and command.
Reminded here of the teaching of Christ in his sermon in Matthew, especially in chapter 5, verses 2-11. Those who are blessed (favored) are meek, not blessed because they are meek. But because they are favored by God, they are meek.
Jesus is the only one who is truly meek, humbling himself and submitting to the will of the Father in perfect obedience in our place (John 5:19, 30; Philippians 2:6-8). As followers of Christ, we are called to this (John 15:8-10; Philippians 2:1-5, 12-16). And it is only as Christ lives in us that we can be this way (Galatians 2:20).
It is God, the Father, who implants his word, his living and active word (Hebrews 4:11-13), the word of truth (James 1:18), in our hearts by his Holy Spirit. Through this word he saves our souls as he first brings us to salvation (2 Timothy 3:15; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:22-25) and then as he brings our salvation to completion, sanctifying us and conforming us to the image of Christ (John 17:17; Ephesians 1:13,14; Romans 8:29,30).
Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-6
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 3:15-17
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.