Tuesday, May 7, 2024
James 1:18-25
18 Of his own will
begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of
his creatures.
19 Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of
man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart
all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a
hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural
face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he
was.
25 But whoso looketh
into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed.
James 1:21
21 So get rid of all
uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle,
modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your
hearts] contains the power to save your souls.
AMPLIFIED
We
are born again by the power of the Word of Truth. This is an obvious
reference to the Bible and an explanation of the battle that rages for an
authoritative text. Why are there so many versions and translations? On the
one hand there is a presumed desire to understand what God wanted to
communicate to man. On the other hand, there may be an unconscious desire to
remanufacture the Word to lower God’s standards to match my behavior. I
will never hold to or teach a standard higher than my own behavior! I
think there is a cycle of decline.
When
my behavior begins to decline it first begins with my ignoring or abandoning the clear teaching of
the Word of God. Perhaps I misunderstand it or, more likely, I decide it does
not apply to me! The result is that I have become a transgressor – a rule
breaker. As a transgressor, I have broken the peaceful relationship between me
and the Lawgiver. I am culpable – guilty. I am unwilling to remain in this
guilt for long.
At
this point repentance should be the action taken but, if I am
unwilling to abandon my sin, I still try to reconcile with the rules. I change the rules! If I divorce, then
I redefine the portion of the Bible that speaks to that topic. I make the rules
more agreeable to my sin. If I have begun to drink, then I must rearrange the
Bible to make my behavior acceptable. Gradually the Bible begins to be reshaped
to agree with my behavior.
If
I am a teacher, then my teaching begins to reflect the changes in my behavior. I am
no longer comfortable teaching that my behavior is wrong so instead of changing
my behavior I change the content of my teaching. I make the Word of God confirm
to my practices. All my followers will rise no higher in their
devotion and obedience than my highest behavior. I have become the new law unto
them. I have become a false teacher! Slowly
an entire culture is transformed!
So,
how can we turn this ship around? We will not recover until we rediscover and
return to the authority of Scriptures. I must no longer practice my faith based
upon my feelings and opinions. During the reconstruction of
Neh 8:1-4
8:1 And all the people
gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the
water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of
Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest
brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that
could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein
before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday,
before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of
all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe
stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose…
8 So they read
in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused
them to understand the reading.
If
we are to reclaim our culture, we must return to the understanding and practice of Biblical
teaching. Whenever my behavior and my Bible disagree, I must make revisions to
my practice and not to the text.
Jer 15:16
16 Thy words were
found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of
mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
Dear Lord, as I view
myself in the mirror of Your Word, let me yield to its truth and make changes
in my life. Let me not be a forgetful hearer but one who practices the truths
within. AMEN
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