Author: Ken

James 3 Commentary

Ken

Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James

Taming the Tongue (James 3:1-12)  

Verse 1: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1 NIV). 

All disciples are to be teachers, for Jesus commanded us, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV). All of us must be careful about hypocrisy, for we do not want to be numbered among those, who “say, and do not” (Matthew 23:3 NIV). But, the special gift and office of a teacher, as in “pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11 NIV), should not be assumed lightly. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48 NIV). Greater blessing will come to that teacher; but, greater judgment will also come against that teacher for misuse of that gift. 

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James 4 Commentary

Ken

Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James

Warning Against Worldliness (James 4:1-12) 

Verse 1: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1 NIV). 

The Epistle of James was simply a letter from a first century apostle, yet it is a profound statement of divine truth concerning the very nature of ALL human conflict. James reasonably addresses “fights and quarrels” (James 4:1 NIV) within the church. James asks the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” (4:1 NIV), then he gives the answer, “Don’t they come from your desires [Greek, hēdonē, pleasures] that battle within you?” (4:1 NIV). Notice that James places the blame for war on “desires that battle within you” (4:1 NIV). The same Greek word for “desires” (4:1 NIV), Jesus used to explain why some respond to the Word of God and others don’t. “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures [Greek, hēdonē], and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14 NIV). Again, neither James nor Jesus claimed sin to be the reason for war, conflict, or not receiving the truth of the Word of God. Instead, the simple “desires that battle within you” (James 4:1 NIV) are sufficient to cause us to go to war or neglect God’s truth. In other words, we do not sin because we are sinners, but we commit sin because we allow the desires that battle within us to master and control us. “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24 NIV). Observation: The solution to not sinning is not merely possessing the Holy Spirit, but allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us, i.e., walking in the Spirit (Romans 8). 

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James 5 Commentary

Ken

Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James

Warning to the Rich (5:1-6)  

Verse 1: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” (James 5:1 NIV). 

Is James condemning all rich people? No, as we read previously, he is condemning all those who are seeking to accumulate wealth irrespective of God or man. He describes whom he condemns — “you [who] boast in your arrogant schemes” (James 4:16 NIV). Why should they “weep and wail” (5:1 NIV)? He answers, “because of the misery that is coming on you” (5:1 NIV). To what misery does James refer? Jesus described the misery of more than one rich person, possibly because riches are associated with someone who has been blessed. The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) illustrates how a homeless beggar goes to his reward in Abraham’s bosom, and a rich man descends from his luxury into the fiery torment of Hades, both defying what many would expect as their outcomes. The moral of their story is not to seek the outward evidence of wealth as a signpost to Heaven, and not to reject the evidence of poverty, as a certainty of Hell. Both must pay heed to the claims of Scripture, without the benefit of miraculous events, to find their way to Heaven. “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31 NIV). The rich fool and his storehouse (Luke 12:13-21) shows us how foolish it is to place our confidence in earthly riches, as a sign of prosperity, happiness, and security. “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (12:19 NIV). God terminates the rich fool’s life with the epitaph, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (12:21 NIV). 

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Women’s Role in the Church – Part 5

Ken

Head Coverings – 1Corinthians 11:1-16 

Introduction 

I wrote this to exercise my own thinking on 1Corinthians 11:1-16, and you have my admiration, if you attempt to read this. 

Regardless of the position one takes on Gender Roles and the Women’s Role in the Church, 1Corinthians 11:1-16 is a difficult passage to understand or agree upon. Charitably, we should respect the position of anyone attempting to explain the passage, who loves the Church of Jesus Christ, and desires to explain and interpret the passage, with the desired goal “that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2Timothy 3:17 NIV). 

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Women’s Role in the Church – Part 1

Ken

Women Teaching Men: 1Timothy 2:11-15

In the context of the public assembly of the church, Paul gave the direction, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet” (1Timothy 2:12 NIV), he had just prefaced his remark a verse earlier. “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission” (2:11 NIV). 

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Controlling Anger

Ken

“And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27 NIV).

It is a problem to get humans to do what God wants without outright forcing us. Imagine God creating humans with the divine capacity to choose righteousness or refuse it. He didn’t have to create us that way, but He preferred to do so. God makes no mistakes. Whenever anything goes wrong, like us choosing not to do what He wants, He already knew that would happen. If God’s happiness is having us do what He wants without being forced — then, we want to make God happy. It appears that God’s Spirit living and dwelling in us is the secret to moving us not merely to want but actually to do what God wants (see Ezekiel 36:27).

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Supernatural Christianity

Ken

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1Corinthians 2:9 NIV).

For nearly 2,000 years the religion of Christ has striven for acceptance in the world. It has succeeded in integrating itself into the world, but it has also produced an effect of focusing upon the natural process and order of things — understandably, since God is both the originator, as well as, the continuous providential director of all things (Acts 17:28). Though all things concerning our natural existence are far from being answered, we have lost touch with the supernaturalness of our circumstances. God gave the earth to humankind for our benefit and blessing, that we might have “dominion [Hebrew, radah, rule]” over “all the earth” (Genesis 1:26 KJV). Jehovah, the Everlasting God, “walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8 NIV), with our Original Parents, not only communed with Adam and Eve, but directed them to extend the influence of His Divine Council beyond the Garden of Eden to the uttermost parts of the earth. It was His Divine Council because we know that even in the creation of man, God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26 NIV). “God [Hebrew, elohim, singular] has taken His place in the Divine Council; in the midst of the gods [Hebrew, elohim, plural] He holds judgment” (Psalm 82:1 ESV).

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