What do you believe? When talking about faith and works yesterday, James now make this statement about belief today. Read James 2:18-19. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. James 2:19 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.19.NASB When discussing faith and the fact that if faith doesn’t lead to action then it’s dead, James further illustrates the point by saying that the demons believe that God is God. They have a knowledge of this, but their knowledge doesn’t move them to place their faith in God and then act on it. They know God, and they tremble at that thought, but their knowledge doesn’t move them…

Just do it. Nike’s slogan from years past rang true with people because of the simplicity of the message. If you know what to do, you should do it. James says the same thing. Read James 2:14-17. Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. James 2:17 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.17.NASB If we say we have faith in God, that should mean something in our life. Our life should reflect that faith to others so that it is more than just words that we say. If we truly have faith in God, our actions will be impacted as well. We will be livibg out what we know…

Mercy versus judgment. These are the two choices that we will face when standing before God and they are the two choices that we have when dealing with other people. Read James 2:12-13. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.13.NASB God is ultimately going to judge us. As it mentioned yesterday, if someone failed at just one thing, then they are going to be guilty of the entire law. Still, God has provided a way to show us mercy. Because of that way through Jesus Christ, we have the option to show mercy to others around us.…

Either complete perfection or complete failure. People who think they can be good enough to get to heaven on their own merit need to understand there are only 2 options for them. Either they are completely perfect or a total failure. Read James 2:10-11. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. James 2:10 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.10.NASB Verse 11 goes on to give an example, but the implication is clear. If you miss in just one area, then you have failed in everything. The idea that God will weigh out the good deeds versus the bad deeds is completely false. This…

Conviction. Most people don’t enjoy feeling conviction, but the problem come when they deny the need to feel convicted. James has been discussing favoritism and partiality and finally lays it out here. If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, ” you shall love your neighbor as yourself ,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. James 2:8‭-‬9 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.8-9.NASB Showing favoritism is sin. There’s no way around that and no excuse for it. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but if we show favoritism, then we are breaking…

Who do you align yourself with? Yesterday, James was discussing favoritism and today he continues by describing it in more detail and then asking why people are aligning themselves with people who are not believers. Read James 2:5-7. Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? James 2:7 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.7.NASB Trying to get on people’s good sides, just for what they can give you, is wrong. The people were sacrificing their principles just to gain posessions and material things. As they were trying to gain the favor of these people, they were aligning themselves with people who don’t believe in Christ, and in some cases…

Favoritism is judging others. If we are giving preferential treatment to some people and not to others, then we are judging them and determining our actions based on that judgment. Read James 2:2-4. In James’s time, there was a problem. People would see wealthy individuals coming to the church meeting and would give them nice seats in great places, and they would see poor people come in and would give them the leftovers of where to sit. The idea or the thought is that the church hoped and expected to receive more money from the rich person then they did from the poor person so they gave the rich person…

Known any “privileged” Christians? You know what I mean. These are the people who believe that because they have a relationship with Jesus Christ, that somehow makes them better or superior to every other person. They walk around with their nose of assuming an attitude of privilidge. Read James 2:1. My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. James 2:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.2.1.NASB Apparently James had these type of believers in his day as well. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ does not give us permission to act superior to other believers, or even to act superior to non-believers.…

Who controls your tongue? What you say about what you do impacts every single part of your day. Yet how much control do you really exercise over the words that come out of your mouth? Read James 1:26-27. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. James 1:26 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.1.26.NASB We can profess our religiousness all we want, but if we are not actively controlling what we say then our witness and testimony is worthless. What we say is a reflection of what is in our heart. What is in our heart is the…

How do we get blessed? That seems to be what everyone is asking these days. We want our life blessed, our kids blessed, our finances blessed, everything. The Bible indicates how we do that in James 1:25. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.1.25.NASB Look intently at the perfect law and do it effectively and your life will be blessed. The verses yesterday reminded us just how important it is to do the things that we have…