A Call to Community
James 4:7-12 (NIV) 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
The epistle of James, written by the half brother of Jesus, was composed at a time when Jews had scattered in an attempt to escape persecution and even death. There has sometimes been unfair criticism against this letter, calling it legalistic and a proponent of salvation through works as opposed to salvation through faith. Instead, James taught that works were the result of, not the means to, our salvation.
In this portion of our scripture, James begins by referring to the ceremonial washing by priests before entering the temple. We, today, recognize the spiritual significance of approaching a holy God in awe and reverence. There is no magic formula to a relationship with God, but I believe there are actions we can take that will hinder our relationship, and thus prevent us from growing in Christ. When we fail to honor God in all we say and do, it will not be long before we begin to treat others in a way that contradicts everything Jesus taught.
We are called to humility which leads to treating others with kindness rather than in judgment. I love the scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:11 (MSG) Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.
When the love of Jesus has the first and last word in everything we do, we will recognize the holiness of God and we will help build a community of believers that can withstand any assault by the enemy.
May we join together in faith and unity, relying upon the love within which God has infused us and His Holy Word.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Seeking Holiness 