Regarding Our Brothers and Sisters
Last week we began our study in the last chapter of the book of James. The main theme of the first six verses of the chapter is that those who place their hope on earthly things, those who continue in their sin without turning to God will ultimately have their reward here on earth. This is to their detriment because those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, will have rewards far greater than anything found here. While last week was aimed at those who do not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, this week James has a message for those who have acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
7 Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.9 Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.”
James 5:7-12
James begins this message for believers with a message to be patient. It can be very difficult to look at the world, to see all the wrong that is occurring and not feel as if God has lost control. For the believer, we need to remember that there is nothing outside of God’s control, these things are occurring according to His plan and it is with the purpose to draw mankind back to Him. This is why James now describes the believer as a farmer. If you have ever attempted to grow any type of plant, you know that it does not occur overnight. Often times, when a plant is beginning to grow we find ourselves wondering if it will ever take root. Then the next time we look at it, we see a sprout and our hope for the plant begins. This is the same process for believers today, the Bible gives us events that must occur before Jesus comes to reign on earth. Matthew 24 gives further detail on what these events must be. However, for the believer when we see these signs taking place, we should not be worried. Instead, we need to look at it with hope because it means that our rewards will be here soon.
However, right after giving the believer a reason to hope, James then turns and gives us further instructions and it is again something that can be difficult for us to do. James then instructs us to not complain against our brother and sisters in Christ. In the end, there are going to be believers who we just don’t connect with on a personal level. However, this does not mean that we complain about them. We need to remember that they are fellow brothers and sisters and love them for that simple fact.
James ends this section of verse with one last encouragement to endure the world we are in. He encourages us to look at those who have endured challenges well. James gives us two examples. Our first example is the prophets. If you have spent any amount of time reading the Old Testament you will see that the prophets endured a considerable amount. And yet, they never took their eyes off of God and were rewarded for it. Then take a look at the lives of the disciples and fellow believers in the New Testament. Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned; yet he continued to preach the word of God that caused many to believe. Stephan was stoned because he spoke to the religious leaders about Christ, but he saw Jesus on the throne! Finally, we have Job; a man who lived during the Old Testament, who has his own book, if you have not read the book of Job, you should. In this book you will see that Job loses all his property, his children, his wife tells him to curse God and die, and he is struck with multiple sicknesses to name a few things that happen to him. However, because Job remains steadfast and endures all of this without cursing God; we find at the end of the chapter that he is blessed with more land, more children, and a renewed health. We will face challenges and pain in this life as believers, but this should not sway us from preaching and teaching the word of God. We must patiently endure and continue to spread the gospel.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex