True repentance

How does grace work in the life of the believer?  The answer is that it does in pretty much the same way as in the life of a new convert.  God’s grace by bringing down the proud and lifting up the humble starts by working repentance in our hearts

A look at the text (Read James 4:7-9)

First, James calls us to submit to God, to recognise his sovereignty, his authority, his Lordship in our lives.  Submitting to God means resisting the devil, saying no to his temptation.  Notice that this comes with a promise.  If we resist the devil, he will flee (4:7).[1]There’s a further promise to follow, if we draw near to God, then he will draw near to us.[2]  There’s the promise of reconciliation, restoration and intimacy.  This drawing near involves a commitment to sanctification and James’ audience are rebuked as sinners.[3]  There’s an outward demonstration through hand washing but this metaphorically represents a heart change, we are to purify ourselves and a change of mindset, we are no longer to be double minded or divided in our loyalties (4:8).[4]

Repentance is to be expressed in sorrow.  Jesus talked about “blessed are those who mourn” and here we see that this grief and mourning is a spiritual mourning over our sin and the grief and death it brings (4:9). Repentance requires humbleness.  Sin and rebellion are linked to our pride when we become complacent and self sufficient or even seek to rival Christ for status and position in his church (4:10).

Digging Deeper

The call to wash your hands reflects on three things.  First, it is a reminder that those in rebellion against God have been accused of murder.  They have blood on their hands.  This reminds us that sin is harmful and destructive to others.  Secondly, it draws to our attention the Psalm which says:

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?     Who may stand in his holy place? ⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,     who does not trust in an idol     or swear by a false god.[5]

Notice how the Psalm links rebellion with idolatry and how it, as in James brings together the outward image of clean hands with the inner reality of pure hearts.  Thirdly, the call to wash your hands is an appeal to loving, godly conduct in all that we do.

What we seen in these verses is a fleshing out of the promise of God’s grace and what it means for God to resist the proud and favour the humble.  The proud are not a distinct, other category of people but rather, it’s you and me, believers when we become stubborn, complacent and self centred. God resists us so that we become broken and repentant. Then God shows favour to us in our humility, repairing and restoring.

A look at ourselves

It is helpful to be challenged and this Bible passage invites us to a reset in our lives.  Have you been tempted towards bitterness and resentment towards others in the church, the church itself or even God.  James reminds us that there is a close tie up between bitterness and pride.  What do you and I most need in such a situation? The answer is that we need a Gospel encounter with the living Christ which both humbles us and lifts us up to restore us.