Tag: faith

Hearers and doers

So, we are to be slow at speaking and slow to anger, just God is slow to anger and abounding  in love and prompt in listening.  However, this desire to listen is not meant to be passive. Jesus talked about his followers being “both hearers and doers of his word”, so too does James. A… Continue reading Hearers and doers

Slow to anger

My mum used to remind me when I was little that I had two ears and only one mouth. The moral of this, she argued, was that I should spend twice as much time listening as talking. A look at the text (Read James 1:19-21) James says that we must be quick when it comes… Continue reading Slow to anger

James 1:19-27 Listening and doing

This morning’s sermon…. Slowing the game down Sometimes in a frantic football game you need the player with skill, experience, patience just to put their foot on the ball, pause and slow the game down a bit giving everyone time to get their breath and their bearings.  Then they get things moving again with a… Continue reading James 1:19-27 Listening and doing

Evaluation

It may surprise us, given Scriptures warning about pride, arrogance and boasting that New Testament authors, including Paul as well as James do argue that there is a place for boasting. The surprising twists concern who can boast and the basis of their boast. A look at the text (Read James 1:9-11) James contrasts the… Continue reading Evaluation

Greetings to scattered people

Theresa May in her 2016 party conference speech described her opponents as “citizens of nowhere.”[1] She was arguing that those who saw themselves as citizens of the world, especially those who were using this kind of language to attack Brexit supporters as nationalists lack roots.  The speech understandably ruffled a few feathers.  The reality of… Continue reading Greetings to scattered people

James and Paul: Law, grace and faith

Does James contradict Paul?  This is one of the big questions that has been asked of his letter and it is the primary reason why some people have been suspicious of the letter.  Paul has been keen in his letters to argue that we are saved by grace alone and justified by faith.  In Ephesians… Continue reading James and Paul: Law, grace and faith

Faith at work -introduction to the book of James

The book of James is often treated as the poor man’s relation to Paul’s epistles.  Luther infamously described it as an “epistle of straw” and I think many, like him have seen it as troublesome, potentially in conflict with the message of justification by faith and salvation by grace alone that we see in Romans,… Continue reading Faith at work -introduction to the book of James