The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father of lights, Jesus, His Word of Truth, and the Holy Spirit whom He makes to dwell in us. Amen. We’ll take today’s reading from James 1:16-21 verse by verse. James writes pithy, punchy statements that pack a lot of weight without rambling. To get the full depth of his letter, like any other book of the Bible, let the Bible be its own interpreter—connect the dots between James and the rest of the Bible—his rich theology draws heavily on the words of Jesus and other scripture. Some call his letter the Proverbs of the NT, or see parallels between James and the Sermon on the Mount. Our reading begins abruptly “ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ” The “ do not be deceived” part comes right after explaining that temptation is not from God, but originates in our own sinful nature. So d...

1.       James teaches what the “way of the Christian” looks like. What the manner of life looks like due to the faith that the Holy Spirit has put in our hearts by God’s Word. Suspicion because of strong emphasis on good works. But actually James in no way diminishes the importance of faith, but rather sees it as a necessary first before we have good works. The words of the sermon hymn explain it well: “Faith alone can justify. Works serve our neighbor and supply the proof that faith is living.” Today James sets out to prove that faith is living. 2.       Since only God can see the faith in our heart, it is through faith expressing itself in good works that we can see and recognize faith as genuine. Good works indicate faith that is present, while the absence of good works indicate that faith is absent. “So faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”, James says. 3.       So what is the way of the...