This one hit me hard this morning, as James always does. It's like he wants to leave you so black and blue after reading his letter that you have no choice but to be more like Christ. Bold. Blunt. In-your-face. Stepping-on-your-toes. Yep, that's James. I think if I would have lived in his time I would have had difficulty approaching him for fear of getting socked in the jaw with truth proceeding from the mouth of the man who had Jesus Christ for an older brother. Yeah, try to picture that life. There are still so many questions I have about his letter (most of them start with "Did you seriously mean it when you said . . ." or "How can you say . . . when another scripture says . . ."). But it's the infallible Word of Truth, breathed and inspired by the Almighty, so I'm not so much questioning it today as I am reeling from its punches. Does the Bible ever do that to you? Sucker punch you when you least expect it? Leave you on your knees, silently begging for more, but nearly afraid to ask?
Ready? Try this one:
"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come close to God and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor."
Okay, lets explore some background before we step up to the line. Who is James addressing here? (hint: it's not the lost) The church of Jewish people he was leading - in Jerusalem and abroad. And, I'd like to argue, all believers everywhere in all generations. He's talking to us.
Did you see the sweet little nugget packed within his fist as he swung at me? I did this time I read it, and it definitely hit me differently today.
"Come close to God and God will come close to you."
Now, usually when I read or quote that part, it is conveniently absent of its violent neighbors. It's such a sweet, comforting idea. Like hot cocoa or warm apple pie. So why in the world would James have put it smack dab in the middle of these teeth-breaking blows: "Humble yourselves"? "Wash your hands, you sinners"? "purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided"? "Let there be sorrow and deep grief"? "gloom instead of joy"? Is it just me, or is this a little out of place? What in heaven's name does one have to do with the others?
EVERYTHING!
If we want to draw near to God and have Him in turn draw near to us, coming before Him bloodied and bruised by our own repentance is THE key. And let me define repentance, just in case it's simply a cliche that has lost its meaning by over-use. Repentance is "a repenting or being penitent; feeling of sorrow, etc., esp. for wrongdoing; compunction; contrition; remorse" (yourDictionary.com). Yeah. Repentance hurts. It's supposed to. It doubles us over and drops us to our knees. It brings stinging tears to our eyes and most importantly, it brings an intrinsic, passionate, needy desire to CHANGE. To turn from what hit you and walk away from the sin. Not to book a return trip. Ever.
So, yes, we can come near to God and He will come near to us. Of course. He wants us to come near to Him. Always. He never refuses us, IF. If what? If we are humble. If we realize we are nothing without Him. If we acknowledge that we have no righteousness of our own, but only that which is endued to us from His precious and beautiful Son. If we realize the wretched state of our sinfulness without His grace. It is not only imperative THAT we come close to Him, but HOW we come close to Him.
And that is James' purpose in slugging us repeatedly and painfully. Because God can't come near our sin. It has to be covered in His Son's precious blood and washed away - as far as east is from west and deeper than the ocean floor. That's what happens to our sin when we confess in repentance. We can be continually humbled by the realization that He loves us that much. And once we are bloodied by our humility, there's nothing that can keep us from His warm, cozy, comforting embrace. Not a single thing.
Were you caught in the jaw mid swing as James was aiming at me? I'd say sorry, but maybe I'm not.
