Christians have long recognized the interpretive difficulty in James 5:13–18, “the prayer of faith will save the sick.” Put simply—it doesn’t seem to work, at least not very often or reliably. Because of this difficulty, three main explanations of the passage have arisen: James 5:13–18 pertained to healing only in the early apostolic age and is inapplicable in the present. James addresses sickness in every age, but his statement must be carefully qualified. James addresses primarily spiritual/emotional, not physical, weakness. Of these options, the belief that James addresses the healing of ..read more

Throughout his epistle, James calls believers to live out a whole-hearted, single-minded, fully trusting faith in God and His Word. Yet James is also clear that believers who live this way will nevertheless experience relentless opposition, ruthless persecution and unexplained suffering. Moreover, his fellow New Testament apostles agree that God uses our suffering not only to perfect our living faith (James 1:2–4) but also to: • Mark obedient Christians (2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:14). • Demonstrate our faith’s authenticity and value (1 Pet. 1:6–7). • Advance the gospel in hard places and dark spa ..read more

In a world where brokenness is the norm, believers (Rom. 8:23–25) often find themselves in circumstances, either self-inflicted or circumstantially driven, that elicit great sadness or hardship, just as non-Christians do (Rom. 8:18–22). Contrary to what some may teach, God does not tell us to “keep a stiff upper lip” and wait out the storm, as if sorrow or the expression of pain is inherently sinful. Instead, God provides us with biblical teaching designed not only to help us navigate the hardship but also to deal with our own sorrow in the middle of the pain. Through the laments in the Script ..read more

All believers sometimes wonder “what in heaven” God is up to that we face pressures and challenges, whether financial, family- or friend-related, or even physical and psychological. James reminds us of a biblical figure about whom that question is answered in amazingly clear terms. “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job,” he writes (a concept memorialized proverbially as “the patience of Job”). “(A)nd you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (5:11). Pastor James gets to the protagonist of the ancient, eponymous book as his third and ultimate pictu ..read more

According to a recent Pew Research study, as American culture becomes increasingly secularized, professing Christendom may soon exist in the minority.1 A growing number of its citizens have already departed from embracing basic Christian doctrine to hold to atheism, agnosticism or to just plain indifference. At the current rate, 31% of professing Christians depart from their beliefs between the ages of 15 and 29, while another 7% leave after the age of 30 — a significant decline, even considering that 21% of non-church people profess Christianity during the same timeframe.  Secularism is ..read more

We have many reasons to be fearful, but that’s nothing new. People of all ages have faced circumstances that gripped them with fear. The Scriptures speak about fear, providing both warnings against misdirected fear and comfort for our fear struggles. When we are fearful, it’s essential that believers run to our loving Father who assures us with truth through His Word. Identifying Fear Fear is an intense emotion that God intended for our protection, either to fight or flee from a perceived danger (e.g., climbing an extension ladder to a second story). However, fear can be a hinderance (e.g., fe ..read more

What is addiction from a biblical perspective, and how can church members help those who struggle with addiction? BJU Seminary faculty member Jim Berg recently discussed the topic on The Messy Podcast with Scott Mehl, pastor of Cornerstone Church of West Los Angeles. The post The Mess of Addiction appeared first on BJU Seminary ..read more

Frankly, James’s epistle can be somewhat of a downer — with a large chunk exposing, confronting and correcting sinful, double-minded behavior of professing Christians. But blessedly, Christ’s earthly brother landed his high-impact missive as he launched it — providing spiritual comfort and sustenance for devoted but hope-hungry believers striving to maintain a whole-hearted, single-focused, fully trusting faith in the hardest and darkest of hard places and dark spaces. James begins by exhorting Jewish believers, dispersed across the Roman Empire as a result of the exile, to joyfully endure fie ..read more

“Adulteresses!” Fifteen times in his epistle, James addresses readers as ἀδελφοί — “brothers” — a male form. Yet in chastising believers for their adulterous disobedience of giving in to their passions, he abruptly switches to the feminine plural, mοιχαλίδες (4:4). Is this a first-century form of diversity, equity and inclusion, or something deeper? Pastor James’ Jewish audience (1:1) was well aware of the numerous Old Testament references to Israel as an adulterous bride, but also certainly of God’s now-obscure yet fascinating test of a wife’s claims of innocence to a suspicious husband. In t ..read more

Is masculinity toxic? Our culture certainly seems to think so — “more equality, fewer stereotypes.” But the Bible does support masculinity, although maybe not the big, strong, tough image that comes to many of our minds. To understand biblical masculinity, we need to start by examining God’s created order. Equity and Diversity of Men and Women At creation God made man and woman both in equity. “God created man and woman in His own image, … male and female He created them” (Gen. 1: 27). Their value, equal. Their standing before God, equal. Their glory found in image-bearing, equal. But God did ..read more