**The notes go down to verse 21, but verse 22 was covered in this message.
V.19- James begins with an acknowledgement that they are already aware of what he is about to say. Yet, James is led by the Spirit to repeat the following statement of fact to his hearers once more. In a general sense, this is true for every believer. This is why we are reminded of the core truths of the Christian faith time and time again. Some are revisited more often, and others are more infrequent. For James, the three topics listed in verse 19 were of necessity for his audience to hear again. It is not difficult for us to see the need to be reminded of these things in our day as well.
I think we see this played out more when it comes to anger because of what we are exposed to via news and media outlets. It seems as though everyone is mad at each other for one reason or another. Before we get to the topic of anger, let us work in order of the text beginning with a listening ear.
What is James getting at with the need to be quick to hear? Is this to listen to a command, perform the task, and move on? I don’t think so. The Spirit, here, is slowing us down and having us hear in a way that we absorb or take in what is said (Mounce). This is seen in Nehemiah 8:2-3 and 9:3. The Hebrew word in Nehemiah 8:2 is defined as “to hear intelligently” (Strong’s). In Nehemiah 8:3 a different Hebrew word is used for ‘understanding’ but has a similar meaning that is “to look closely or consider with full attention, to ponder something” (Mounce). Why bring this up? Because we see a similar thread throughout Scripture. The children of God are known by practicing an ear that is quick to hear. And in the same way, we don’t always heed what God says just like Israel of old. As we see in these texts, it is always for our good that we be quick to hear. Nowhere in these texts will you find a negative outcome for being quick to hear. The same is true in the NT. What is said in Acts 13:42-44 about the Jewish and other God fearing people is that they had an inflammatory desire to hear the word of truth as Paul and Barnabas presented it to them. Further, this is also said of those in Berea according to Acts 17:11, “they received the word with great eagerness.” How did they receive the word? By being quick to listen! This must never leave our minds and souls. What is said here is a great desire for the Word of God, in other words to hear the truth. It never became dull or boring or insignificant to them. Let it be said of us that we are consistently a people who long for the Word of God!
Being quick to hear will shut down the desire to speak quickly and to be quickly fired up in an angry rage. Let’s face it, believers sometimes hurt us, especially with words that are said. But as we listen beyond the statement that may have angered us and we get the full story, we are able to see that there was no reason to be angry at all. This also promotes a kind of growth that is foreign to the world. For example, 1 Samuel 25:17-34 displays this brilliantly. The Scripture gives us a real life account of what it looks like to be quick to hear and slow to anger. And, further, to heed the words of prayerful discernment from a follower of God.
In another way, we see this anger that is quickly kindled turn out to almost be a great hindrance. When Naaman is told to wash in the Jordan seven times through Elisha’s messenger (2 Kings 5:10), what is Naaman’s response? Verses 11 and 12 say, “But Naaman was furious and went away…he turned away in a rage.” It was not until he calmed down that he eventually went and washed and was healed. But his continued suffering from leprosy as he left in a rage could have been easily avoided if he were to have been quick to listen and slow to get angry. I am certain at some point in our lives we have acted foolishly like Naaman. And just as Yahweh God was patient with Naaman to cool down, so is He patient with us. What Yahweh God’s desire is for men to be saved. And we see that in Naaman’s confession in verse 17 “for your servant (that is Naaman) will no more offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord.”
God is teaching us through what we are told by those who are filled with wisdom. Whether we are a great commander like Naaman or retired or a full time worker we should practice a slowness to anger. God’s desire is for us to hear from those seasoned in the Word to encourage us, challenge us, and walk alongside us. Praise God that He is so patient with us.
In contrast to quickness, the next two actions are slow in movement. First, there is the call to be slow to speak. Proverbs 10:19 makes this quite clear, “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” One commentator writes, “The talking man makes himself artificially deaf, being like a man in the steeple when the bells ring” (J. Taylor). How important is it to be slow to speak? Consider these texts Proverbs 13:3, 15:2, 17:27, 18:13, 21, 21:23, Ecclesiastes 5:2-3… A slowness to speak will lead to a slowness of anger.
Praise be to God that He does not call us to be slow to anger without this being true of Himself. Nehemiah 9:17 tells us that God is a “God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness.” Again, let us consider what the Scripture as a whole says about this topic. Consider Proverbs 14:17, 29, 15:18, 16:32, 17:14, 19:11, 19, 25:15, 18, Ecclesiastes 7:8-9…
V.20- If there was any confusion on why anger is unprofitable, verse 20 clears up any misunderstanding. Here, James contrasts the anger of man with the righteousness of God. On the surface these two things are incompatible. In a secondary way, the anger of man, ultimately, retracts the Christian from striving toward Christ-likeness. In other words, the man who is perpetually angry cannot grow in Christ. There is no ascension in godliness. Paul associates those who have “outbursts of anger” to be those who will “not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:20-21).
We see in the life of Moses a man who had anger issues. Anger is the main reason why he was unable to enter into the promised land. Moses’ anger caused him to disobey the word of Yahweh (Numbers 20:10-12).
Christians do get angry, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes we get angry in the wrong way. This does not mean that we will not inherit the kingdom of God. What we get from this warning in James 1:20 is that it cannot be said of a Christian to be perpetually, or continually, angry. One commentator writes, “The point is that the wrath of men hinders their attaining the righteousness and accomplishing the duty which God’s Word enjoins” (Curtis Vaughn).
The anger that James is led to write about is an anger that is rooted in the sinfulness of man. In other words, unrighteous anger does not please God. Bill Mounce notes that “human anger does not work/produce/or result in the righteousness of God.” Proverbs 22:24-25 helpfully proves this point saying, “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, lets you learn his ways, and find a snare for yourself.”
For those of us who have or had children, if it were true that acting out in anger, at any time, would not get us into heaven, not one of us would enter. Not only would this be true of parents, but of siblings. As children get older, they have more arguments with other siblings, at least to some degree. Regardless, no one would be spared if this meant that we are to never get angry. Yet, it must be something to be strived after as Christians.
As it has been mentioned, there is a clear distinction between a Christian getting angry from time to time and someone who is consumed by his/her anger. Is anger exclusive in not achieving the righteousness of God? No. Verse 21 demands us to put away all of our sin, whatever that sin might be. Whenever anger is listed as a sin, it is always listed with other sins that are just as wicked as seen in Galatians 5, 2 Cor. 12:20, Eph. 4:31, and Col. 3:8.
V.21- James’ desire here is to not solely focus on anger, but the renewing of the entire man. Verse 21 makes up for any reason we may have as to why we can live a certain way. Before verse 21 someone may say, “I don’t struggle with anger, so I am good.” For James, it was not enough to only put away anger. Instead, James brings forth an all-encompassing response to the question of anger. He says after putting anger away, work on everything else! You will notice that there is no leeway or loophole to squeeze through or get by.
The command is to put aside. What does James mean by this? He means for us to “take off” (BSL) filthiness and wickedness. We are to be those who “will defile your graven images, overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing; and say to them, “Be gone” (Isaiah 30:22)! This is James’ petition for you and I to put off our old selves and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:5-8, Hebrews 12:1). One thing to note here is that this is a consistent NT held belief to be carried out. The NT gives us three writers who all wrote about this in the same way, James, Paul, and the writer to the Hebrews. The Scripture does not give us one reference, but many. Kurt Richardson comments saying, “Christian obedience is never fully habitual. It requires a daily “putting on Christ” for its realization. Even with a strong doctrine of the new life in Christ, believers are always putting on and putting off ways of living according to the will of God.” The reason that we are told continually to put off and put on is because it truly is a daily battle. How about it? How many times have you gotten up with good intentions just to go completely awry in the opposite direction? Maybe it wasn’t practically speaking, but maybe it was your attitude, something setting you off in a direction you did not want to go. This is such a common problem that Peter mentions it twice in 1 Peter 2. Specifically in verses 1 and 11.
James does not explicitly mention daily confession of sins, but I do believe that it is implied. For example, which one of us has put off all filthiness and wickedness and kept it off? Exactly. Not even the greatest of Christian believers could say that these things were put off permanently on this side of heaven.
Now, the Greek word for filthiness is only found here. This is not the first time that we have seen a single usage Greek word in the letter of James. It defines filthiness in the moral sense whether it be “moral filthiness, uncleanness, or pollution” (Mounce). Both filthiness and wickedness in this verse are seen as an ‘overabundance’ (BSL). What is an overabundance of wickedness and filthiness? For the believer an overabundance is having any wickedness or filthiness at all.
