The Other Guy: The Quest: Day 7.0

Before you distract me again…

Now listen up! This time I am going to cover the verses I meant to cover yesterday. That is to say, I will cover them, Lord willing! (Thank you, James!) Today is going to be about the other guy. Psalms 1 and James 1 both refer on one hand to the wise, and then they refer to the other guy.

You told me to go back to the beginning!

These first verse will be all-too familiar if you’ve been with me at all this past week.

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 1:19-22

Yesterday we talked about the Therefore. We skipped right over the admonition against filthiness and rampant wickedness. To be accurate, we also skipped over the slow to speak, slow to anger. However, we did cover those in some depth on Day 2.0.

Today, I want so badly to move into verse 22. It’s the core verse I was trying to get to yesterday. Not sure that is going to happen. First we need to touch on the no-nos in these verses and tie them together. Then, like yesterday, I’d like to run them by Psalm 1 if I have time. We can say today’s is the obverse of yesterday’s study. Yesterday we talked about these verses and the righteous man. Today we’ll talk about the other guy.

The Other Guy

Before we bring in Psalm 1, I want to point out that James 1 and Psalm 1 have two different versions of the other guy in mind. In Psalm 1, the other guy (or guys) is called the wicked. It’s important to point out that James, when talking to the other guy, is talking to beloved brothers. So there is, from the start, a difference in kind. James’ audience, even those going about things in a muddleheaded manner, is a Christian audience. They are not the wicked other guy, but apparently they are that Christian other guy acquainted with rampant wickedness.

Rampant wickedness is defined by Webster as really bad. I know this begs a question, but I don’t want to take time to go into examples of real brothers who found themselves the other guy aligning with sinners. If you would like to look at a few examples, see 1 Corinthians 5, or see the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.

The upshot is, Paul and James, and by extrapolation, David, tell us that real believers, regenerate, justified, in the process of sanctification, have a choice where they sit. Lot had a choice, and he chose poorly (Genesis 19). He might likely be the other guy James is writing to. Yet, Hebrews 11 tells us Lot was a righteous man. So, what can a poor faithful brother do when he finds himself attending the First Church of Gomorrah?

Wrapping it up in a Psalms 1 bow

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalms 1

Unlike yesterday, let’s move forward through both James and Psalms. Imagine a brother (the other guy) sitting in a pew feeling rather uncomfortable as a man in drag offers him the communion plate, but forbids his unbaptized son to partake of the Lord’s Supper. What practical advice do David and James have for him?

Celebrating Abomination? Not so blessed

He should hear the word. What does the Bible say about brothers standing with sinners? (Note: again, (see Day 4.0) Christians are in no way commanded to avoid contact with sinners. Christians are to love sinners. Christians are to share the Gospel with sinners. Christians are sinners. All have sinned. But, Christians should not wallow in sin. They most certainly should not devote themselves to a congregation that celebrates abomination. By implication, according to Psalms 1, they are not blessed.

Scoffing at Scripture

Next, he should be slow to speak and slow to anger. But, the other guy should also observe where his congregation sits. What do their practices reveal about their stance on scripture? What does Psalms 1 say about those who chum around with scoffers? Let me pause to say that those who dismiss the scriptures outright to glorify the false virtues of being nice and tolerant have no love for others in them. Love for others would be to point them to scripture and beg them to repent. Instead, these nice folks are scoffing at the scriptures. They are scoffing at God. Psalms, again, shows they are not blessed. James says they are not righteous.

How then shall we live?

Finally, the other guy should put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness in order to attain righteousness. How can we put these things away?

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

2 Peter 1:3-10

Oh yeah, and he should also relocate his family to a congregation seeking to obey scripture.

You never let me finish!

Okay, you win again. This post grew far beyond my intentions. Praise God and thank the Holy Spirit for inspiration. I will continue this exposition on James 1:19-22 in the next post. Actually, I am going to dive hardcore into 2 Peter 1:3-10. Then I’ll hopefully bring it all back under the lens of James.