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Scripture Reading: James 1:18, 21, 25-27; Acts 21:17-26
We have pointed out that we need to have a balanced view of the Epistle of James. On the one hand, this Epistle is helpful in emphasizing practical Christian perfection. On the other hand, this Epistle serves as a warning that it is possible even for a very godly man not to be clear concerning God’s New Testament economy.
In 1:26 and 27 James says, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this one’s religion is vain. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” These verses, in which James speaks of religion, indicate that James’ writing concerning God’s New Testament economy is not as striking as that of Paul, Peter, or John. Paul focuses on Christ living and being formed in us (Gal. 2:20; 4:19) and Christ being magnified in us and lived out of us (Phil. 1:20-21), that we as the church, His Body, may become His fullness, His expression (Eph. 1:22-23). Peter stresses the fact that God has regenerated us through the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet. 1:3), making us partakers of His divine nature, so that we may live a life of godliness (2 Pet. 1:3-7) and be built up a spiritual house to express His virtues (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). John emphasizes the eternal life given to us for our fellowship with the Triune God (1 John 1:2-3), and the divine birth that brings into us the divine life as the divine seed for us to live a life like God (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:17) and be the church, as a lampstand, bearing the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:9,11-12), which will consummate in the New Jerusalem to express God for eternity (Rev. 21:2-3, 10-11). I hope that all the saints, especially the young people, will study this summary of the writings of Paul, Peter, and John regarding God’s New Testament economy and thoroughly get into each point.
What does James say in his Epistle concerning God’s New Testament economy? James emphasizes, as New Testament characteristics, only God’s begetting of us (1:18), the perfect law of freedom (1:25), the indwelling Spirit (4:5), and a little regarding the church (5:14). However, he mentions these things without speaking of Christ as our life and the church as the expression of Christ, the two most outstanding and dispensational characteristics of the New Testament. To point out these matters concerning the Epistle of James is to have a fair and balanced view.
According to his Epistle, James must have been very religious. In 1:27 he uses the word “religion” in a positive sense when he speaks concerning “pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father.” James goes on to say that this pure religion is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. To visit orphans and widows in their affliction is to act according to the loving heart of God, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world is to behave according to the holy nature of God. No doubt, this is a very good religion, even the best religion, a religion according to the heart and nature of God. Nevertheless, although James could write such a word about pure religion, he did not have a clear vision concerning God’s New Testament economy. This is a matter that needs to be emphasized again and again.
In our Christian life we need to have a balance between practical Christian perfection and God’s New Testament economy. The fact that the human body has two shoulders, two arms, two hands, two legs, and two feet indicates that there is balance in God’s creation. We should not be unbalanced Christians. We need to be balanced with God’s economy and our practical Christian perfection. In what I have written concerning the Epistle of James I have endeavored to be balanced, pointing out, on the positive side, that in the Epistle of James we have practical Christian perfection and, on the negative side, a warning that a godly person may not have a clear vision of God’s New Testament economy.
It may have been due to James’ religion and his practical Christian perfection that he was reputed along with Peter and John to be a pillar, even the first, in the church at Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9). However, he was not strong in the revelation of God’s New Testament economy in Christ. Rather, he was still under the influence of the background of the old Judaic religion — to worship God with ceremonies and live a life in the fear of God. This is proved by what he says in 2:2-11 and by his words in Acts 21:20-24.
Let us now consider the situation in Acts 21. Verse 18 says, “And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.” After Paul had greeted them, “he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry” (v. 19). When they heard this report, “they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law.” The Greek word rendered “thousands” actually means myriads, tens of thousands. This verse indicates that James, who took the lead to tell Paul about the thousands of Jews who believed and yet were zealous of the law, believed in the Lord Jesus, but he still preached and taught the law of Moses. Although he had been saved through grace, he still kept the law. What do we have here in Acts 21 — the dispensation of law or the dispensation of grace? In this chapter we have a mixture. God would not tolerate this mixture of the dispensation of law with the dispensation of grace.
In weighing James we need to use a heavenly scale, a scale that has James’ writings concerning practical Christian perfection on one side and his word in Acts 21 on the other side. Only when we have both sides can we have a balanced view of James. For example, if we had only chapter one of James but not chapter twenty-one of Acts, our estimation of James might be too high. But if we also have Acts 21, our view will be more balanced.
I have consulted some good books on the Epistle of James. But in the comments on James, none of these books refers to Acts 21. Therefore, I wish to emphasize the fact that if we would have a balanced view of James, we need to consider his Epistle against the background of Acts 21. When we read this chapter, we can understand why James addressed his Epistle to the twelve tribes and also why in chapter two he uses the term “synagogue.” The fact that James speaks of the twelve tribes and the synagogue indicates that he had mixed the things of Judaism with the matters of the Christian life according to God’s New Testament economy. James’ own word points to such a mixture.
In Acts 21 James advised, even urged, Paul to go to the temple with those who had a vow on them: “Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law” (vv. 23-24). By that time Paul had already written the books of Romans and Galatians, books in which he says that the law had been annulled. Nevertheless, he acted according to James’ suggestion.
Paul had come to Jerusalem, where the first church had been established. According to Acts 21, he was meeting with James, who was a pillar of the church, and with all the elders. No doubt, Peter and John were present. Paul gave a testimony of how God had used him to work among the Gentiles, and they all glorified the Lord for this. Then they went on to point out that in Jerusalem there were myriads of believers who were zealous for the law. It is difficult to believe that James, a man reputed to be so godly, could say such a word to the Apostle Paul and that he would urge him to prove to the Jews that he continued to keep the law. James told Paul that the Jews who were zealous of the law “are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs” (v. 21). To walk after the customs is to walk according to the ordinances. Then James went on to ask Paul to go with the four men who had a vow upon them and to purify himself with them. Probably the vow they had taken was the vow of a Nazarite. Now they were required to shave their heads and to offer sacrifices daily for a period of seven days.
When I first read this portion of the Word years ago, I found it hard to believe that Paul took James’ advice. Nevertheless, he followed James’ word and went to the temple with the others and participated in the vow. It seems that Paul could not avoid being influenced by that environment with its mixture.
Paul, however, may have had ground for his behavior. If he had been asked about this, he could have referred to his word to the Corinthians: “And to the Jews I became as a Jew, in order that I might gain Jews; to those under law, as under law (not being myself under law), that I might gain those under law; to those without law, as without law (not being without the law of God but within the law of Christ), that I might gain those without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. To all men I have become all things, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:20-22). Furthermore, Paul could have said, “When I wrote the books of Romans and Galatians, I was with Gentiles, so I behaved as a Gentile. But now in Jerusalem I am with Jews, and I behave as a Jew.” But whatever the case may have been, Paul took the advice of James and joined himself to those who had the vow upon them.
In Acts 21:26-28 we see that when the seven days were nearly over, certain Jews saw Paul in the temple, stirred up the people, and laid hands on him. This may indicate that the Lord did not agree with what Paul was doing and allowed him to be arrested. Eventually, Paul was sent to Rome to be judged directly by Caesar Nero. Although Paul was such a strong apostle, he was still human, and he took the advice of those Judaic elders in Jerusalem. God, however, would not tolerate the situation.
We have a strong basis in the Bible for saying that James was not strong in the revelation of God’s New Testament economy in Christ. Actually, James was somewhat off from God’s economy. As we have pointed out, he was still under the influence of the background of the old Judaic religion. His word in Acts 21 definitely and clearly indicates this.
We may say that James’ view was obscure concerning the distinction between God’s new economy and His old dispensation. This obscurity may have been due to the strong tradition James was in and to the background he was under. This tradition and background worked together with James’ sympathy with Judaism to cause him to sacrifice God’s new economy and compromise with the old dispensation. This compromise produced a mixture that was intolerable to God.
The divine principle is always to keep God’s dispensations distinct and separate. In Acts 21 even Paul became somewhat involved in this mixture because of the atmosphere, the cloudy sky, in Jerusalem. Man’s sympathy with tradition and background always brings in a mixture of the new with the old. It is a shame that a God-fearing man like James would have taken part in such a mixture. This is recorded in the Scriptures, and it is certainly fair to call our attention to it so that we may realize the need to have a clear vision concerning God’s New Testament economy.
