James 1:19-21
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you
Humbly accept the word planted in you.
You have a divine word, and it is planted in your life. It came at the conception of your spiritual life, when you became a believing member of God's family. That word is God-breathed, and it can thoroughly equip you for every good work. When every person is born from above that word is planted in their lives. There is not one Christian who is aware of all the consequences of that. You simply "opened your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ," or you prayed, "God save me." How ever you expressed your need of Jesus Christ the divine answer was exceeding abundantly above all you asked for. God planted his word in within you. James is pleading with us here to accept that word. Welcome its presence. Strengthen and educate it. Read the Bible, and sit under the best ministry you can, and read the finest books that will help you. Do not resist it and then the word will lead you into new thoughts, and they in turn into new habits that move out into your life from within you. The key to change is your willingness to accept the planted word. Only a person in whose life is planted the word of God is capable of overcoming a single sin. Without the aid of the Spirit and the word we are powerless and ignorant.
How does James describe your acceptance ? "Humbly," he says. That is the required attitude - with meekness, and teachableness, and submission. While you resist it, that is, while you fidget and whisper and refuse to listen to the preaching you are not going to conquer your anger, or any other sin. The reason is obvious - you are grieving the Spirit. There is an indivisible union between the Spirit and the Bible. The Spirit works through the Bible being joyfully heard and obeyed. Don't expect change apart from the word. Are you humbly accepting the word ? By loving that word you will change.
Jay Adams points out how we have already learned how to control our anger - in a few seconds. For example, we have lost our temper with a member of the family and we are ranting at them and flashing our eyes in rage, and suddenly the door-bell goes, and it's the minister coming in, or the phone rings and it's your boss, and you have suddenly controlled your tongue, and calmed your anger. You knew you could not act like that with your preacher watching you, or carry on raving away on the telephone to your managing director, but, you thought you could get away with it at home. You have learned to control yourself in one situation, and you have learned not to do it in another. Humbly accept that word !
Bring your conscience to that word. Pray for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, that he would use the law of God to convince you of the greatness of your guilt. Let the terror of God's law sink into your conscience. Think of how righteous God would be if he punished you for every time you were angry. Don't allow your deceitful heart to argue that God's law cannot condemn you because you 'are not under the law but under grace.' Humbly accept the word ! If you do this it will make you tremble and bring you to your knees. If you really want to put to death anger and all your sinful attitudes, let the law of God disturb your conscience until you are convinced of your desires. Don't be content before you can say with repentant David,
"I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me."
Or think how that word speaks to you of Christ your great High Priest in heaven. Think about his merciful, tender, kindly nature. Be sure that he pities you in your distress. Remember that the Lord Jesus has the tenderness of a mother to her infant child. Remember that because he himself has suffered he is able to aid those who are tempted. He felt the heat of men's anger, and so he knows your pain that you have directed your anger to other people.
That implanted word especially tells you of the death of Christ, and the fundamental reason for putting to death sinful anger is the death of Christ, The great aim of the death of Christ was to "redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." He died to free us from the power of our sins and to purify us from every sinful desire that defiles us. Focus your faith on Christ as he is set forth in the gospel as dying and crucified for us. Look on him as he prays, bleeds and dies under the weight of your sin. By faith humbly accept this crucified Saviour to control all your life. By faith apply his blood to all your sinful desire. Make this a daily practice. This is what it means to humbly accept the word planted in you.
It can "save you," James says (v.21). That is how our text closes. That is, obeying the word can save you from anger, or from any sin. There is no need that anyone go on crippled through life by a sin that is twisting and destroying them. Do the three things that James says,
(1) be slow in becoming angry,
(2) get rid of all the sin in your life, and
(3) humbly accept the word planted in you.
You will be saved from deep-rooted sins, and long established patterns of conduct that hurt you can be eradicated. The word can save you from the sins that beset you.
But the word can save you from hell. God has every right to send me to hell; he has ever right to send you to hell. We are sinners who deserve eternal death. But God, in his love, has chosen to take care of our sins by sending his only son to die for our sins. God's love is marvellous because it is totally effective. It is this love, shown in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, that is presented by the Bible and celebrated among Christians.
Do you believe in this Jesus Christ as your Saviour ? Do you ? I ask you this directly, and I challenge you to face this question squarely. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ ? If you have never believed in him and asked him to become your Saviour, it is my happy task to urge you to do so. This word can save you. Once it has been planted into your heart and life it will start to change you. Once you know you are a forgiven sinner you will start forgiving others. You will get rid of all moral filth, and you will be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
God has every reason to be angry with us; yet he saves us. Now, instead of anger, we need to develop love and joy and peace and gentleness. You have had long-term anger deep inside you that has to get out of your system. You may be a person who is making life miserable for yourself and for everyone around you by the way you act. The living Christ can change you. He can change you by overwhelming you with such love if you confess your sins and turn to him in faith. He can change you by sending his holy word and planting it in your heart by the power of his Spirit.
Our loving God, who has taken from us all the guilt of our anger and placed it on his dear Son and condemned it in him, now asks us to be kind and compassionate and forgiving as we live together. It is his amazing grace that can enable us to be that way.