A Guide to Practical Living

The Epistle of James is the “how-to” book of the Christian life. It is one of the most practical books in the New Testament because it offers instruction and exhortation to Christians who are experiencing problems. Additionally, it was written to help us understand what it means to mature as Christians. Though not universally agreed upon, the evidence is strong that James is one of the oldest books in the New Testament. All believers need to have as a goal to achieve spiritual maturity. As we read the epistle, we discover that these Jewish Christians were having some problems in their personal lives and in their church fellowship. They were going through difficult testings’. They were also facing temptations to sin. Some of the believers were catering to the rich, while the rich were robbing others. Church members were competing for offices in the church, particularly teaching offices. One of the major problems in the church was a failure of many to live what they professed to believe. Furthermore, the tongue was a serious problem, even to the point of creating wars and divisions in the assembly. Worldliness was another problem. Some of the members were sick physically because they were disobeying God’s Word, and some were straying away from the Lord and the church. As we review this list of problems, do they appear to be much different from the problems that beset the average local church today? Is not worldliness a serious problem? Are there not Christians who cannot control their tongues? It seems that James is dealing with very up to-date matters. He was not discussing an array of miscellaneous problems; all of these problems had a common cause—a lack of spiritual maturity. These Christians were simply not growing up. Spiritual maturity is also one of the greatest needs in churches today. Too many churches are playpens for babies, instead of workshops for adults. The members are not mature enough to eat the solid food that they need, so they have to be fed milk. God is looking for mature men and women to carry on his work, and sometimes all he can find are little children who cannot even get along with each other. If Christians would just grow up, they would become victors instead of victims. Contrary to what we might think, not everyone who grows old grows up. There is a difference between age and maturity. Just because a Christian has been saved for 10 or 20 years does not guarantee that they are mature in the Lord. Christian growth is not automatic, as is physical growth. Ideally, the older we are, the more mature we should be; but too often, the ideal does not become the reality. Christian maturity is something we must work at constantly. We must make a concerted effort to achieve an understanding of the truths of God’s Word. Mature Christians are happy Christians, useful Christians, and Christians who help to encourage others and to build the local church..