Faith Works - In Wealth

James 5:1-6 NIV 

[1] Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. [2] Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. [3] Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. [4] Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. [5] You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. [6] You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.1-6.NIV)

Now, here James takes aim at a highly controversial issue. It was controversial in his day; it’s no less controversial now. 

I live in a comparatively wealthy country. Although we complain about a lot of things that are not as good as they were, or could be, the reality is that we are substantially better off that most countries on the planet. We might not feel like it, but it is true. 

So these verses must apply to us. 

They also apply to the educated, connected upper classes in any culture who have access to the best jobs and highest positions in society. 

That is what makes them very controversial. 

It’s far too easy to see this as some form of Marxist-Leninist-Communist jab at the moneyed bourgeoisie. It is not. Firstly, because when these words were written, Marx and Lenin had not even been born yet, and communism was not even a distant nightmare. To believe otherwise is an epic act of ignorance.   

Secondly, because the context shows that it is aimed at the unjust rich. 

This aspect is particularly important. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that either poverty or riches are morally wrong. It’s not what you have that is the problem, it’s how you use it. Jesus did not have an issue with the rich, but He had a massive issue with those who were not rich towards God (Luke 12:21). 

Now, this throws up all kinds of issues. Take the city of Glasgow, where I live. Glasgow used to be poor. It’s now doing much better. Glasgow used to be a small village. However, it grew very quickly due to mining, shipbuilding and, it has to be said, slavery. Many of the street names still echo that dreadful, tarnished history. 

Glasgow grew rich by exploitation. As did many cities in the UK, and Western Europe. As did large parts of North America. And that should sting our conscience, because it is wrong. 

Of course we should help those who are still affected by the legacy of historical slavery and exploitation. That should not even be an issue. How we help them is – but I am not a politician and would not dare to venture down that particular alleyway. 

However, it would be absolutely wrong to concentrate only on making amends for past ills and not recognise that slavery is still happening now. Exploitation is still happening now.

There are still many, many people who seek to rise up the ladder of souls by actively trampling on others. 

And that is wrong: ethically, morally and spiritually. It doesn’t matter how you do it, Christians have no business participating in it. 

It’s not just in far flung countries either. It’s here, in our towns and cities. Let me give you a few examples: 

According to IJM, fifty million people worldwide are trapped in some form of slavery, and a hundred and twenty-two thousand of them are here in the UK. Every single police force in the UK has cone across people who have been involuntarily snared in the sex trade. 

These are not the only industries where exploitation occurs. It’s well documented that it’s been happening for years in the construction, catering and car wash trades. Also in garment factories. 

But legal exploitation also occurs whenever we lose sight that people are people and start to see them as a resource we can use to climb the ladder of souls while keeping them down. 

There is a tendency nowadays to view the slave trade as dead and gone and to demand reparations for it. Ironically, many of those making such claims are likely wearing clothes or shoes or using devices that were made by people who were paid less than they should be and in conditions that are not healthy.  While campaigning for reparations for their people (often quite legitimately), they are perpetuating the exploitation of other people. 

And that's the problem. Exploitation is everywhere. 

These verses are a massive rebuke for those who have gotten rich by making others poor.

We can’t miss that message. It’s absolutely obvious. 

But James did more than that. He also highlighted the descent into the exploitation of others and the horrid end we can reach if we don’t catch ourselves and pull back. 

We’ll start, then, by looking at Destructive Wealth. 

Destructive Wealth 

James 5:1-3 NIV 

[1] Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. [2] Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. [3] Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.1-3.NIV)

This verse is very challenging. And I’ll tell you why.  

In America, there are people known as doomsday preppers. They stock up on emergency supplies, cash and weapons because they fear the destruction of society and want to be ready for it should it take place. 

While there’s nothing wrong with disaster preparedness in countries where this is a distinct possibility, there is little doubt that some of these people have simply gone too far and have become paranoid. 

These verses refer to rich people who have stockpiled resources to survive a calamity by exploiting others. They had an ‘every man  for himself’ mentality and were more than prepared to clamber over other people to get themselves out of harm’s way.  

Now, in a sense, we might be able to understand that mentality. Christians were being persecuted at the time and their ill-treatment was beginning to mount up. The Romans more or less ruled their conquests with a martial law mentality. It wasn’t safe to be a Christian. So, humanly-speaking, maybe we can understand the scramble to ensure that you and your family are okay. 

But James saw things differently. He saw a particular crisis on the way that would specifically affect those who are rich. 

Now, that might sound like a bit of a head-scratcher. We are used to the idea of richer people with more resources being better placed to survive disaster, but consider these examples: 

Many rich people are ‘aspirationally rich’ rather than ‘actually rich’. They maintain a carefully curated façade of wealth by making they have the best homes, cars, jobs, vacations, clothes, etc. However, it’s all paid for by debt. Their entire lifestyle is lived out way beyond their means. 

This makes them highly vulnerable to even the smallest of twitches in the global economy. It meant, for example, that during the Covid pandemic, aspirationally rich people were getting out their expensive cars in their designed clothes to queue up at food banks with people who had no money, because their debt repayments were absorbing most of their salary and they could not afford to eat. 

Consider also what happens after major catastrophes like typhoons. We have driven through a city that was struck by two monster typhoons within a year. There were poor people there who lived in shacks. Within a few weeks, their shacks had been rebuilt and their struggle to survive continued as before. 

The wealthy, however, had real problems. Their concrete houses had been smashed up and were not insured. While they could afford grand dwellings, they could not afford to replace them. And so we saw richer people on their knees in despair having lost everything. 

The reality is that there are serious calamities that can take down even the richest. As Paul told Timothy: 

1 Timothy 6:17 NIV 

[17] Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ti.6.17.NIV)

In fact, James’ viewpoint on this is even sharper: 

James 1:10-11 NIV 

[10] But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. [11] For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.10-11.NIV)

James saw them as facing the self  same destruction they feared, because in their rampant, psychotic materialism they had forgotten what was most important: obedience to God. This is why Agur wrote: 

Proverbs 30:8-9 NIV 

[8] Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. [9] Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.30.8-9.NIV)

And why Paul wrote: 

1 Timothy 6:6-10 NIV 

[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. [8] But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. [9] Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ti.6.6-10.NIV)

Do you see what the issue is? 

The issue is that these people worship and value material wealth much more than they do God. As Jesus warned His followers: 

Matthew 6:24 NIV 

[24]  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.6.24.NIV)

That is why the rich in James’ day, and in ours, face particular threats aimed at the wealth they had stockpiled. They were rich in money and not towards God. Their wealth, and their attitude towards it, was the problem: 

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NIV 

[10] Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. [11] As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/ecc.5.10-11.NIV)

Their wealth had become their fortress, their strong tower – when it should have been God.

And that is why it was fading away around them: 

Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV 

[4] Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. [5] Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.23.4-5.NIV)

Their wealth had become destructive. 

But more than that, here we also see Decried Wealth. 

Decried Wealth 

James 5:3-5 NIV 

[3] Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. [4] Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. [5] You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.3-5.NIV)

When someone we love and respect succeeds, we heartily and enthusiastically celebrate their success. There is no shred of jealousy. There is instead a feeling that they have worked hard, so they deserve it. 

But when someone succeeds who got there through illegitimate means, it grates. 

The Bible, though, has this message for us: 

Proverbs 24:19-20 NIV 

[19] Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, [20] for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.24.19-20.NIV)

Psalms 37:1-2 NIV 

[1] Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; [2] for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.37.1-2.NIV)

The success of the wealthy here is nothing to celebrate, because, as James presented, they have risen to the top through tremendously unjust and illegitimate means. 

James levied three charges against them: 

You have hoarded. In other words, while others were facing threats to their freedom and their very existence, these people were simply focused on getting richer and richer. They cared little for the fate of their fellow believer. They only cared for money. 

Hoarding might sound like a sensible strategy, but look at this: 

Proverbs 11:24-26 NIV 

[24] One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. [25] A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. [26] People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.11.24-26.NIV)

We think hoarding is a good investment strategy, but this is what Jesus said: 

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV 

[19]  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.6.19-21.NIV)

I have a colleague who is a good example of this. He hoards all kinds of memorabilia from science fiction and comic books. His house is full of the stuff. Yet not only does it cost him money to buy, he also had to pay a small fortune in house insurance to store it. The more he owns, the more it costs. 

God is strongly against those who have resources but are unwilling to share them with the needy. As James said earlier: 

James 4:17 NIV 

[17] If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.4.17.NIV)

But they don’t just hoard, they withhold. They fail to pay people what they are due. 

Christians business owners should never fail to pay their workers their full entitlement. They should not look for loopholes or get-out clauses. They should pay up. 

Look what Paul said: 

Romans 13:8-10 NIV 

[8] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. [9] The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.13.8-10.NIV)

If someone is working for you in order to receive a wage, that wage is a debt until it is paid. You owe them it. So they should be paid. 

In the case of farm labourers, the situation was acute. They lived hand to mouth, day by day. No pay would mean no food, for them or their families. Withholding or delaying pay would have a serious impact on them. 

Every Christian business leader has a responsibility to ensure that their workers are paid an adequate, liveable basic salary on time. They should not abuse them by taking advantage of their vulnerable position or leading them on with dreams of bonuses or tips that never arrive. As Paul wrote to slave masters: 

Colossians 4:1 NIV 

[1] Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/col.4.1.NIV)

And again: 

Ephesians 6:5-9 NIV 

[5] Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. [6] Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. [7] Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, [8] because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. [9] And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.6.5-9.NIV)

Withholding salary so that the boss benefits is absolutely wrong and a clear violation of the Royal Law. 

But these unjustly rich people don’t just hoard and withhold, they also fatten. 

This is a very sharp play on words here. These rich people are accused of participation on wanton, wasteful self-indulgence: fattening themselves on the kind of delicacies that the poor could barely afford even to dream of. Part of these lavish feasts would be, of course, animals raised and fattened for slaughter. 

James turned this around. He said that these idle rich have fattened themselves for slaughter; that bu their indolent hedonism that have brought on their own punishment, because they have valued themselves above God. 

This is a charge that was also levied at the rich and powerful in Israel and Judah before the very worst moment in their history: when they went unto exile (Amos 6:1-7). These were people whose lives were so insulated from reality in their bubble of plenty that they could not see the threat of disaster until it was too late and it was standing at their door. 

James echoed that vision. 

What we see here is a quite appalling picture of how these unjustly rich people were behaving. We see them hoarding when they should be sharing, withholding when they should be sharing and fattening themselves when they should be feeding the needy. 

But James had even worse to come. After destructive and decried wealth, he talked of Deadly Wealth. 

Deadly Wealth 

James 5:6 NIV 

[6] You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.6.NIV)

When Paul said that the love of money is the rood of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), I wonder if even he envisaged how far the rich are prepared to go to defend their assets. 

In the 1980s, a group of wealthy students in Los Angeles got together with the intention of setting up a get-rich-quick Ponzi scheme, where they would essentially con other investors put of their money. As the underhand scheme progressed, tensions developed in their relationships. In the end, one of the leaders of the Billionaire Boys Club, Joseph Henry Hunt, was arrested for the double murder of two of its co-founders. 

The reality is that when their assets are challenged in any way, wealthy people will resort to violence to defend them. 

Even bananas speak of this. The humble banana seems like a simple fruit, yet major conglomerates have behaved thuggishly in Central America, obtaining territory at low prices through intimidation, hiring local militia to protect their assets, disappearing people who disagree with them and, yes, being accessories to murder. 

And then there are those who are determined to market and sell addictive substances they know are harmful, but do it for a profit. It’s almost as if their consciences have been stubbed out on the sidewalk. 

What James spoke of here had been known from Jewish history the murder of Naboth by men connected to Jezebel (1 Kings 21), and, of course, David’s sending of Uriah the Hittite to his death (2 Samuel 11) being prime examples. 

In fact, you could even argue that Jesus Christ’s death also has this horrific tendency behind it (John 11:45-53). 

This ought to scare us. It really should. The language used here is that of someone being unjustly accused and then murderer even though they did nothing wrong. That should never happen. Even more so when it’s happening just to defend someone else’s assets. 

I believe James put this verse there to shock. He is trying to waken us to the jarring truth that if we set off on this road, then we will end up thinking and doing things that horrify us.

Our consciences will be so seared that we won’t even think it was wrong. Paul didn’t, when it happened to Stephen (Acts 7:1-8:1). 

When we reach a certain age, we are asked to carry out certain checks or to have medicals carried out by our doctors because our steadily decreasing health could contain giveaway signs of a deeper problem. What we see here is something devastating; something too awful to even contemplate. Yet there are markers. There are signs we can spot that will help us avoid this horrible situation?  

What are they? 

We’ll see in our conclusion. 

Conclusion  

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV 

[23] This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, [24] but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. 

(Read the full passage at:https://bible.com/bible/111/jer.9.23-24.NIV)

The town of Kiruna in Sweden is undergoing massive change. Underneath the town is Europe's biggest mineral mines. Due to the nature of what miners have found under there, it’s of strategic importance not just to Sweden, but to all of Europe. 

There’s just one problem. The constant mining has caused issues with the town. The latest seam being mind is close to the historic town centre. Meaning that a decade-long project is underway to move historical buildings on rails away from the area of mining operations. 

The whole town has literally been undermined by its desire for wealth. 

The irony would not be lost on someone like James. Here he discussed how rich people had risen up the ladder of souls, but how they accumulated and we’re defending their wealth was actually destroying their lives and the lives of those around them. 

Jesus spoke these very controversial words: 

Mark 10:23-27 NIV 

[23] Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” [24] The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! [25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [26] The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” [27] Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.10.23-27.NIV)

Now, we have to understand what Jesus really said here. He didn’t say that it was impossible for rich people to be saved. He said that it was hard, and that it was only possible with God. 

That is a very important distinction. 

It is hard for rich people to be saved. Why? Because they can’t rely on their wealth and need to rely on God: 

Psalms 49:4-13 NIV 

[4] I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: [5] Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— [6] those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? [7] No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them— [8] the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— [9] so that they should live on forever and not see decay. [10] For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others. [11] Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. [12] People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. [13] This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.49.4-13.NIV)

Those who strive for wealth, who wake up every morning and fall asleep every night thinking about wealth, who live their every hour obsessed about wealth, who prize it above all else, cannot consider for one fleeting second that it has limitations. But it does.  

It cannot save them. It cannot save anyone.  

And therein lies the problem. Seeking wealth above all else is like making an investment where you are guaranteed to lose, or a bet that will not succeed. Those who go all in for it are guaranteed to lose everything. 

Because wealth does not save. Wealth does not satisfy. Wealth will disappear. 

Haggai 1:5-6 NIV 

[5] Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. [6] You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/hag.1.5-6.NIV)

This is the fate of all who are rich in resources but poor towards God. 

And it’s this that fuels the angst that turns wealth toxic. Wealth is supposed to bring joy and happiness and satisfaction. The fact that it does not fuels disappointment and anger and rage. It fuels the desire to get more, because maybe more will be enough. But it never is.

And so the accumulation continues: wanting more, having more, but gaining less. 

That is what makes wealth dangerous: destructive, decried, deadly. It’s that which turns the wealthy into the worst kind of humans. They want. They have. They still need. 

Nothing they have or do is ever enough. 

And the reason why is so simple: they cannot say this simple verse: 

Psalms 23:1 NIV 

[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.23.1.NIV)

Because the Lord is not their shepherd. Wealth is. 

So they have it all, but lack everything. 

But where does this excessive behaviour come from? Why to they abuse? Why do they exploit? Why do they kill? 

It’s down to the simple flow we have seen, starting in Ephesians: 

Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV 

[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— [9] not by works, so that no one can boast. [10] For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.2.8-10.NIV)

We are saved by grace through faith, not by our work but by God’s work, and we are saved to work. What is the work we are required to do? 

John 6:28-29 NIV 

[28] Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” [29] Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.6.28-29.NIV)

And what does Jesus tell us we should do? 

Matthew 22:37-40 NIV 

[37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.22.37-40.NIV)

Rich people who are not rich towards God cannot contemplate salvation by grace through faith. Remember: grace is an act of charity towards those who cannot help themselves. Those who seek to get rich believe in self-help, self-advancement, self-aggrandisation. Being saved by God’s grace is alien to them – they have to be saved by their own efforts. 

That’s why the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:16; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18). When you are rich in resources, your life is all about what you have and what you do. 

That lack of desire to be saved by grace, and that focus on what we have and do leads those who are rich to have no desire to follow the teachings of an itinerant Galilean preacher who died on a cross. Everything for them is about extracting value, not about receiving grace. 

Even common morality can quickly be set aside in the pursuit of profit, and common human decency sacrificed during the race to the tip of the ladder of souls.  

This explains the megalomania, the insensitivity, the sheer idiocy of many of the ‘too rich’ who do not know Jesus Christ and have no desire to know Him. 

So how can we turn this around? How can we stem the near constant tide of abuse by those who have too much power? 

Well, politicians have tried. 

They have legislated. It hasn’t worked. They’ve set up codes of conduct. They haven’t worked. 

There is only one answer: 

Love. 

Love for God, our neighbour and ourselves. 

Love that springs from the humility of being saved by grace through faith. 

That is our only hope. 

James writes some absolutely shocking words here. And he is right to do so. Any rich person abusing and exploiting those beneath them for their own ends is horrific. 

But at the very heart of this dreadful crime is a wrong perception that our significance and salvation come from being better than other people, and a wrong condition that is focused on extracting value rather than showing love. 

For us to stay as far as we can from this horrible state of affairs, the only cure is to see ourselves as saved by grace through faith and to love. 

Nothing else will work. Nothing else ever has. 

Only the Gospel. 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, verses like this make me sick to the very pit of my stomach. It’s so heart-breaking when people are treated this way. And yet I know that a lack of love can open the door to crimes like these. Fill me with your love, Lord. Never let me forget that I am a sinner saved by grace. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation 

• Why do you think James ia so dramatic in these verses? Is he right to be this way? 

• What are the wrong deeds that these rich people do? Why are they so wrong? 

• What causes them to do these heinous crimes? How can we prevent ourselves from even coming close to doing this?