James Highlights

1. The overall purpose for the Bible:
1. Historic Christianity: The primary purpose of the Bible is centered on man and his redemption.
2. GBCRM: The primary purpose of the Bible is centered on God and His Glory.


2. Theological starting points:
1. Historic Christianity: Begins their man-centered theology at Gen. 3:15 with the Fall of man and the beginning of God's one plan for man's redemption in the Bible.
2. GBCRM: Our God-centered theology begins at Gen. 1:1 with the creation of two spheres of existence—the Heaven and the Earth—that are created good according to God's Glory but both fall—Satan's rebellion in the heavenly sphere and Adam's fall on the earthly sphere. Thereby beginning God's TWO plans: One to re-establish His Glory in the Heavenlies and the other to re-establish His Glory on Earth. The Bible opens with the creation of the Heaven and Earth and closes with the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth (Rev. 21).


3. God's Revealed Operation:
1. Historic Christianity: One program to provide man's redemption on earth.
2. GBCRM: Two Programs:
1. God's Prophetic Program, which had been spoken about since the world began and is recorded in the Old Testament, Gospels, ministry of the Twelve and Hebrews through Revelaon.
2. God's Mystery Program, which had been KEPT SECRET since the world began and is recorded in the Apostle Paul's Epistles, Romans through Philemon (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3)


4. God's People:
1. Historic Christianity: There is only one People of God in the Bible--the "Church," which is or has replaced "Israel."
2. GBCRM: There are two distinct Peoples of God:
   1. The Nation of Israel
   2. The Body of Christ

So contrary to the teachings of Historic Christianity, the Bible's main purpose is to explain how God is going to re-establish His Glory throughout the created Universe. God is going to re-establish His Glory on Earth through a redeemed humanity called the Nation of Israel in accord with His Prophetic Program as revealed in the non-Pauline Scriptures. And He is going to re-establish His Glory in the Heavenlies through a redeemed humanity called the Body of Christ in accord with His Mystery Program as revealed in the Scriptures of Paul. This is the only way the whole Bible can be understood and appreciated in all of its fullness.

James has been a big problem for Historic Christianity. Martin Luther evidently removed it from his bible! Of course, while we are eternally grateful to Martin Luther for re-discovering some of Paul's distinct Gospel, he threw away the rest of Paul's distinct apostleship. Once we rightly-divide the Scriptures, however, we discover a wonderful book, that was written especially for the believing remnant going through the Tribulation Period, looking to enter into Israel's long-prophesied Millennial Earthly Kingdom.

Once we realize that James is writing to those who are participating in God's Prophetic Program (which had been spoken about since the world began) to re-establish His Glory on Earth through the Nation of Israel whereas Paul is writing to those who are participating in God's Mystery Program (which had been kept secret since the world began) to re-establish His Glory in the Heavenlies through the Body of Christ, we see that everything else falls in place.

So, unless the context demands otherwise we are going to read James based on these principles:

1. When James talks about salvation he is referring to Israel's national salvation, especially from physical death. When Paul, however, refers to salvation he refers especially to individual salvation from sin and spiritual death—salvation unto eternal life.
2. When James talks about the Righteousness of God it has to do with God manifesting His righteousness in saving His friends (the believing nation of Israel and believing Gentiles associated with it) and destroying His enemies (the unbelieving element in Israel and in the Gentile nations). When Paul talks about the Righteousness of God, however, he is referring to God saving ungodly sinners on enemy status before Him because He has no friends (based on the Crosswork of Christ).
3. When James talks about being justified, he is referring to how a member of the believing remnant will be declared right at Christ's 2nd Coming to participate in Israel's National Salvation and entrance into the life of the Kingdom. When Paul talks about being justified, he is referring to how individual sinners are declared right before God unto eternal salvation.

When we keep these things in mind, the book of James opens up, blossoms and prove to be everything Paul says the non-Pauline Scriptures should be when rightly divided in Rom. 15: It strengthens our patience, gives us comfort and increases our hope because when we see God faithfully working in the Nation of Israel's Prophetic Program, we can rest assured that He is just as faithful to us today in the Body of Christ's Mystery Program. We can leave James in our bibles!

We continued our study of the Book of James yesterday not only to learn about what God says through James specifically, but to also learn how we are to use the non-Pauline Scriptures in general. It is very important to appreciate that God is not manifesting, putting on display, shining the spotlight on the same thing in His Prophetic Program with the Nation of Israel (of which James is a participant) as He is manifesting, putting on display, shining the spotlight on in His Mystery Program with the Body of Christ (of which Paul is a participant). Understanding this difference in context is extremely important if we are going to avoid confusion and despair when we use the non-Pauline Scriptures and instead receive patience, comfort and hope (Rom. 15:4).

Martin Luther despaired of the Book of James and removed it from his Bible. He thought it contradicted Paul's Gospel that Luther loved so much that guaranteed him justification by faith alone, without works. But then he read James, who said, no, justification is by faith plus works. Confused, anxious, despairing, Luther tore James out of his Bible. But the answer is so simple that one wonders how a mind as great as Luther's could miss it. The simple answer is that when James uses the general terms like salvation, justification and righteousness of God, he is not using them in the same way that Paul uses those terms. As with all words, these are just general words that require a context to explain their specific meaning. Paul uses these terms to refer to personal salvation from sin and spiritual death (separation from God), ie., justification unto eternal life. James, however, uses these terms to refer to Israel's national salvation from persecution and physical death that comes from their national enemies, especially during the Tribulation Period, ie., justification unto life in the Kingdom.

Paul manifests the Righteousness of God in Saving His ENEMIES Because He Has No Friends! James manifests the Righteousness of God in Saving His FRIENDS and Destroying His Enemies. Paul explains how individual Israelite sinners were justified unto eternal life: By Grace Through Faith Without Works. James explains how God deals with His friends (godly Israelites on friendship status before Him: ie., those who have been saved by faith without works unto eternal life), and how they will be justified by faith plus works based on this friendship status at Christ's 2nd Coming, not for participation in eternal life (they already have that!) but how they will participate in Israel's national salvation in the Kingdom. James explains how God faithfully and righteously deals with His friends in Israel's Prophetic Program. Paul explains how God has always (going all the way back to the Fall of Adam) dealt faithfully and righteously with His enemies (ungodly sinners on enemy status before Him), manifesting it today in the Body of Christ's Mystery Program, which is based on the Good News of the Death and Resurrection of Christ as revealed to and through God's worst enemy: Saul, our Apostle Paul. James explains how God deals with His friends. Paul explains how they became His friends in the first place.

Once we recognize this, everything else falls into place. We don't have to pick between Paul and James. We can embrace both for our learning unto patience, comfort and hope. The Book of James is especially instructing the believing remnant going through the final 7 years of Daniel's Time Schedule (the Tribulation Period) on how to conduct themselves as a group to be declared right at Christ's 2nd Coming to participate in the National Salvation of Israel lived out in the earthly Kingdom. Here are some highlights from yesterday's message:

1. James is countering the destructive teaching coming from the unbridled tongue of the vain religious system of apostate Israel (James 1:26).
2. The vain religious system (VRS) will either try to woo the believing remnant back to itself and away from God or will try to destroy it in accord with Satan's Policy of Evil against the believing remnant of Jews, before they enter into the Kingdom.
3. James 1:1-12: The VRS system will teach that the believing remnant is suffering because they are under God's displeasure and, therefore, must be disobedient to Him. James explains to them that God is not displeased with them and that their suffering is, in fact, because of their obedience to God. These external temptations that come from Satan's policy of evil against them doesn't call into question their faith, it proves their faith as pure and sufficient, leading to the Faith (1:6), Hope (1:9-12a), Love (1:12b) life that meets the needs of the poor and afflicted in the believing remnant as they go through persecution in reliance on God and His Word.
4. James 1:13-21: The VRS will try to ignite the lusts from the inside members of the believing remnant, encouraging them to respond in unfriendly ways in their trials: not listening, rash to speak, rash to anger and wrath in the name of God and His Righteousness while claiming to be pursuing the righteousness of God (1:20). But James explains that in listening to the VRS they will participate in two gruesome births that their lusts will produce: Their lusts will give birth to sin which when full grown will give birth to death (physical death, ie., Ananias and Sapphira in Acts) (1:15). They should rather remember their divine birth from above (1:18): Their new birth from God through the word of truth that made them the first fruits of all the good things He is going to give to them, culminating in the Kingdom (1:17). Doing this will “save their souls,” their persons from physical death (1:21).

Today's message generated some very interesting points. So I thought I would share two of these with you while the message was still fresh in our thinking.

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THE BELIEVING REMNANT AND PHYSICAL DEATH IN THE TRIBULATION

1. I commented in the study of James that such phrases as “save your souls from death” do not refer to personal salvation from sin and spiritual death, ie., justification unto eternal life. For James' salvation terminology refers to how a member of the believing remnant will participate in the Israel's National Salvation from persecution, especially physical death, at Christ's return. How a member of the believing remnant can be justified (declared right) at the return of Christ for participation in the Kingdom.
2. The believing remnant can experience death for two basic reasons in the Tribulation Period:
1. They can experience physical death because of Unrighteousness (sinning).
2. Or they can experience physical death because of Righteousness. (operating in accord with God)
3. James' instructions have to do with the former: Members of the believing remnant were not to return to the unrighteousness of the vain religious system (thereby sinning) but continue to rely on God and their friends in the believing remnant. If they returned to the unrighteousness of the vain religious system, they would be at risk of physical death. Ananias and Sapphira was the classic example of this (Acts. 5:1-10).
4. Peter's instructions, however, have to do with the latter. Members of the believing remnant were to rejoice when they were persecuted, even unto death, for righteousness sake. (1 Peter 2:19-20; 3:14; 14:13-14 along with Mat. 5:10-12, 10:17-22, 24:9-13; Rev. 20:4.)
3. James explains that having been born from above (James 1:18) and having received the engrafted Word in meekness thereby allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work (James 1:20) their souls would be saved from physical death that came from doing UNrighteousness, because they would doers of the work of the Law and would be blessed rather than cursed. (James 1:25).
4. Summary: James emphasizes how the believing remnant was to escape persecution, even death, by NOT engaging in UNrighteousness. Peter emphasizes how the believing remnant was to rejoice in the persecution, even physical death, by doing Righteousness.

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A SURPRISING CHANGE IN WORDS

Someone else noted the surprising change of words at the end of James 1. In v. 22, James says, But be ye doers of the WORD. But in v. 25 he says, But a doer of the WORK. What is this “work?”

1. James 1:20 refers to the Righteousness of God. This refers to the manifestation of the Righteousness of God in Saving His Friends and Destroying His enemies (not the Pauline manifestation of the Righteousness of God in Saving His Enemies Because He has no Friends.)
2. James 1:20: The believing remnant at that time were not to operate in anger and wrath. That would NOT work the righteousness of God. They were to leave anger, wrath, judgment and vengeance to the Lord at His return.
3. James 2:25, however, tells them that if they operated on the basis of the Law of Liberty, which is the royal or kingly Law in the Kingdom, then they would be doing the work of the righteousness of God with regard to helping His friends in accord with the Love command that summarized the Law with regard to others: love others as yourself (2:8). This would be exemplified at this time by maintaining friendship status with all members of the believing remnant--supporting, providing for their needs, guiding, etc. one another--until Christ returned to completely deliver His friends from persecution, especially physical death, by destroying His (and their) enemies in His wrath and judgment, and ushering the believing remnant into their life in the Kingdom.

This “work” then forms the basis for the “works” spoken about in the last half of James 2.

On Sunday we continued our study of the Book of James. One of the highlights came when we contrasted the Love of the Law and the Love of Pauline Grace. James says that the Law is carried to completion in the saying: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (James 2:8). The Law calls on it adherents to consider themselves and treat others the same way they want to be treated. That is easy, super-easy. Nothing to it. This is the minimum righteousness that God was right to expect from His human creation. In pole vaulting terms, the Law sets the bar really low level of the 1 ft. mark.

Religious systems tell us the Law is hard to keep, so hard no one could be expected to keep it. It is the high measure of God's righteousness, they say. But neither of these assertions are true. The Law is not the high measure of God's Righteousness! It is the low measure of what man's righteousness ought to be. It is the righteousness God was right to expect from His human creation. The Law should not have been difficult according to God and Moses in Deut. 30:11-16. Of course, after 1500 years of living under the Law, even with God's innumerable benefits, Israel proved once-and-for-all that fallen humanity can't produce even this low level, easy righteousness because of sin.

Now, what about Pauline Grace and the Love it calls for? Is it the same as the Love that the Law called for? Man-made religious and theological systems don't like Pauline grace. They tell us it is easy and call it cheap. But they are wrong. Pauline Grace is the most difficult and costly thing that ever existed: It required God giving His Son at the Cross for sinners. They tell us to go under the Law, which, they say, is more costly and demanding. But is this true? Does Pauline Grace accomplish less than the Law?

Let's answer this question by comparing the Love that the Law expects humans to produce through the flesh with the Love that Grace expects from believers that God Himself produces through the Spirit. Remember, the Law called for its adherents to do something easy: Just consider themselves and then treat others equal to the way they want to be treated. Now, is this the same Love that Pauline Grace calls for? Absolutely not. Listen to Paul explain the Agape Love of Grace: Let each esteem the other BETTER than themselves; Look not everyone on his own things but everyone (look) upon the things of others. Pauline Grace says: DO NOT CONSIDER yourselves but consider others. And then do not treat them equally to how you want to be treated but treat them better than yourself in the way Christ treated you and them at the Cross (Phil. 2:1-8)!

Whereas the Law set the pole at the lowest level possible, say the 1 ft. mark, yet doesn't give its adherents the power to clear even that, Grace sets the pole at the highest level possible, say the 50 ft. mark, and then empowers believers to clear it. Let's summarize the differences:

1. The Law said: Consider yourself and treat others equal to the way you would like to be treated (James 2:8).
2. Pauline Grace: DO NOT CONSIDER yourself but consider others BETTER and treat them the same way Christ treated you and them at the Cross! (Phil. 2:1-8)

Paul brings this out in Rom. 13:10 where he writes that (Agape) Love is the fulfilling of the Law (Rom. 13:10). Erring Historic Christianity claims that Paul is telling us here to ignore everything he wrote in the first 12 chapters about not being under the Law but under Grace—throw that all away—because now in chap. 13 he is telling us that we are under the Law and need to use that as our measure of righteousness. What nonsense. That is absolutely not what Paul is saying. In fact, Paul is saying the exact opposite of that. It is because the believer is under Grace that produces Agape Love that makes it so that he doesn't ever need to go back to the Law again. Grace accomplishes infinitely more than anything the Law ever demanded.

Let's think about this by returning to our pole-vaulting metaphor. The Law sets the bar at the low level 1 ft. and fallen humanity cannot even clear that because of sin. Grace sets the bar at the high level of 50 ft. and then catapults the believer over it because of righteousness. Now, if you just cleared the 50 ft. is anyone going to say: “That's all well and good, but you have to go back and prove you can clear the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 ft. bars as well?” Of course not. That would be ridiculous. If you cleared the 50 ft. high bar, then you automatically clear all the lower bars!

And that is what Paul is saying in Rom. 13. Of course, the 50 ft. bar is really the million-trillion-trillion miles bar because Pauline Grace isn't the measure of human righteousness; it is the measure of God's infinite Righteousness. And if you meet God's infinite righteousness (in and through Christ) it goes with saying: You automatically meet any lesser human righteousness that the Law demanded. Paul's point is not that the believer needs to go back to the Law. That would be just as ridiculous as the pole-vault referee demanding that the pole-vaulter who just cleared 50 ft. go back and clear the 1 ft bar as well. It would be foolishness. And that is the teaching of an errant Historic Christianity that rejects Paul's distinct apostleship that provides the Grace that produces Agape Love.

Rather, Paul's point is that based on the Agape Love Grace produces YOU DON'T NEED TO EVER AGAIN RETURN TO THE LAW. Grace accomplishes infinitely more than the Law ever demanded. Therefore, being under Grace automatically fulfills anything that the Law ever required.

On Sunday we continued our study of the Book of James, asking the question: Was Abraham Justified By Faith PLUS Works? And we found that the answer is no and yes. One of the biggest mistakes we make when studying God's Word is to assume that the non-Pauline writers, like Matthew and James, have to use certain words in the exact same way that Paul uses them. But this is absolutely wrong, we wouldn't treat any other book in the world with such disrespect. I remember reading a book about the Color of Blue. It contained all kinds of things about the Color of Blue: Songs, poems, scientific essays, etc. The book was about the Color of Blue, and everything in it had to do, well, with the Color Blue. Now, what if someone came along reading the book and said he was going to assume that the book was really about the Color Green and read it in that way. That's ridiculous. The songs or poems or scientific essays wouldn't work anymore, and all of us would with one mind and one mouth would protest that to do so was the height of folly and probably question the readers mental state.

Well, we should afford the Bible with at least as much respect as give to any other book. You see, Paul's Epistles are about the Color Blue, but James' Epistle (and all the other non-Pauline Scriptures) are about the Color Green. Paul and James are part of two different programs that are revealing two different things about God, His Glory and His Righteousness. Paul, as a member of the Body of Christ's Mystery Program, is revealing or manifesting how God is going to re-establish His Glory in the Heavenlies. James, as a member of the believing Nation of Israel Prophetic Program, is revealing or manifesting how God is going to re-establish His Glory on Earth.

And God is using Paul's Scriptures to reveal or manifest the Righteousness of God in Saving His Enemies Because He Has No Friends. God is using the non-Pauline Scriptures (including James) to reveal or manifest the Righteousness of God in Saving His Friends and Destroying His Enemies. Paul's Scriptures explain how an ungodly sinner on ENEMY status before God participates in PERSONAL SALVATION FROM SIN AND SPIRITUAL DEATH UNTO ETERNAL LIFE.

James (and the other non-Pauline Scriptures), however, explain how a believing FRIEND in Israel's Prophetic Program at Christ's 2nd Coming participates in ISRAEL'S NATIONAL SALVATION FROM THEIR ENEMIES AND PHYSICAL PERSECUTION AND DEATH UNTO LIFE IN THE KINGDOM.

So, when Paul talks about Abraham's justification, he is referring to how Abraham (as an idol worshipping Gentile, an ungodly sinner on ENEMY status before God) was justified before God for participation in Personal Salvation From Sin and Spiritual Death unto Eternal Life: BY FAITH WITHOUT WORKS (Rom. 4:1-5: Gal. 3:6). This is how everyone since the Fall of Adam has been saved spiritually. If you are saved, this is how you were saved.

When James talks about Abraham's justification, however, he is referring to how Abraham (as a believing FRIEND of God) was justified for participation in Israel's National Salvation from their Enemies, Persecution and Physical Death unto Life in the Kingdom: BY FAITH PLUS WORKS. For Abraham, this would be the city built without hands—the New Jerusalem.

So, was Abraham justified by FAITH PLUS WORKS: YES ... AND NO.

In reference to his participation in Personal Salvation from Sin and Spiritual Death Before God: ABSOLUTELY NOT: NO  NO  NO. IT WAS FAITH WITHOUT WORKS!

In reference to his participation in Israel's National Salvation from Their Enemies, Persecution and Physical Death (esp., in that Tribulation Period) at Christ's 2nd Coming: ABSOLUTE YES. IT WAS BY FAITH PLUS WORKS.

Paul explains the former. James (and all other non-Pauline Scriptures) explain the latter.

Last Sunday we looked at James 2 and answered the question: Was Abraham Justified By Faith PLUS Works? We found that with regard to justification unto eternal life, the answer is a resounding and definitive and absolute: NO, NO, NO! This week we supported that conclusion further by looking at the historical account of Abraham's life in Genesis 11-15.

The single-most important thing to understand is that Paul and James are not manifesting, revealing, making known the same thing. The Pauline Scriptures manifest how God, through the Riches of His Grace, saves His ENEMIES (ungodly sinners on enemy status before Him): This is Personal Salvation from sin and spiritual death before God; Justification unto Eternal Life WITHOUT works (Rom. 3:21-25).

Matthew, James and all the non-Pauline Scriptures, however, manifest how God, through the Grace of the Abrahamic Covenant, saves His friends (i.e., those enemies who had already been justified by faith without works in Israel's Prophetic Program): Participants in Israel's National Salvation from the curses of the Law and physical persecution and death (especially in the Tribulation Period) before Christ at His 2nd Coming; Justification WITH works unto life in the Kingdom

When God justified Abraham unto eternal life WITHOUT works in Gen. 15:6, contrary to common assumptions, Abraham's walk had not been characterized by obedience but by disobedience. Some go to Heb. 11:8 and say, “See, Abraham was justified by faith PLUS works—he believed and immediately obeyed by going to the Land of Canaan!” But is that what really happened? Remember, Heb. 11 was written for a specific purpose, which is stated in the first 3 verses of the chapter: FAITH. The writer is showing that what remains before God when everything is said and done is faith and those things done in accord with it. For the believer, God throws away everything done in disobedience and unbelief. He only keeps the things that belong to faith. And thank God for that!

James 2

	First Time: Gen. 11:32-32	Second Time: Gen. 12:1-5
God's Instructions	Did Abram obey?	Did Abram obey?
Go out of your country	No	Kind of...
From your kindred	No	No
From your Father's house	No (Father took Abram!)	No (Father died)
Go to the land I will show you.	No (stopped at Haran)	Yes (but then leaves it to go to Egypt (Gen. 12:10-17); gave large part of his land to Lot (Gen. 13); hands his wife over to foreigners twice; and had a child with Hagar (Gen. 16)

The historical account speaks for itself. When God justified Abraham by faith righteousness unto eternal life, Abraham life had not been characterized by obedience to God but by disobedience to God. This is not to disparage poor Abraham. This just shows that Abraham, Moses, David, all the Old Testament saints, and us too—are ALL JUSTIFIED BY FAITH WITHOUT WORKS before God. If this weren't the case, none of us would be justified before God at all. When everything is said and done all that will remain for any believer are those things done out of faith. Everything else will be discarded. God didn't look at the circuitous route Abraham took, meandering around in disobedience. All God retains is the fact that Abraham believed, and that he eventually ended up in the Land of Canaan because of it.

Once Abraham had been justified by faith without works (Gen. 15:6), God then established a covenant (Gen. 15:9-21) with him that codified all the promises He had made to Abraham, especially: I will bless those who bless you; I will curse those who curse you (Gen. 12:3). Or: I will save My friends and destroy My enemies. God made Abraham His friend via the Abrahamic Covenant and gave him a special task that gave him an opportunity to be “justified” again. Having been declared right before the tribunal of God by Faith WITHOUT WORKS, God gave him another opportunity to be declared right or “justified,” this time before Christ at His 2nd coming, whereby he could receive the privilege of living out the eternal life he already had in the Kingdom/New Jerusalem. The city made by God.

The task God asked His Friend Abraham to perform was to display how far God willing to go to save His friends: He is willing to go the infinite length of giving His only begotten Son to die for His friends (Jn. 15:13)! (Of course, if you want to know how far God will go for His enemies, you will have to go to Paul (Rom. 5:4-10)!!)

The point James is making in James 2 with the reference to Abraham's partial sacrifice of Isaac is that if God was willing to sacrifice His Son to help His friends, then the members of the believing remnant should be willing to do whatever they can to help each other until God the Son returns!

We have now finished our study of the Book of James. We ended up going through the whole book, but we must not forget why we went to James in the first place. We wanted to look at some notoriously difficult passages to see if they become less difficult when we apply the principles of right division we have been learning in our study of Matthew. James 2 was our first test case: Was Abraham Justified By Faith Plus Works? We found the answer is a resounding NO if we are referring to Abraham's participation in personal salvation unto eternal life. That was by FAITH WITHOUT WORKS as Paul explains! But if we are referring to Abraham's participation in Israel's national salvation unto life in the earthly Kingdom, it is an equally resounding YES. That was by FAITH PLUS WORKS.

One of the big problems we have is that we have been brainwashed by Historic Christianity into thinking that the whole Bible reveals just one plan and purpose of God that is centered on man and his redemption. If you assume this, then of course you will assume that when Paul and James use words like “salvation” and “justification,” they must be referring to the same things. But this is not the case.

The whole Bible reveals not one but two plans and purposes of God that are centered on God and His Glory.

1. He has a plan and purpose to re-establish His Glory on the earth in accord with His Prophetic Program with the Nation of Israel, which had been spoken about since the world began. This is recorded in the non-Pauline Scriptures.
2. And He has a second plan and purpose to re-establish His Glory in the Heavenlies in accord with His Mystery Program with the Body of Christ, which had been kept secret since the world began. This is revealed in Paul's Scriptures.

When these two plans and purposes are fulfilled, the whole universe will be glorifying God in the way He intended. Understanding this, we will realize that when James uses words like “salvation” and “justification” he is not necessarily referring to the same things that Paul does when he uses these words.

1. Most important of all, we must appreciate that in the Pauline Scriptures, God is manifesting how He saves His ENEMIES, ungodly sinners on enemy status before Him, so that they can participate in PERSONAL salvation from sin and spiritual death. When Paul speaks about justification, he is referring to justification before God unto eternal life, and this is ALWAYS by FAITH WITHOUT WORKS (Rom. 3:21-25)!
   
   Paul tells us that God just preached Good News to Abraham (In thee shall all the nations be blessed) with its associated promises (Gal. 3:6-8)), Abraham believed God, and His faith was counted for righteousness. And that's how Adam and Abel and Noah and Moses and David and all the Old Testament saints were justified unto eternal life as well.
   
   And that is how we are justified unto eternal life today, saved from sin and spiritual death. God just preaches Paul's Gospel, the Good News of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, to us and for anyone who believes, to enemy sinners, and just like Abraham, when they believe, their faith is counted for righteousness. They are justified unto eternal life, saved from sin and spiritual death. God manifested this in Paul's Epistles.
2. The non-Pauline Scriptures, however, which include Matthew and James, do not have this purpose. Their God-given purpose is to manifest how God will save His FRIENDS (those already justified unto eternal life in the way that Paul explains!) and destroy His enemies in accord with His Prophetic Program for participation in Israel's NATIONAL salvation in the long-prophesied earthly Kingdom.
   
   So, in James 2, Abraham was justified by FAITH WITHOUT WORKS before God unto eternal life (in the way Paul explains!) (James 2:23a); after which he was made the Friend of God (James 2:23b). Then, 4-5 years later, God gave Abraham the opportunity to be “justified” again. He told Abraham to offer up Isaac to display to the world the extent God is willing to go to save His FRIENDS. He is willing to give up His only Son. While Abraham was stopped from sacrificing Isaac, God will sacrifice His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross for His FRIENDS some 2,000 years later.
   
   In doing this, Abraham was “justified” again, this time by FAITH PLUS WORKS (James 2:21), not “justified” unto eternal life before God (he already received that some 50 years before!) but “justified” before Christ at His 2ndComing unto a privileged position in Israel's Kingdom/New Jerusalem.
   
   (NOTE: The non-Pauline Scriptures reveal the extent that God will go for His FRIENDS (Jn. 15:13).
   
   (NOTE: If we want to know to what extent God will go for His ENEMIES, we need to go to Paul's Scriptures (Rom. 5:5-11).)

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Now that we have ended James some have asked what is the practical application.

This question itself stems from another error of Historic Christianity. They have told us that the spiritual way to use the Bible is to make it our own. Make it all about us. Of course to do this, we throw away God's content and fill it back in with our own.

• So, if God says He is addressing the 12 Tribes of the Nation of Israel, just throw that away and replace it with the Body of Christ.
• If God says he is talking to the believing remnant of Israel when they will be going through the severe persecution in the Tribulation Period, just throw that away and replace it with us in the Dispensation of Grace and our everyday problems.
• If God is speaking about destroying His enemies because they are destroying His people, just throw that away and replace it with a petty desire to get God to do something about our enemies today.
• If God says He will provide miraculous intervention for the believing remnant of Israel during this troublous time of unheard of persecution, just throw that away, and replace it with the expectation that God will miraculously provide for us our everyday desires.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. So, what is the practical application that we today as members of the Body of Christ in God's Mystery Program of this passage, which was written to and about the fulfillment of God's Prophetic Program with the Nation of Israel?

• The primary, fundamental take away from the Book of James is that when we see God faithfully working to fulfill all His promises to the Nation of Israel—instructing, guiding, providing, leading, empowering, preserving that believing remnant of Israel through the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and ushering them into that their long-prophesied Kingdom whereby He will recreate and restore National Israel, making her the head of the nations and the source of God's blessings to the whole world—when we see all that:
  • WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT HE WILL BE JUST AS FAITHFUL TO US IN THE BODY OF CHRIST'S MYSTERY PROGRAM!
• And that will strengthen our patience, enhance our comfort and increase our hope (Rom. 15:4).

We finished the Epistle of James last Sunday. Based on your responses, we learned a lot and gained a new appreciation for God's faithful provision for the Nation Israel, especially with regard to the believing remnant of Israel as they go through the Tribulation Period, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

We answered a couple of questions:

1. What is the practical application we can take away from James? But before answering that, we need to go back a step. Why do we even ask such a question? It is because we have been brainwashed by Historic Christianity into thinking that the whole Bible is to and about us. But those who rightly divide and appreciate Paul's distinct apostleship know that this is not true. While the whole Bible is certainly FOR us (otherwise we wouldn't be studying Matthew and James!), the whole Bible is not written specifically TO and ABOUT us. I remember listening to a famous preacher on the radio tell his audience that they should go to any passage in the Bible that they wanted and replace the name in the passage with their own name, naming and claiming that passage for themselves, making it their own. So, if you are going through some trouble, he said, go to the Psalms, throw away God's reference to David and replace it with your own reference to yourself, believe and God will do for you what He did for David. Or, if you are a woman who is having difficulty having a baby, go to the passages about Sarah and Hannah, throw out God's reference to them and replace it with your own reference to yourself, and if you have faith, God will give you a baby. This last example is particularly sensitive for me. I witnessed a women in this predicament destroyed by such teachings. She did everything the preacher said, she had faith, she waited on God, but the months and years went on and still no baby. First, she blamed herself. Then she blamed God. No, this is not spiritual Christianity! This is nothing more than pagan superstition!!

So, in our study of James, we are NOT going to do what these erring representatives of Historical Christianity teach. We are not going to throw away God's reference to the 12 Tribes of ISRAEL in James 1:1. For instance, and replace it with the Body of Christ or our own assembly or our own names. The Letter James wrote to the believing remnant is written specifically to and about them. We are not going to steal it away from them. We are going to let them have their beautiful and powerful little Letter that will have a direct bearing on how they conduct themselves during the Tribulation Period. James tells his readers, the believing remnant of Israel, to rely on God, to pray, to go to Him for His good things, to study the Word, to support fellow believers, to look for the 2nd Coming, etc. Aren't we supposed to do all that as well? Of course, we are. But what they will be relying on God for is not what we rely on God for today. What they will be praying about is not what we pray about today. The good things He will give them are not the good things that He is giving us today in the Body of Christ. Their reasons for supporting the brethren are not the same reason we support each other. We are not waiting for the 2nd Coming of Christ, we are waiting for the Rapture to meet Christ in the air. We could go on and on, but I think you get the drift.

So what is the main take away, the main “practical application” we make as we leave the Letter of James and any non-Pauline Scripture for that matter? It is what Paul explains in Rom. 15. When we see God faithfully confirming and fulfilling all the promises He ever made to the Nation of Israel in every detail in accord with His Prophetic Program, we can be rest assured that He will be just as faithful in every detail with His plan and purpose for us as member of the Body of Christ in His Mystery Program.

2. We also had a most excellent question about James referring at that time to the 2nd Coming of Christ being “near” and that the Judge was “standing at the door” ready to return (James 5:7-9). We could go back even farther in time, going all the way back to John the Baptist and Jesus, who both claimed that the Kingdom was “at hand.” Well, it has now been some 2,000 years later, and it hasn't happened yet! Why not? Of course, only those who appreciate Paul's distinct apostleship can answer this question in a way that glorifies God. Even in the Apostle Peter's day, unbelievers were mocking him, saying: “Where is the promise of His Coming” (2 Pet. 3:4). Peter had preached some 30 years before that Christ was about to return to usher in Israel's earthly Kingdom in accord with the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants (Acts 2-3). But now, some 30 years later, what Peter and the 12 preached NEVER HAPPENED! Why?

That is really the million dollar, not the trillion dollar question of Christianity. To answer this correctly is to answer everything correctly. There is only one true answer that glorifies God. The unbeliever says that it was all just a bunch of fables to be ignored and ridiculed. Most believers follow the errant teaching of Historic Christianity, which tries to get rid of this problem by saying that Peter and the 12 were ignorant, they misunderstood everything Christ tried to teach them. God never intended to set up an earthly kingdom—how silly! God was always referring to a spiritual kingdom and Christ has come through that. What a bunch of nonsense. The only ignorant people here are the preachers who teach such things.

There is only one answer to this question that glorifies God, and it is the one that Paul gave: God implemented a distinct Mystery Program, something He had kept secret since the world began (ie., NO ONE BEFORE PAUL, MAN OR ANGEL, KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT IT! (Rom. 16:25)). After Israel nationally once-and-for-all declared that they would not have the Lord Jesus reign over them and refused to participate in God's plan for them at the stoning of Stephen, God set aside His Prophetic Program with the nation of Israel and introduced a new Mystery Program with the Body of Christ, which He would fulfill BEFORE He completed Israel's Prophetic Program. The next thing Peter, Stephen and James expected to happen in accord with Israel's Prophetic Program was for Christ to return in His Wrath and Judgment to destroy His enemies beginning with Saul, Christ's chief persecutor, and the House of Israel, and especially the Gentiles. But God out of the Riches of His Longsuffering Kindness and Grace, didn't do that. Instead, He returned in His Grace and Peace to SAVE HIS ENEMIES beginning with Saul, making Him our Apostle Paul and the pattern for salvation today, first to the Jews and, especially among the Gentiles. Today God is holding back His Wrath and Judgment a little while longer so that He can extend His Grace and Peace as long as possible to ungodly sinners on enemy status before Him so that He might save as many as possible BEFORE HE RETURNS IN HIS WRATH AND JUDGMENT TO DESTROY THEM! That is why we call this the Dispensation of Grace. That is why we call this God's Mystery Program for the Body of Christ. This is why the 2nd Coming hasn't come yet, some 2,000 years after John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter and the 12 and James said it would. God through His longsuffering kindness is manifesting the Righteousness of God in Saving His Enemies Because He Has No Friends. And this brings great, GREAT!, glory to God (Rom. 11:33-36; 16:25-27)!