James 1:19-25
Grace and Demand
Any conscientious reader of the Bible at some point asks, “How do I
reconcile these voices?” Are they incompatible? Is the Bible inconsistent? Does
the Bible teach an extravagant grace that asks nothing of us, or radical
discipleship that demands everything from us? Which is it?
The church is in desperate need of a way to express the grace of the
gospel and the demand of the gospel in a way that enhances both without
canceling either. If you have ever asked these questions—union with Christ is
your answer.
For example, the Letter of James, like the Sermon on the Mount, sets a
very high bar for the Christian life. James uses strong language. “You
adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity
with God? (James 4:4).
Either we turn down the volume on James (“Now he doesn’t mean …”) or it
becomes a cudgel with which to batter even the most faithful among us. Who can
read the letter of James, in good conscience, and not cry out, “Who then can be
saved?”
Only union with Christ allows us to read James not as a crushing burden
but as an uplifting possibility. The letter of James is a litmus test—are you
in Christ? But if you are, then James becomes encouraging, even beautiful to
you. You can persevere under trial (Ch. 1), have a living faith (Ch. 2), tame
your tongue (Ch. 3), rest in not knowing what tomorrow will bring (Ch. 4), and
love the poor (Ch. 5)—because you are married to Christ. James describes the
life that Christ died to enable you to live.
The Bible teaches us that we can be united to Christ, and our union
with Christ, in turn, teaches us how to read the Bible. If you are united to
Christ, then from him come both grace and demand, which together lead to a life
of joy. Listen for the dynamics in Jesus’ own words:
"As the Father
has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. [You hear the grace in
this]. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have
kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. [You hear the demand
following right after. And then you hear the consequence]. These things I have
spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
-John 15:9–11
