if – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: if

Romans 14:8 – Still On The Altar?

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Will

For if we should live, we live to the Lord; and if we should die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we might live or die, we are the Lord's.

Truth to Learn

Living to the Lord is submission to His will.

Behind the Words

The subtlety of this verse is in the mood of the verbs in the translated phrases, “if we should live” and “if we should die.” Greek verbs can be expressed in four different moods. In the indicative mood the action is conceived of as fact. The subjunctive mood expresses action that is possible or probable (one step away from actually happening). The optative mood expresses action that is wished for or questioned (two steps away from actually happening). Finally, the imperative mood expresses a command, indicating action that is not a fact but that needs to be.

The word translated “if” is the Greek word ean, which is a conditional particle, and the words translated “we should live” and “we should die” are in the subjunctive mood. As explained above, the subjunctive mood in Greek expresses the notion of possibility. Therefore, in this verse Paul is stating that it is possible that we will continue to live, but it is also possible that we will die; however, we don’t know which will happen to us.

Meaning Explained

What Paul is saying is, “If we should continue to live, it is our Lord’s doing; therefore, we live in relation to Him, at His discretion. If we should die, it is our Lord’s doing; therefore, we will die at His discretion. Either way it is the Lord who controls when we will die. We are not in control, He is!

Now, tie this in with what Paul has been talking about: whether or not to eat certain foods and whether or not to hold a particular day of the week more sacred than the rest. It doesn’t really matter whether we believe some foods are forbidden or not, and it doesn’t matter whether we hold one day more sacred than the others, as long as we hold these beliefs because God has convicted us about them. Notice I said, because God has convicted us about them. We do not have the freedom to behave however we please. Our convictions have to be based on what God’s Word teaches us. These convictions must be based on a continual study of the Bible and a close daily walk with Almighty God. An immature Christian who doesn’t yet have a firm understanding of God or a close intimate relationship with God will not necessarily have the same convictions that a mature Christian might have.

Therefore, since this is a matter of conviction and not of doctrine, we should not judge our brother or sister in Christ for acting differently than we do. If we live to the Lord, we will follow what He wants for us and not be concerned about what a brother or sister is eating or how they treat a certain day of the week. Only when we are completely submitted to Him can we be completely living, or dying, for Him.

Application

The important matter is whether or not we are submitted to God’s lordship over us and committed to doing His will, not what kind of food we eat or how we treat days of the week. If we have our gaze fixed on our fellow Christians and are judging what they do or don’t do, then we don’t have our gaze where it should be: fixed on our Lord and Master. If we are a living sacrifice, we are living for Him and we are submitted to His will.

Are you still on the altar or have you climbed off?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:21 – The Almighty Gardner

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Will

For if God did not spare the natural branches, Neither will He spare you.

Truth to Learn

God rejected the Jewish people because they refused to believe that Jesus was their Messiah. Since He was willing to do this, He is just as willing to reject Gentiles in the future and deal exclusively with the Jews once again.

Behind the Words

“If” is translated from the conditional particle ei. When used as it is in this verse, it indicates a conditional statement of the first class. In the New Testament there are three classes of conditional statements. The first class condition assumes that the “if clause” is true, the second class condition assumes that the “if clause” is false, and the third class condition makes no assumption about the “if clause.” Therefore, in a first class conditional statement some translators use the word “since,” although it is not required.

The word translated “spare” is pheidomai, which means “to abstain or to treat leniently.”

The second half of this verse starts off with mēpōs in the Greek text. This word is made up of mē, a conditional negative particle and pōs, meaning “somehow, anyhow, in any way, or in some way or other.” Mēpōs is often translated as “lest by any means” or “lest perhaps.” Here it is immediately followed by the Greek word oude, meaning “also not” or “neither.”

The second occurrence of “spare” is again the word pheidomai. In some Greek manuscripts it is expressed in the subjunctive mood, indicating what might possibly or will probably happen. However, the best Greek texts express it in the future tense, indicating action that will happen.

Meaning Explained

The point that Paul is making is that if God did not spare the natural branches, the Jews, but rejected them as a people, thus turning to the Gentiles and grafting them in, then we should not be arrogant about this. Instead, we should consider our position as God’s chosen ones with reverential fear knowing that God is just as able to reject the Gentiles and turn back to the Jews.

In fact, I believe that this is exactly what God is going to do. If you study Daniel 9:25-29 you will learn about the 70 weeks of years that God has decreed for the Jews. The first 69 weeks cover the time from the decree to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem up to the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. Between the 69^th and 70^th weeks, however, there is a pause, which is where God turns to the Gentiles. This is the church age that we are living in right now. Just before the 70^th week begins, God will rapture the church, removing them from the earth, and will once again deal with the Jews. This ushers in Daniel’s 70^th week, the seven year period called The Tribulation.

During this seven year period, God’s focus will once again be on the Jews, not the Gentiles. In other words, during the tribulation God will reject the Gentile world. That is, He will break them off as branches. At the same time, he will deal directly with the Jewish nation once more, a remnant of them will believe, and He will graft them back into the holy root stock.

Take special note of the fact that this series of verses is not talking about rejecting believers (causing them to lose their salvation). He is talking about rejecting the unbelievers.

Application

God does as He pleases, not as we want Him to do. We need to be humble and in awe of Him. He is Almighty God and we are but His chosen children. Give Him thanks and praise!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:14 – It May be a Way

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Will

if somehow I may provoke those who are my flesh to jealousy and might save some of them.

Truth to Learn

Preaching the Gospel message may evoke an emotional response in others, and it also might provoke them to salvation.

Behind the Words

The word translated, “if” is the Greek word ei, which is a conditional conjunction. That is, it ties two thoughts together (conjunction) with a relationship that is not definite but conditional. It is most often translated as “if,” but in cases like this it can be translated idiomatically.

“Somehow” is from a single Greek word, pōs. This is an interrogative adverb. As such, it usually forms a question, like “how?” “in what manner?” “by what means?” or “is there a way?” Context and usage, however, sometimes indicate that this is not being used to form a question, but a statement.

The context here does not indicate that Paul is asking a question. Therefore, we could combine the conceptual ideas of these two words, ei and pōs, and paraphrase this verse as, “because it may be a way for me to provoke those who are my flesh to jealousy …”

Meaning Explained

This is one of those verses which sounds so awkward in English that it is difficult to understand exactly what Paul is saying. In order to understand this better we can temporarily take out the parenthetical expression from the previous verse and then put these two verses together, paraphrasing the first part of the current verse. Then we would have,

For I speak to you Gentiles because it may be a way that I might provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and perhaps save some of them.

Paul has said that he considers his calling to be the Apostle to the Gentiles as an honor and a great responsibility. One of the reasons that he is so determined to carry it out to the fullest is because it might also provoke some of his fellow Jews to jealousy and they might, through this jealousy, seek the truth of Christ and become saved themselves.

Paul had been accused by his fellow Jews of deserting his brothers in the flesh and of defecting to “the other side.” In defense of his actions, Paul started out chapter ten of this letter with:

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation. (Romans 10:1)

He then opened up the current chapter proclaiming that God has not completely turned away from the Jews. And in defense of that, he reminds everyone that he is a Jew himself.

I say then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1)

He is now showing that God has not deserted the Jewish people, and he believes that he may be a channel of God’s salvation even to the Jewish people by preaching the gospel message to us Gentiles.

Application

You may not have the spiritual gift of evangelism, but that doesn’t release you from the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel message. Oh, that we all cared as much as Paul about proclaiming the message of salvation to the unsaved!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 3:30 – Faith for All

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Will

since it is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Truth to Learn

God will justify anyone who comes by faith.

Behind the Words

The Greek word starting off this verse is different depending on which Greek text is used. Some have it as epeiper, meaning “since indeed” whereas others have it as eiper, meaning “if on the whole.” Although the epeiper is a stronger assertion, they both imply that what follows is a true statement.

The word “by” is from the Greek word ek, meaning “out of, from, or by means of.” In other words, it implies origin.

“Through” is translated from dia, meaning “through,” or “through which.” In other words, it implies instrumentality.

Meaning Explained

Since Paul has just demonstrated that Jehovah is the God of both the Jews and the Gentiles and that man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law, he now takes the next step in his explanation. He says that it is one God who will justify both the Jews and the Gentiles and that justification comes not from keeping the Law but through faith.

The construction of this verse is a little confusing and has been argued back and forth for centuries (in my opinion it is an example of senseless quibbling). Some say that even though the prepositions are different, they are used to express the same thing. They would interpret this phrase as, “… who will justify circumcision by faith and uncircumcision by the same faith.”

Others would argue that the Jews are justified by (out of) the faith which Abraham had and which they now also have, whereas the Gentiles must acquire such faith independently in order to receive justification through such faith. If you think that this is an unnecessary splitting of hairs, I agree with you. The point is that God will declare a person righteous based on faith, whether a Jew or a Gentile.

The two points that Paul has been making all along in this chapter are: 1 – There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to justification, and 2 – The only way to obtain justification is by faith.

If you look back through the Old Testament you will see a number of examples where men were justified by faith. For instance, Noah believed God was going to send a flood and demonstrated that faith by building an Ark. Abraham believed that he was going to have a son even when he and Sarah were too old to have children. Moses believed God was going to release the Israelites from bondage when he went in and challenged Pharaoh to “let my people go.”

Throughout the ages, men (and women) have been saved by faith, not by works. That is precisely what Paul is teaching these Jewish Christians in Rome.

Application

The message of salvation is very simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s not, believe and keep the Ten Commandments. It’s not, believe and join the church. It’s not, believe and be baptized. It’s simply “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s all there is to it – just believe.

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Peter 2:4 – Held For Judgment

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Will

For if God did not spare sinning angels, but delivered them to chains of darkness sending them down to Tartarus, holding them for judgment;

Truth to Learn

False teachers, like the angels who sinned, will be judged!

Behind the Words

The word “if” indicates a conditional clause. In New Testament Greek there are three classes of conditional clauses. There is s fourth class of conditional clauses in classical Greek, but it is not used in the New Testament. The conditional clause used here is a first class condition. A first class conditional sentence assumes that the premise (protasis) is true for the sake of argument. For this reason, some have proposed that the “if” can be translated as “since.” Whereas this is not always true, in this case it does give us a better sense of what the Greek is saying.

“Sending them down to Tartarus” is translated from the verb tartaroō. This is based on the noun Tartaros, the name of “the subterranean abyss of Greek mythology where the gods were punished.” Tartarus is also mentioned in the book of Enoch as the place where fallen angels are confined.

Meaning Explained

Peter told us in the previous verse that the judgment of false teachers and their destruction will come. He told the early Christians this because, like today, these false teachers seemed to be prospering in spite of (or because of) their selfish tactics. He will now go on to give us several examples of judgment that have already been performed upon those who thought they were getting away with their rebellion. The first of these examples is in today’s verse, the angels that sinned.

We don’t know exactly what their sin was, although Jude 6 implies that these angels left their original dwelling place and went somewhere they were not supposed to go. Some believe that this is a reference to the angels having come down to earth to cohabitate with human women, but that is really only speculation. What we do know is that they exceeded the bounds that God had set for them and they were punished.

Peter tells us that the angels are incarcerated in Tartarus in chains of darkness (gloomy dungeons) awaiting their judgment. And, by combining this verse with the end of this sentence (in verse nine), we see that Peter is saying, “If God did not spare angels when they sinned … then the Lord knows how to … hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” His point is that judgment will certainly come to these spirit beings just as judgment will come to the false teachers who are selling snake oil to the people.

Since angels are each a separate creation, there can be no substitutionary payment for their sins. We, on the other hand, being procreated beings (descendants of a created being) can, and do, have someone else who paid for our sins. That someone is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who paid with His blood. The Bible tells us that if we do not accept this fact, then we too will be cast into Hell (Hades) to await the Great White Throne judgment where all unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

Application

What future awaits you? The choice is yours: either the pain and suffering of Hades and the Lake of Fire, or as Peter talked about in the previous chapter:

a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Which future do you want?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 2:3 – Tasting God’s Provision

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Will

if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Truth to Learn

Our Heavenly Father treats us very well.

Behind the Words

“If indeed” is translated from eiper, which is a compound word made up of ei, meaning “if” and per, meaning “perhaps” or “indeed.” The best manuscripts, however, use the word ei, meaning “if.” For this reason, we have included the word “indeed” in itallics.

In the New Testament there are three types of conditional phrases (in secular Greek literature there is a fourth). The first class conditional phrase implies reality and can be interpreted as, “if, and it is assumed so…” Hence, it is sometimes interpreted as “since,” rather than ‘if’. The second class condition is the condition of irrealis, or unreality and can be interpreted as, “if, and it is assumed not so…” The third class condition carries with it no assumption as to the reality of the condition. The differences between the various conditional clauses in Greek are distinguished by the grammatical construction of the text.

The conditional clause in the current verse is a first class condition and, therefore, could be translated as:

If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and I assume you have.

The word translated “tasted” is the word geuomai, which means “to taste,” but figuratively it means “to experience something.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, showing action that was completed at a point in time in the past.

The word “gracious” is translated from the Greek word chrēstos, which is from the verb chraomai, meaning “to make use of,” “to make the most of,” or “to treat well.” This noun form means, “one who provides what is needed.”

Meaning Explained

First, let’s see what Peter is NOT saying here. He is not saying that there is a question about the readers’ salvation. He made that very clear in the previous chapter:

[you who are] chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father … who according to His great mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead …who are kept by the power of God through faith … (selections from 1 Peter 1:2-5)

Neither is Peter questioning whether his readers have already experienced the Lord’s provision for their needs in the past. In fact, we see from the grammatical construction of this sentence that Peter is assuming that his readers indeed have experienced that gracious provision.

Because we have experienced God’s watch care over us, we should be willing, even eager, to lay aside our bad habits and we should have a craving for the sincere milk of the Word of God. We should be so delighted and amazed that the God of all creation cares for each one of us individually, that we should desire to act and be as He wants us to. And, we should have an uncontrollable desire to read His Word so that we can know Him better and so we can be more like Him.

Application

Have you experienced the wonder of salvation? If so, do you have a burning desire to be obedient to your Heavenly Father and to learn more about Him through His Word?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 3:8 – Stand Firm!

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Will

For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

Truth to Learn

Christians must learn to stand firm in the midst of battle.

Behind the Words

The word translated “now” is nun, meaning “the present time.”

“Live” is from the Greek verb dzaō, meaning “to live” or “to have life.” By implication, it means “to live and prosper,” “to be blessed,” or “feel satisfied.”

There are three classes of conditional clauses (if clauses) expressed in New Testament Greek. The first class condition assumes the “if statement” to be true. The “if” is sometimes expressed as “since” in a first class conditional statement. The second class condition assumes the “if statement” to be false. The third class condition is a true conditional statement, making no assumption about the “if statement.” “If you stand fast” is expressed here as a third class conditional clause.

“Stand fast” is translated from the Greek verb stēkō, meaning “to stand.” Figuratively, it means “to stand firm in the faith.” It is a picture of an army that refuses to retreat even though it is being attacked by the enemy.

Meaning Explained

After some length of time, the Apostle Paul had not heard word about how the Christians in Thessalonica were doing in their walk with the Lord. Finally, he sent Timothy there to help them get further grounding in the basics of Christianity and to coach them in their walk. In the previous two verses we learned that Timothy had returned, bringing good news about the welfare and spiritual growth of the Thessalonians. This news was a great comfort to Paul, who had been concerned that the persecution that he and his fellow workers had been experiencing might have weakened the faith of his spiritual children.

Now, having learned that their faith remained solid, Paul expresses a further word of encouragement and challenge to them. The encouragement is that Paul and his helpers feel good about the news they heard. The expression, “now we live” does not mean that life and death depend on the condition of the Thessalonian Christians; rather, it means that the quality of their sense of living is improved. This is similar to an expression that we use when we feel particularly good. We say, “I feel really alive today.” It means that we have a really good sense of well-being as a result of good circumstances.

Paul’s challenge to them is that he and his co-workers will continue to feel good as long as these new Christians continue to stand firm in their faith. Paul knows that all Christians are engaged in a battle against our own sin nature and against the forces of evil. The Christian life is not an easy one, especially when the enemy is on the attack. When that happens, however, we need to stand firm against our attackers so as not to let them get the upper hand. As God’s soldiers and ambassadors, we are not to run from the battles, but to “stand fast,” using the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17) to battle effectively.

Application

One of the problems we face when we are under attack for our Christian witness is that we feel alone and deserted. Be encouraged, my friend, for God will never leave you nor forsake you. Also remember that your brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing the same challenges. We must stand firm and support one another at times like this.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 3:2 – Administrator of Grace

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Will

if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,

Truth to Learn

All Christians are commissioned to preach the Gospel.

Behind the Words

The word “if” is translated from ei. This is a conditional particle which introduces a conditional clause. In New Testament Greek (Koinē Greek) there are four types of conditional clauses, although only three of them appear in the Bible. The first class condition assumes the “if” clause to be true. The second class condition assumes the “if” clause to be false and the third class condition makes no assumption. In today’s verse we see a first class condition, so Paul assumes that his readers have heard of the dispensation.

“Indeed” is from ge, which is a particle of emphasis or qualification. It serves to strengthen or render more emphatic the word to which it is appended (if). It can be variously translated as “besides, doubtless, indeed, at least, or yet.”

The word translated “dispensation” is oikonomia, which is made up of oikos, meaning “house” and a form of nemō, meaning “to distribute or apportion.” In the first century, it was not uncommon for a land owner to have one slave who was steward (in charge) of his household. The word oikonomia refers to this position of household administrator, the work done by an administrator, or the process of administration. In today’s verse it refers to the “administration” or “stewardship” of the grace of God.

The word “for” is from the Greek word eis, which literally means “into” or “toward.” In this verse it refers to a direction of the mind. In other words, this information was given to Paul to relay it to us. In this sense, it was given to him “for” us.

Meaning Explained

Paul, like every believer in Jesus Christ, has been the recipient of God’s grace as he described it in the previous chapter:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8)

However, that’s not what he is specifically referring to in today’s verse. Here he is talking about “the dispensation of the grace of God” or the administration of the grace of God. God chose the Apostle Paul to be the administrator of His grace for the Gentiles. What he means by this is that God has entrusted him with the message of salvation by grace, through faith, and it is his responsibility to deliver it to the Gentiles. In Acts chapter twenty-six Paul described to King Agrippa how he received this responsibility directly from the Lord, who said:

But rise up and stand on your feet; for it is for this reason I appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness both of the things which you saw and of the things which I will yet reveal to you, delivering you from the Jewish people, and the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, (Acts 26:16, 17)

In fact, he told the believers in Corinth that he now has no choice but to preach the Gospel message:

For if I proclaim the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16)

Paul recognized his responsibility to administer the grace of God by proclaiming the Good News to people throughout the known world, and he performed that task until the day he died.

Application

We, too, have been given a commission to preach the Gospel message. Are you carrying out that commission? Are you sharing the Good News with those around you?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:17 – Works of Evidence

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Will

So also faith, if it should not have works, is dead by itself.

Truth to Learn

A living, breathing faith in Christ is always accompanied by good works, for these works are the evidence that it is a living faith.

Behind the Words

“So also” is translated from houtōs kai, which means “in this manner also.” These words directly tie what has just been said with what is about to be said. The two are tied together, not as a comparison or a contrast, but directly, saying one is just like the other.

The word translated “faith” is pistis. This noun is derived from the verb peithō, meaning “to win over” or “to persuade.” Hence, pistis refers to a moral conviction. It is used throughout the New Testament in reference to our faith in Christ.

Once again, “if” is from the word ean, which introduces a third class conditional clause (indicating that the clause is not currently true but there is a possibility of it becoming true).

The word translated “have” is echō, which means “to have in one’s possession.” The word itself implies that the possessing is a continual state of affairs.

“By itself” is from the Greek kath heautēs, meaning “according to itself.” That is, it refers to faith being by itself, without any additional properties or characteristics.

Meaning Explained

This entire section of the book of James is a very strong treatise on the proof of genuine faith through action. In the current verse he gets right to the point. If you claim to have faith and yet your actions don’t demonstrate godliness or Christ-likeness, then you don’t really have faith.

“But,” you may argue, “James doesn’t say the faith doesn’t exist, simply that it’s dead. So, I don’t have to do good works as long as I have genuine faith.” To that let me ask, if you have a pet that dies, is it still your pet? No. It was your pet, but now it is dead. It has ceased to be a pet.

Whereas there are some Christians who believe that you have to do deeds as penance for bad things you have done in the past, that’s not what James is talking about. He is not talking about deeds of contrition. He is saying that doing good deeds is the proof of your salvation, not the penalty for your sins.

Let me repeat what I have said before: James is not claiming that you are saved by works or that works are necessary to make up for sins you have committed. He is teaching that your good works are a result of your faith, that they are, in fact, the evidence of your faith.

Application

Each one of us needs to take a good look at ourselves (on the inside) and ask, “Do I do good works?” If the answer is yes, then we need to see if these good works are the result of our appreciation to God for having given us salvation, or an attempt to win His favor. If the answer is no, then we need to seriously investigate whether or not we’re really saved!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:15 – The Invisible Poor

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Will

If a brother or sister is naked and should be lacking daily food,

Truth to Learn

We often don’t even notice those members of our church having the greatest needs.

Behind the Words

“If” is translated from the Greek word ean, which is used here (along with the subjunctive mood of the verb) to denote a third class conditional clause. As we saw in the previous verse, this indicates the possibility of something being true but not assumed to be one way or the other.

Previously we looked at the word adelphos, meaning “brother.” Here we now have the feminine form of this word, adelphe, meaning “sister.” James is talking about a man or a woman who is a fellow Christian.

The word translated “naked” is gumnos, which can refer to someone who is absolutely naked or someone who has very little or shabby clothing.

“Should be” is not translated from the normal verb of being, but from huparchō. This is a word made up of hupo (or hypo), meaning “under” and archō, which means “to begin.” It refers to a condition of being and could be translated as “exists.” Hence, James is referring to a brother or sister who exists in a condition of having insufficient food.

Leipō is the word translated “lacking.” This word means “to leave” or “to forsake.” Used, as it is here in the passive voice, it means someone who is left without something.

The word “daily” is translated from ephēmeros. This is made up of epi, meaning “upon or over” and hēmera, meaning a day. It refers to that which lasts for only a single day. It is the word from which we get our English word ephemeral, meaning something that is fleeting or that lasts for only a short time.

Meaning Explained

James is using a grammatical device called hyperbole (which, in Greek, means “to throw over” or “to overstate”). He is stating an extreme case as if it were the general rule. Teenagers are masters of the use of hyperbole, saying such things as “I’m starving” or “You never let me do that.”

This verse, like several we have looked at previously, cannot stand on its own. It needs the following verses to make sense. James is using an exaggerated example to make a point about the difference between a faith in words and a faith in action. This verse could be interpreted as:

If one of our fellow Christians should be regularly dressed is shabby or inadequate clothing and does not even have enough food to feed himself, or herself, on a daily basis …

This is an example of James’ very practical writing style. He doesn’t talk about theological concepts in an abstract manner but in a down-to-earth, put-it-on-and-wear-it manner. That’s what makes this book so practical. It’s Christianity in action!

Application

In keeping with what James has been teaching us about the way we discriminate against the poor and lonely of our churches while favoring the rich and famous, let me give you a challenge. Next Sunday, look around your church and specifically note those who are poor and needy. It’s quite likely that you will see people who you have never even noticed before. They are the ones who need your mercy. What are you going to do about it?

In God's service, for His glory,