If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, you may have realized that unfortunately, there are those that are Christian in name only, and their lives aren’t characterized by a pattern of repentance to God, and obedience to His Word.
The entirety of James has to do in large part with explaining that the living faith that is the effect of our salvation always results in a change in character that demonstrates a willingness and desire to obey God in all things.
When James tells us that we must all “be quick to hear, slow to speak,” and “slow to anger”, we do this because “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires” (James 1:20). This isn’t referring to our gift of perfect rightness in Christ and our right legal standing before God. James is referring here to the living that God desires of His people, which is the obedience to God’s law (Matthew 5:17).
Before you jump to a conclusion about what I’m saying here, consider this: when we have authentic faith in Christ, we seek to please God in all things. It’s what we naturally want and strive to do. However, if we’re too willing to jump to conclusions without allowing those around us the benefit of the doubt, we can become angry in a way that is sinful, and thus sneakingly hastily.
R.C. Sproul puts it like this: “…if we aren’t slow to hear our fellow believers, we might burn with unjustified and unrighteous anger and thereby do things that do not please God. We must, therefore, take the time to understand others before jumping to conclusions.”
As I’m writing this, I know I’m guilty of it. This is an area that I really need to improve on. We can all recall times when we were far too quick to speak and not patient enough to hear the whole story. Sometimes we become angry far too quickly and say things that we don’t mean. Some of the most hurtful things we say can come out of these impulsive outbursts.
Have patience with your fellow believers. Hear what they have to say. As you go about your day, week, and month, listen carefully before just saying the first thing that comes to mind.
I want to leave you with a few verses to look at in addition to James 1:19-20. These are Genesis 4:6-7, Proverbs 17:27-28, & Ephesians 4:26-27.
