Paul and James: The Poor

Noted elsewhere in these discussions, Paul and James meet each other perhaps up to three times during the course of their respective careers. As Paul attests from those meetings, James has a heart for the poor great enough to call Paul also to attend to their needs. And Paul indicates his own responsive eagerness to do so. Gal. 2:9-10.

James: Visiting the poor

James uses two distinct terms speaking of the poor: one term relates to those desperately poor, beggarly, depending on the mercies of others. He highlights, for example, the disenfranchised orphans and widows of his day as proper recipients of pure religion. Jas. 1:27.

His other term for the poor carries a meaning related to people not so desperately poor, nonetheless, to people of quite modest means. They do not depend upon charity, but their work today yields bread on the table tomorrow. Failure to receive their just wages timely causes considerable hardship. 5:4.

James speaks against discrimination of the desperately poor in the congregation. 2:2-4. These folks wear shabby clothing, they would be shunted aside in the assemblies. Within the context of the scripture, one can see easily enough that these poor people would include the orphans and widows mentioned a couple of verses earlier. 1:27.

Indeed, rather than to push them away, true religion, by God’s standard anyway, seeks out these people and attends to their needs. James indicates that God calls those professing religion “to visit” orphans and widows in their affliction. The term “visit” has the same root that in other biblical passages relates to the day of God’s visitation (1 Pt. 2:12), or to elders as overseers (visitors) of the congregation (Acts 20:28), or even to the “eldership” or “episcopacy” itself (1 Tim. 3:1). The task of church leadership, of service, is one of visiting and attending to the needs of people.

The goal of biblical visitation, consequently, is not merely to while away the time with someone, but to visit with deliberate intent: to assess need and to render appropriate aid. Visiting the orphans and widows draws the visitor to attend to these folks’ need, to help provide clothing or food or shelter. To be noted, the visit is “proactive” not just “reactive.” God’s religion, James assures us, is a visiting religion. He does not describe it as a waiting religion.

James uses this very notion in his discussion of faith and works. He asks how useful pious words may be in place of actual food or clothing for those lacking necessities of the body. 2:14-16. If people need food or clothing, they need food or clothing. No amount of spiritual sounding talk will substitute. Now, to be exegetically clear, James engages this matter to draw an analogy concerning faith and works: faith without works is as useful to salvation as fine sounding words without food are useful to fill an empty belly. 2:14, 17.

James considers the desperately poor to be especially ready for belief and love for God, so as to become heirs of the kingdom. Jas. 2:5. God has chosen them for this very thing. We may not see it a fair trade (faith instead of financial security) … but this sense of unfairness betrays a poverty of faith on our part. So to speak. God reckons two copper coins worth more than vast gold reserves (Mk. 12:43). Faith concerns reliance on what may not be seen; the desperately poor must rely wholly on the Provider they cannot see, and on his yet unseen provision.

In order to maintain respect for God, common Hebrew usage often references him indirectly. James (thoroughly Jewish) follows that custom, notably at 1:12 as he says the person enduring testing/temptation will receive the crown of life which “he promised” to those who love “him.” Now, who did the promising? Who is the “him” the tested one loves? It is never stated directly: nevertheless, it is understood that God promised, and, that they love God.

Just so, James insists people of humble means find joy in their exaltation. 1:9. He does not explicitly say what or who exalts them, yet, clearly God is the source of that uplifting. God exalts through his salvation, rendering them fit for his kingdom. He exalts through his congregation, securing them honor among the more privileged faithful. 2:1, 6, 13.

Just because people of modest means have little power in society, the privileged are not to take advantage of them. They should be paid their fair wages for the work they do (5:4). James accuses the privileged of unjustly withholding wages due the workers mowing their fields. Poetically, it is not the mowers who cry out for justice, but the fraudulently withheld wages that cry out to the ears of the Lord Sabaoth. (Yet, it is the cry of harvesters that rise to his ears.) Who is the Lord Sabaoth? It is God, of course, the God of heaven’s terrible armies.

Thus, God also exalts the poor by rendering his justice in their behalf against the powers of society.

Paul: Remembering the poor

Paul’s discussion of aid for the poor is hardly as encompassing as James’, and certainly not as prophetic. At the same time, it is unequivocal: in his mission, Paul is ready to remember the poor. Gal. 2:10. This remembrance, clearly, does not stand as an intellectual memory of poor people but is a means by which to secure help for the desperately poor.

(Parenthetically, though the Galatian letter has no mention of it, other biblical witnesses speak of occasions when Paul and his company are highly involved in securing resources for people in dire straits. Acts 11:29-30; Rom. 15:25; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9; Phlm. Often and incorrectly confused with poverty, Paul also provides a corrective related to sloth (not to poverty!): 1 Ths. 5:14; 2 Ths. 3:3-12.)

Indeed, within the context of sharing in all good things with teachers of the Word, he speaks of sowing to the Spirit so as to reap eternal life. 6:6-8. If one sows to his own flesh, in contrast, he will reap rot. Paul sees teachers, that is teachers of the Word, worthy of material recompense for the spiritual teaching and benefit they provide.

As he ponders sowing, Paul calls the Galatian congregations to do “the good” for all people, whoever they may be, and especially to do the good for the household of faith. 6:9-10. “The good” has to do with the outgrowth of the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23) in people’s lives, of course, but in this more restricted context he speaks of helping people materially, in the same manner as a student shares in all good things with the teacher.

Notably, Paul distinguishes between recipients of the good: on the one hand he speaks of doing the good to “all”, and on the other hand, he speaks of doing the good to the "household of faith." This latter group understandably are believers in Christ who have need. These are “especially” to be remembered.

But Paul recognizes a larger setting for kingdom work: even people outside the faith may benefit from the blessings God gives his people. It is noted by Paul's Lord, Jesus specifically, that God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. Mt. 5:45. So why should his children do differently, if they are his children? Doing the good has to do with one’s God-reflecting character; neither does God turn his goodness off and on capriciously, nor do his children.

We find key in Paul’s mind is faith working through love, 5:6; bearing one another’s burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ, 6:2; these activities manifest the new creation. 6:15.

So, both Paul and James enjoin believers of greater means to share generously with those of more humble status. Therefore, it is good, it is mandatory in the kingdom of God to remember the poor by visiting with them honorably.

Paul and James: Wisdom and the Holy Spirit

Paul and James both decry sin in its various expressions, and they both enjoin righteousness, always, however, using different terms and rationales. James will speak of “wisdom from above” (3:17) and Paul will speak of the “fruit of the Spirit” (5:22). As James proscribes friendship with the world (4:4), so Paul proscribes the works of the flesh (5:19).

Paul states the desires of the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to each other (5:17), and James contrasts ambitious wisdom (3:14) with gentle wisdom coming down from above (3:13, 15).

James and Wisdom

Reading James 3:13-17, we hear James present wisdom in terms of behavior or conduct. Some conduct evidences wisdom from above, that is, godly wisdom. Other conduct evidences wisdom from below which James identifies as friendship with the world. He distinguishes between wisdom that springs from the heart of sinner man (3:14), and wisdom that comes down from above (3:15, 17), sourced in God above (1:17), not in earthly humans.

Wisdom rooted in the heart’s bitter jealousy and ambition finds its source in the earth, in the soul, in demonic powers (3:16). The behaviors arising from this wisdom are instability and “every foul practice.” The term “instability” is the same one James uses earlier (1:8) where he speaks of a capricious and arbitrary man, a man who doubts God, who changes violently as a stormy sea; of a double-minded man who will receive nothing from the Lord. The term is found again (3:8) where he speaks of the unbridled tongue and its deadly poison, polluting the whole body, engendering distrust and hatred among generations (3:6), cursing men created in God’s likeness (3:9).

James notes this earthly wisdom boasts and lies against the truth (3:14). Such wisdom demonstrates friendship with the world (4:4), stands in opposition to God, is characterized by strife (4:1) born of selfish passion and desire (4:2). Elsewhere (1:20-21), he further notes such anger does not work the righteousness of God, but produces filthiness and evil.

Wisdom drawn from that bitterness also finds definition in the term “soulish,” rendered occasionally as “unspiritual” or somesuch. Soulish refers to human nature: mind, feelings, and action guided from below, not guided by what is “above.” Namely, soulish wisdom is human reason and conduct uninformed by God’s spiritual realities.

James further uses the term “demonic” to continue his characterisation of wisdom from below. A wisdom that fails to have root in God, finally has not mere blindness to God’s insight, but has its root in the realm of demons. These spiritual agents actively oppose God’s (true) wisdom, indeed, trembling they oppose God.

So, earthly, soulish, demonic wisdom directs and deceives into any behavior that is not good, indeed, behavior against the good, against God. It forms effectively a friendship with the world fixed as enmity against God (4:4).

In wonderful contrast, the wisdom coming down from above produces a humility of life, profoundly good conduct. Its qualities lead to crystal clear transparency (purity), to pursuit of peace, to caring behavior (gentleness), to free exchange of thoughts and intentions (open to reason), to an abundance of mercy, to doing truly good deeds, to fair (unprejudiced) and equitable (unhypocritical) treatment of all persons. The result of this righteous behavior grows from people who do peace (3:18).

James also uses the phrase “from above coming down” to tell the source of all good and perfect gifts (1:17): they are from God, the Father of lights. By reasonable implication then, the work, the behavior, the conduct to which James calls becomes a way of life whose wisdom comes down as a good and perfect gift from the Father of lights (1:17).

One of James’ two instances of the term “spirit” (4:5) rests in this passage that contrasts the gentle wisdom from above (3:17) to produces peace (3:18) over against earthly passions waging war due to unfulfilled worldly desires (4:2). He calls people to resist the devil, and to draw near to God (4:7-8). This, in light of the fact that God has made the spirit dwell in us. It’s unclear whether James means the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, and Bible translators disagree accordingly. In any case, God guards that spirit jealously, and therefore will not tolerate enmity from us against himself. (The other instance of “spirit” is 2:26, where the idea is more along the lines of “breath,” so as to say, “the body without the breath (spirit) is dead.”)

Nonetheless, humble, good behavior evidences godly wisdom. So, James calls to set aside filthiness and abundance of evil in humility, indeed, to receive the implanted word (1:21). Such wisdom elicits the conduct that attends to life, to salvation itself.

Paul and Spirit

Reading Galatians 5:19-23, we hear Paul contrast in the strongest terms key behavior differences between works of the flesh and life in the Spirit. God sends the Spirit into the hearts of his children. Gal. 4:6. So, Paul emphasizes that those who live by the Spirit must walk by the Spirit (5:25), they must not satisfy the passions of the flesh (5:16), and being so led by the Spirit, they are not under law (5:18).

He defines works of the flesh in terms of specific actions (e.g., idolatry) as well as in larger terms of attitude (e.g., ambition) and emotional states (e.g., rage). He defines life in the Spirit in terms of attitude (e.g., love) and emotional states (e.g., joy).

Actions witnessing to works of the flesh include sexual immorality, uncleanness, impurity, idolatry, sorcery, fighting, revolts, drunkenness, partying; attitudes of selfishness, ambition, obstinacy, conceit, provoking; emotional states as jealousy, rage, envy (5:19-21, 26). The listing suffices as examples, but is not exhaustive. Paul warns time and again that whoever practices these works will not inherit the kingdom of God (5:21).

How curious, that Paul, known as the proclaimer of grace, speaks of losing the kingdom on account of fleshly works. And James, understood as a man of works, speaks of gaining salvation on account of repentance, despite previous errant wandering.

(Now, somehow, within Paul’s economy, his call to cease works of the flesh does not constitute salvation by works, yet there is no question here in Paul’s teaching that to engage such fleshly activities leads to spiritual death. Beyond our scope at present to resolve, suffice it to say momentarily that when Paul speaks of salvation by faith apart from works, the works he has in mind are “good” works -- circumcision, observing holy seasons, law keeping -- as insufficient for salvation. But, clearly, he does not have in mind these works of the flesh which apparently are sufficient for losing the kingdom.)

Evidences of the Spirit at work in one’s life include attitudes of love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and emotional states of joy and peace.

There is not a one-to-one correspondence between Paul’s and James’ itemizing sin on the one hand or righteousness on the other. Still, the qualities, characteristics, activities each mentions do mesh easily with each other. Few people reading either apostle's set of discussions lack the insight that the wisdom James indicates as “earthly, soulish, demonic” accords very well with what Paul describes as the “works of the flesh.” Similarly, it does not take rocket science to recognize the conduct James says reflects “wisdom from above coming down” complements deeply the life-walk Paul calls the “fruit of the Spirit.”

At the same time, there does appear to be a one-to-one correspondence between James’ notion of Wisdom (that is, true, godly wisdom) and Paul’s of the Holy Spirit. While perhaps unexpected, it should not be particularly surprising inasmuch as we may find even in the Hebrew scriptures such correlation. For example, when God created the heavens and the earth, Gen. 1:2 indicates creation’s context: the Spirit of God moved through the darkness over the face of deep waters hiding a formless void called earth. Then God speaks and mighty stuff happens. We compare this account with Prov. 8:22-31, in which Wisdom (personified) becomes the agency by which God designs and creates the universe. “When he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I [wisdom] was beside him, like a master workman” (vv. 29-30). (We may even recognize here hints of correlation between Wisdom and the Word per Jn. 1:1-4).

Finally: Paul and James use different terms describing the life of a believer. Yet, they speak of a common conduct (James) or walk (Paul). They speak of a common source for that life: God. The behavior of Christians moves away from the ways of the world (James) or of the flesh (Paul), to find its source in wisdom above (James), in the Spirit (Paul). That is, in God.

So Paul and James both agree, God calls those who believe in Christ to live changed by the divine: by the Wisdom of God, by the Holy Spirit of God.