Quickly, I jumped to my feet, grabbed my hat, and surveyed my surroundings. When the dust had settled, and the shock wore off, my pride was the only thing injured. My crabby horse–for the moment–had rid himself of the burden on his back.
Now, a little more seasoned, I swung my right leg over his back and situated myself squarely in the saddle. With both boots fixed in the stirrups, I proceeded this time to grip the reigns with more certainty and skill than Jimmy was able to interrupt, no matter the fit he threw.
From that moment on, my horse and I were a unit. Jimmy’s peevish nature was chalked up to nothing more than the lack of a rider bringing him into submission. His seasonal freedom had led to a momentary lapse of judgment. Without a functioning bit and bridle, Jimmy, the horse, went to crow-hopping until he relieved himself of anything contrary to his desires.
In one sense, he was free. But, in another, he was also enslaved.
To Be Free and Yet Enslaved
The apostle James teaches,
“Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things” (James 3:3-5).
Freedom to speak, but enslaved to desires. James had previously stated, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). James picks up this idea in James 4:1 when he rhetorical asks, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?” When acting out of basic pleasure, the outcome is precisely what was envisioned, namely, the satisfaction of desire. The problem is that without an external invasion of goodness upon the inner person, the self-satisfying heart will proceed from bad to worse. See also the history of mankind, starting with Adam, Eve, and Cain and the work accomplished against his brother.
Goodness. We all agree that many people are good—especially when compared to others that are not so good. Goodness then cannot be a standard our culture, or we create, and it must come from an eternal Source whereby neither the perfection and purity of its results nor its motivation can be disputed. Thus, to understand goodness, we must realize it is outside of us to produce since neither our motivation toward goodness nor our outcome will ever escape a mixture of our sinful desires.
To Be Free Indeed
Faith-producing works. Previously, James had addressed an un-vindicated faith that is work-less. In chapter 2, James presents the principle of a faith that works. His point is not to argue works that produce faith, but instead a faith that produces works. The person whose faith produces work is a person whom God has birthed. This type of person doesn’t conjure, cajole, or compensate for works but instead acts out of a new heart with new desires.
This faith-producing work person has been “brought forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). Goodness outside of a person has been imputed within, so the potential for goodness may present itself.
Jesus clarifies this in John 8 when He says,
“…to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- Left to ourselves, we will remain enslaved to our desires and
- lack motives of goodness,
- produce sinful outcomes, and
- ultimately bring forth death in ourselves and relationships all around us.
- So, we need an outside Source to change us from the inside.
- God sending forth His Son (Galatians 4:4-6) was not only to bring us from death to life but to give us a new language, namely, a covenant-filial language that can cry, “Abba! Father!” and be answered with, “…you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”
- Because we are not yet in the glorified state, we need the bit and bridle of wisdom to remain steadfast.
- While the power of sin is defeated, the presence of sin remains. Therefore, Paul will instruct the Romans (and us) to “mortify the deeds of the flesh” (Romans 8:13).
- Therefore, the bit & bridle is wisdom from above that “…is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
- The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord is to believe that God not only created all things, but that He sustains all things as well. This type of trust produces a rest-full life free from anxiety or panic. That is why Oswald Chambers will argue in Utmost–July 4 that, “Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans.”
- Thus, the Christian seeking wisdom and walking in wisdom has the potential to produce good fruits that echo into eternity…
- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
- As we walk in the way of wisdom, we will walk in love. Accordingly, the walk of love will bring us closer and closer to knowing our Lord. See also John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”