Title: Religious Daily Life and Adventist Faith
Religious Daily Life and Adventist Faith
It is impossible to determine who the common name ‘James’ in the New Testament is, but it is generally known as Jesus’ brother, not Jesus’ disciple. Contrary to Paul's position of "faith alone," he conveys the fact that "faith without works" is dead. At first glance, it appears to be opposed to Paul's theology, but in reality, it is complementary. It should be seen that faith and action diachronically reveal the identity of the Christian faith. For example, let's say two young men and women fall in love. They will find that their inner being brightens as they absolutely feel each other's presence. But they don't just stop at that inner change. Specifically, you do something towards the other person. Send a text message on your cell phone, email on the Internet, or organize an event for your special day. Christian beliefs and practices are similar. The inner change is faith, and the concrete expression of the life of faith is action. Whereas Paul emphasized the inner transformation of being, James emphasized action. But both have Jesus Christ at the center.
Today's text specifically mentions the practical life of faith that must occur in the church community, the gathering of those who believe and follow Jesus Christ. It's not about doctrinal content, it's about very specific church life. In my view, the text deals with five topics as follows.
hardship
Verse 13 begins like this. “If any of you are suffering, let him pray.” Suffering, which we usually call human existence, comes to us without distinction between believers and unbelievers. You are one of two people who think that there is no suffering in their life. One person is completely enlightened. To him, only the Tao is the reality, so human joys and sorrows have no meaning. In fact, even such a person cannot be without suffering. They simply either deny it or transcend it. The other is in a mental hospital. They do not experience human existence because they are away from reality.
James said that those who are afflicted should pray. If I pray, will all suffering go away? Some people think so, and some don't. If you are someone who believes that God is in control of human life, you might think that you can overcome hardships through prayer. But prayer is not a magical power. It is more important here that we can no longer think of such suffering as suffering through our unity with God, rather than that all sufferings are specifically resolved.
pleasure
In the same verse 13, James says: “He who is happy in heart, let him sing of praise.” To sing a song of praise means to sing a psalm. The psalms do not just express human joy, but God's grace, love, and peace. This is why the songs of the world and the songs of the church are different. The secular song puts everything on expressing one's feelings, but the church song focuses on God. These days, even church songs tend to lean more toward people's emotions rather than God's, but that's fundamentally wrong.
That the psalmists praised God, and the reason that Teacher James sings such a psalm today is because only there can our joy be sustained. We call it ontological joy. However, on the contrary, we always think of being happy as our own. I want it to be recognized by people. So I keep telling people about it and exaggerating it. It is followed by emptiness and frustration. Because in the end we have to be left alone. No matter how much they applaud us, they can't always be with us. Even the family, too, ultimately can't be together. Because only the God who gave us life and makes life possible is always with us, we should praise Him when we are happy. Maintaining such a state is the spirituality of a Christian.
disease
After suffering and joy, James gives advice to the sick. Invite the elders of the church to pray. “If any of you are ill, let him call the elders of the church. The elders are to anoint him in the name of the Lord and pray for him” (verse 14). The practice of anointing with oil was a common practice not only in the church but also in the secular society at that time. It is unknown to what extent the oil will actually help the patient heal. The medical practice at that time was not a science as it is today, but a folk remedy, so oil cannot be evaluated by today's standards. Even if the oil didn't have a direct effect, it would have an indirect effect. When we were young, our mother used to apply saliva to sore spots. It had a mentally analgesic effect.
In particular, the word to call for the elders of the church is important here. They are not people who have secured special healing powers. They are just people who are recognized as adults in the church. When they pray for the sick, they are not acting as natural persons, but as public figures of the church. In other words, prayers for the sick and their effects are by the church, not the individual. That's why I told you to pray "in the name of the Lord."
Teacher James taught that “prayer that believes and asks” heals the sick person. No one now believes that all ailments can be cured mechanically just by praying. But that belief remains. This belief is also important. The belief that even if untreated, there is nothing different from being cured. Let's say a person has an incurable disease. Wouldn't it be better to just accept death graciously? Or is it better to pray with faith that God will heal you? Since each of these people has different spirituality, it is impossible to say definitively, but if you value the Christian tradition, you should definitely pray. Because he who gives his life completely to God knows that whatever happens to him is for the best.
fault and forgiveness
The fourth topic that Professor James mentions is religious human relationships. Look at verse 16. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. Then all will be whole.” Of course, these words follow a prayer for the sick. At that time, there was a strong belief that sickness came from sin, so they pointed out that even sins could be forgiven if the elders prayed for the sick, and they went one step further and encouraged each other to confess their sins. Only then can the church community be whole.
Here, to confess your sins means to admit your mistakes, and to pray for others can be interpreted as meaning to forgive. According to this teaching, some churches have an almost repeated order of confession. The stronger the internal cohesion, the more these things happen. However, when these things are repeated mechanically, a problem arises that is different from the original purpose. Small things can pass, but when scandals in the church come out, they fall into an uncontrollable whirlpool.
apostasy
The last issue discussed in today's text in verses 19 and 20 is the teaching that we must lead the apostates correctly. At that time, there must have been a lot of change between seekers and apostates because the Christian identity was not yet firmly formed. Of course, James is not necessarily talking about the apostates alone. He may be apathetic, or he may be a slightly different doctrinal sect, as in the Corinthian church. In any case, guiding people who have departed from the truth is the most important thing because it saves their souls.
The right way and the wrong way are not clearly visible to our eyes. Because we do not yet know for sure where the road will end. This is similar to the situation faced by people lost in the jungle. To find your way here, you must not only look at the trees and grass in front of you, but also look at the sun and stars in the sky to determine your direction. But it's usually difficult to navigate that way because it's embarrassing when you get lost. Christians often get lost because they only look at the religious phenomenon in front of them. This is also the origin of the call of pseudo-cults, and there are not a lot of such things in the Orthodox Church. According to the teachings of James, it is very important in the church community to lead those who are going astray to the right path. Because the community of faith is spiritually connected at the deepest level.
Religious Daily Life and Adventist Faith
We reviewed together the five teachings presented by James above. It was teaching that those who have suffered should pray, those who are happy should praise, those who are sick should invite elders to pray, confess their sins to each other and pray, and lead those who have gone astray in the right direction. These teachings lead the church community to be healthy. All structures and actions of the Church must serve the revitalization of these teachings. Of course, the church cannot be bound only by these things. We have to help the underprivileged and, in some cases, participate in the peace movement. However, the most important content should be focused on preserving the unique characteristics of the church community.
However, in a way, these religious daily routines do not seem to matter. It seems that it only applies to those who have gone deep into the life of the church, and not the essence of faith. There are those who cynically wonder if it is necessary to follow these daily routines faithfully in order to properly believe in Jesus Christ. They say that while they are teaching, can't they just believe in Jesus without going to church?
It's not like that. The daily life of the church is not an incidental factor. It is closely linked to Adventism, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. In James 5:7, Teacher James said, “Wait patiently until the Lord comes.” The five teachings are the fruits of this Advent faith. In the same passage, James gives the example of a farmer waiting for the autumn rain and the spring rain. In this way, Christians should devote themselves to their daily lives with a heart waiting for the coming of the Lord. When the Lord comes, all our daily lives will be dismantled. Prayers, praises, sickness, etc., all five elements mentioned above will also disappear. But until that time comes, this is our daily life. This is the Christian reality.
Ladies and gentlemen, Christians live waiting for the transcendent kingdom of God, but they still have to devote themselves to the historical life. Transcendence and immanence bear fruit in the Christian life. Besides the five things that James taught, we must have another daily routine. All our daily lives, including them, are based on the faith in the Second Coming, which we should do our best now. Those who are patiently waiting for the coming of Jesus live both religious and secular daily lives thoroughly. Amen.