Wrath Works Not God's Righteousness James 1:20

James, the “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”, exhorted the members of “the twelve tribes scattered abroad” to be “swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath”. In chapter one and verse twenty of his letter, James shared about the unrighteousness of the “wrath of man” where we read:

For the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God.

The verse begins, “For the wrath of man...” James began with the word, “For” which means “because, even, as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then and therefore” “the wrath” or “anger, temper and indignation” “of man” which refers to “a group of both men and women”. James referred to the “anger and indignation” that most people have from time to time in their lives.

The verse goes on to say, “...works not the righteousness of God.” James continued, “works not” or “does not perform, accomplish, achieve or work out” “the righteousness” which means “the condition acceptable to God, integrity, virtue, purity of life, correctness of thinking feeling and acting” “of God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. The “anger” of man does not “accomplish” the “purity and correctness” which is according to the the ways of God.

When we think through these words of James, we should be inspired to examine the reasons that we get “angry”. Does our “wrath” exhibit the “righteousness of God”, or does it magnify our own self interest? The Bible exhorts us to “be angry and sin not”, and Jesus Christ is our example for the way to do this. May He make us aware of our areas of “wrath”, and may we aspire to live after His “righteousness” in everything we do.

Next time James tells his readers to “lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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