What is the Reality behind the Truth? James 3: 8-10

What is the Reality behind the Truth? James 3: 8-10

8But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

What is the reality behind the truth? Most people today would like to find out what is really real in contrast to what is counterfeit, plastic, hollow, shallow, or empty. Some will define this reality in terms of truth as a set of beliefs, doctrines, or presuppositions, but we soon find that there is more to truth and reality than just what we write down on paper. Still others define reality in terms of their personal destiny, but with this idea you may often live life waiting to get somewhere instead of living with the reality and the purpose God meant for us to live here and now.

What is the reality behind the truth? What may give us purpose to live our lives here and now? Even scholars say that seminary prepares you for ministry with an education that is a mile broad and an inch deep. As a seminary graduate I would agree. Such education gives you a birds eye view of many topics, but often does not go deep enough. It is the number of years that begin to deepen your ministry and life with the Lord if you are willing to grow and live with a sense of purpose. But isn’t your purpose your destiny? I like to separate them because purpose deals with who you are right now and destiny with who you will become. You may rejoice that God has given to each one of you a faith that gives your life meaning and purpose. This is the beauty of faith in God’s Word. When Christ dealt with your personal sin on the cross He also gave you a sense of purpose for the here and now. No longer do you have to live your life in spiritual darkness, but you can see. You see more than even your destiny, but you see your purpose. You may live your life with meaning in the here and now instead of waiting for your destiny to be filled. Your destiny will be resolved as you discover your purpose in God.

Without God you will live your life like you are cutting out paper tigers. With paper tigers there’s a lot of talk, but no substance. These are the people who James describes as those who use words in a reckless way. These words may still have power over the weak and vulnerable who do not know their purpose in Christ, but they are not words that may give life and help to produce change. Even James says that such a person may bless God, but these words are disingenuous because from the same tongue you may curse others who are made in the very similitude of God. James concludes that things like this should never happen. Why?

Instead of cutting out paper tigers you should be creating a sculpture. The great sculptor, Michaelangelo, was asked how he developed such magnificent sculptures of Biblical heroes. He said that he did not impose his own image upon the stone, but he looked at the stone, and saw what it could become. He chipped away the pieces that did not belong there. Your life is a process too as you allow the Holy Spirit to chip away what should not belong there and produce a work of art. The process is your purpose, and there is purpose in the process that brings out your final destiny.

The idea of the similitude of God means the very likeness of God. James takes this idea directly from Genesis 1:26 which says,”Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” James also knows that in the creation story because of man’s disobedience to God the image and likeness of God in mankind is marred, and therefore, mankind needs a redeemer.

Though marred God can redeem you and I and this is why God made a covenant with the nations in the flood account. He made this covenant not only with Noah, but also his sons and the nations following them. In so doing each individual and each nation has a purpose:

6“Whoever sheds man’s blood,

By man his blood shall be shed;

For in the image of God

He made man.

7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply;

Bring forth abundantly in the earth

And multiply in it.”

8Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you (Genesis 9: 6-9). Paul the Apostle also tells you why you have been created and God’s purpose for you and every nation in His covenant with them. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; (Acts 17: 26,27).

God made a covenant with Israel to be a shinnig star of God’s mercy and salvation for every nation. The prophet Jeremiah calls Israel the chief or prince of the nations. Israel was to be the leader pointing the way of salvation. Jeremiah says,”7For thus says the LORD: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!’” (Jeremiah 31:7).

Rev. Peter Marshall had been a Scottish coal miner who came to the U.S. as many did with very little, but he had a hope in Christ. He eventually graduated from an ivy league university, became a Presbyterian minister and the chaplain for the United States Senate. The following he said about the United States in a sermon from 1947. We hear very few sermons like this today, but were common at that time. I believe it is important to pay attention to his words today.The following are excerpts taken from his sermon entitled, Our Covenant Nation, November 9, 1947, and printed here in his chosen style for clarity, emphasis, and beauty.

Ours is a covenant nation...

the only surviving nation on earth, I believe,

that had its origins in the determination of the Pilgrim Fathers

to establish on this continent a settlement

“to the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

This country was founded in religious faith.

It had different expressions, to be sure-...

All contributed to the molding of that faith...

These all believed in the equality of the individual before God,

and that every soul was equally precious in God’s sight...

The hand of Providence was in the beginnings of this nation,

as George Washington so clearly saw and stated so well

in his First Inaugural Address.

And was it not so because in the beginning,

this nation was established

“for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

under “just and equal laws,”

with the right to worship God according to the dictates of

conscience in religious liberty...

that all should have an equal chance to

“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,”

to provide a model for the world

and to lead men into a better life?

Now, a covenant nation is one that recognizes its dependence upon God

and its responsibility towards God.

This nation was so born.

God was recognized as the source of human rights.

The Declaration of Independence says so.

A covenant nation is one which recognizes that God and His purposesstand about the nation and the nation’s interests,

and that the highest role a nation can play

is to reflect God’s righteousness in national policy.

Ours, therefore is a covenant nation-

covenanted with God from the beginning.

This does not mean that we are special favorites with God,

although He has singularly blessed this land in which we live.

It does not mean that we can consider ourselves better than other peoples,

On the contrary, the thing that troubles us is that

we realize that we are not good enough

to accept the tremendous challenge of the leadership of the world.

But the price of world leadership is high.

For one thing, we’ll have to be willing to sacrifice,

as we have not yet done.

We have merely been inconvenienced.

We’ll also have to be changed.

The call is for Christian men and women of every communion

to become fighters for peace,

and practitioners of righteousness...

to make America good enough to lead the world.

The forces of evil are organized on a world scale.

They fight against God.

against religion,

against peace.

They seek to promote confusion,

to sow suspicion,

and to set man against man.

All who believe in God,

who love America,

who cherish our heritage,

who seek peace,

who are sick of war,

and who long for goodness,

must fight for these things-

and they are worth fighting for.

We have the secret weapon of prayer-

more powerful than the atomic bomb.

God is still upon His throne.

He has not abdicated.

His Kingdom yet will come upon the earth.

Truth and righteousness will ultimately triumph,

and the sacrifices of those who have fallen,

the blood of the martyrs,

the prayers of the faithful,

and the tears of the saints

will yet be vindicated.

But, we must fight for these things and be willing to agonize for them...

fighting the battle in our own hearts and souls...

seeking God’s help to overcome our temptations...

and be good... and do good...

for the sake of peace...

for the sake of America...

for our own sake...

for God’s sake.

This is the war that is not yet over.

We are in it.

God help us... to win this one too...

that we may not lose the other one (The Wartime Sermons of Dr. Peter Marshall, p.212-216).

We are victorious through Christ and His cross. The cross is still the great scandal of world history, but the cross is Truth embodied. The cross is reality in concrete terms where God carves out reality in your life. The cross is the reality behind the truth. This cross of Jesus is more than just a traditional symbol or cliche. This is where you receive the core of your reality and purpose for living not only in humble submission and faith in Christ, but with purpose for your life, and even for our nation. This is where prayer is more than a religious act or duty, but where the power of God is unleashed. May God truly help us win this war.