MY LEAST FAVORITE BOOK OF THE BIBLE
by Dr. Glenn Mathews
For several years I have read the book of James at least once each month and I don’t like the book! Oh yes, I believe it is inspired, just as much so as any other New Testament book. But I suppose it is my least favorite book in the Bible. It is the style in which the book is written that is bothersome to me. James is brutally frank. There are very few descriptive adjectives in his writing. He writes as an extremist. For example, James 1:8 says, “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways”. I would have preferred him to be a bit more lenient. Could he not have said “in many of his ways”? I would even have settled for “most of his ways”, but “all”? In chapter 2 he said “if you (we) have respect of persons, we commit sin”. Who is there who does not have “respect of persons”, especially when you view the verse in the context. James is also very dogmatic. In chapter 4, when discussing life, he asks a most personal question, namely, “what is your life?” Had he asked, “What is life,” we could have enjoyed a long conversation on philosophy. But he asked, in essence, what is MY life. Then, of all things, he answers the question. I don’t like the answer! I want to shout “my life is NOT a vapor! It is a rich in relationships, knowledge, memory and a thousand other things that comprise “my life”. But when I pause and recall that James is writing under the inspiration of the Spirit, his answer supersedes my wishful one. This least favorite book naturally contains my least favorite verse. Anyone who says that they enjoy James 4:17 would probably lie about a lot of other stuff! (Stop reading this and go read the passage).
For the past 14 days, I have read the book of James at least once each day. I intend to reach it once each day for the entire month. So, if I don’t like James, why do I read it so often? Several reasons come to mind… II Timothy 3:16 tells me that “ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION AND IS PROFITABLE” for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction etc. Additionally, I have learned that reading the same passage often will bring NEW INSIGHTS TO MIND, even though I may be very familiar with the passage. The Holy Spirit can and does teach us by the reading of the Word. Since “faith cometh by hearing”, I can assume that it also comes by “reading”, so MY FAITH IS INCREASED. The verses that cause questions to
come to mind are good for me, for I research my library, other people’s library, discuss with fellow believers and often get insights into answering my questions. So, repeated reading TEACHES ME. An extra benefit that I am getting is that I am MEMORIZING the book without even trying! Simply put, reading the same passage over and over is GOOD for me.
After 57 years of being a believer in Christ, I am still excited about the Word of God, even (no, especially) the book of James. I would encourage anyone to read and then read again and again the same passage(s) over the course of weeks. It will prove GOOD for you!