James 5:1-6 Lesson 12

A warning to the rich

A survey introduction to verses one to six

We now begin the final chapter of our book and one of the last lessons in this series. This “new” section, often seen as a random break in the context (particularly verses one to six), actually relates to the last verses of chapter four and helps set us up for the conclusion of the whole epistle. So, in a sense, it serves to transition us from the previous context and to prepare us for the conclusion (it serves both purposes, which we will examine here).

If we recall, the final verse in chapter four (verse 17) ends as follows: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” This one example helps conclude James’s message on being doers of the Word, begun all the way back in James 1:22. So, although James 4:17 summarizes one of the main points James has been trying to get across to his readers this whole time (applying the truth one has heard and learned, which involves seeking wisdom and acting through discernment), James 5:1-6 now focuses on encouraging these Jewish believers (and all of us today, especially those who may be struggling in these areas) to go and do likewise (i.e., do what they know they should have been doing all along: rising to the challenge through faith and patiently enduring the test) by highlighting the temporary nature of wealth and exhorting them to persevere. It was also a challenge to any oppressive, rich believers among the assembly who knew the right thing to do but didn’t do it (a call to repent and change their ways). Chapter four identified the problems and provided the solutions (see the previous lesson). Chapter five now begins with words of relief, comfort, and warning, assuring the reader of the benefits and rewards of enduring difficult trials, by emphasizing the consequences of those who do not (our context addresses believing and unbelieving rich people).

It is true that wealth was not the only thing some of our Jewish believers fought and quarreled over (as we already know, there were many other things). But the last section of chapter four, James 4:13-17, involved some believers trying to evade their trials by attempting to ease the sting of persecution and the burden of poverty through efforts to “get rich quick” (see the previous lesson for more on that). Persecution from the rich (those who oppressed and dragged the believers into court through slander and false witness, James 2:6-7) was one of the primary and more difficult trials our believers had to face, and the pursuit of wealth was what had tripped up so many of James ’ Jewish contemporaries, so that it was fitting for him to encourage them by stating the fate of their persecutors. This tactic of inspiring one’s readers to greater, continuous perseverance in the face of persecution by highlighting the doom of the wicked is not uncommon in Scripture. How encouraging this will be for those called upon to face the coming tribulation! Indeed, we should conduct our lives as if those days could begin at any time (which they could), whether those of us alive now will still be alive when that time arrives (I do believe we are very close).

So, these verses provide great encouragement not only for persecuted, suffering believers today, but will especially ring true and comforting during the most difficult tribulation to come (the wicked, whether wealthy or not, will not go unpunished).

The Psalms contain more than a few passages that express the believer’s longing during those days for protection and deliverance (many believers during that period will feel God has forsaken them because of the gross lawlessness, persecution, and immorality that will prevail). The truth is that God will never leave or forsake us, no matter how long or difficult the trial or tribulation (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6-8). The Psalm below (as only one example among many) applies not only to David and believers in his time and all those since, but also to suffering believers during the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

James 5 (specifically verses 7-12, which we will examine in our next lesson) teaches us to be patient during the tests that God sends our way because that is the only way to endure them (faith requires patience). There are always (as there were with our Jewish believers) going to be trials, not only of various kinds, but of differing lengths and duration. We need to remember to trust in the Lord during periods like these, knowing not only the benefits and rewards for so doing (in this life and the next), but also that all things eventually end. Our lives are short; how much truer is this of the many trials and tribulations that come and go! For God will allow us respite when He knows we need it and will not allow the test to swamp our faith, because He would never test our faith beyond what it can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). Everything that God allows to come our way can be endured and is temporary. And if He has delivered us through many difficulties in times past, will He not also deliver us through all our present and future trials?

To continue, James sought to assure his readers that justice would be served. So, for those who may have questioned whether continued endurance was worth it, they needed to remember that the wicked would receive their just reward. Proverbs 11:31 says, “If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!” Earlier in chapter one of our book, James gave the reward for faithful endurance through extreme testing: the crown of life, given to those who’ve grown beyond basic spiritual maturity and passed the greater tests of their faith meant to prepare them for their own ministry work (James 1:12). Now, the first six verses of chapter five give the rewards for the unrighteous (both unbelievers and those rich believers out of fellowship with God). Verse seven then steers us back to the necessity and reward of faithful endurance (which results in all eternal rewards accrued through every good thing the believer did in faith in Christ’s name). James used the power of reward-based motivation to enhance the encouragement he sought to inspire in his readers by contrasting the rewards of righteousness with those of wickedness.

Some of the Jewish believers in our context may have struggled to comprehend why the wicked seemed to prosper so much. Like many of the Psalms (which address the question of why the wicked seemingly prosper while the righteous suffer; see Jeremiah 12:1, Psalm 37:7, Psalm 92:7, and Psalm 73), James (to some extent) puts the matter in its proper perspective. The burden of poverty may have left some of his readers feeling they were failing God (or that He had abandoned them or, as seen in chapter one, that God was somehow against them). They may have also felt, as many, sadly, misguided believers do today, that unless one is healthy and wealthy (the prosperity gospel), something must be wrong, because God wants to bless the growing believer with greater abundance. That might be true in a few cases where it is the Lord’s will for the individual(s) (James 4:15), but it is unlikely in most instances for obvious biblical reasons (Matthew 19:23-24, Matthew 13:22, Revelation 3:17-18). Greater wealth is not an indication of greater spiritual status (although in some cases, poverty can suggest spiritual immaturity and decline; Proverbs 6:6-11). Many (if not most) of the believers to whom James wrote were poorer and were in the lower class of society. But it was often the poor and destitute (the outcasts and downtrodden) who were more receptive to the gospel, and our believers should have remembered the advantages that such a status afforded them (fewer distractions and obstacles). They were poor, not of their own choosing (in most cases, at least), but because of the difficulties and burdens they faced in the distant lands they called home, far outside Israel (there were other reasons as well). But the point is that they should not have taken their economic hardship as an indication of spiritual poverty. They needed to remember their true identity in Christ.

Our Jewish believers (and all of us today) need to remember that God does not view success as the world does. Were the rich really prospering? Not in God’s eyes, they weren’t, because things were not as they seemed. If some of James’s readers thought their poverty was due to their own failures (despite prior hard work and spiritual growth), they needed to realign their perspective with the truth by being content with what they had (Hebrews 13:5) and faithfully enduring what the Lord willed for them to face (the various trials that came their way as a compliment to the prior spiritual growth they had attained). If greater wealth was in God’s plan for some of them (there is nothing wrong with praying for more if the intentions and motives are pure), then they needed to consult Him first and wait on His timing, rather than to take matters into their own hands without the Lord’s consent by seeking to flee from the things that God may have brought their way for their spiritual betterment. Many of them may not have been rich in worldly terms, but they had an overabundance of wealth through their faith in Jesus Christ, true riches! Why would any believer seek to flee from trials designed to help increase their eternal treasures?

And although Psalm 49 is twenty verses long, I felt the need to leave it here because of its great applicability to our context.

James’s words in verses one through six served multiple purposes and were spoken more for his believing readers (both rich and poor) than for the unbelieving rich themselves, since this epistle was written to Jewish believers and not unbelievers who were unlikely to read these words. The book’s purpose, audience, theme, and intent make that abundantly clear. As we already know, James wrote to a believing Jewish audience to teach them how to respond to difficult trials, including seeking godly wisdom from above and practicing the truth they have received. The unbelieving world seldom ever reads Scripture with much conviction and appreciation because they cannot fully understand and comprehend the words of God (they are meaningless to those who don’t care for the truth, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16).

So why does it appear as if James directs his words toward the unbelievers if they weren’t the recipients of this letter? To be clear, James is stating a fact: the unrighteous will get what they deserve (a sure comfort to his suffering brethren). These words of warning were written more for the believer’s benefit than to warn the rich unbelievers themselves, most of whom would not even have laid eyes on this letter (of which there were multiple copies that circulated to the various assemblies throughout the Eastern Mediterranean world of that time, the Eastern Roman Empire).

However, it is possible that some unbelievers read these words and came to Christ because of them. Perhaps there were also some unbelievers within the various congregations who were considering salvation (not an uncommon phenomenon in most, if not all, churches today). You will often hear pastors invite people to salvation by assuring any potential, prospective believer that they will receive an explanation of the gospel. The call to be saved is one commonly heard from the pulpit. That’s a good thing, considering the Lord may have led those individuals to that assembly so they could receive the good news. But church gatherings are primarily for the spiritual growth of believers, who attend to be fed the Word of God, taught seriously and in depth (and for mutual edification, Ephesians 4:1-16). However, although missions are not the direct goal of a typical “church” gathering (we have missionaries and evangelists for that purpose: to spread the good news abroad, although we are all called to share the gospel if the time, opportunity, and spiritual prodding from the Spirit are there), many unbelievers have and do come to Christ by attending church.

Firstly (and to answer the question we partially answered above, “why does it appear as if James directs his words toward the unbelievers if they weren’t the recipients of this letter), James 1:10 confirms there were rich believers among the scattered Jewish assemblies. The warning they were meant to receive was, “Don’t allow your wealth to lead you to do what those (also wealthy) unbelievers are doing to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (in case any of them were drifting in that direction). Basically, don’t allow your wealth to steal you away from God. 1 Timothy 6:10 gives believers the strong warning it does for a reason when it says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

There were likely some rich believers who may have directly or indirectly been persecuting (or exploiting and taking advantage of) their poorer brothers and sisters in Christ. So, our verses were meant to warn them as well, in an “if the shoe fits” kind of way. James 2:14-17 provides a hypothetical example that highlights one manifestation of this problem within the scattered assemblies.

James chapter four ended with the words, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (see also Luke 12:42-48). Not acting in a situation described in our passage above would be the same as hurting a person, because it is a desperate scenario and the individual obviously needs help (you could also think of the parable of the Good Samaritan as a parallel example, Luke 10:25-37). Some of our Jewish believers were guilty of not helping when the needs were there (see also James 1:27 on the neglect of widows and orphans), helping to explain why James had to mention the principle that faith without works is dead. In other words, these believers should have known better. Who would have been more at fault than those who had the greatest means to lend a helping hand? Yes, some of the rich brothers and sisters in the congregations knew the right thing to do, but weren’t helping.

Worse yet, some of them (if the shoe fits) had begun to take advantage of their poorer siblings in Christ by exploiting them directly. If they wanted specific things (some of which they fought and quarreled over; there were many reasons and causes, James 4:1-3), they could have used their wealth to their advantage.

If this were true, the prophetic warnings in James 5:1-3 applied to the believing rich in multiple ways. Obviously, their wealth would perish just as their physical lives would. Another would be that if they continued acting as they did, premature physical death (or some other type of divine discipline) could result, which means they would miss out on many eternal rewards (loss of rewards is one of the other ways these words applied to the oppressive, believing rich).

In the context of the passage above, many of the wealthier believers associated with others of similar status, often excluding the poor among them (while getting drunk and not sharing what they had with others). To put it simply, there was a lot of sinful behavior going on during the Lord’s supper, rendering those guilty of partaking of it in an unworthy manner. The result for some was premature physical death. This passage clearly teaches that God can use physical death to discipline his wayward children.

Although the principle is clearly evident in this passage (and, to briefly diverge from our main topic), we need to remember the time at which this occurred. Quick and sudden physical death was more common in the early days of the church when it was still being established during its infant stage. Because this was so, it was not a time for “fooling around” or any of that kind of nonsense (witness the swift deaths of those who sinned during the formation of the Mosaic Law of the Old Covenant in Numbers 15:32-36, Joshua 7, and Leviticus 10:1-3) because the church was in its early infant stage and was very vulnerable for that reason. It was a very delicate and important time that needed to run its course if the Church was to be fully established. Therefore, open, flagrant, sinful behavior was often met with swift, physical destruction. As just noted, we see this pattern not only in the early days of the Old Covenant and the Mosaic Law, but also in the early days of the New Covenant Church (see the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 as an additional example to 1 Corinthians 11). The idea was to warn the other believers during that time not to do the same during such a critical stage in the church’s history (its formation). It is not for no reason why Acts 5:11 tells us that, “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

I’ve mentioned all the above to highlight the fact that the scriptural examples we have of premature physical death were often more instantaneous and dramatic during the periods in which they occurred, and that it is unlikely that they happen as openly and dramatically today as they did during those periods in history when they were more necessary and understandable (context is key). But again, they do present the principle that God can use premature physical death to discipline His own.

Secondly (and to continue explaining why James acted like he was writing to the unbelieving rich when most of them would never read his letter), these words were designed to comfort and encourage those reading them (particularly the persecuted Jewish believers in our context, but also all believers throughout time), so that they would not become disheartened by poverty and persecution. The wicked would receive their just reward! Whatever they had that our believers didn’t have would soon perish with them (the wealth of the rich is as temporary as they are). In this way, James encouraged his readers to seek the things above by storing up their treasures in Heaven, “where neither moth, nor rust destroy” (Matthew 6:19-21). This approach also highlighted the brevity of time, further encouraging these believers to keep enduring, since all things, compared to eternity, are short-lived. This was James’s way of encouraging them to keep persevering in the face of threats and pressure to compromise with the world (James 4:4).

Thirdly, verses one to six link back to James 4:13-17 (our last lesson) regarding those who wanted to evade persecution and the troubles of poverty. But it is better to be poor with fear of the Lord than wealthy with much worry, distraction, and trouble. “You see all the trouble that can come with being rich? Maybe you should reconsider whether it’s what God really wants for you.” James said what he said in James 1:9-10 to balance things out for both sides (the rich and poor in the assemblies).

Wealth is not what many think it is and brings its own set of troubles (and many people are better off with less, if more were to be honest about the matter). Yes, it may be the Lord’s will for some believers to be rich (there is nothing wrong with being rich or seeking more wealth, provided the approach, intentions, and motives are pure). But the godly, growing believer (not a lazy sluggard) should not assume they aren’t where God wants them just because they are poor (assuming their circumstances aren’t due to an ungodly attitude and approach to life, Proverbs 6:9-11) as if great wealth is a sign of great spiritual blessing (true sometimes in some cases, as we saw with Job and Abraham, but not in most cases, Revelation 3:14-22). So, for those poor believers who wanted to get out and make a profit, either to become rich or to earn just enough to live comfortably to escape their struggles, they needed to approach the matter with prudence because if they weren’t careful, they too could end up succumbing to the dangers of wealth and end up in the same category as the rich called out in our context. Wealth has its limits and offers only a shallow (though admittedly necessary, since money is a tool we all need to survive) temporary benefit. But godliness profits not only in this life but in the one to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

James 5:7-12 confirms everything we’ve said about the purpose of the first six verses: to encourage the reader to patiently persevere through difficult trials despite all temptation and opposition. If it is the Lord’s will for us to be rich, then He will bring that about in His own good time (and His timing is always perfect). And if greater wealth is in store for some, God expects them to endure the testing required to prove they can handle it without compromise (a prosperity test that many fail; some of the greatest biblical exceptions are Job and Abraham). But, regardless of whether one is rich, poor, somewhere in the middle, or soon to become wealthy by the Lord’s allowing will (or not), patience is ever needed for testing to have its intended effect (strengthening the believer’s faith to develop perseverance). James 5:7-12 returns to one of the themes that began our book in James 1:2-4: to let steadfastness have its full effect (complete its work), so that the believer may be perfect and complete (spiritually mature in this life), lacking in nothing (even if they lack an abundance of worldly riches). Patience is necessary to endure life’s various trials to meet these goals.

Poverty and persecution are no excuse for disregarding the Lord by boastfully taking matters into one’s hands. Our believers needed to see their circumstances as they really were: tests meant to complement their former spiritual growth and further strengthen their faith (leading to even greater spiritual maturity), and the testing never officially ends this side of eternity. Therefore, they needed to patiently endure them to see those results (regardless of whether wealth was involved). Since this was the reality, our believers had every reason to rejoice in their sufferings (James 1:2-3).

With all the above accounted for, we are now ready to begin our detailed examination of James 5.

Verse 1

Verse one of our chapter opens with “Come now,” the same phrase used in James 4:13 that began the final section of that chapter (“Come now, you poor” versus “Come now, you rich.”) In that previous context, James spoke to poorer believers seeking relief from the disadvantages of poverty (those in humble circumstances; James 1:9). Now, at the beginning of this chapter, his focus is on warning the rich. As just mentioned in our introduction above, these words of warning and judgment applied to the unbelieving rich but were written more for the benefit of the believing recipients of this letter. So, although James’s approach is similar to that of a prophet in terms of warning the wicked of judgment and doom, his words are not spoken to the wicked directly, as was the case with the OT prophets who publicly warned the people so that all could hear (an evangelistic approach that Jesus also used during His three and a half year public ministry, Luke 6:24-25). The fact that James’s warning comes in the form of a more personal letter directed to a believing audience confirms that his stating the facts regarding the fate of the wicked in this way was more designed for the believers under his care (in ways we have explained right above), and less for warning the wicked unbelievers themselves. In other words, these words were meant to comfort and encourage the poor brothers and sisters by highlighting the fate of the unbeliever and giving the consequences for the actions of the believer (while warning rich believers to refrain from such oppressive behavior, or, in the case of those who engaged in it, to stop doing it if the shoe fits).

To resume our examination of James 5:1, the word “weep” in our verse is self-explanatory and refers to what we know as crying. The Greek word for “howl” (used only here in James 5:1) is ololuzo and refers to a loud sound of wailing over sorrow (in this context). Why should these rich people weep and howl? For the miseries (calamities) that are coming upon them (some of these are explained in some of the following verses). This would not apply to any faithful rich believer in the sense of eternal misery (assuming they hold fast to their faith). But wealth can lead the Christian into various sins that can have further, painful consequences down the road. There is also divine discipline that will come upon those who dabble in their luxuries too much (assuming it leads them to sin).

Verse one finishes with the words, “miseries that are coming upon you” (our next few verses will describe some of these miseries). The word “coming” is a present participle and describes a series of events that are “presently coming” (Curtis Omo). In other words, for these rich unbelievers still alive, their future, eternal fate, though not yet present at the time James penned these words, was in the process of arriving (like a package on its way to a destination). However, the Greek also indicates not just a future time but, in some cases, depending on the person God wills to punish in this life, a present time that was “to be on hand” (Omo). Many unbelievers have faced the consequences of their actions in this life, even though the worst is yet to come once their lives are over.

However, there are some cases where it appears as if the wicked (especially the prosperous) won’t suffer in this life (even though they will in the next). Job 21:7-21 presents an example of this truth.

James 5:1 presents the possibility that calamity will overtake the wicked while still physically alive on earth. So, while this may occur for some (some have great trouble, while others have almost none), Job 21 indicates that some unbelievers (in contrast to the suffering righteous) don’t experience much calamity in this life. One thing is certain: James confirms that ALL the wicked will face extreme calamity after death, regardless of whether they faced any in this life. So, whether the unbeliever experiences present or future distress or both, there is no escaping the eternal lot that awaits all those who don’t believe. One may ask, why would God allow this? The answer involves one of Job’s primary themes: the sovereignty of God. Some get away with more while still physically alive than others. But that does not make God unfair and unjust because ALL those who have rejected Him will face the supreme, eternal death penalty equally once their life is over. The reader may then take comfort in the fact that justice will be served. Are the wicked suffering in this life now because of their actions? Good and well. Are they not? Rest assured, they will after death.

Verse 2

These words describe the loss and destruction of all that the wealthy hold near and dear. That means that even if others inherit much or all their wealth (Psalm 49), this world and all it contains will eventually pass away (1 John 2:17). No one can take anything with them, just as we brought nothing into this world (1 Timothy 6:7). Basically, James describes these matters as if they have already taken place to express the certainty of their fulfillment (we will discuss this point in our next verse). The rich who presently lounged in their earthly security were so guaranteed to lose all they had that it was as if they had already lost everything.

The “riches” described in our verse consisted of material possessions (although this could include actual money), costly in terms of financial worth and value, but worthless next to the eternal riches that await the believer. Once again, we can’t help but be reminded of the passage below.

Garments refer to any type of expensive clothing and serve as just one example of material riches. Regardless of the various kinds of riches people possessed in ancient times, both Jews and Gentiles, the point is that whatever one has now will eventually disappear like the morning mist (James 4:14). The words “rotted” and “moth-eaten” were more metaphorical to describe the certain, foreknown destruction destined for all earthly treasures. It, too, like the physical lives of the rich who possess them, will one day vanish. The only difference is that all people born into this world spend eternity somewhere, either in the New Heaven and Earth (for believers) or the Lake of Fire (for unbelievers). No physical wealth will last forever.

Verse 3

In ancient times, wealth included not only money but also valuable items, such as gold and silver, precious stones, cloths, linens, animals (in great numbers, as in Job 1:1-5, Genesis 13:2, and Genesis 24:35), and so on. Some of these things are not what come to mind when we think of wealth in modern terms, because much has changed over the years (although this can depend on where one lives). The point is that what many in modern countries consider wealth may vary slightly depending on the country or region one is in. It can vary depending on where we are in history. Regardless of the specific type, wealth is still wealth and can have the same negative influence on anyone, whether believer or unbeliever, who doesn’t handle it wisely.

I once had a question posed to me and another person about whether there is a difference between being wealthy and being rich. Perhaps there is in our modern use of those words. But it is a bit of a moot point when viewed through a biblical lens, because whether one has a great number of material possessions but little money (those living beyond their means), or much of both, both categories of people need to ensure they don’t let it take over and dominate their relationship with the Lord. So all the warning passages in the Bible don’t differentiate between the two groups when warning against wealth, because possessing either an abundance of material possessions or a great amount of money (or both) can become a spiritual hazard if they are not kept in their proper place. So, whether one is living beyond one’s means or not, and whether one possesses great financial riches, material possessions, or both, both can swamp our hearts and, therefore, our faith, if we aren’t careful.

However, the Bible does, as we have already seen, differentiate between the temporary riches of this world and the eternal riches possessed by the believer here and now and in eternity. That is a difference we are meant to see and take to heart to spur us on to build up our treasures in Heaven!

Our verse mentions gold and silver that have corroded. Again, this assures the reader that these things were so certain to happen that they were as good as done. The idea is that the wealth of the rich is as temporary as they are, and vice versa.

their corrosion will be evidence against you

Verse three continues with the words, “and their corrosion will be evidence against you” (some of the other English translations have the word “testify against,” which accurately describes what will occur). James 5:4 mentions one way the wealth of the rich would testify against them: the wages (which they hoarded) they failed to pay the poor, which cried out against them.

It should be apparent that God foreknew in eternity past everything that would occur in human history, so that nothing that was ever to happen ever took Him by surprise. The principle James teaches in this verse has always been true before and after he penned these words and will be so until the present heavens and earth are destroyed by fire. Whatever injustices the rich have committed, God has always known of and testified to them.

Instead of using their wealth to help the poor, the rich hoarded it for themselves when they should have paid those who worked for them and given some of it to those who desperately needed it. That, and they also persecuted their poorer neighbors because wealth gave one an advantage over others. If a group of people (the rich in our context) can do something, even if they shouldn’t and have no morally good grounds to do so, it is often the case that they do it anyway just because they can! How true this is in so much of the workforce in most (if not all) societies! Many of the unbelieving rich knew they could throw their weight around and still get away with it. So they did!

But just because they may have gotten away with it in human courts by falsely accusing God’s people (James 2:6) doesn’t mean they will get away with it in God’s “court.” For those rich believers who may have struggled in this area (struggling with sin but later repenting of it is not the same as continuing to do it absent repentance without worry and care, 1 John 5:18 because believers care, while unbelievers don’t), their sinful behavior will be met with a sharp rebuke at the Bema Seat (also known as the judgment seat of Christ) and loss of eternal rewards (although they themselves will still be saved). And there is also divine discipline in this life that God will inflict on those children of His who have developed a pattern of sinning (discipline is designed to turn the wayward believer back to God by leading them to repentance).

For the unbeliever, their rejection of Jesus Christ will be met with eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment. This brings us to the parable of the sheep and the goats.

The passage above describes two separate judgments that occur at different times: the sheep receive their evaluation first (for eternal rewards, not for salvation, because that was already determined), while the goats receive theirs afterward. The judgment of the sheep describes believers, while the goats represent all unbelievers from the beginning of human history to its very end (the Great White Throne Judgment occurs after the destruction of the present earth, Revelation 20:11-15).

With that said, this passage applies to James 5:3 in the sense that the lives of all unbelievers of all time (including all oppressive rich people who have ever lived) will testify against them at the Great White Throne. How so? At first glance, it may appear that the verses say that good works are necessary for salvation. But this passage confirms what James has told us in James 2:14-26: faith without works is dead. The works of faith don’t save but prove a person’s salvation as legitimate (no matter how little a person produced in this life, all those who believe in Jesus Christ and hold to their faith to the very end will have something to show for their time on earth, works to prove they truly did believe). The lack of anything truly good in the unbeliever’s life in God’s eyes will prove they were unfit for eternity because of their rejection of Jesus Christ. In this way, the evil deeds of the rich (represented by the so-called “corrosion” of their silver and gold) will testify against them. And since all unbelievers of all time will be present at this event, this evaluation of their actions will include their treatment of believers (and other unbelievers) living as far back as the days of Adam and his descendants, although this judgment will display everything sinful they did, whether it affected other people or not (mental sins, overt sins, etc.). Sin is not the issue in salvation because Christ has already atoned (paid for) for the sins of all (1 John 2:2). Everyone sins, even believers. People suffer eternal death because of rejecting Jesus Christ, not because of what they do or don’t do.

However, in addition to exposing all the evil deeds of the wicked as proof of their lack of faith, this evaluation by our Lord will also expose all so-called “good works” done in the power of the flesh as illegitimate because they were never truly done for God, since they were carried out in the absence of faith. There are plenty of morally good, law-abiding people in this world who don’t know the Lord (not exactly the type of unbelievers mentioned in James, but the reader should understand the point). Even if one of them were to help a believer, it would not be considered a work of faith done in Christ’s name because it was not carried out in faith. As kind and friendly as some people may be, their good behavior cannot earn them salvation; those who try to please the Lord without faith are trying to give something back to God, as if He needed anything from mere human beings. This type of righteousness is built on trust in oneself, but not in God. The example of Cain (the very first instance we see of false religion in the Bible) clearly teaches this. We can’t save ourselves by giving anything back to God because we can only receive what God has given us for our salvation: His One and only Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Even the morally good things the unbeliever does are not genuine works of faith because they were not accomplished in faith (they were done in the flesh, apart from God’s power). And it is this lack of faith which is what our Lord will find fault with when He evaluates all who rejected Him (only those who do not believe are condemned, John 3:18). So, although faith without works is dead, it is also equally true that works without faith are dead because, apart from Christ, we can do nothing (you cannot have one without the other because faith and works go hand in hand).

The wealth the rich trust in will also be evidence against them, in that they valued what they had more than a relationship with God. God is not temporary (He is the eternal rock, Isaiah 26:4). Therefore, committing one’s entire self to something temporary is not committing oneself to God. And because unbelievers don’t belong to God because they reject Him, their evil deeds (or lack of anything truly good in God’s estimation) match their spiritual status.

and will eat your flesh like fire

We then have the phrase in our verse, “and will eat your flesh like fire.” James is being metaphorical here, since wealth can’t literally eat a person’s flesh. This is just another way of James saying the wealth of the rich would be their death, destroying them in this life by continuing to lead them away from God (if they allowed it to), resulting in their eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire. By trusting in it and valuing it more than they should have, they will come to find out that, because it was temporary, it could not save them. Had they trusted in the eternal Rock, Jesus Christ (the death of Jesus being the greatest gift or treasure given to humanity), they would experience eternal life and all the spiritual blessings given to the believer while still alive in this world (see further above for how these words apply to the erring rich believer).

You have laid up treasure

Regarding the words, “You have laid up treasure,” Dr. Luginbill translates the verse from the Greek as follows: “Your gold and your silver has rusted away, and its residue will give testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. [This is what] you have treasured up for yourselves in the last days.” He notes that instead of the wealth being hoarded or treasured, the “this” in the translation just given refers to “the loss of reward (in the case of rich believers) or self-condemning testimony (in the case of rich unbelievers).” So, although it is true that these guilty individuals, consisting of both believers and unbelievers as we’ve already seen earlier in our lesson, were hoarding their wealth by withholding it from those they should have paid and helped (see verse four), it is more the consequences of their actions which they have treasured up (loss of reward and a sterner rebuke at the judgment seat in the case of the rich believers and self-condemning testimony in this life and the next for the rich unbelievers).

the last days

The phrase “last days” varies in meaning depending on context, as it appears throughout the Bible. Context determines which period or part of the last days is referred to because various passages employ the words “last days” to refer to more specific periods of time. In its entirety, the last days run from the first advent of Christ all the way down to the end of the Millennium.

However, the New Testament seldom refers to the Millennium as part of the last days, not because it is excluded, but because most verses that discuss this time single out a more specific period of the last days because of how they pertain to the teachings in their specific contexts (we will discuss this more later). The Millennium is part of the last days (the last part of the last days), and this is true because they are still future and will constitute the last thousand years of human history before eternity’s commencement. So it is appropriate to include them among the final days for this reason alone, and because Scripture also alludes to it.

The passage above refers to the Millennium, when Christ’s throne in the temple of Jerusalem will be lifted high and exalted during His earthly, thousand-year reign. We notice how it refers to this period as the last days. Micah 4:1-3 also refers to this period and reads very similarly to our Isaiah passage above (both refer to the same thing).

The false teachings of Postmillennialism and Amillennialism

Before continuing our examination of the last days, it is critical to note that the false teaching of Postmillennialism lacks a biblical basis. Adherents to this false teaching believe that Christ’s second and final coming won’t occur until after a period of prosperity for the church (not necessarily a literal thousand years), which will transform the world. But there is nothing in Scripture to suggest this, and all prophecy (both fulfilled and unfulfilled) points to the contrary; the premillennialism view that rightly holds Christ’s return as coming right before the Millennium’s commencement. And, contrary to amillennialism, which holds that there will be no thousand-year millennium, there will be a literal, thousand-year reign of Christ. There are no passages in Scripture to suggest otherwise, nor are there any verses that support either of the abovementioned false views. Reducing the truth, power, and meaning of the words in Revelation 20 to allegory is a big mistake and all but destroys a person’s understanding of biblical eschatology and prophecy because this subject appears throughout Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments.

The passage above speaks for itself and should be taken literally. As others have rightly noted, if this prophecy were simply allegorical in nature, then what of all the other prophecies in Scripture that have been literally fulfilled, just as Scripture said they would be? Is there really any need to list examples (a few most certainly come to the reader’s mind)? Why not interpret so much more of Scripture allegorically? If that were the case, one could make a verse mean whatever they wanted it to mean, and the body of Christ would be in nothing but havoc and confusion.

Contrary to the view that things will get better before Christ’s return (a time of peace and prosperity), 2 Timothy 3:1-9 suggests that things will get worse before they get better. And Matthew 24 (see also Luke 17:20-37 and Luke 18:1-8) puts the lie to Postmillennialism to rest. Like much biblical prophecy, most of Matthew 24 has a dual application, referring not only to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD but also to the second and final return of Christ at the battle of Armageddon at the conclusion of the Tribulation. Did Christ return in 70 AD? Clearly, He didn’t because His return is yet future, showing us that the context below also deals with future, unfulfilled events. And as we can see, the tribulation is referenced as coming before Christ’s second and final coming (the Bible nowhere mentions a third return of Jesus Christ).

One could literally go on and on, dropping passage after passage refuting Postmillennialism and Amillennialism. And regarding Amillennialism, which teaches that the Millennium is symbolic and refers to the church age before Christ’s return (instead of Christ’s thousand-year reign), we have a few sample passages below.

It is sad that so much of prophetic Scripture dealing with the end times (the tribulation) and the thousand years that precede it, is seen allegorically when it should be respectfully interpreted literally. And even for those who do take these prophecies literally, much of their understanding of the end times is still clouded by their misguided thinking that eschatology isn’t as important or understandable as it really is. The thinking is that there is much we cannot know about what the Bible does say and that the topic isn’t that important. But much of that is due to a lack of enthusiasm for what God has revealed to us in His Word. And, unfortunately, even for those with some level of interest, there is a lot of twisting and misinterpretation of Scripture, resulting in numerous false teachings, one of the worst being the false doctrine of the pre-trib rapture, which, despite all biblical evidence to the contrary (time and space not permitting us to examine much of it here), has fostered complacency throughout the body of Christ writ large.

It is no coincidence that so many believers have such a poor understanding of the end times, given our Lord’s evaluation of the present era of lukewarm Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). And this is most likely because we live in an era of the Church Age which will soon have to face those terrible times. If Satan can help dull the interest of so many believers in eschatology (the end times in general), the less spiritually prepared they will be when those days do arrive (which helps explain why so many unprepared, lukewarm believers will fall away during the great apostasy, Matthew 24:10-13). It makes perfect sense that the Devil would help to instill an attitude of indifference toward the truth of these matters because of the damage they have caused now and will cause in the coming tribulation. And the false teachings of the pre-trib rapture, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism have contributed, in no small part, to the spiritual apathy we see so common today in this last era of the church, known as Laodicea.

So, although those of us presently alive may not see those future days (unlikely as I believe that is), it is critical to get these things right to set future generations of believers up for success so that they will not compromise with the world when those days arrive. We want not only ourselves to be ready (living as if the tribulation were to begin at any time), but also those who come after us. All Scripture was written for our learning (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and although past generations of the church (including believers alive during biblical times) never saw those days, the Scriptures that warn and exhort us to prepare, be on guard, and ready for Christ’s return (Matthew 24:45-51, Luke 12:35-39, Matthew 25:1-13, James 5:7-8) applied just as much to them as they do us because the Tribulation, followed by Christ’s second advent, could have occurred at any time and still can.

Although there are numerous other Scriptural problems that could have been addressed with the two false teachings just referenced (time and space not permitting), there is one last thing in particular that I would like to point out before moving on, and that is that both of the abovementioned teachings revolve around this belief that the church (mere human beings) has the power and the duty to make the world a better place. This is true only inasmuch as we are to advance the kingdom through maximum spiritual growth, progress, and production (using our spiritual gifts in the ministries God calls all believers to, Ephesians 4:11-16), accomplished by seeking out the truth to the maximum, understanding it, believing it, and applying it (what some would call carrying out the “great commission”). But only God can defeat Satan and rule with perfect, divine justice, oversight, and righteousness in an imperfect world. The church, which is lukewarm at present (Revelation 3:14-22), has no power to defeat the Devil and establish the near Edenic conditions that will obtain during those thousand years of tranquil bliss. None of the Old Testament descriptions of the Millennium fit our present age, nor could or would they be obtained without the direct, physical presence of the ruling Messiah, Jesus Christ (see Psalm 72:1-19, Psalm 9:7-8, Zechariah 9:10, Isaiah 11:6-9, and Ezekiel 36:29-36, as only a few examples). Isaiah 2:1-5 and Micah 4:1-3 teach that Jesus Christ will physically reign from Jerusalem, not from the third Heaven. Only Christ can and will set things right. The church needs to understand that although there are things we can and should do as Christ’s ambassadors here on earth, there are many things we cannot do that only Christ Himself can accomplish. The millennial reign of Christ is taught all throughout Scripture, and it should be clear that this period does not come until after the tribulation has run its full course.

To end this section of our study, it is also important to recognize that politics is not the answer to the world’s problems and that involvement in politics (whether mental, physical, or emotional) should be avoided. We cannot make the world a better place by creating Heaven on Earth through manmade solutions. To believe such a lie is to say that God needs our help when we attempt to do something that only He can do (as if He needed anything from us).

However, the above assumes that some postmillennialists and amillennialists hold to this; not all of them do, but see the church creating a “millennium” through spiritual, not political, means. But even this, as just noted above, is misguided for multiple reasons.

Continuing and finishing off our examination of the “last days”

Before explaining what part of the last days our context in James has in mind, it is important for our proper understanding of these matters to examine a few other passages that include this phrase. Firstly, the Greek word for “last” is eskhatos (ἔσχατος), the root of the word “eschatology,” the study of last things or the end times.

The Joel passage above (Joel 2:28-32), quoted by Peter to his fellow Jewish countrymen, has a dual application. Firstly, in their entirety, the last days began with Christ’s first advent and will conclude at the end of the millennium. However, this passage more specifically refers to the last days Peter lived in (the post-cross, Pentecost period), and to the end of the Tribulation before Christ’s second advent, when the miraculous sign gifts, which have temporarily ceased for almost two thousand years, will return to certain believers. However, although our passage doesn’t say so, it’s possible these gifts will continue into the Millennium when large numbers of Jewish and Gentile believers (although the Jewish people are more emphasized during this period) will evangelize the world, and the miraculous sign gifts may play a part in helping them do so. But the passage emphasizes the tribulation period, especially as it nears its end with Christ’s return.

In his letter to the various churches under his care, the apostle John used the phrase “last hour” to describe the period between Christ’s first and second advents, citing the false gnostic teachers of his day as symbols of the antichrist to come during the Tribulation. Technically, anyone who denies Jesus as the Christ or Son of God come in the flesh is an antichrist because they reject Him (1 John 2:22 and 1 John 4:1-5). But John also had the antichrist of the tribulation in mind. Therefore, the last hour refers to that part of the last days (different words but with the same meaning) that begins from Christ’s first advent all the way down to the tribulation period to the second advent.

Likewise, 2 Timothy 3:1-9 also applies to the same period of the last days referenced in our 1 John passage above, but with a more overbearing emphasis on the terrible days of the Tribulation. Terrible, immoral, and ungodly people have always existed. But we especially see these types of people, as referenced above, in our own day (the waning days right before the tribulation’s inception), and will see an even greater number of far more wicked people after the tribulation begins (Revelation 9:20-21).

Like the passage referenced above, 2 Peter 3:1-10 also refers to the last days as the period between Christ’s first and second advents (with particular emphasis on the terrible days of the Tribulation just before our Lord’s return). We notice that none of these passages hints at the Millennium, and that is because all those believers who read these words will be resurrected at the conclusion of the Tribulation, with Christ’s return at Armageddon. There was no need to mention that period here, as it doesn’t apply to the message or point in these contexts. Also, Christ’s thousand-year reign will be characterized by perfect divine justice, righteousness, and oversight so that sin, crime, and the wrongdoers who commit them will be greatly reduced during that period. In other words, the Millennium will not see nearly as many of the types of people described in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 (although this will be more common toward the end of the Millennium during the Gog and Magog rebellion, Revelation 20:7-10). Nevertheless, all people alive during the Millennium will still retain their free will and the sinful nature we all have at birth. Sin and crime will still exist, but to a lesser extent than what we see today and will see most vividly during the tribulation.

Other passages that speak of the last days (not meant to be a comprehensive list), later times, or latter days include 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Daniel 10:14, Jude 17-19, and Matthew 24.

With that covered, the period of the last days referred to in our verse, James 5:3, is that time between our Lord’s first and second advent (it doesn’t include the Millennium). This is so because the rich whom James called out were alive after our Lord’s first advent (and Christ has not yet returned, hence, James 5:7 exhorts the reader to be patient, until the Lord’s coming). However, the Holy Spirit intended these words for all times. Therefore, they apply to the whole period between the first and second advent.

Verse 4

Our verse opens with the word “behold” to introduce us to some of the ways the greediness of the rich testified against them in this life. There were obviously no lawn mowers in the ancient days when this epistle was written. So the word “mowed” would have referred to workers using a sickle to cut down crops, such as wheat or barley (a process also known as reaping). More to the point, these rich people were withholding the pay they owed their workers (they kept it back by fraud). They promised their “employees” money in exchange for their labor, but withheld it. That is a case of fraud in which you act dishonestly to steal or keep something that doesn’t belong to you, at the expense of someone else. Some of our Jewish believers were owed pay in exchange for their services, but never received what they were promised.

So not only did the rich retain their wealth, but they also got work done for free. It was the rich who should have been dragged into court for such obvious offenses, and not the other way around (James 2:6). And it was these crimes (the withheld wages) that cried out against them, that testified to their consciences that they were in the wrong. But despite knowing this in their hearts, it seemed as if their knowledge of knowing exactly what they were doing wasn’t enough to bother them to change and repent. Some may have after reading this letter. But it is likely many did not.

The misbehavior of the rich testified against them by testifying to them that what they were doing was wrong! They knew it was wrong, but did it anyway (rich people often do bad things just because they can). They (both the wealthy believers and unbelievers) knew the right thing to do but didn’t do it (James 4:17), and their consciences testified against them (Romans 2:15). For those who did not repent, their consciences became seared (i.e., they hardened their hearts by closing them off to the truth).

And not only did their own sin testify against them by testifying to them, but it also testified against them before the Lord Almighty (the harvesters, those also cheated by fraud, would be those who gathered and separated the crops after they were cut down by the “mowers” using the sickle), who listened to the cries of His children. Those unrepentant rich may have chosen to “close their ears/minds off to the poor, but God did not! They were witnesses against their own behavior, but had, up to that point, refused to do anything about the harm they caused. Those guilty individuals could not plead ignorance: they knew exactly what they were doing, and that fact alone stood as a witness against them. They may have chosen to ignore the glaringly obvious testimony against them, but God did not! This was another of James’s ways of comforting his believing audience to assure them that justice would be served.

We still see a lot of fraudulent behavior in society, especially in the workforce (even though many governments, which are also often corrupt, classify it as illegal and criminal and enforce laws against it). We see people still being paid unfairly. We continue to see the rich getting richer when they shouldn’t and doing and getting away with things just because they can. But they won’t get away with it in God’s eyes, just as the wealthy man who ignored poor Lazarus didn’t (his evil, unrepentant behavior disclosing his unbelief, Luke 16:19-31). We, believers, can be confident that whatever injustices we suffer here on earth will never go unnoticed by God. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is everywhere and sees everything. And because of this, He will deal with every person accordingly.

Verse 5

As King Solomon wisely said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). The same scenario James observed in his time (although he wrote from Jerusalem to scattered Jewish believers he likely never saw) is one we see so common today: the wealthy getting wealthier at the expense of others. While others struggle just to survive, these types of people continue to grow richer and more prosperous (in this life), all while many of those under them barely make enough to support themselves and their families. Considering there were believers guilty of this, they should have known better than to exploit their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We see the same principle taught in our passage above as we have in James 2:14-16. The principle of being doers, not just merely hearers or speakers of the truth (James 1:22-25), is clearly there in 1 John 3:17-18. Clearly, some of these rich believers were not walking in love. Instead, they were walking in the flesh instead of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17); hence, the deeds of the flesh became evident in them (Galatians 5:19-21). They were living luxurious lives in “self-indulgence” (self-seeking luxury and pleasure) instead of “esteeming others as better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). These rich brothers and sisters were looking out only for their own interests but not the interests or needs of others (Philippians 2:4). Our verse presents another way the wealth of the rich testified against them (luxurious living and self-indulgence).

The final sentence in our verse, “You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter,” further confirms what we’ve seen above. The idea is that they satisfied their heart’s desires to the full with whatever they wanted. Instead of choosing to love the Lord with all their hearts (Matthew 22:37-38), the rich (in the case of believers) chose to put wealth before their relationship with the Lord (1 Timothy 6:10). And because they were not loving God as they should have, their love for others, even their own family members in Christ, was not what it should have been (they were not loving their neighbors as themselves, Matthew 22:39-40).

The last sentence in our verse is a metaphor that would have resonated with James’s Jewish recipients because of the animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant (which were, at this point, obsolete). The idea behind these words was that the rich people had fattened their hearts’ desires like an animal that has been fattened to the maximum on the day of its slaughter (the word for slaughter is sphagē (σφαγή) and can refer to the slaughter of animals or people). But in terms of judgment, this would mean something different for believers than for unbelievers, assuming James also had judgment included in the meaning of this metaphor. If we are meant to see judgment in these words, the unbeliever’s “slaughter” would refer to the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), while the believer’s would refer to loss of eternal reward, a sterner rebuke at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) and, perhaps, physical death or some other form of divine discipline in the case of others (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).

Verse 6

The Greek word for condemned is καταδικάζω (katadikazō) and means to pronounce someone guilty. In this context, it involves doing so in a false and unfair way, such as dragging innocent people into court and making entirely untrue statements about them (James 2:6-7). Those who blasphemed God’s name would refer to the oppressive unbelievers. However, it is likely some of the believing rich were also taking their fellow believers to court (analogous to the Corinthians filing lawsuits against one another, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11). Once again, the rich did this to gain a further advantage over those weaker than themselves (financially and socially), and because they could. The righteous would be those believers who were not only righteous because of their faith but also innocent (they had broken no laws and committed no offenses warranting criminal treatment). Add to that the fact that the poor didn’t even oppose or resist their rich oppressors. The meaning of the Greek word for resist (ἀντιτάσσω antitasso) is to oppose, resist, defend oneself, or battle against (this doesn’t mean they didn’t defend themselves in court). Our poor believers did nothing to deserve the treatment they received. What had they done to be treated so harshly? They didn’t oppose their rich neighbors, so why would the rich oppose them? They had no good reasons, only the evil ones just mentioned.

The meaning of the word “murdered” in the Greek does refer to killing someone (taking their life by slaying them). Yes, it is possible this happened a few times, given that our Jewish believers were living among unbelievers. And as we should already be aware, believers can commit physical murder (1 Peter 4:15, 2 Samuel 11) and struggle with it internally. However, it was more likely that most of the “murders” taking place were inner murders of the heart (hatred for one’s fellow man) manifested by outward behavior, not necessarily leading to physical homicide. If believers were frequently striking each other down, one would imagine James would have spent more time addressing the issue, resulting in a longer letter. Murder of the heart (internal hatred equaling murder) is what more likely occurred more often.

A brief and final word on the issue of love versus hate

I would like to mention one last thing before ending this lesson, because it relates to the topic of love vs hatred. As a wise friend and mentor once told me, it is not a good idea to go around saying, “It is ok to dislike someone,” because it can be very dangerously misleading. The Bible commands us to love others, even our enemies (Mark 12:31, Matthew 5:43-48). So what exactly do we mean (or should we) when we privately tell someone we dislike such-and-such a person? Disliking someone for no reason would equate to hatred and, thus, murder in the heart. But when we say we dislike an individual (in a non-sinful way), there are always good, righteous reasons because you can’t separate the dislike from the “why.” If a believer secretly dislikes another person in a non-sinful way, it is not the person (for who they are) that they dislike, but the way in which they behave through words and actions. It is the deeds of the other individual that we should hate (assuming they are wrong, sinful, or distasteful), not the people themselves. We love others by thinking, and, therefore, speaking and acting toward them in a godly way. But we are to hate and call out that which is evil.

Verses 19 and 20 in the passage above explain verses 21 and 22. We note that reasons are given for the hatred David displayed toward these wicked men (context is key), and this was just his way of expressing how much he hated their evil deeds, not the individuals themselves, absent their sinful behavior.

There is also disliking someone for bad reasons (more common in the body of Christ than what may be supposed), stemming from the sin of jealousy over another person’s appearance, possessions, achievements, and so on. That is not the way of love and can lead to inner hatred. How well the church would do to let this truth sink in because of its subtle presence within her rank! Whatever the reason may be, whether greed (such as what we see with the rich oppressors), pride, or selfishness, the sin of hatred has no place in the believer’s life.

References

All Greek words and definitions were sourced from Bible Academy, utilizing Curtis Omo’s lessons in the book of James. Prior permission for this was given to me by Curtis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ_NAdyqqS4&list=PLMu_1csD4LY9yVXlD84z6WaB50t6eu8aZ&index=16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcSUDbqbYh8&list=PLMu_1csD4LY9yVXlD84z6WaB50t6eu8aZ&index=17

Credits to Robert D. Luginbill’s translation of James 5:3: “Your gold and your silver has rusted away, and its residue will give testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. [This is what] you have treasured up for yourselves in the last days.”

The “this” in the translation just given refers to “the loss of reward (in the case of rich believers) or self-condemning testimony (in the case of rich unbelievers).”