Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

emerges as the one we encountered in the trial/temptation complex. We concluded
that both God and Satan are equally 100% active in trials/temptations.)
However, because “common grace” is not “special grace,” the antithesis is
more fundamental. The darkness of the wicked has the final word. This fully
ties in with the fact that “common grace” is ultimately nothing else but the
embalming fluid that prevents a corpse from stinking. It does not possess a
life-giving principle in itself. It also ties in with the fact that common grace is
designed to lead to repentance (Rom. 2:4). In this even common grace bears
witness to the truth that one can only derive life from special grace.
In short, everything that is not from above as special grace is from below.
This applies equally to all that is sinful, all that is supposedly neutral,
and all that admittedly makes one upbeat about life. And everything that is
from below is ultimately and by definition devilish and from the pit of hell!
So, by way of concluding summary, some things are outright sinful.
They constitute rebellion against God, and come from “below.” Other things
are outright holy. They are gifts of God’s special grace, and come from
“above.” There are, however, also things that come simultaneously from
“above” and from “below.” These are common graces of God, but placed by
man in a rebel framework. On the one hand, these things evoke joy, praise
and thankfulness to God, and are designed to do so. On the other hand, they
must at the same time produce a summons to repent, and are designed to this
end. Not to engage in the former is to impoverish life and to fail a gracious
God. God invariably frowns on this. Not to engage in the latter is to live on
the surface and to fail rebel man. Man’s rebellion will invariably be infectious.
Only people enjoying Revival status, engaged in a Maintenance m
ministry and involved in a Recovery mode will have the victory both ways
and survive!
(3) Evidence of Defeat (3:16)
James’ “harsh verdict” about worldly wisdom is fully confirmed by its “products”
(Moo, 1985, 134). They reflect the climate of the bitter envy and selfish
ambition in which they are sired. The first product of these twin evils is instability
(the same term as in Jam. 1:8) that spawns disorder, disharmony, social
unrest, restlessness (as in Jam. 3:8), confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), divisions (1
Cor. 3:3), anarchy (Ropes, 248-249; Adamson, 153), turmoil, ecclesiastical as
well as political (Burdick, 191), in short, a tumultuous chaos (Lk. 21:9; 2 Cor.
6:5; 12:20) in all spheres of life. David is a prime example. He covets a
woman who is not his wife (envy). He murders her husband in a cover-up to
safe his hide (selfish ambition). All this results in total turmoil, first a broken
home, characterized by sexual immorality and murder, and then a broken
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