Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

procedure cannot be faulted or condemned. There is nothing wrong with
plans, with traveling, with doing business, and making money for that matter
(See also Keddie, 147). Far from it!
In fact, an entrepreneurial spirit that wishes “to go somewhere” is
throughout applauded in Scripture. It is part of dominion taking as a creation
mandate! Regrettably, there are not enough Christians who display such
spirit. No, it is the apparent assumption of self-confidence, self-sufficiency,
self-reliance, and self-determination of the man that is the target of James’
grievance and grief. He goes about his business as if God has no plan, in fact,
as if God does not exist. There is no recognition that the man, just like everyone
else, operates in a night fog that covers the countryside into which he
travels. No goggles. No night vision. There is no telling what the landscape is
all about when the fog lifts and the dawn breaks. But one would not be able to
tell this from the self-assured, arrogant and pretentious way the future is
mapped out without any allowance for unforeseen and unexpected circumstances
(See Burdick, 197). Although this kind of lifestyle was characteristic
of the traveling traders of James’ day, they certainly do not have a corner on
it. Basically the same arrogant spirit imbued Israel before its defeat at Ai, its
covenant with Gibeon, Peter before his denial of Jesus (See also Phillips, 159-
160), and many of us throughout our past!
James’ words should not be construed as a “critique of profit” (Moo,
1985, 154). In fact, he is not even addressing an often prevailing, and manifestly
sinful, “desire to make profit a towering priority,” such as is condemned
in Amos 8:4-5 (Nystrom, 250). No, he targets the display of a false
sense of security (PHDavids, 172). The entrepreneur goes about his plans
without any reference to God (Laws, 189). He thinks “entirely on a worldly
plane,” naturally with “financial profit” as one of his considerations, even if it
is not “the chief value” (contra PHDavids, 172). Undoubtedly, the man has
lots of character strength. But as usual, the man’s strength is his weakness. He
is in the process of failing the trial of riches (Jam. 1:10-11)!
But having said this, can we be certain that such a man genuinely belongs
to the covenant community? Some say “No” (Laws, 190; Moo, 1985,
154). Others say yes (Nystrom, 251). I say, “Yes, of course!” Once again, the
whole tenor of James’ Letter, in which each Christian is said to spew filth
(Jam. 1: 21), to have a direct pipeline to hell (Jam. 3:6), to be adulterous
(Jam. 4:4), etc., is such, that nothing should surprise us, least of all a sin that
attaches itself to, and piggybacks upon, an enterprise that in and by itself is
not only totally honorable, but mandated in Scripture. It simply goes to show
how easy it is to fall victim to the pattern set forth in James 1:14-15. The evil
impulse blinds, decides upon a sinful course of action, commits itself, and
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