Why has God set me up to fail?

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing how all Christians have a vocation to suffer unjustly in this life.

The letter of James was written to scattered Christians in tiny churches, facing all sorts of different trials.

And all of you here have trials. You’ve told me about them.

And you know first hand that when the pressure is on: Sometimes you respond well, you endure, you stand the test. But other times you react badly, you fail, and you make mistakes.

Anger. Lust. Greed. Slander. The Ten Commandments warn us we will do these things.

And we all stumble in every way, but each of us has favourite sins.
Quiet fury or loud frustration.
Public adultery or secret addiction.
Manipulative cheating or open thievery.
Straightforward slander or subtle lies to change how others see me.

You know where your particular struggles are. So does God.

So when you fall again, when you fail and sin, especially under pressure and stress… …the thought emerges:

Why did he put me in this situation? Tiny church. Huge pressure. Low finances. Big stresses.

God knew this would be too much for me! He knew I wouldn’t cope.

Why has God set me up to fail?

James replies with three things:

1) Don’t say “I can’t help it”: it’s a lie
2) Don’t say “I’ll make it right”: it won’t work
3) But hearing God say “I’ve put it right” gives life that is stable and satisfied

So, first, 1) Don’t say “I can’t help it”: it’s a lie

James gives a stark warning in v. 16

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

He’s warning you against fatalistic thinking. Look at v. 13:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

Oh, it’s not really my fault. It’s in my genes: it’s nature. It’s because of my trauma: it’s nurture.

And God’s in charge of all of that: it’s him. I’m not in control, I’m just a victim of my circumstances. And my circumstances are all because of God—it’s his fault.

“Did you eat?” said God “Of the fruit of the tree I told you not to eat?”

“It’s not my fault! The woman you put here with me: She took from the tree and gave it to me and I ate! And you’re the one who put the tree here in the first place!”

We are so good at these excuses:
“But, you don’t understand, my wife is so critical—it’s not really my fault.”
“My husband is so harsh, I’m the victim here really.”
“My work is so boring and boss so controlling. No reasonable person could live with that.”
“But what they said was wrong and unfair—the circumstances are impossible to live with.”

But! James says: Don’t say “I can’t help it”: because that’s a lie

You are a responsible person. You have agency. God does not patronise you. Just look at v .14:

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

You are not simply a product of your upbringing, environment, and genetics.

The things you do matter. They have consequences. And you are accountable for them.

Don’t be deceived, James warns, by the lie we often tell ourselves when we fail: “I’m just a victim of circumstance. I can’t help it. I have no control.”

It’s really that other person’s fault, or my parent’s fault—or God’s fault.

But James warns you this kind of thinking is not wise. Because the book of James is an application of Proverbs, the Bible’s book of wisdom.

Proverbs 7:21-23 tells the story of how your desire works:

With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Or as James summarises in vv. 14-15:

…each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

You are a responsible person. Don’t say “I can’t help it”: because that’s a lie.

Second Don’t say “I’ll make it right”: it won’t work

We’re all tempted to give up and claim we don’t have any control.

But at the same time we’re all just as tempted to get angry, which means to overstretch and take control.

Look at vv. 19-20:

let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

You get angry about things.

Some of us like to pretend we don’t. Because the way we get angry looks very quiet. Or because your anger doesn’t feel very emotional.

But whether you tend to explode quickly, or form silent long term grudges… …all of us have an anger problem in one form or another.

It comes out in your words and actions, not necessarily your feelings. Because what James means by anger is reacting to take control of a situation.

That’s why he says:

the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God

Anger, here, is your desire to produce righteousness: to make things right.

And there is a sense, which Luther often talked about, where anger is appropriate to a particular office or role.

He encouraged Fathers to be light hearted with their children.

But, he said, Fathers must rightly exercise anger. He didn’t mean: get frustrated with your kids. He meant: teach your kids their actions have consequences

Train your children that they are responsible for themselves.

So, there is a place for human anger, as an action, not an emotion.

But even if that human anger were exercised perfectly, it does not bring the righteousness of God.

So even more so when your anger is inappropriate, out of place, a reaction of either fury or slow bitterness, it will not bring God’s righteousness.

You cannot truly fix things by controlling them.

You want things to be right. And so you want to use the Law to make it right: threat, coercion, conditional relationships, frustration, manipulation, tactical withdrawal, punishment, pressure and accusation.

Anger takes many forms: loud and quiet, large and small.

The thing they all have in common is this logic: I’ll take control and make it better.

But James says: Don’t say “I’ll make it right”: it won’t work

Proverbs 14:29:

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

This is wisdom, James exposes two lies:

“I can’t help it”—the lie that I’m not in control.
“I’ll make it right”—the lie that I’ll make it better if I take control.

And both of these lies are spoken from sin: Trust in yourself, rather than the living God.

His solution is this: hearing God say “I’ve put it right” gives life that is stable and satisfied

Because if God has put it right, you don’t need to take control.

The book of James is so frequently misunderstood and twisted to make it sound as though God’s goodness to you is conditional upon you.

Because that’s what the phrase “justification by works” means if you use those words in a theological sense in the same way Paul uses them in Romans.

To be “justified” before God means to be acceptable before him, forgiven by him, and to receive mercy from him.

People often twist some things James says in chapter 2 to say that he thinks God’s goodness toward you depends on you being good toward him first.

But you can see here in vv. 17-18 that is completely wrong. Just look at how James describes God’s goodness:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

How does James describe God?
He is your Father—not your employer.
He gives you gifts—not rewards for works.
They come down from above—not up from things we do.
He gave us life from his own will—not from our decision nor work.

God is in a good mood with you. He created you to receive freely from him. He gives you everything freely from his abundant grace.

That’s the theology of James—don’t let people lie you to about it.

And how does God give you these good things?

This is where James shows he’s truly Lutheran… …through the means of grace, …through his Word of promise, v. 18 again:

he brought us forth by the word of truth

In v. 19 why be “quick to hear” because he urges you v. 21,

[to] receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Keep hearing the Word, James says. Keep coming to church. Keep receiving the Sacrament. Keep reading the Bible. Keep receiving Absolution. Keep speaking to one another the words of Grace.

Because you’re not so out of control that you’re a victim, and things don’t depend on you so you need to take control

But merely hearing God say “I’ve put it right” gives life that is stable and satisfied

This is nothing more than the message of Proverbs.

Chapter 1 verse 7 tells us:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Don’t fear your circumstances. Don’t fear being out of control. Let our fear be of God your Father: who gives all good things freely.

So, live lives of continually receiving absolution, Proverbs 28:13:

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Such a life is genuinely healthy, Proverbs 14:30:

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

No harm can come to you outside of your Father’s care and plan, Proverbs 19:23:

The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

And so, the wise man of proverbs says, 1:33:

whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Or, as 1 John 4:18 explains:

perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment,

And you are never being punished. Because—James cries—this is who God is:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

There’s no need for excuses, no need to hide, no need to react, no need to try and hold everything together.

Why has God set me up to fail?

1) Don’t say “I can’t help it”: it’s a lie, because you’re made to be responsible

2) Don’t say “I’ll make it right”: it won’t work

3) But hearing God say “I’ve put it right” gives life that is stable and satisfied

So you don’t need a better context, a better past, better techniques, or a better plan.

Just keep coming to the message of grace. God’s certain promise of forgiveness:

and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.