The Nugget:
Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
My Comment:
Here it is close to the end of this month, and this is the first chance I’ve had to post a “Daily Bible Nugget” here this month. I have been busy helping with the garden. I have been busy finalizing features of the software edition of my greatly expanded cross reference collection. It will be called The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.
I was preparing a post on July 15, 2016 about the wrath of man and the wrath of God. I selected that topic because the Internet was alive at the time with threats of a “Day of Rage” that was to be staged that Friday, as I recall. But something drastic happened in the news and turned the news cycle in a different direction that day, and the would-be protestors did not receive any attention. I’m glad the Lord allowed events to work out that way.
I did not get a chance to write this post on July 15 because I was called upon to help prepare my indexes to The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for use in Bible software.
It is clear from the Bible that angry protests and violent protests are not the way to accomplish God’s will. The best way to promote change for the better is to follow the teachings of the Bible, and encourage others to do the same.
Which teachings of the Bible? And how can these teachings be found? I started this post with a Bible Nugget about how God tells us that we are to be slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
I believe the simplest, most direct way to explore further the truths spoken of in James 1:19 and James 1:20 is to consult the cross references given for each verse. I will just share perhaps two or three references that are very clear about the wrath of man:
Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Psa 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
Rather than stirring up our wrath, and stepping forth to wage protests whether peaceful or violent, the Bible presents most clearly what we are to do instead:
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Now there is the answer, stated by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This does not even scratch the surface of the truths of the Bible related to this important theme which can be studied by consulting the cross references for James 1:19 and James 1:20.
The second way to study this issue is to continue reading in James 1:21 to see what he tells us next:
Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
The King James English of this verse may be unclear for some readers, so here is the same verse as translated in the Contemporary English Version or CEV:
Jas 1:21 You must stop doing anything immoral or evil. Instead be humble and accept the message that is planted in you to save you.
I like the King James Version much better, for it points to some very significant truths more clearly once you grasp what is being said. We are to “receive the engrafted word.” That “word” is the very words and message contained in the Bible, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you truly receive that message by reading the Bible and believing it, believing that message will result in a total transformation in your life, expressed by James in this passage as “which is able to save your souls.”
If you do not know for sure that this transformation has taken place in your life, James has just given the simple directions for how to come to the place where you experience this for yourself.
What must you do? Spend regular quality time reading the Word of God found in the Bible, starting particularly with the New Testament, until the experience becomes yours. If you will read the Bible consistently and prayerfully, it both can and will happen. It happened to me!
One more thing about what I had planned to write about back on July 15, 2016, but only found time just now to do so: we must be very aware not only about what the Bible teaches about the wrath of man. We must have a firm grasp about what the Bible teaches about the wrath of God. One verse will be enough to make the point:
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
No one in their right mind wants to experience the wrath of God. John 3:36 explains clearly how not to experience the wrath of God. The underlying term for wrath, speaking here of God’s wrath, is a word which expresses the concept of permanent, not temporary wrath.
Make very sure that you, personally, truly believe on the Son! Read and study the Bible to learn more about how continuing, genuine, obedient belief will produce in you a totally transformed life as you follow the Lord Jesus Christ. See 2 Corinthians 5:17!
Great as always! The phrase, slow to speak, was at one time, one that I truly had to work on. I like and would read proverbs 15:1, which is one of my favorite verses. Thank you for your post, I try to check on your site often. I have a bible software program that has the NTOS, I use it a lot. I finally came across a hard copy of it and like it better than the computer version. I will be very interested in your new software version! Please let me know!
Dear Steven,
Thank you for your most kind comment.
I am glad you have the Treasury in Bible software, and that you have been able to find it in hard copy book form too.
You may have noticed that the book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, has an index that is not fully or easily accessible in the software version. The Publisher made the unfortunate choice to virtually leave it out, though individual topics do appear within the text itself.
My new work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, will have that index. It also has my now even more complete Subject Index. The Figure of Speech Index is also retained in an expanded and improved, more complete form.
I look forward to the release of my new, vastly expanded work of cross references. The release should be very soon. Mr. Rick Meyers, who has done the finishing touches on the modules and much more, informed me that the modules have been uploaded to the server. All that remains to do is to await the development of the product page by Mr. Phil Stoner, who has been a most encouraging supporter of this project for many years, at http://www.estudysource.com which is the site where The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury will be available as a low-cost premium module for use with the free e-Sword Bible software program. I just sent Mr. Stoner some thoughts explaining the features and benefits of my new Bible study tool yesterday. That should be a good sign it will soon be available to everyone.
One big advantage of having me do the initial work of placing my Word docx files into software format is that the process caught many invalid references, which I found possible to correct by going back to the scholarly sources published in the early nineteenth century when those errors were first introduced. It should be very hard for anyone who uses this new software to find any remaining reference errors now.
Thank you for your reply ,Jerry.
Yes, the hard copy is indeed, more in-depth, and a must have. I also have e-Sword on my mobile device. So, I will look forward to adding that module.
I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed using your Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury the last couple of weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting all of these cross references and notes together in one easy to access resource! I have it opened in a side panel at all times, while I study with my Esword software. It really speeds up the process of grasping a more full and accurate understanding of the teachings God has shared with us through His Word.
Today, I finally figured out that markings like “FS171S1” are referencing a Figures of Speech Index, so I googled that phrase along with the title of your book and found this post where you mention that the index is included in the software version. Can you tell me how to access it? I’ve tried a couple of things, but I can’t seem to find it.
Dear Tammie,
I am delighted to see that you found my little blog or website and took the time to post such an encouraging comment.
You certainly came to the right place to get your question about my Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury answered!
The Figures of Speech are most important to study.
There is indeed an index to the Figures of Speech. Let me explain where to find it.
The e-Sword software “window” has what I would call four “panes” or quadrants open. The upper left-hand quadrant is titled “Bibles.”
The upper right-hand pane or quadrant is titled “Commentaries” which, as you mention, you have opened to my resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, by clicking on the Commentary Tab labeled “UCRT Cross References.”
The lower left-hand pane or quadrant is titled “Dictionaries.” This is where you will find the indexes to The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury when you click on the UCRT Indexes tab. Included there are the Subject Index (which you see “Abba, Father” as its first entry, followed by “Abide,” “Ability of God,” and so forth), followed within its alphabetical range the Figure of Speech Index (which may be reached directly by typing “FS1” in the empty box right above the index listing, or can be directly reached for the Figure of Speech you mention by clicking on the Figure of Speech number you mention and it will automatically open to that specific number in the UCRT Indexes.
To learn more about that Figure of Speech, click on the Scripture reference I have given as its main reference point. At that passage I give the definition of the figure, and a list of all the other instances of that figure of speech, or that specific sub-category of the figure of speech, that I have found in the Bible.
Thank you so much! Your instructions worked flawlessly, and I am eager to start using that portion of your reference material first thing in the morning! I try to start every day with some Bible study time, and E-sword (along with its many translations, commentaries, dictionaries, and graphics) has been my number one tool for about a decade.
Dear Tammie,
I am glad my instructions worked for you!
There are two more features I wish to share with you about The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.
(1) If you will “click” on the “commentary” heading on the top line of the screen (where the headings are: File, Bible, Commentary, Dictionary, Tools, Options, Download, Window, Help), there will appear a drop-down list with the very bottom of the list option titled “Information…” “Click” on that bottom item, “Information….”
That will open a pop-up pane or panel which contains my Preface, explanation of the symbols used, a description of improvements I introduced, and perhaps more. Reading that will inform you even more about this Bible study tool.
(2) If you will “click” on the “Reference Library” icon, the last icon to the right past “B” “C” “D” “E” options, etc., you will see a drop-down list of any books you have downloaded. In that list in its alphabetical order you will find The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury listed. “Click” on that entry, and it will bring up a floating panel which contains my Bibliography, Names Index, Notes Index, Prayer Index, and Proverbs Index. From time to time you may find these additional resources helpful. They surely took me much work to prepare! The Bibliography lists the books I have used and usually cited–books in my personal library here. The Name Index is more accurate and complete in some ways than Strong’s Concordance. The Notes Index is the index to the notes prepared for the Comprehensive Bible, the source of most of the notes and cross references found in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, a resource you have that comes with the e-Sword program. This is the first time this index has been made available to users of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, the resource I have vastly expanded and corrected to produce The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. The Prayer Index I derived from a work by Philip Waters, The Prayers of the Bible, a 1959 reprint by Baker Book House of the original 1883 work, a work which is probably even yet the most complete analysis and index to what the Bible says about prayer ever produced. The Proverbs Index is derived from the subject index at the end of the commentary on the book of Proverbs by Charles Bridges. Although the entries relate more to what Bridges wrote about the book of Proverbs, it is the best index I was able to prepare, and will be found useful for some.