James teaches us in his epistle that God uses His word to impart spiritual life. We read that “of his [God’s] own will begat he us with the word of truth” (James 1:18). James goes on to say to these born-again ones that this same word “is able to save your souls” (James 1:21), i.e. make your lives genuinely profitable to the One who gave you life. God gives life to men and women who are spiritually dead that they might know God, serve God, and enjoy God. None of this can occur independent of His word and without His working. As you can see, Christianity is necessarily a God-centered religion. By that we mean that the very aim of Christianity is the glory of God.
It is true – man needs a Savior. His sin is thorough and enslaves him to selfish and deceitful lusts. This is true of every man and woman born into this world. Do not mistake the occasional kind word or good deed as signs of spiritual life. Everyone in a cemetery is dead. Some may be more corrupt than others, but I assure you they are all equally dead. So it is with mankind apart from the grace of God. We are born spiritually separated from God because of our sin. The most refined gentleman is no closer to God than the most hardened criminal. Yet God through the word of His gospel imparts life and saves our souls redeeming them from the destructive influence and effect of sin.
But James takes it further. As dear children of God, in order for this word to have its transforming effect, we must obey it. Listen to James exhort his audience, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). If we are to know victory over sinful thoughts, words and deeds, we must obey His word. The Psalmist understood the necessity of God’s word in his battle with sin. He wrote “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed there to according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). Later in that same Psalm he wrote “Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me” (Psalm 119:133, emphasis added). Obedience to God’s word pleases him and glorifies his holy character, the very essence of what James means when tells us the word it able to “save our souls”.
You see then that Christianity entails much more than simply “going to heaven”. It is about a life that is transformed by the gospel unto obedience to his word for his glory. Christianity is all about God. Is your soul profitable to God? He can make it to be so.
From the Chaplain 