Curb Your Anger

July 14th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 1:20-21 For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

James’ Jewish Christian audience was angry with God about their trials. But having instructed them concerning joy in the midst of these trials (v. 2), he explains that “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (v. 20). The “therefore” in v. 21 transitions to the antidote for such anger: “putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness…” The verb “putting aside” means to “take off,” like removing a filthy garment (cf. Acts 7:58). This verb is also used in reference to the former lifestyle of sin that the unbeliever once knew (cf. Rom. 13:12; Eph. 4:22, 25; Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:1) before coming to faith in Christ—putting it aside in favor of righteousness. “Putting aside” is actually a Greek participle modifying “receive the word implanted” in the sense that the “word implanted,” the saving power of the gospel, cannot be effective until “all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness” has been put aside.

The “filthiness” (Gr. rhuparia) James speaks of comes from the same root of the term “dirty” in 2:2, describing filthy clothes (cf. Zech. 3:3-4), although James speaks of it here as moral filthiness. Just so the audience will know exactly how filthy sin is, James couples “filthiness” with the “remains of wickedness” (v. 21), that is, the surplus, or abundance, of evil (cf. Rom. 5:17; 2 Cor. 8:2; 10:15). Clearly James sees the dangers of sin and temptations to sin in the midst of God-ordained trials. He therefore not only warns his audience, he wants them to remove this abundance of wickedness like old clothing and lay it aside forever. James himself would know, however, that this is an intense spiritual battle that Christians face daily, a battle that never truly ends until death. In fact, the battle is so intense that as long as Christians engage it by daily striving to set aside their wickedness, they will find more sin in their lives to be laid aside and greater conflict with each rotten fruit they uncover.

Of course James’ audience already had the word of truth preached to them. He knew that they knew God’s word and the message of the gospel. But what he could not know for certain was whether the gospel had truly impacted their lives now that their faith was being tested. So, after commanding them to abandon their sinful ways, he tells them to humbly “receive the word implanted.” This is typical of James who, throughout his epistle, demands works as the proof of genuine faith (cf. 2:14-26). He never tells his audience to adopt a new corpus of ethics; rather, they were to trust that which they already possessed: “the word.” It was this truth in action that would determine their worth and allow them to experience joy in the midst of their trials.

Notably, the word “implanted” (Gr. emphutos) does not mean that everyone has God’s word innately. James’ Christian audience had received this word; thus, it was implanted. The “word” (Gr. logos) is equivalent to the “word of truth” which has the power to regenerate (v. 18), that is, to save (v. 21). Now they just needed to let God’s saving “word” influence their behavior. By adding that they received this “in humility,” James reminded them to be receptive to the work of God’s word in their hearts (cf. Mark 4:3-20)—the word that had been implanted for power.

The power of God’s implanted word is that it “is able to save your souls” (v. 21). The soul in this context is a reference to the entire human being, not just a part. Also, since the salvation of the soul is spoken of as future, James was referring to the Christian’s final salvation from sin at the time of Christ’s return in glory (cf. Rom. 5:9, 10; 13:11; 1 Thess. 5:9; Phil. 2:12; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5, 9; 2:2; 4:18). It thus seems evident that James’ heart for his readers was that they not merely know Jesus but obey Him for their ultimate salvation.

Food For Thought
How might we “receive the word implanted” when we already believe in Christ for salvation? Answer: prepare your hearts! You can begin by confessing unconfessed sin to God and receiving His forgiveness for the restoration of your fellowship (1 John 1:9). Next, you can read and meditate on God’s word, asking God to search you and reveal to you all the ways you are offensive to Him (cf. Ps. 139:23-24). Finally, you can humble yourself before God, accepting everything the Scriptures teach—from salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-10) to the doctrine of election-predestination (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:4-14) and to agreeing with God that men are men, women are women, and that women are not to teach or have authority over men in the church (1 Tim. 2:9-14). Though these doctrines can anger us, it’s only because we are wrong and God is right. Let us thus receive God’s implanted word and live the abundant life, no longer tossed about by our anger and frustration over life’s trials.