My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2:1-13. Illustrating "the perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25) in one instance of a sin against it; concluding with reference to that law (James 2:12) BRETHREN - the equality of Christians as ... [ Continue Reading ]
For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; IF THERE COME, [ ean (G1437) ... eiselthee (G1525)]. ASSEMBLY - literally, synagogue: this the latest honourable, and the only Christian, use of the term in the New... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND YE HAVE RESPECT TO HIM THAT WEARETH THE GAY CLOTHING, AND SAY UNTO HIM, SIT THOU HERE IN A GOOD PLACE; AND SAY TO THE POOR, STAND THOU THERE, OR SIT HERE UNDER MY FOOTSTOOL:_ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Are ye not then partial in yourselves and are become judges of evil thoughts? Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? ARE YE NOT THEN PARTIAL, [ ou (G3756) diekritheete (G1252)] - Have ye not drawn (unbelieving) distinctions (preferring one to another.) So... [ Continue Reading ]
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? HEARKEN. James brings to trial the self-constituted "judges" (James 2:4). POOR OF THIS WORLD. 'Aleph (') B read [ too (G3588) kosmoo (G2... [ Continue Reading ]
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? The world's judgment of the poor contrasted with God's. YE - from whom better things might have been expected: no marvel that men of the world do so. DESPISED THE POOR, [ eetimasate (G818)] - 'di... [ Continue Reading ]
Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 'Is it not they [ autoi (G846)] that blaspheme,' etc., as in James 2:6? Rich pagan must be meant; none others would directly blaspheme the name of Christ. Indirectly, rich Christians may be meant, who, by inconsistency, caused His... [ Continue Reading ]
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: [ Ei (G1487) mentoi (G3305)] 'If, however (in the honour, you pay the rich), ye are fulfilling the royal law,' etc., not depreciating the poor, but only honouring each according to his due... [ Continue Reading ]
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. Respect of persons violates the command to love all alike "as thyself." YE COMMIT [ ergazesthe (G2038 ): WORK] SIN - referring to Matthew 7:23, as James 1:22. Your works are sin, however ye in words... [ Continue Reading ]
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 'Aleph (') B C, Vulgate, read Whosoever shall have kept [ teereesee (G5083)] the whole law, and yet shall have offended [ ptaisee (G4417), stumbled: not so strong as "fall," Romans 11:11 ] in one (point: the... [ Continue Reading ]
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. He is One who gave the whole law; therefore they who violate His will in one point, violate it all (Bengel). The law and its Author have a... [ Continue Reading ]
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. Summing up the previous reasonings. SPEAK - referring back to ; : the fuller discussion is given, James 3:1. JUDGED BY THE LAW OF LIBERTY () - i:e., the Gospel law of love; not a law of external constraint, but of free... [ Continue Reading ]
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. The converse of . 'The [hee] judgment (which is coming on all) shall be without mercy to him who showed no mercy.' "Mercy" here corresponds to "love," . MERCY REJOICETH AGAINST JUDGMENT. M... [ Continue Reading ]
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? James, passing from the particular "mercy" or "love" violated by "respect of persons," notwithstanding profession of the "faith of our Lord Jesus" (James 2:1), combats the Jewish tendency (tr... [ Continue Reading ]
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, Greek, 'But if,' etc., taking up the argument against, one who 'said he had faith, yet had not works.' A BROTHER ... - a fellow-Christian, whom we are specially bound to help, independent of our general obligation to help all fellow-... [ Continue Reading ]
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Passive sentimental impressions from sights of woe not carried out into active habits only harden the heart. ONE OF YOU - Jam... [ Continue Reading ]
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. FAITH ... BEING ALONE. Alford joins, 'is dead in itself.' Bengel, 'If the works which living faith produces have no existence, it is a proof that faith itself (literally, itself) has no existence, is dead.' "Faith" is said to be 'dead in... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 'But some one will say' [ all' (G235) erei (G2046) tis (G5100): erein (G2046) expresses the mind of the speaker], continuing the argument from James 2:14; James 2:1... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. THOU - emphatic. Thou self-deceiving claimant to faith without works. THAT THERE IS ONE-GOD, [ ho (G3588) Theos (G2316) estin (G2076) heis (G1520)] - 'that God is one:' God's existence is also asserted... [ Continue Reading ]
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? WILT [ theleis (G2309 )] THOU KNOW. "Vain" men are not willing to know, since they have no wish to do the WILT [ theleis (G2309 )] THOU KNOW. "Vain" men are not willing to know, since they have no wish to do the will of God (John... [ Continue Reading ]
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ABRAHAM OUR FATHER JUSTIFIED BY WORKS - evidentially before men (note, James 2:18). In James 2:23 James, like Paul, recognizes that it was his faith that was counted to Abraham for righteousness in h... [ Continue Reading ]
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? HOW, [ hoti (G3754)] - that. In the two clauses, emphasize "faith" in the former, and "works" in the latter, to see the sense (Bengel). FAITH WROUGHT [ sunergei (G4903 ): WAS WORKING] WITH HIS WORKS - for it was... [ Continue Reading ]
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. SCRIPTURE WAS FULFILLED - , quoted by Paul, as realized in Abraham's justification by faith; by James, as realized subsequently in Abraham's work... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. JUSTIFIED, AND NOT BY FAITH ONLY - i:e., by 'faith severed from works,' its proper fruits (note, ). Faith, to justify, must, from the first, include obedience in germ (to be developed subsequently), though the former alone... [ Continue Reading ]
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? Rahab's act was such that it cannot be quoted to prove justification by works as such. She believed assuredly what her other countrymen disbelieved, and this in the... [ Continue Reading ]
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Faith is a spiritual thing: works material. Hence, we might expect faith to answer to the spirit: works to the body. But James reverses this. He therefore does not mean that faith answers to the body; but the FROM of... [ Continue Reading ]