CHAPTER 1. THE MAIN ESSENCE OF THE LETTER. In this chapter James introduces the main facets that he intends to deal with: · The need for patient endurance and the maintenance of unwavering trust in God (James 1:2) and by keeping an eye on the goal (James 1:12) · The dichotomy between rich and poo... [ Continue Reading ]
INTRODUCTION. Note here the standard formula for a letter, that is, name of the sender, name of the recipient, and greeting. This was a typical opening to a letter in ancient times. ‘James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.' The majority evidence points to this as being James, the Lo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you find yourself involved with many kinds of temptations,' James begins by calling on all Christians (‘my brothers') to rejoice in trials and temptations whenever they are faced up with them, seeing all testing as a means for exercising faith and confidence... [ Continue Reading ]
TESTING PRODUCES PATIENT ENDURANCE WHICH FINALLY RESULTS IN BEING MADE PERFECT (JAMES 1:2). In these words that follow James sums up the essence of the Christian life. He speaks of the joy of a vibrant faith, which boldly faces up to tests and trials, and results in patient endurance, and final spi... [ Continue Reading ]
THOSE WHO FACE TRIAL FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR FAITH IN GOD AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL BE BLESSED (JAMES 1:2). The letter commences by outlining the basic themes that will be dealt with later (see Analysis above), for as we have seen the whole letter is in the form of a chiasmus based on those theme... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Knowing that the proving of your faith works patient endurance,' For this ‘testing' will prove the genuineness of their faith and confidence in Christ and make it strong and sure, and once they are confident that they can truly trust Christ in all circumstances, it will result in continuing patien... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And let patient endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.' And the final result of enduring these testings and trials with patient endurance, and of rejoicing in the privilege of suffering for Him, will be the sanctification (making holy, setting apart... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and does not upbraid, and it will be given him.' In the face of many trials and temptations they may often be brought to a standstill. They may wonder what they should do in the light of them, and may need wisdom and gui... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FACE OF TEMPTATION AND TESTING CHRISTIANS ARE TO SEEK WISDOM FROM GOD WITHOUT DOUBTING, FOR THEN THEY WILL KNOW THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE IT AND THUS BE ABLE TO OVERCOME IN HIS STRENGTH AND WISDOM (JAMES 1:5).... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who doubts is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and troubled.' But those who would receive God's wisdom must come to God with full confidence in His willingness to respond. They must ‘ask in faith, nothing doubting'. And as the writer in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For let not that man think that he will receive anything of the Lord.' And this constancy of heart and mind is required for any who would receive God's wisdom, and indeed anything from God. The one who is tossed this way and that by doubt and inconstancy will receive nothing from the Lord. Such th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘A doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.' For the man who is looking both ways at once will be prone to accidents. He will not know whether to do this or that. He will be ‘unstable (disordered) in all his ways', first moving one way and then another, never quite sure what to do next. And the... [ Continue Reading ]
TRIALS COMBINED WITH WISDOM ARE INTENDED TO BRING HOME TO MEN WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM. ‘But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate, and the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.' The passage then ends with a description of the blessedness of the one who endures temptation, whether rich or poor, and who as a result of i... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS ONE KIND OF TESTING THAT IS NOT TO BE SEEN AS OF GOD AND THAT IS THE TEMPTATION TO SIN. THAT SPRINGS FROM THE LUSTS OF THE HUMAN HEART AND LEADS TO DEATH (JAMES 1:13). James now moves from the trials of life to the idea of a particular trial, that of temptation to sin. It would seem that s... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no man.' There is a play on the meaning of temptation here. James has been speaking about testings and trials, and he may well have heard some blame them on God. And he has indeed mad... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.' What then is it that causes men to be tempted? And the answer is that it is as a result of his own fallen desires. It is the result of his lustful nature. He is tempted, he is drawn by the temptation, he is then enticed i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin, and the sin, when it is fullgrown (‘has come to completeness'), brings forth death.' But sin does not stop there. Once lust has conceived and produced sin, that sin will grow within men and produce death. For once we have let sin in, it remains with... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Be not deceived, my beloved brothers.' He is concerned that his readers as ‘my beloved brothers' are not ‘deceived'. The expression of deep affection stresses the importance of what he is saying. It is something that he really wants them to appreciate. He wants them to recognise that while riches a... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THINGS COME TO MEN THROUGH THE UNCHANGING CREATOR INCLUDING OUR BEGETTING THROUGH THE WORD OF TRUTH. THUS MEN SHOULD BE SILENT BEFORE HIM AND, RATHER THAN SPEAKING ANGRILY AND UNBEFITTINGLY, RECEIVE THE IMPLANTED WORD WITH MEEKNESS. (JAMES 1:16). But while temptation may not come from God (James... [ Continue Reading ]
‘All good (beneficial) giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.' For the source of all truly beneficial giving is God, and the source of every gift which is perfect in its entirety, is G... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Of his own will he begat us (‘brought us forth') by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.' For while the sustaining of Creation was left to the glorious heavenly lights and the sustaining seasons, the begetting of His own people occurred directly through His o... [ Continue Reading ]
‘You know this, my beloved brothers. And let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,' And his beloved brothers are aware of this, or are told to be aware of it (the verb could be imperative) and therefore they should be silent in awe before Him, listening and taking heed to His wor... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.' ‘The anger of man.' Note the emphasis on ‘of man' or ‘of a man' (andros is used rather than anthrowpos). It is of course different with God. But the point is that His anger is always rightly directed and has behind it a continuing unde... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For which reason, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.' ‘For which reason' may apply to the previous verse, with the emphasis being on the fact that rather than behaving angrily they are to receive th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.' James is very conscious of the danger of hearing and not doing. He had previously been like this himself, and he had seen among the Jews how easy it was to be a hearer in the synagogues every Sabbath and yet not be a doe... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT ONLY TO BE A HEARER, IT IS NECESSARY ALSO TO BE A DOER (JAMES 1:22). Having laid a careful foundation in demonstrating that God's People are those whom He has sovereignly begotten, in whose hearts his word of truth has been received and implanted, and is to grow, (their side ha... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like to a man beholding his natural face in a mirror, for he beholds himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.' He then illustrates his argument by the picture of a man who goes and glances in a mirror. H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continues, being not a hearer who forgets but a doer who works, this man will be blessed in his doing.' But then in contrast James describes the one who is true at heart. He looks into the perfect Law, which is the Law of liberty an... [ Continue Reading ]
‘If any man thinks himself to be religious, while he does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.' It again becomes clear that there was much distress in the churches because of the way that people were speaking to each other or of each other (compare James 1:19) f... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.' James is here giving his own meaning to the Greek word translated ‘religion' which elsewhere indicated ‘following ceremonial requirem... [ Continue Reading ]