FROM JAMES. Both Paul (Galatians 1:19), and Josephus, the Jewish Historian, call this James _the Lord's brother._ See the introduction to this Letter. A SERVANT. He was not an apostle in the same sense as were the Twelve and Paul [On the meaning of _apostle,_ see note on Hebrews 3:1] TO ALL GOD'S PE... [ Continue Reading ]
MY BROTHERS! This phrase appears again and again, to emphasize the ONE faith and life which Christians share in Christ, both Jew and Gentile. CONSIDER YOURSELF FORTUNATE. _Trials_ do not make you glad when you are suffering through them, but the _results_ ought to make you _jubilant!_ Compare Hebrew... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE. God's purpose in this is to train you to endure!... [ Continue Reading ]
BE SURE. Don't be _a fatalist,_ who thinks he is a passive plaything of _fate,_ but accept these things as the discipline of a loving Father. PERFECT AND COMPLETE. _"For endurance is a strong power, and patience produces many good things_.... [ Continue Reading ]
LACKS WISDOM. This verse begins a new thought. _Wisdom_ is the cluster of good qualities which form true religion. Jewish thought placed a lot of emphasis on the ethical side of religion. Compare James 3:17; Proverbs 8:22-31. PRAY TO GOD. _"It is the Lord who gives wisdom. Knowledge and understandin... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YOU MUST BELIEVE. This is absolutely necessary to SINCERE prayer. Compare what Jesus said in Mark 11:23-24. and notes. WHOEVER DOUBTS. _Aphraates_ quotes the following as something which Jesus said; _"Do not doubt, so that you will not sink into the world, as Simon_ (Peter), _when he doubted, be... [ Continue Reading ]
SUCH A PERSON IS A HYPOCRITE. He is unreliable, and has no _standard plan_ of conduct or goal. Because he doesn't really know what he wants, he can never get anything! THAT HE WILL RECEIVE ANYTHING. _MacKnight_ says: _"Now, let not that man think,_ that, by the mere uttering of words not accompanied... [ Continue Reading ]
THE POOR BROTHER. This verse begins a new thought. Since James is usually _plain-spoken_ in what he says, we may take this statement at _face value._ If the poor brother is blessed by God and becomes wealthy, he should not be ashamed of this. There is no _virtue_ in being poor.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE RICH BROTHER. If persecution takes away the rich man's wealth, he must be glad. After all, he is escaping the temptations and dangers that come to the rich. In any case, wealth is not a permanent thing!... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SAME WAY. The unbelieving Jews believed wealth was proof of God's blessing. James shows how temporary it really is! As a rich man is conducting his affairs, a robber, or inflation, or some other such thing can make him penniless in a flash! [_Johnson_ views these three verses as saying the sa... [ Continue Reading ]
HAPPY IS THE MAN. Jubilant!!! This verse begins a new thought. The _key_ to this section of six verses is; _"God tempts no one to do evil."_ Who remains FAITHFUL. Since life is like the puff of smoke that vanishes, it is the one (whether rich or poor) who remains faithful under trials, who will rece... [ Continue Reading ]
IF A MAN IS TEMPTED. "If trials and suffering cause a man to fall into sin, he must not say, This temptation comes from God,' as the false teachers are saying." FOR GOD. "God cannot be seduced by evil, nor does He himself use evil things to seduce anyone!" God does permit temptation to come to us, a... [ Continue Reading ]
BY HIS OWN EVIL DESIRE. This is really what Paul was saying in Romans 7:14-25. Any temptation depends upon our own response. This is why Jesus could be tempted without sinning (Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:15). God limits the amount of temptation which comes to us (1 Corinthians 10:13). But our own evil... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN HIS EVIL DESIRE. The false teachers passionately loved adultery, so James uses the symbolism of a birth. Evil desire conceives, grows, and gives birth to sin. See 2 Peter 2:14. WHEN IT IS FULL-GROWN. When sin comes to maturity, it gives birth to death (_eternal death)._... [ Continue Reading ]
DO NOT BE DECEIVED! "Do not let the false teachers fool you into believing that God himself is the source of sin, and will not punish it!... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY GOOD GIFT. "To demonstrate that God cannot seduce people with sin and evil, I tell you that God himself is the source of every _good gift_ that blesses us (such as a sound mind, health, good fortune, etc.), and _every perfect present_ (such as the forgiveness of sin, God's grace, eternal life)... [ Continue Reading ]
BY HIS OWN WILL. "The spiritual birth made possible by God's act in Christ was not something God was forced to do. He did this by his own free will, because He loves us." HE BROUGHT US INTO BEING. "We are spiritually brought into being by the word of truth, and born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5... [ Continue Reading ]
REMEMBER THIS. This verse begins a new thought. Compare Romans 12:1, EVERYONE MUST BE. "Be quick to hear the Good News of God's act in Christ; but be slow to speak about it until you understand it; and be slow to become angry in religious matters. Incomplete knowledge is dangerous in the hands of on... [ Continue Reading ]
MAN'S ANGER. "Anger is a normal human response, and some use anger and persecution to try to bring others to their beliefs. But this cannot bring the faith which pleases God. It can only make men hypocrites by forcing them to profess what they really do not believe. A blind, furious zeal in religiou... [ Continue Reading ]
RID YOURSELVES. "Get rid of those things which will destroy you!" EVERY FILTHY HABIT. Evil desires, greed, drunkenness, immorality, etc. The false teachers were _addicted_ to these things. ALL WICKED CONDUCT. This is the deep hostility which leads people to do as much meanness and evil to each other... [ Continue Reading ]
DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF. "You do not _practice what you preach_ because you think the Scriptures are a _good-luck charm,_ and that if you listen to them being read, you will have life. But you are only fooling yourself, because you must put it into practice! (Matthew 7:24-27_,)"_... [ Continue Reading ]
IS LIKE A MAN. "A man looks into a mirror and a few minutes later has forgotten what he looked like.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PERFECT LAW THAT SETS MEN FREE. The Good News is the _perfect law that sets men free,_ because: (1) It frees men and women from the slavery of their _human nature_ and gives them _back free will;_ (2) It freed the Jews from the Law of Moses, which was a curse; (3) It sets believers free from the... [ Continue Reading ]
IF HE DOES NOT. "If you think of yourself as religious, but _rant and rave_ against those who differ with you in religious opinion (_and think of this ranting and raving as a mark of devotion to God),_ your religion is worthless!" You can see this in certain types of people, such as in Acts 17:5_. ... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT GOD THE FATHER. "Hypocrites think religion is doing religious things, but here is what God the Father says is religious." Note: the word translated _religion_ means _worship through external things._ Christians are to think of good works as being worship to God! But, only those things which God... [ Continue Reading ]