EXCURSUS: JAMES AND PAUL. The relation of Paul and James to each other in regard to justification is a matter of such importance that it requires for its discussion a separate consideration. It is impossible in our limited space to give a full statement of the subject; all that we aim at is to point... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:1. MY BRETHREN. The connection appears to be: As the true service of God consists in active benevolence, exercised especially toward the poor and afflicted, St. James takes occasion to reprove his readers for a practice which was in direct contradiction to this, namely, showing partiality to... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:1-13. In this passage, St. James proceeds to caution his readers against showing respect of persons, especially in their religious assemblies; for by doing so they would violate their Christian principles, and become evil-minded judges. God has chosen His people from among the poor; whereas... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:2. FOR IF THERE COME. St. James does not here mention a mere hypothetical case, but what must frequently have occurred. UNTO YOUR ASSEMBLY. The word employed in the Greek is ‘synagogue,' Some understand it of the Jewish synagogue, from which believers had not yet separated themselves; but a... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:3. AND YE HAVE RESPECT: literally, ye look upon, ye have regard to HIM THAT WEARETH THE GAY CLOTHING. The two who came in are very differently treated; the rich man is conducted with all honour to a comfortable seat, whilst the poor man is left to shift for himself. In these verses there is... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:4. THIS VERSE HAS GIVEN RISE TO A GREAT variety of interpretation, owing to the uncertainty of its correct translation. ARE YE NOT PARTIAL IN YOURSELVES? This version is hardly correct. Some render the words: ‘Did you not judge among yourselves,' by thus determining that the rich are to be p... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:5. HEARKEN, MY BELOVED BRETHREN. With this verse St. James commences to show the sinfulness of such conduct; and, first, it is in contradiction to the conduct of God. HATH NOT GOD CHOSEN THE POOR OF THIS WORLD; that is, either those whom the world esteems poor the poor in the opinion of th... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:6. BUT YE, in contrast to God's estimate of the poor. God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, whereas ye, on the contrary, HAVE DESPISED THE POOR: not so much the poor generally, as the poor among Christians. Now follows a second consideration; that by showing respect to t... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:7. DO NOT THEY BLASPHEME. The pronoun is emphatic: ‘Is it not they who blaspheme.' The allusion may be to the attempts of the unbelieving Jews to compel believers to blaspheme the name of Christ. Thus it is said of Saul, that he punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to bla... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:8. IF. The connection has been variously understood. Some suppose that St. James is anticipating an objection of his readers, that by showing respect of persons to the rich, they were obeying the royal law, in loving their neighbour as themselves; others think that he is guarding his own arg... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:9. BUT IF YE HAVE RESPECT OF PERSONS, YE COMMIT SIN, ye violate this royal law, AND ARE CONVINCED OF, convicted by, THE LAW. By the law here is not meant a single commandment, as the law against partiality or respect of persons, but the moral law, and which, as regards our duties to others,... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:10. FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL KEEP THE WHOLE LAW, AND YET OFFEND IN ONE POINT one particular, one commandment. HE IS GUILTY OF ALL: that is, although respect of persons may appear to be the violation only of a single precept, yet it is a transgression of the whole law. The truth of this statement... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:11. FOR: the reason of the above assertion, arising from the unity of the Divine Author of the law. He, namely God, THAT SAID, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, SAID ALSO, DO NOT KILL (Exodus 20:13-14). Various reasons have been assigned for the selection of these two precepts; but the most obvious is... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:12. SO SPEAK YE AND SO DO, AS THEY THAT SHALL BE JUDGED BY THE LAW OF LIBERTY. The law of liberty is not here the moral law, nor the love of our neighbour as a single commandment, but the same as that mentioned in the former chapter: ‘Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty'(James 1:25... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:13. FOR, the reason assigned for so speaking and acting, HE SHALL HAVE JUDGMENT WITHOUT MERCY, literally, the judgment will be without mercy to him, WHO HATH SHOWED NO MERCY.' We must show mercy to our fellow-men, if we expect mercy from God. Compare the words of our Lord: ‘If ye forgive not... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:14. The connection appears to be as follows: James has been showing that true religious worship does not consist in the performance of certain ceremonies, but in active beneficence extended toward the poor and afflicted, and that opposed to this is a respect of persons showing partiality to... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:14-26. In this passage James continues to enforce practical religion. He tells his readers that faith destitute of works is of no avail to the saving of the soul, and is as useless as a charity which expends itself in kind words, but is destitute of beneficent actions. As the charity is dead... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:15. To prove the uselessness of a barren faith, the apostle illustrates the subject by showing the uselessness of a barren charity, which every one will at once admit; and this illustration is the more appropriate, as love is the indispensable attendant on a living faith the instrument by wh... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:16. AND ONE OF YOU SAY TO THEM, DEPART IN PEACE, BE YE WARMED AND FILLED: warmed in reference to their being naked, and filled in reference to their being destitute of daily food. Expressions of kind wishes toward the destitute; mere words, but no actions. The words are such as, if sincere,... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:17. Now follows the application of this illustration. As this love, which merely expends itself in kind words and wishes, is of no value; so neither is the faith of him who professes to believe the Gospel, yet walks not up to his profession. EVEN SO; as charity without works is dead, SO FAIT... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:18. YEA, A MAN MAY SAY, THOU HAST FAITH AND I HAVE WORKS. There is a considerable diversity of opinion in the interpretation of these words. They appear to be the language of an objector, being the usual form by which an objection is introduced (Romans 9:19; 1 Corinthians 15:35); but when ex... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:19. THOU BELIEVEST THAT THERE IS ONE GOD. Here the existence of a theoretical faith is admitted: Thou assentest to the statement that there is one God, or, as it is otherwise read, ‘that God is one.' This particular article of faith is chosen from a Jewish point of view, because the Jews put... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:20. BUT WILT THOU KNOW, or rather, ‘Art thou willing to know,' to recognise this truth? implying that such knowledge was not palatable to him. O VAIN MAN; that is, O empty man, puffed up with pride, trusting to thy outward privileges, but without seriousness and spiritual life. THAT FAIT... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:21. James now adduces two examples those of Abraham and Rahab to prove the truth of his assertion that faith can only save if it is productive of good works. And, first, the example of Abraham. WAS NOT ABRAHAM. The same example is adduced by Paul (Romans 4:1-5); but there is no reason to s... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:22. SEEST THOU HOW, or, more correctly, ‘thou seest that,' FAITH WROUGHT, cooperated, WITH HIS WORKS. This cannot mean that works cooperated with his faith in the matter of his justification before God, as if God did not know that he had living faith until it showed itself by works. But the... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:23. AND THE SCRIPTURE WAS FULFILLED. The same expression which is employed with reference to prophetical declarations; hence ‘the Scripture received its accomplishment.' This great act of obedience on the part of Abraham was a proof of the fulfilment of the scriptural declaration made concer... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:24. YE SEE THEN, from this example of Abraham, HOW THAT BY WORKS A MAN IS JUSTIFIED. The emphasis is upon works: stress is put upon the fact that faith must be productive of works. AND NOT BY FAITH ONLY. These words do not admit of the translation, ‘and not only by faith:' as if there were... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:25. The second example which James adduces is that of Rahab. LIKEWISE ALSO WAS NOT RAHAB. The same example, and the same incident in Rahab's history, is also adduced by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as an illustrious instance of faith. The example is not so obvious as that of A... [ Continue Reading ]
James 2:26. FOR AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD. The ‘spirit' here may either be the intelligent spirit the soul of man; or the breath of life the living principle; as in the expression, ‘all flesh wherein is the breath of life' (Genesis 6:17). SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD ALSO. Here faith... [ Continue Reading ]