James 3:1-12). Those who demonstrate their love for the Lord by persevering under trials will receive life to its fullest potential in the present and in the future. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. James could have pulled rank by opening the letter, “James, the son of the virgin Mary, brother of none other than Jesus Christ. Proverbs 10:19; Proverbs 13:3; Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 15:1; Proverbs 17:27-28; Proverbs 29:11; Proverbs 29:20; Ecclesiastes 7:9). "To summarize, James 1:22-27 insist that a person"s religion must consist of more than superficial acts. But I don't think that James actually meant that at all. Several writers refer to James as the least theological epistle in the New Testament, except for Philemon. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/james-1.html. meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. Some Christian psychologists say that to encourage a suffering saint to “trust God” is useless advice. 3. Ps 37:1-4 Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. James 4:11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. James did not imply that God does lead us into temptation. Don't concern yourself with what people are getting away with; don't let yourself get all worked up about it. It is a law of liberty because by obeying it we find true liberty from sin and its consequences (i.e, real life). True faith practices humility with regard to the future (4:13-17). 2012. [Note: Idem, James , p37.]. Cf2:4.]. One man responsible for many atrocities was Dr Ishii Shiro. That is, perfection is not just a maturing of character, but a rounding out as more and more ‘parts’ of the righteous character are added” (New International Greek Commentary, James Eerdmans], p. 70).
So much so that a restaurant owner put a picture of him in his window. A good sermon is one that sends Why? Matthew 19:28; Acts 26:7) scattered abroad most naturally refer to Jewish Christians of the Diaspora, those who were living outside Palestine. I knew Him long before He became famous!” But James (1:1) and his brother, Jude (Jude 1), both opened their letters by calling themselves bond-servants. The appropriate response involves rejecting them and rejoicing in them because we believe God is using them to mature us for His glory. [Note: Hiebert, pp32-34. And there was a great wind, a wind that was so powerful that it even split the rocks on the mountain. He lived his life in peace till he died a natural death in 1959. Likewise the subject "brother" in James 1:9 seems to be the subject of James 1:10. .
These three truths will help believers have joy in the midst of trials. Somehow, as human beings, we take life's issues and we just let them simmer inside of us till we reach boiling point. [Note: Motyer, p61.]. For other promises to those who love God, see Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 7:9; Deuteronomy 30:16; Deuteronomy 30:20; Judges 5:31; Psalm 5:11; Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9; and 2 Timothy 4:8. But, as difficult as it may be to outline the book, I think that the contents may be arranged under this theme of true faith. James is giving a series of tests by which one may determine whether his faith is genuine or false (D. Edmond Hiebert makes this point, “The Unifying Theme of the Epistle of James,” Bibliotheca Sacra [135:539, July-September, 1978], pp. When he dies he will go to his.
"After over a quarter century of ministry, I am convinced that spiritual immaturity is the number one problem in our churches." 26-27 contain a Rather than simply perfecting maturity in the person through his trials, God now also has to discipline (educate) him regarding his attitude toward his trials. He became known as “James the Just” (or, “Righteous”) because of his well-known holiness. John 7:5; 1 Corinthians 15:7). Matthew 16:24-27; Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9; Luke 9:56; James 5:20; 1 Peter 1:9). B. ", ILLUS - One man in the Bible paid with his life for his hasty words. Jude , another half-brother of the Lord, described themselves simply as bond-servants in their epistles. Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. He assists the fatherless and widows. 1. James clarified God"s purposes and methods in the following two verses (cf. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. It is not enough to listen to the statement of spiritual truth ( James 1:22-25), nor is it sufficient to engage in formal religious activity ( James 1:26). We are to confess it, and make it the man is a walking civil war in which trust and distrust of God wage a continual battle against each other. Verse 21 is basically telling us to get rid of When he dies he will go to his."" ., pp24-25.]. Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1). You computer enthusiasts know what I'm talking about. His men were so upset that they almost stoned David. Instead of caving in under their weight we must brace ourselves against them.
tells us that there is a right kind of
When trials hit them, they are confused and often angry at God: “I was following You! Vs. 22 There are many samplers of sermons in James argued for reality. [Note: G. H. Rendall, The Epistle of James and Judaic Christianity, pp11-12.]. And here's his crown and bracelet to prove it.". ., p54.]. He especially singles out a particular sin of the tongue. [Note: A Greek-English . He or she really is at the mercy of circumstances and events beyond our control. That anger is a righteous anger. Trials can result in endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance (rather than "patience" [AV]).
There is a contrast in “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Ps. You are not fooling God and you are probably not So, having a little bit of dignity, she refuses to obey the king's command. There are two good reasons why listening is an essential spiritual skill. God is never the source of temptation. His famous line was, “Just the facts, Ma’am.” He didn’t want to hear anything irrelevant to solving the case. What on earth possessed this man to lie? doulos) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of anti-Semitism in the Roman Empire, these believers in Christ were often the brunt of hostility both from the pagan world, as well as from their own people. Ps 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
sophia) in the sense in which the Old Testament wisdom literature used it. While believers grieve, they do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. We're continuing on in our studies in the book of James, and we find that James has some great advice for us in dealing with life's issues. forgets what the Word of God says. [Note: Burdick, p167.
Other interpreters believe the context points to the rich being unsaved. [Note: See Arlen L. Chitwood, Salvation of the Soul, pp25-34.] Likewise personal moral purity (character) is an excellent external indicator of godliness (cf. our churches, but there are few doers. Most people count it all joy when they escape trials, and they count is all grief when they have to endure them.
Have you ever been angry with someone, and you get such a flow of irrefutable arguments; such cutting insights; such clarity of thought? The Greek word diakrinomenos, used twice in this verse, is better translated, "let him ask in faith, free from divided motives and divisive attitudes, for such a person is like an ocean wave ..." [Note: See David DeGraaf, "Some Doubts about Doubt: The New Testament Use of Diakrino," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society48:8 (December2005):741-43. The flower of the grass refers to its stage of green, lush growth when it is at the peak of its vitality. The greatest of God"s gifts for believers is the gift of new life in Christ. It may work for the little irritations that we encounter every day, but is it realistic advice for facing the huge trials that hit us? Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20). He fashions our hearts (Ps. Guide.
Bible / Our Library / Bible Commentaries / John Gill's Exposition of the Bible / James / James 1; Share Tweet Save. Rather than blaming God we need to recognize that we are responsible when we yield to temptation, not God. If we do not observe this simple and obvious fact, we may fall into a quagmire of skewed interpretations, just as so many expositors of James have actually done."
In this context the "double-minded" (dipsychos, lit.
If they handed over their records, they would be immune from prosecution. you are fooling someone. 17-18, ellipsis marks his) imagines the original readers response: “How nice…a letter of encouragement from Pastor Whacko! It should be evident that this is the Old Testament concept which furnishes the background for James" thought. Hebrews 12:11 acknowledges, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, yet sorrowful….” So James does not mean, “Put on your happy face and deny that you’re hurting.”. The vast majority of scholars agree that the author of James was the half-brother of Jesus (Matt. We can understand a religion which enhances time… But we cannot understand a faith which is not nourished by the temporal hope that tomorrow things will be better. James now defended God before those who doubted His goodness or reliability or who had given up hope in a time of testing and had concluded that this was their "fate." Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2005, All Rights Reserved. Do you get angry when you see the news and it talks about corrupt politicians, criminals getting away with their crimes on a technicality, foolish judges, irresponsible parents? I. Believers will experience trials. Cf. Listening and doing – Reading: James 1:19-27. Picture an athlete who pushes himself to build up strength and endurance for an upcoming race. . A good sermon sampler is a [Note: Motyer, p65. 16:33), to the events of nations (Ps. Lust is covert, but sometimes it manifests itself overtly. The man says, "Saul was in anguish and asked me to kill him. There it refers to what God has revealed about His will for human life. 1 John 1:5). "Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable". Biblical joy in times of trials is not natural optimism. Due to the many trials we "Testing" (Gr. James was not contradicting Jesus" teaching. [Note: Stulac, p56.]. It may be said that nowhere in the letter-not even in James 2:14-26!-does he betray the slightest doubt that those in his audience are truly his brothers or sisters in the Lord. So he calls for her so he can parade her in front of his people - naked! When we encounter trials, we should count it as joy, submitting to God, knowing that He is using it for our maturity. "James teaches that faith is the essential condition of prayer." If it does, you say, “That’s a good jacket!”. Our response to trials should distinguish us from the world. See also the subtitle of the1979 edition of his commentary on James.]
It’s easy to proclaim, “I trust in God!” Anybody can say that. ], [Note: J. ), “Surely we cannot, if ‘temporal’ hope is the only kind we have. 8:28). [Note: Hodges, pp26-27. James used the same Greek word for trials here as in James 1:2, but here the negative sense of the word is in view. All Christians who take a stand for the Lord continue to have to deal with such trials. One of the popular TV shows when I grew up was “Dragnet,” starring Jack Webb as Joe Friday, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.