“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verse 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
The name James means “supplanter” which means to supersede and replace. There are a number of James recorded in the New Testament, including “James the son of Zebedee” who was the brother of the Apostle John and who was killed by King Herod. The James who wrote this epistle is the brother of the LORD Jesus Christ, and this epistle or letter is written or addressed to those Jews who had become Christian believers. Notice that the Jews are described as being “scattered abroad”. These were most likely new believers that had fled Jerusalem because of increasing persecution. If this is the case, the Gentile population would not have been reached with the Gospel yet, and therefore, the Church was predominately Jewish. This book is for all believers down through the ages regardless of nationality. It is full of practical advice and commandments for living the life of faith that is the Christian believers’ way of traveling through this Earth walking with the LORD Jesus Christ.
Application: Jesus had a family, brothers and sisters. Catholicism teaches their followers that Mary was a virgin when she miraculously conceived the LORD Jesus and that she remained so. She is venerated and worshipped as “the virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.” This is a lie. This is false teaching. The body of flesh that Jesus used when on Earth was in no way genetically related to Mary. His body was a supernatural creation of God and Mary did not contribute a physical ovum to its creation. If she had, Jesus would have been just like any other man, born with a sin nature inherited from Adam and Eve. Remember, God created Adam’s body. It would be no hard thing for Him to create a fetus. He is the God of miracles. Nor did Mary remain a virgin. She and her husband Joseph had other children, the writer of this epistle being one of them. “Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Matthew 13:55-56
Verses 2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
The Greek word translated as “brethren” is “adelphos” and it means a brother, one having the same national ancestor, countryman, or any fellow believer. In this case, it was fellow believers James was addressing. The first command in this epistle is to be joyful when various (divers) trials, tribulations and temptations come along. Why? Because these difficulties are going to come to everyone sooner or late, and by using faith and trust in the guidance, provisions, and protections of the LORD Jesus Christ the believer learns patience. The Greek word translated as “patience” is “hupomone” and it means steadfastness, constancy, endurance, perseverance, and the characteristic of a man or woman who will not be swerved from his/her divine purpose and loyalty to the LORD. When a believer learns to have patience and wait upon the LORD for each problem in life, there is spiritual peace and the assurance that all will be well in the end. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
Application: In today’s societies, instant gratification is the norm. People want what they want and they want it now. Waiting until they have the money to purchase an item is not necessary as there is always the credit card. Waiting in line at the post office or a store can cause anxiety and stress. It seems that everyone wants to be in the front of the line on the roads and freeways. In God’s economy, waiting is desired and is proper behavior for the Christian believer. “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalms 37:9 “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” Psalms 123:2 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Verses 5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
The Greek word translated as “wisdom” is “sophia” and it means wisdom, intelligence, the knowledge of very diverse matters, skill in the management of affairs, and the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living. In today’s world, wisdom seems to be rather lacking and poor decision making seems to be prevalent. It is difficult to find people who are wise. But according to James, God will give people wisdom if they ask for it. And He will give it liberally, the Greek word “haplos” meaning simply, openly, or sincerely. The key is that those people seeking wisdom must have faith to believe they will receive it. Just asking is not enough. Faith has to be demonstrated and the attitude of the heart which God always knows must be one of faith. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” Galatians 5:22 Those people who are true believers in Christ Jesus will have these fruits of the Spirit, faith being one of them. What is faith? “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Faith is believing something that is not available to the physical senses: not seen, not heard, and not felt. James likens the believer that waffles between faith and belief and lack of faith and unbelief to the waves of the sea that are always in motion. Faith has to be steadfast. It can be small, but it has to be solid and unmovable. The more a believer practices or exercises faith in the LORD, the greater becomes that faith. Without appropriate faith, the Christian believer will not receive that which is asked for and will miss out on the blessings of God. The Greek word translated as “double minded” is “dipsuchos” and it means wavering, uncertain, doubting, or divided in interest. The believer that lives life without solid faith will most likely go to Heaven, but he/she will have a very boring Christian walk.
Verses 9-11 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
The Greek word translated as “low degree” is “tapeinos” and it means a lowly condition, brought low with grief, depressed, lowly in spirit, and humble. In the verse above, the brother may have been all of these, but based on verse 10, it may mean a brother that is poor and therefore considered by society to be less important than others with more financial means. Most early church believers were working men and women or the poor, neither of whom would hold positions of esteem. It is the same today. The wealthy may be powerful and influential for a time, but just like flowers that are glorious one day and then wilted and fading the next, so the wealth of people will come and go, and so will they. Money is a poor substitute for trust in the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verses 12-16 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Blessed is from the Greek word “makarios” and it means happy. James did not believe his brother was both God and man, and therefore did not follow Jesus until apparently he saw the resurrected LORD and then converted and became a believer. He was one of the main leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. He knew what temptation, tribulation and persecution were all about. So he spoke from experience. He knew that followers of Jesus had/have an enemy, Satan, who will try to tempt the believer away from their faith. He tried it with Jesus when he sought to get Jesus to bow down and worship him. He will try to destroy the Christian believer’s spiritual walk and divert the believer from his course. But when temptations come against the Christian believer, it is to be viewed as a test which is to be passed with a score of 100 percent. As a result, the believer will stay the course, run his race, and receive the reward of his efforts in eternal life in Heaven. So trials, tribulations and temptations are to be viewed positively as each trial, tribulation or temptation overcome is one step closer to the finish line of this physical life and the ushering in of life eternal with Jesus. Each trial or temptation is another opportunity to see the hand of God work in the life of the believer.
Application: The statement, “The devil made me do it,” is not an excuse a Christian believer can use. According to James, people are tempted when they give in to their own fleshly desires or lusts. Everyone has weaknesses in character that Satan knows well and will use to entice people away from the Faith and ruin a righteous walk. This writer can testify to this as follows. First, this writer has no love of money. It has always been a tool and a nuisance as government agencies and everyone else seem to want it. As a result, this writer has never been tempted by Satan in any “get rich” schemes, climb over everyone to get to the top of the career ladder, or been tempted to have anxiety over paying bills and so forth. This writer trusts God for the funds necessary to meet all needs. So Satan cannot attack this writer in this area. But this writer is an extremely poor judge of people which Satan has used over the years to cause emotional and psychological pain, pain that causes negative feelings and that takes attention away from the things of God such as prayer and Bible study. The attitude that “people are nice and good until proven otherwise” has not been a wise one. Of course, with time and experience and wisdom from the LORD, this writer’s judgement has improved and Satan has less opportunity to harass and bother. Get the idea? A believer’s love of the things of this world is an invitation for Satan to attack. The attitude of “hold all things loosely and covet nothing” will prevent Satan having an opening into the believer’s life.
Verses 17-18 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Verse 17 above is one every Christian believer should have memorized. Believers have nothing without the LORD. The talent and ability to work at a job is a gift from God. The ability to think and process data, to form friendships, to love, to have a family, to breath and have physical life is all from the LORD. Life and everything surrounding it including the beauties of this Earth and of the Heavens is from the LORD. He gives His gifts to those that love and serve Him and to those who do not. He never changes. And because of His great love for mankind, He gave His Word in the form of the Bible and He gave His Word in the form the the LORD Jesus Christ so that truth could be found and understood and the lies of Satan and his servants exposed. As a result of His great love for mankind, those who will submit to His lordship are saved from sin, death and Hell and are firstfruits, people consecrated to Him for all time and eternity. Think about it.
Verses 19-21 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Here James gives excellent advice for Christian believers to successfully live righteous lives while dwelling on this Earth. If one takes the time to listen and listen carefully to others and then consider what is said before responding, communication will be more efficient and misunderstandings less frequent. No believer should demonstrate a “hot temper” or an attitude towards others of anger. Believers should be able to keep their emotions in check, especially when interacting with the non-believer. Displays of anger ruin the Christian believer’s witness and harm the reputation of the Church. The LORD Jesus Christ is the example all believers should be emulating. If anyone had reason to be angry and the right to be angry it was Jesus. Yet He prayed that those harming Him should be forgiven and He demonstrated love and humility in the most difficult of circumstances.
The Greek word translated as “filthiness” is “rhuparia” and it means to make filthy, befoul, to defile or to dishonor. The Greek word translated as “superfluity” is “perisseia” and it means abundance, super-abundantly, superiority, or pre-eminence. And the Greek word translated as “naughtiness” is “kakia” and it means malignity, malice, ill-will, the desire to injure, wickedness, depravity, evil, wickedness that is not ashamed to break laws, or trouble. Basically James is saying to lay aside the wickedness that may be remaining over in a Christian believer from his state prior to being converted. The sin that defiled a man can often still be effecting the new believer’s spiritual walk. Therefore, the believer, when the sin is recognized, is to make the effort to remove it so that a Christ-like character can be built and retained. The “engrafted word” is the spoken and the written instructions implanted in the believer by others. In Jame’s day, the Bible as it is today was not available. There were epistles from the Apostles and other Church leaders, but the spoken word or letters like this one from James was the instruction manual for the Christian believers at that time.
Verses 22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
The Greek word translated as “doers” is “poietes” and it means a maker, a producer, a doer, a performer, and one who obeys or fulfills the law. James is instructing Christian believers to do what Jesus told them to do and not just give His commandments “lip service”. Most people know individuals who go to church regularly, who appear to be righteous and knowledgeable regarding the Christian Faith, but who never engage in a ministry of any kind. They never witness to their neighbors or strangers on the street. They can be called “closet Christians” because the only people who know they profess a faith in Jesus Christ are other Christians in the church they attend. These people may be saved from sin, death and Hell, but they are not “doers of the word”. And James states that they are deceiving themselves. They usually believe they are godly people but do not realize they are not servants of Jesus. But the true servant of the LORD Jesus Christ “shall be blessed in his deed”.
Verses 26-27 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1)
The Greek word translated as “religious” is “threskos” and it means fearing or worshiping God, or to tremble. The Greek word translated as “bridleth” is “chalinagogeo” and it means to hold in check or to restrain. So often people within a church gossip, start unfounded rumors about others, complain about things relating to the church and its leadership, and never shut up. This is unchristian-like behavior and, according to James, their religion is useless. Their religion is displeasing to the LORD Jesus Christ. “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Matthew 12:36 Instead of “running off at the mouth”, these people need to get involved in ministry and to be thankful to God for all that they have and to learn to appreciate the people and the church they are associated with. Visiting the elderly in the local nursing home, helping those less fortunate and ceasing from sinning is what God expects and wants.