The earth is the Lords   

JAMES

Updated: June 27, 2007

The Bible Commentary


[C]2000-07 by Richard L Zorek

  • James 1:1: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.James does not identify himself as a leader of the church or brother of Christ, but rather as a servant of God and Jesus Christ. He is writing with a true Christian perpective of leadership. (See Matt 20:26). His reference to the twelve tribes appears to be a symbolic description of the scattered people of the New Covenant as opposed to the twelve tribes of Israel of the first covenant.

  • James 1:2: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, Trials are seldom met with joy. James instructs us to face trials not with joy...but "pure joy." In the Greek text, the word translated as pure is the word pas which is a primary word meaning all, every, and whole or thoroughly.
  • James 1:3: because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. The many kinds of trials helps develop your faith.
  • James 1:4: Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If you hang on, you will mature. Things may get very rough. But, mature faith does not lack anything. "Perseverance" is also replaced with the word "patience" in some translations. Patience is perfected when we come to a place of wanting nothing.
  • James 1:5: 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 to him According to this wisdom is available for ALL men, and liberally.
  • James 1:9: The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. He who is first is last, and who is humble is exalted.
  • James 1:10: But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. Our time is short. Spending ones life becoming rich, only to lose it in the end? Doesnt make sense does it? Yet many do it all the time.
  • James 1:11: For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. A man who spends his life trying to be rich, will be still trying the day he dies....and than it is just over. And what was the reward?
  • James 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And a mature faith, lacking nothing.
  • James 1:14: but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Temptations draw on your weakness. But, Satan did not take the fruit and put it in Eve’s mouth. He can tempt but he cannot force. Adam and Eve were totally responsible for their actions. When God allows temptation, He is going after what rejains of your "lust." You will contnue to be tempted until the last roots of that lust are destroyed.
  • James 1:15: Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Sin starts with a desire.,..and it leads to death. "Desire" may be ones weakness.
  • James 1:19: My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, emph, everyone.
  • James 1:21: Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. The word planted in you can save you.
  • James 1:22: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. It is more than just listening. Some people believe themselves to good Christians because they know the word of God....but they do not do it. They are self deceived.
  • James 1:24: and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. We might look at the reflection admireably, or use it to fix something in our image, but then go away and forget what we saw, so we need to look in a mirror again when we get a chance. Dont use the word that way.
  • James 1:26: "If any man among you see to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." A loose tongue renders all religion absolutely worthless! James is speaking here of "those among you"--that is, in the church. These arent the "heathen" or "unchurched"--they are part of the body of Christ who appear pious and spiritual. They are active in the work of the Lord. But their tongues are unbridled, out of control.

  • James 2:1: My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. This is really a problem in American churches where money is needed for building campaigns and programs. I could see a message as in John's reveleation where an angel might say to the churches in America "I know this and this about you....but I have this against you: partiality."

  • James 2:2: Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. And this will be very noticeable. The "judgment" begins here and few, if any, will look beyond this.

  • James 2:6: But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? This is the American way in current America. the poor are exploited over and over again in the name of business and power through businesses and congress.
  • James 2:10: For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. That he would go from partiality and end it with this suggests how bad "partiality" is. It is not a minor issue. It is breaking the law. Breaking the law, throws the church out of balance and creates corruption.
  • James 2:11: For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. A lawbreaker is a lawbreaker is a lawbreaker, no matter how the cards are cut and dealt.
  • James 2:13: For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgement" If you have shown no mercy to others, you will be shown no mercy.
  • James 2:16: If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? Your faith cannot just be written on your sleeves or something you can quote. When it comes right down to it: what will you do?

  • James 2:17: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." Dead faith is an oxymoron. Faith is living and vital. It is our means of eternal life and hope. Dead faith then, cannot really be faith at all? If a man claims to have faith in God but cannot be godly to others, he is fooling himself. That "faith" he claims cannot svae him. It is a false faith which James calls dead.
  • James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. I am not impressed by anyone who says "I am a Christian" or "I believe in God." Until they show what they mean by saying that.
  • James 2:20: "But wilt thout know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" James addresses himself to the ignorant vain men who profess faith without evidencing it.

  • James 2:24: You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. It takes trust to act on faith: Faith in the word of God. Those who would separate faith and works can only do so theologically, and they should do so, but in life the two are inseparable.

  • James 3:1: Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. Surely. something to weigh before anyone decides to become a teacher of the gospel.

  • James 3:6: The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Where has your tongue taken you today???

  • James 3: 12: My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. You can only serve one God and it will often be clear which you choose by the way you speak.

  • James 3:16: For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. Thus speaks volumes about todays corporate and business world. Jealousy is the opposite of trust. It makes you ugly and mean-spirited. If it is not dealt with, it will give brith to the very thing it fears: fornication, adultery, lust, etc.
  • James 3: 18: Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Wish to raise a great harvest or righteouness? Sow peace.
  • James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. resist the devil, and he will flee from you" The most important thing is to submit to God--and that means submitting to the temptation He has allowed. Jesus submitted to being tempted in the wilderness because He knew His Father had a hand in it. Knowing this gave Him resolve and comfort that He was not alone in the battlefield. Many give up, grow discouraged and depressed. They don't realize that the very reason they are being tempted is because they are making progress.
  • James 4:8: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded" Doubters are described as "double minded" (dipsychos). To doubt is to be in two minds about something. It implies indecision, hesitation and a resulting lack of progress.
  • James 4:12: "There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who art thou that judgest another?" Jonathon Edwards compared a sinner without God's grace to a spider with no more than a fragile web keeping him from falling into the fire of hell. Man, by judging God's law, plays at being holier than God. God, the divine lawgiver and judge, is able to save or destroy, and so James concludes with a not-so-subtle question, "Who art thou that judgest another?"
  • James 4:17: Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." These are often called "sins of omission," or not doing things we know we should. We are not meeting the standard that God has for us.
  • James 5: 1: Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. What is the reward for getting all the money you can get??? And all the possessions?

  • James 5: 7: Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. The farmer is a good represntative of patience. After the planting, there is nothing they can do except wait for growth. There's no way to force it to grow faster. It will grow in it's time.

  • James 5:11: James holds Job up as an example of patience, and yet if you read Job, he seems often angry and impatient.

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