James 1
v.1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
v.2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Moffatt translated James 1:2 as, Greet it as pure joy, pointing out a play on word between the Greetings at the end of James 1:1, and a similar word used to start James 1:2. It is “an attempt to bring out the play on words in the original, where the courteous chairein (greeting) is echoed by charan (joy).”
Faith is as vital to salvation as the heart is vital to the body: hence the javelins of the enemy are mainly aimed at this essential grace.
v.4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Similar to Romans 5:3.
v.5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
That in our lacking of a resource we ought to seek the one who can give most abundantly of it. When the world lacks wisdom, they seek motivational videos, books, and explore different lifestyles. When the Christian lacks wisdom, they seek God.
He does not coldly repel us, if we come and ask what we need, though we do it often and with importunity.
v.6
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
v.8
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
According to Hiebert, double-minded is literally two-souled. “The man of two souls, who has one for the earth, and another for heaven: who wishes to secure both worlds; he will not give up earth, and he is loath to let heaven go.” (Clarke)
If we find a man who takes hold of the promises of God with firmness; who feels the deepest assurance when he prays that God will hear prayer; who always goes to him without hesitation in his perplexities and trials, never wavering, we shall find one who is firm in his principles, steady in his integrity, settled in his determinations, and steadfast in his plans of life - a man whose character we shall feel that we understand, and in whom we can confide. Such a man eminently was Luther; and the spirit which is thus evinced by taking firmly hold of the promises of God is the best kind of religion.
v.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.
David Kim quoted Mike Bickle’s answer to someone’s question about how those living in persecuted nations would receive abundantly more heavenly riches than those in non-persecuted nations. He said although there is a reward for those who persevere under trial, those in America and other non-persecuted nations will be rewarded for enduring under temptations. God rewards the ones who refuse every distraction that their non-persecuted nation offers and exclusively seek Him.
v.16
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.
v.17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
According to Hiebert, the ancient Greek is actually “the Father of the lights.” The specific lights are the celestial bodies that light up the sky, both day and night. The sun and stars never stop giving light, even when we can’t see them. Even so, there is never a shadow with God. When night comes, the darkness isn’t the fault of the sun; it shines as brightly as before. Instead, the earth has turned from the sun and darkness comes.
v.18
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Now mostly, men who are generous need to have their generosity excited. They will need to be waited upon; appeals must be laid before them; they must sometimes be pressed; an example must lead them on. But ‘of his own will’ God did to us all that has been done, without any incentive or prompting, moved only by himself, because he delighteth in mercy; because his name and his nature are love because evermore, like the sun, it is natural to him to distribute the beams of his eternal grace.
v.19
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
v.20
for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
We cannot use anger as our device to instruct others in living righteously. Rather, according to Hebrews 3:13 it God’s charge for us to encourage one another daily to prevent their souls from being hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
An angry attitude is not the atmosphere in which righteousness flourishes. James stresses this from the positive side when he later says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (3:18).
v.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.
In further preparation for the reception of the Word, one must “get rid of all moral filth.” The word translated “get rid of” (GK 700) was primarily used of taking off garments (cf. Heb 12:1, which speaks of throwing off any excessive weight to make ready for the race of faith). The “moral filth and the evil” that are so abundant must be stripped off like dirty clothes in preparation for “accept[ing] the word.” The reception of truth must of necessity be marked by humility or meekness (GK 4559). This is not to be construed as spineless weakness. Instead, it is the quality of a strong man that makes him docile and submissive rather than haughty and rebellious. Only in such a spirit can one fully receive God’s truth. That the Word is described as “planted in you” suggests that the readers were believers who already possessed the truth. The phrase “which can save you” simply describes the truth as saving truth. James is not calling for an initial acceptance of that message, but for a full appropriation of the truth as the Christians grows in spiritual understanding.
v.22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
v.23-24
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
v.25
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.
The one who looks intently into the word, retains it, and does it is like good soil.
Adam Clarke points out that the ancient Greek word translated continues is parameinas and has this sense: “Takes time to see and examine the state of his soul, the grace of his God, the extent of his duty, and the height of the promised glory. The metaphor here is taken from those females who spend much time at their glass, in order that they may decorate themselves to the greatest advantage, and not leave one hair, or the smallest ornament, out of its place.”
v.26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
The person involved “considers himself religious” (GK 2580). This word describes a person who performs the external acts of religion, such as public worship, fasting, or giving to the needy, but he exerts no controlling restraint on his speech… His uncontrolled tongue reveals that “his religion” is external sham. In living like this, “he deceives himself” (cf. 22).
v.27
Religion is that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Verses 26 and 27 pretty much sum up my spiritual journey since my internship at Liferay ended.
jj 3/1/23
God uses this now to remind me I’m in His will. I struggled with the insecurity that I’m constantly living in disobedience and God is not pleased in me. Through living with ENN, God is truly teaching me religion that is pleasing to Him.
jj 7/27/23