James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. The last subject discussed in James 3:13; James 4:7. JAMES - an apostle of the circumcision, with Peter and John; James in Jerusalem, Palestine, and Syria; Peter in Babylon and the E... [ Continue Reading ]
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; MY BRETHREN - often in James, marking community of nation and of faith. ALL JOY - cause for the highest joy (Grotius). Nothing but joy. Count all "divers temptations" to be each matter of joy (Bengel). FALL INTO - unexpected... [ Continue Reading ]
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. THE TRYING, [ to (G3588) dokimion (G1383)] - the testing or proving of your faith-namely, by "divers temptations." Compare Romans 5:3, "tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience" [ dokimee (G1382), akin to dokimion (G1383... [ Continue Reading ]
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Let endurance have a perfect work (taken out of "worketh patience" or endurance); i:e. have its full effect, by showing perfect endurance-namely, joy in the cross (Menochius), and enduring to the end (Matt... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Greek, 'BUT (as this perfect entireness is no easy attainment) if any,' etc. LACK - rather, as the Greek is repeated, after James' manner, James 1:4, "wanting nothing.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. ASK IN FAITH - i:e., the persuasion that God can and will give James begins and ends with faith. In the middle of the letter he removes hindrances to faith, and shows its t... [ Continue Reading ]
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. FOR - Resumed from James 1:6. THAT MAN - such a wavering self-deceiver. THINK. Real faith is something more than a mere [ oiesthoo (G3633)] surmise. ANYTHING. He does receive many things from God, food, raiment, etc.,... [ Continue Reading ]
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. DOUBLE-MINDED, [ dipsuchos (G1374)] - double-soulled: the one soul directed toward God, the other to something else. The words in this James 1:8 are in apposition with "that man" James 1:7: thus the "is," which is not in the original, needs not to... [ Continue Reading ]
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But "let the brother," etc - i:e., the best remedy against double-mindedness is that Christian simplicity of spirit whereby the "brother," low in outward circumstances, may "rejoice (answering to ) in that he is exalted" - namely, by be... [ Continue Reading ]
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. From Isaiah 40:6. HEAT, [ to (G3588) kausooni (G2742)] - 'the hot wind' from the (east o... [ Continue Reading ]
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. BLESSED - Compare the beatitudes in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:4; Matthew 5:10). ENDURETH TEMPTATION - not the 'falling into,' but... [ Continue Reading ]
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: WHEN HE IS TEMPTED - by solicitation to evil. Heretofore the "temptation" was by afflictions. Let no one fancy God lays upon him an inevitable necessity of sinning. God does... [ Continue Reading ]
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Every man when tempted is so through being drawn away of [by: hupo (G5259); the source, rather than the agent] his own lust. The cause of sin is in ourselves. Satan's suggestions do not endanger us before they are made... [ Continue Reading ]
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. The guilty union is committed by the will embracing the temptress. "Lust," the harlot, then 'brings forth sin,' that to which the temptation inclines. Then the particular sin [he hamartia], '... [ Continue Reading ]
Do not err, my beloved brethren. Do not err in attributing to God temptation to evil; nay "every good," all that is good on earth, comes from God.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. GIFT ... GIFT, [ dosis (G1394) ... doorema (G1434), dosis (G1394): the act of giving; the gift in its initiatory stage; doorema (G1434) the thi... [ Continue Reading ]
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (John 1:13.) The believer's regeneration is the highest example of every good proceeding from God. OF HIS OWN WILL, [ Bouleetheis (G1014)] - Of His good pleasure (proving it is God's es... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: WHEREFORE - as your evil is of yourselves, but your good from God. A B C, Vulgate, read [ iste (G1492) for hooste (G5620)] 'YE KNOW IT (so Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 12:17); BUT let every man be ['Aleph ('):... [ Continue Reading ]
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Man's angry zeal in debating, as if jealous for the honour of God, is far from working that which is really righteousness in God's sight. True "righteousness is sown in peace," not in wrath (James 3:18). 'Aleph (') A B read [ ergazetai (G... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. LAY APART - once for all [ apothemenoi (G659): aorist] as a filthy garment (cf. Joshua's, Zechariah 3:3; Zechariah 3:5; Revelation 7:14). "Filthiness... [ Continue Reading ]
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Qualification of "be swift to hear." BE YE DOERS OF THE WORD, AND NOT HEARERS ONLY - not merely 'do,' but 'be doers' systematically and continually, as your regular business. James again refersto the sermon on the mou... [ Continue Reading ]
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: FOR - the logical self deceit (James 1:22) illustrated. The true disciple, say the Rabbis, learns that he may do, not that he may merely know or teach. HIS NATURAL FACE, [ to (G3588)... [ Continue Reading ]
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. BEHOLDETH, [ katenoeesen (G2657) ... apeleeluthen (G565)] - 'he contemplated himself and half gone his way;' i:e., no sooner has he contemplated his image than he goes his way (James 1:11). 'Contemp... [ Continue Reading ]
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. LOOKETH INTO, [ parakupsas (G3879)] - stoopeth down to take a close look. Peers into: stronger than "beholdeth" (James 1:24).... [ Continue Reading ]
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. An example of doing work. Verse 26. RELIGIOUS ... RELIGION, [ threeskos (G2357) - threeskeia (G2356)] - express the external service of religion, 'godliness' being the... [ Continue Reading ]