1. Outline: 1. Personal Favoritism: James 2:1-7 2. The Proper Use Of The Royal Law: James 2:8-13 3. The Faith That Saves: James 2:14-26 1. Introductory Comments: "Discrimination is one of the great social tensions of our times. All sorts of people band together to exclude others from enjoying the... [ Continue Reading ]
"My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism."My brethren" -We will have more success in helping our brethren improve themselves or change their ways, if we treat them as brethren. There is. lot at stake here! We must let the brother... [ Continue Reading ]
"For if. man comes into your assembly with. gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in. poor man in dirty clothes."For if" -A concrete example is now given, an application is made. The truths that God has given were never meant to remain on the theoretical level. "into your assem... [ Continue Reading ]
"and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in the good place,' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool.'"pay special attention" -Draper notes, "One of the great dangers of the church is to look for people... [ Continue Reading ]
"have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?"made distinctions" -this same word is translated to be at odds with oneself, doubt or waver. Woods gives two ideas: "Do you not recognize differences among you based upon material considerations? Is it not true th... [ Continue Reading ]
Arguments Against Prejudice James 2:5 "Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" "Listen, my beloved brethren" -When. rebuke must be given, remember this person is still your beloved b... [ Continue Reading ]
"But you have dishonored the poor man. It is not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?"But you have" -The situation described in the previous verses wasn't hypothetical, these Christians had been demonstrating prejudice based on external appearances. They had actually fawned o... [ Continue Reading ]
"Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?"blaspheme the fair name" -To blaspheme is to speak reproachfully, disrespectfully and evil against the things of God. The phrase "fair name" means the "unobjectionable, blameless, excellent" (Arndt p. 400). This verse should really... [ Continue Reading ]
Anticipated Argument It would appear that James is answering in these next verses (James 2:8-13) an argument that these Christians have put forward. It appears that his readers are defending their actions towards the rich man by saying that they are only practicing love for their neighbor. James an... [ Continue Reading ]
"But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors." "if you show partiality" -There is not room for partiality in the command to love neighbor as self. It would be. perversion of the command to elevate one neighbor above all others or to fawn over cert... [ Continue Reading ]
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." "For whoever" -This principle applies to everyone."keeps the whole law" -James is obviously not teaching that Christians are still under the Law of Moses (James 2:12; James 1:25). Yet, Christians are clearl... [ Continue Reading ]
"For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not commit murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become. transgressor of the law." _ Points To Note:_ 1. Note how James makes it clear that God had said "Do not commit adultery, do not commit murder". Th... [ Continue Reading ]
"So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty."So speak and so act" -present imperatives-do so as. habit. "We are to live continuously both in our words and actions in view of the way we are to be judged" (Roberts p. 98). "You must continue talking and acting" (Wms)."are... [ Continue Reading ]
"For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." "For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy" -In the context, their terrible treatment of the poor man was. demonstration of having no mercy. The law of liberty condemns that type of behav... [ Continue Reading ]
It is essential we understand that in this section James is not pitting works against faith. The faith that cannot save (James 2:14 "can that faith save him?"), is. certain kind of faith.. faith that isn't active. The faith that James commends in this section is the same type of faith that Paul prai... [ Continue Reading ]
"If. brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,"without clothing" -"naked" (KJV), "ill-clad" (Mof). Without sufficient clothing (Matthew 25:36; Acts 19:16). "in need of daily food" -"Indicates that the person under consideration is in the greatest possible destitution, in. cond... [ Continue Reading ]
"and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?"and one of you says to them" -Let the reader be impressed that the early church also had inactive members. Hypocrites were found in their congregatio... [ Continue Reading ]
"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself"."Even so" -Just like mere words directed at. Christian in need are completely worthless, so faith that isn't active is completely worthless."if it has no works" -Remember we aren't talking about works of human merit or observing the Law o... [ Continue Reading ]
"But someone may well say, "You have faith, and. have works; show me your faith without the works, and. will show you my faith by my works."But someone may well say" -The expression "someone may well say" is used in other places as introducing. speaker who is objecting to what is being presented (Ro... [ Continue Reading ]
"You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."You believe that God is one" -"there is one God". One of the basic truths which one must accept, is that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). In the Jewish religion, the confession that God is one was repeated twice each... [ Continue Reading ]
"But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?" "But are you willing to recognize" -Inferring the previous truths had been clear, plain and simple to understand. James conclusion is so clear that he calls upon all who disagree with him to abandon their fo... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FAITH THAT SAVES James 2:21 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?" "Was not Abraham our father" -James introduces. Biblical example (an approved example) which would immediately catch the attention of all Christians. Abraham was the father... [ Continue Reading ]
"You see that faith was working with his works, and as. result of the works, faith was perfected;" "faith was working with his works" -"It was easy to see, in this historic incident, that Abraham's faith wrought (exercised itself) with his works" (Woods p. 145). The phrase "working with", means to c... [ Continue Reading ]
"and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness", and he was called the friend of God."the Scripture was fulfilled" -The Scripture under consideration is Genesis 15:6. the same verse that Paul quotes in Romans 4:3. "Fulfilled"-"was... [ Continue Reading ]
"You see that. man is justified by works, and not by faith alone"."You see" -A conclusion that James believes that all should be able to see clearly-this isn't hard to understand or comprehend."justified by works" -"Works" in the context are obedience to the commands of God (James 2:21). The works u... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EXAMPLE OF RAHAB"The illustration of Rahab utilized. person who was in stark contrast to Abraham in virtually every way except as illustrative of an energetic faith. Rahab was. woman,. Gentile,. pagan, and. prostitute. Yet, by naming her, James was effectively making the point that the only fait... [ Continue Reading ]
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead". _ Points To Note:_ 1. Men and women have. dual nature, spirit and body. 2. Here is. good definition concerning at what point. person is dead, i.e. when the spirit has departed (Ecclesiastes 2:7). 3. This illustr... [ Continue Reading ]