Commentary on James

Commentaryon

James

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

JAMES CHAPTER 1

Intro: The Book of James is written to Christians whose faith was questionable because their workswere not bearing witness. So we might say that the THEME of this book is: Only that faith whichcontrols the life and cleanses the heart and inspires deeds of love and mercy can save the soul.While works do not save, faith that saves works. Our walk must tally with our talk. A verse from thebook that expresses the idea of this theme is: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only"1:22. Now let's look at James verse by verse.

THE OPENING SALUTATION:

James 1 . 1

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which arescattered abroad, greeting."

1. "James" is the BROTHER of the Lord Jesus. Paul calls him the Lord's brother; Gal. 1:18-19.Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also James' mother. Some references to James are:Acts 12:17;5:12-29; 21:18-25; Gal. 1:18-19; 2:6-9. There are some passages in the New Testament thatdistinguish between "His brethren" and "His disciples." John 2:12; 7:3-5; Acts 1:14.

2. "A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" This is the author's self-identification. Thisindicates his spiritual relationship and says nothing of his human relationship. It also saysnothing of his ecclesiastical position (Pastor of the church in Jerusalem). Someone hascommented, "We find here an example of the refusal to know Christ after the flesh." James putshimself on the same plane with all other believers.

3. "A servant" In calling himself a servant, James used a common Greek term doulos, whichmeans "a slave." This term emphasizes the supreme and absolute authority of the master and theentire submission of the slave. Among the Greeks, with their strong sense of personal freedom,the term carried a degrading connotation.

4. "A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" The word "and" is the translation of theGreek conjunction Kai. This can be translated "even". Looking at the phrase this way, it wouldread, "A servant of God EVEN of the Lord Jesus Christ." This would emphasize that Jesus isGod manifest in the flesh and to be the servant of Christ is to be the servant of God. It is notpossible to be the servant of two different masters; Mat 6:24. So James is certainly not makinga difference in the two here; John 10:30.

1

2

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

5. "To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting" "The twelve tribes" is a Jewishexpression to denote the Jewish people as a whole. It also lets us know that James knew nothingof the "ten lost tribes." But James is not speaking of the twelve tribes in general. He speaks toJews who have trusted Christ as their Saviour and were living lives inconsistent with thatprofession of faith.

6. "Greeting" is the translation of one word: Chairo. It is a present act. inf. and means, "To rejoice,be glad."

James 1:2

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

1. "My brethren" is a reference to Jewish "brothers in Christ". The instructions of the epistlewould be totally inconsistent with it being written to an unsaved Jewish brother.

2. "Count it all joy" The word "count" means "To consider, deem, regard as." The words "all joy"stand at the beginning of the Greek sentence. This is in the emphatic position. It means joy inthe highest degree. James is stating this as the proper attitude toward trials.

3. "When you fall" The word "fall" is peripipto and occurs only twice elsewhere in the NewTestament. In Luke 10:30 Jesus used it of a man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and"Fell among" thieves. The preposition "peri" (around) pictures the man as being surrounded bythe thieves on all sides with no way to escape.

4. "Into divers temptations" The temptations here are like the thieves who surrounded the manJesus tells us about in Luke 10:30. The word "divers" is manifold. Manifold means "diversity".It refers to the different kinds of temptation rather than to the number.

5. "Temptations" is the Greek "Peiramoi." It does not refer to the solicitation to evil, but rather,in the objective sense, of trials. The reference cannot be to inner temptations to sin, as in 1:13-14,since such experiences could not be urged as a ground for rejoicing. It refers to trials.

James 1:3

"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

1. "Knowing this" is a participle from the verb ginosko and refers to a knowledge grounded inpersonal experience. We learn from the trial we experience.

2. "The trying" means "Proving." Our faith is proved by trials. It means, "That which is provedgenuine by testing."

CHAPTER ONE

3

3. "Of your faith" recognizes the readers as fellow believers with James. Faith is the foundationof a vital relationship with God.

4. "Worketh patience" The word "Worketh" shows a continuing process. The word "patience"means "To abide under, to stay, to remain." It presents the picture of being under a heavy loadand resolutely staying there instead of trying to escape.

PATIENCE IN TRIALS

James 1:4

"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wantingnothing."

1. "But let patience" As we learned in verse 3, patience means, "to abide under pressure." It is"staying power." The word "But" has an adversative force. It points to a conceived danger to beavoided. Sore trials are hard to bear uncomplainingly, and it is easy to give way to an attitudewhich hinders endurance from exercising its proper effect and thereby incur serious loss.

2. "Let have" is a pres. act. imper. It means more than just to allow it to happen; that would bebeing passive toward it. It is a command. God has a reason for the trials. If these trials are notallowed to accomplish His purpose, then we lose and refuse God's purpose being worked out inus. God wants the believer to be actively and faithfully cooperating with what He is doing in hislife.

3. "Her perfect work" The word "perfect" refers to a "goal" or the intended purpose. The purposeof trials is to conform us to the image of Christ. Some of the effects of trials is seen in thefollowing:

4. "That ye may be perfect" "That" starts a purpose clause. He is saying, "Here is the reason."Then he gives the reason. You are not perfect (mature) now. The trials are going to helpaccomplish this. The words, "Ye may" are from an imperf. act. ind. verb (eimi) meaning "I am."The imperf. tense is incomplete but continuous action in the past. This is a reference to God'sworking continuously in the life to bring us to maturity. An explanation of this is found inEph.4:12-13. It is potential: "May." The active voice means that the believer has to be volitionallyinvolved in the process.

5. "Entire" is from a word meaning, "whole or complete." It refers here to all those virtues whichshould characterize the mature believer.

6. "Wanting nothing" This is a negative phrase meaning "lacking nothing." James wants fullmaturity to be accomplished in the lives of these Christians.

4 COMMENTARY ON JAMES

WISDOM A GIFT

James 1:5

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, andupbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

1. "If any of you lack wisdom" "If any of you" reveals that James is not judging them in thismatter though the contents of the book reveal that wisdom was desperately needed by those towhom he was writing. They are being encouraged here to examine themselves. "Wisdom" is theability to take information and apply it correctly. It especially applies to the trials through whichthey are passing and the way the Lord would have them respond. God's Word needs to beapplied to our situation when we pass through any difficulty. We need wisdom to do this.

2. "Let him ask" The verb is a pres. act. imper. It is a command. So James is being forceful orauthoritative. The active voice shows their responsibility to act. The present tense means that itis something a believer needs to practice. The word "ask" is a word that is used to requestsomething to be given.

3. "Of God" Means that God is the source of wisdom. Books are not the source of wisdom.Though the Bible is the written source of wisdom for us as Christians, this wisdom is a gift fromGod in answer to prayer. He didn't say, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him study theScriptures."

4. "That giveth to all men liberally" The word "giveth" refers to the very nature of God. It is apresent tense which means that He is always giving. There are some things that He gives to allmen alike. "To all men" sets the scope of His giving. The word "liberally" means that God givesgenerously and without restraint.

5. "And upbraideth not" The negative with the present tense participle means that Godpermanently abstains from such a practice. He does not respond to your request with a heap ofinsults. Let's get the picture. A man is going through trials. He lacks wisdom and is making amess of how he responds to the situation. He makes bad decisions. He blows his stack. Heexpresses resentment. Then one day he picks up the Book of James and reads where James saysGod will answer prayer and give him wisdom to go through these trials. He believes what theWord says. He goes to God in prayer and asks for wisdom. God gives it to him. He does notbawl him out or criticize him or make him feel like a fool because he did not come sooner. Jamessays that is not the way God does things. God does not give in a way that humiliates the receiver.

6. "And it shall be given him" "It" refers to "wisdom." The phrase, "Shall be given him" promisesthat God will not fail to respond to the request. This encourages prayer for wisdom. This prayerpromise probably looks back to verses like the following: Mat. 7:7-11; Mark 11:23-25; Luke11:9-13.

CHAPTER ONE 5

FAITH MUST BE EXERCISED IN PRAYER

James 1:6

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the seadriven with the wind and tossed."

1. "But let him ask in faith" This sets forth the human obligation or condition. The promise ofanswered prayer makes spiritual demands on the one asking.

2. "Nothing wavering" The word "wavering" means "to waver because of doubt". Doubtingconveys the picture of a divided mind. When we ask God for something that we are not sureabout, we will not ask in faith.

3. "For he that wavereth is like" The picture here is instability. The unstable man is like atroubled sea. He changes so fast that if he got an answer to his prayer, he would have forgottenwhy he made the request by the time it was answered.

James 1:7

"For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."

1. "For" is introducing a reason why he must "ask in faith nothing wavering." This removes allquestions as to whether he can expect an answer to his prayer.

2. "Let not that man think" The verb "think" refers to a subjective judgment which has feelingrather than thought for its ground. Answered prayer is based upon faith in a definite promise ofGod's Word, not a feeling that God will give certain things.

3 "That he shall receive anything of the Lord" states the unwarranted supposition. "Anything"is limited to the things he asked for. As a faithless doubter, he can expect no specific answer toprayer.

DOUBLE MINDEDNESS MAKES FAITH IMPOSSIBLE

James 1:8

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

1. "A double minded man" refers to the man who has more than one idea and cannot settle forsure upon any.

Administrator

Line

6

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

2. "Is unstable" Means, "unsettled, lacking a solid foundation." Such a man is unsteady andwobbling in all his ways.

3. "All his ways" "Ways" is plural and refers to his habitual course of life and action. His wholelife is affected by his indecision.

James 1:9

"Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:"

1. Let the brother of low degree" When James uses the word "brother" he lets us know that heis speaking to "Christian brothers." The words "low degree" is speaking of a poor class ofpeople. James freely accepts these poor believers as worthy members of the Christianbrotherhood.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE POOR

(1) The poor are not exempt from judgment; Lev. 19:15.

(2) God provided inexpensive offerings for the poor in Old Testament times;Lev. 5:7.

(3) The poor are to be defended; Psa. 82:3-4.

(4) The man who reproaches the poor reproaches God;Prov. 14:31.

(5) Christ took special notice of the sacrifice of the poor; Mk. 12:43-44.

(6) Giving to the poor is an indication of Christian maturity; Mat. 19:21

(7) When you help the poor you help Christ; Mat. 25:35-6.

(8) There is no profit in giving to the poor apart from the love of God;1 Cor. 13:3.

(9) God uses the faith of poor people as an example; Zeph. 3:12.

2. "Let ... rejoice" is the translation of one word (Kauchaomai) and means "to rejoice" in the senseof boasting or glorying. It is found inRom. 5:2. It is translated "we joy" inRom. 5:11.

3. "In that he is exalted" The poor man had nothing until he was saved. But his "new birth" hasgiven him the placing of sons. This is the exaltation of which he speaks.

CHAPTER ONE

7

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF SONSHIP

(1) The believer is a son of God; Rom. 8:14; Gal. 4:6.

(2) The believer has been given the Holy Spirit to confirm his sonship; Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:16.

(3) A son is a joint heir with Christ; Rom. 8:17.

(4) The believer waits for his final redemption; Rom. 8:23.

(5) The believer is encouraged to anticipate the riches of heaven; Rev. 21-22.

(6) The poor will be rich in heaven; 2 Cor. 8:9.

James 1:10

"But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away."

1. "But the rich, in that he is made low" How are the rich made low? For a better understandingof this statement let's notice what the Bible says about the rich.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF RICHES

(1) Some of God's great servants were rich; some examples are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David,and Solomon.

(2) It is better to be righteous than rich;Psa. 37:16; Prov. 16:8.

(3) Riches will not gain a person a thing in the day of judgment; Prov. 11:4.

(4) A person is not to set his goal in life to be rich;Prov. 23:4-5.

(5) Riches are deceiving; Mk. 4:19.

(6) Riches can cause great temptation; 1 Tim. 6:4-11.

2. It is deflating to a rich person who has first been saved to discover what God has to say aboutriches. But he is to rejoice in that he has been made low. He has just learned one of the greatChristian lessons that true riches are in Christ and not possessions.

3. "Because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away" We have here the brevity of lifestated. The verb here is fut. mid. ind. The future tense is predictive. The middle voice speaks of

8

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

the natural aging process. He will just eventually wear out and die. This is in contrast to ajudgment death where something took his life. We all have the sentence of death in ourselvesand are in a dying condition.

James 1:11

"For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and theflower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich manfade away in his ways.

1. "For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and theflower thereof falleth and the fashion of it perisheth" There are four verbs here: "Ariseth,withereth, falleth, and perisheth." All are in the aorist tense which represents a historical event.James speaks as if these things had already taken place. That is quick! It means life is over in thespeaking of it.

2. "So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways" This statement is also true of the poor man.But the statement is to the rich. The rich man has a tendency to believe he will live forever. Theword "ways" here refers to his business ventures; the ways that made him rich. The picture isthat the rich man will pass off the scene in pursuit of more wealth. What has he gained? Heleaves it all behind. It is vanity. If money was his object, he lost everything because he tooknothing with him.

THE BEATITUDE OF ENDURING TEMPTATION

James 1:12

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive thecrown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

1. "Blessed is the man" The word "blessed" is "happy." This is a beatitude like those of Jesus inMatthew, chapter 5. This is God's estimation and also looks forward to rewards at the JudgmentSeat of Christ.

2. "Endureth" is 3rd p. sing. pres. act. ind. from hupomeno meaning, "to abide under, to bear upcourageously." -Vine. This man won't quit no matter how hard the load may be to bear.

3. "Temptations" This is the same word as is in verse 2 and has the double meaning of "testingand temptation." Hiebert says of this, "Testing is the meaning here, since an inner enticementto evil would call for resistance rather than endurance." I disagree with this. Dealing withtemptation on the inner level can put a person under a lot of pressure. It certainly would need tobe resisted and it also would need to be endured. Satan's attacks cannot be avoided. They mustbe endured and resisted.

CHAPTER ONE

9

4. "For when he is tried" is an aor. mid. ptc. from ginomai meaning, "to become, or to cause tobe." The aorist tense speaks of a point of time. The middle voice means the subject participatesin the result of the action of the main verb. He does it in his own behalf. It is a participle. Theaor. ptc. precedes the action of the main verb.

MEANING: This means the man that endured was tried, and he himself stayed by the stuff,refused to sway, continued faithful and proved himself a committed Christian during the trialsof which it is said he endured.

SUMMARY OF THE EFFECTS OF TRIALS

(1) Afflictions teach us not to go astray; Psa. 119:67.

(2) Afflictions cause us to learn God's word; Psa. 119:71.

(3) Afflictions prove God's faithfulness; Psa. 119:75.

(4) Afflictions motivate us to prayer; Psa. 119:107, 153.

(5) Afflictions will give us a reason to testify; Psa. 119:50.

5. "He shall receive" refers to the Judgment Seat of Christ at the Second coming.

A SUMMARY OF THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

a. All believers will be caught up or raptured;1 Thess. 4:13-18.

b. The faithful will be rewarded; 2 Tim. 4:8.

c. The works of believers will be tried there; I Cor. 3:11-13.

d. It is possible to be saved so as by fire;1 Cor. 3:15.

e. One can receive less than a full reward; 2 John 8.

f. It is not a judicial judgment and therefore a comfort; 1 Thess. 4:18.

6. "The crown of life" This is not to be confused with eternal life itself. Eternal life is not a rewardto those who have successfully endured trials. This is a special crown that those who enduretemptations will get as a reward for their faithfulness.

1 0

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF CROWNS

(1) The incorruptible crown; 1 Cor. 9:25-27. This is given to those who were faithful toScripture. These exercised self-discipline and self-sacrifice for the sake of holiness.

(2) The crown of righteousness; 2 Tim. 4:8. This is given to those who love His appearing. Forthem the present world revolves around Him and they long for the day when He will takeover and rule.

(3) The crown of rejoicing;1 Thess. 2:19-20. This is the soul-winner's crown. It is given tothose who have any part in the salvation of a soul.

(4) The crown of glory;1 Pet. 5:1-4. This is the shepherd's crown. This is given to those whoshared in the ministry of shepherding the flock of God. I believe this will include the leadersand teachers who share in the ministry of the pastor.

(5) The crown of life; James 1:12. This is the crown given to those who went through trials andpersecution even to the point of martyrdom for Jesus' sake.

7. "Which the lord hath promised" The verb is an aor. mid. ind. and means that it is a promisealready made once and for all. The middle voice means that the Lord personally made thispromise. It is a promise He will keep.

8. "To them that love him" Is it possible to be saved and not love Him? It is in the sense Jesus isspeaking of here. The context speaks of severe trials where both the events in life and Satan ison the attack. Jesus said, "If you love me keep my commandments." He did not say, "Keep mycommandments if it is easy." This is a special reward that will be given to those who enduretrials because of their love for Him. Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" It would be good forus to ask ourselves the same question.

GOD IS NEVER THE AUTHOR OF TEMPTATION

James 1:13

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be temptedwith evil, neither tempteth he any man:

1. "Let no man say" is a pres. act. imper. which means it is a command that has to do with thepresent tense of their experience. It was an existing condition that James was correcting.

2. "When he is tempted" is a pres. pass. ptc. from a word meaning, "To test, try, prove." Thisrefers to the same trials that he calls "divers temptations" in verse 2.

CHAPTER ONE

1 1

3. "I am tempted of God" The perverse nature of man is prone to blame someone else for its sins.Prov 19:3 says, "The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against theLORD."

4. "For God cannot be tempted with evil" To claim that God can is inconsistent with God's verynature. God is holy in His nature and His very essence is unapproachable by sin.

A SUMMARY OF THE HOLINESS OF GOD

a. Holiness in God is an active attribute that incites all He does. His holiness is not what issustained by effort or preserved by segregation from other beings. The holiness of God isintrinsic, uncreated, and untarnished. It is observable in every divine attitude and action.Holiness not only includes His devotion to what is good but also is the very basis and forceof His hatred of evil.

b. God demands that man acknowledge His holiness when he approaches Him; Exo. 3:5; Hab.1:13.

c. God declares Himself to be holy; Lev. 19:2.

d. David declared that God was holy; Psa. 22:3.

e. The angels praise God for His holiness; Isa. 6:3.

f. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all;1 John 1:5.

5. "Neither tempteth he any man" There are some scriptures that this statement seems tocontradict:

a. God tempted Abraham; Heb. 11:17

b. The Jews were tempted; 1 Cor. 10:9.

COMMENT: The temptations spoken of in these verses are not temptations to sin. They weremeans by which God tried and proved His servants.

THE REAL SOURCE OF TEMPTATION

James 1:14

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."

1. "But every man is tempted" "Is tempted" is a pres. pass. ind. The present tense refers to acontinued process. The passive voice means that the temptation comes to him. He doesn't have

1 2

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

to hunt it up. The indicative mood is just stating the fact. "Every man" means that there are noexceptions.

2. "When he is drawn away" The verb here is a pres. pass. ptc. The present ptc. represents actionthat is taking place at the same time as the action of the main verb. In other words, at the timehe is tempted, he is at that time being drawn away. The passive voice means that it is happeningto him.

3. "Of his own lusts" This names the thing in man that makes temptation such a struggle. Man hasdesires that are wrong and out of line with his needs and what is right because of his fallenAdamic nature. Someone has said that temptation has its source not in the outer lure but in theinner lust. The word "own" individualizes the temptation in each person. The word "lusts"denotes "strong desire or cravings." James assumes the depravity of the human nature.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF DEPRAVITY

(1) Definition: In committing the first sin, Adam became degenerate and depraved with a fallennature contrary to God and prone to evil. His constitution was altered fundamentally. Thissin nature that became a part of man's fundamental make-up is passed to his descendants sothat they are helpless to meet God's demands for holiness.

(2) Man receives his sin nature from his father; Rom. 5:12.

(3) Man is by nature a sinner; Eph. 2:3.

(4) All of man's righteousnesses are as filthy rags; Isa. 64:6.

(5) Man's depraved nature keeps him from keeping God's Law; Rom. 8:3.

(6) The plowing of the wicked is sin; Prov. 21:4.

(7) Even salvation does not change the malignant nature of the flesh; Rom. 7:18.

(8) Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God; 1 Cor. 15:50.

(9) Man by nature is under the domain of Satan; John 8:44.

(10) Man's sin nature is so devoid of good and alienated from God that man is even incapableof responding to God apart from the drawing power of the Holy Spirit; John 6:44.

4. "And enticed" This is a pres. pass. ptc. from a word that means, "to lure by a bait." This is themethod Satan uses to keep the lost and trap the saved.

CHAPTER ONE

1 3

SOME THINGS ABOUT TEMPTATION

(1) The old sin nature desires wrong things and can therefore be lured.

(2) Paul speaks of Satan's devices; 2 Cor. 2:11.

(3) Peter tells us that Satan seeks to devour us; 1 Pet. 5:8.

(4) Man's sinful nature makes him capable of being deceived and blinded by Satan; 2 Cor. 4:3-4;Rev. 12:9.

(5) Through temptation Satan can neutralize God's work;1 Thess. 3:5.

(6) Pride makes man a prime target of Satan;1 Tim. 3:6.

(7) Doctrine taught with patience is a way to deliver those who are caught in Satan's trap; 2 Tim.2:25-26.

WHEN AN ABORTION WOULD BE BETTER

James 1:15

"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringethforth death."

1. "Then when lust hath conceived" "Then" points to sequence. When lust is indulged in, thereis a chain of results that takes place. The words "hath conceived" is an aor. act. infin. from aword meaning "to take together." It is a coming together. Let's get the picture. Lust sends outsignals, makes a proposition, and the man accepts or yields to that proposition. Here is whereconception takes place.

2. "It bringeth forth sin" The verb is pres. act. ind. It is a word that means "to give birth to." Lustis not sin. But when lust conceives it is sin. Lust is the desire of the fallen nature. It is a naturethat can only desire evil. We inherited this nature and can't control it. But, as believers, we donot have to have an affair with lust so that conception takes place. Here is where ourresponsiblity lies.

3. "And sin, when it is finished" Sin has a finish and always makes it to the finish line. This is anaor. pass. ptc. from a word meaning, "to complete entirely, to consummate." The tense speaksof it as having been completed.

4. "Bringeth forth death" This is a pres. act. ind. It means it keeps on bringing forth death. Deathhere is ultimately the second death. This is what is spoken of inRev. 20:14.


A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF DEATH

(1) There is spiritual death where a person can be spiritually dead while physically alive; Gen.2:17; Eph. 2:1.

(2) There is physical death; Heb. 9:27.

(3) There is eternal death; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:15.

(4) There is a death to a Christian when he reckons himself dead to sin;Rom. 6:11.

(5) There is the death to a Christian's fruitfulness; Rom. 8:6.

(6) There is chastening death for the disobedient Christian;1 Cor 5:5; 11:30-32.

James 1:16

"Do not err, my beloved brethren."

1. "Do not err" is a pres. mid. imper. from a word meaning, "To roam, to go astray, deceive,seduce." The present tense suggests that they were being misled. The middle voice means thatthey should not allow themselves to be led astray. It shows personal responsibility in resistingthose who would lead them astray. The imperative mood means that it is a command.

2. "My beloved brethren" is a form of address that shows relationship and tenderness. James isaddressing people he loves. He is speaking the truth in love.

James 1:17

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Fatherof lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

1. "Every good gift and every perfect gift" "Good" describes the giving as useful and beneficialin its effect. "Perfect" marks the gift as complete and lacking nothing to meet the needs of therecipient.

2. "Is from above" This is the source of the gifts. If the Christians to whom James writes havethings they consider to be blessings, then they should acknowledge this truth.

3. "The Father of lights" Heaven is the source. The Father in heaven takes personal interest in theneeds of His children. The word "lights" probably refers to the "celestial light" which reflectsthe glory of God. Psa. 19:1.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER ONE

15

4. "With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" To err is instability. Satan iscontinually trying to lead us astray. We have a God who sees our needs. He gives gifts that arefor our good and they match the need perfectly, and He never varies. No matter how storm-tossed our souls are, He is always in heaven, above the troubled waters of our lives and we canalways count on Him because it is not possible for Him to change. This verse is saying God iseternally stable and above our problems and ready to help. Psa. 102:24-27. Our being able tocount on His faithfulness is based on His immutability.

GOD'S WILL AND GOD'S WAY

James 1:18

"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruitsof his creatures."

1. "Of his own will" is an aor. pass. ptc. from a word meaning, "Be willing, be disposed, minded."The aor. tense speaks of a point of time in the past. This we are told was before the foundationof the world; Eph. 1:4.

A SUMMARY OF THE WILL OF GOD

(1) It is God's will to save the believer; John 6:40; 1 Tim. 2:4.

(2) It is not God's will that any should perish; 2 Pet. 3:9.

(3) It is God's will to raise the believer up in the last day; John 6:40, 44.

(4) It is God's will to honor the one who serves His Son; John 12:26.

(5) It is God's will to secure the believer forever;John 6:37.

(6) It is God's will to answer believing prayer;John 14:13-14.

(7) It is God's will for the Holy Spirit to guide the believer into all truth; John 16:13.

(8) It is God's will that every man be accountable to Him and punished for his evil deeds; Rom.226 6.

(9) It is God's will not to impute sin to the believer;Rom. 4:8.

(10) God has willed that whosoever will may come and be saved;Rev. 22:17.

1 6

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

2. "Begat he us" is aor. act. ind. from a word meaning, "to give birth to, to bring forth." Thisspeaks of the New Birth which is the experience of every true believer in this age. Salvation isof the Lord and He is the one who births sons into His family. The aor. tense speaks of the pointin time which He did it and corresponds to our salvation experience. The active voice is thesubject acting and the subject here is God. God begat us. The indicative mood means he isstating a fact.

3. "With the word of truth" Here we have the means He used to accomplish this. Some versesthat will serve as a good commentary on this are: Rom. 10:17; 1 Cor. 4:15; 1 Thes. 2:13; 1 Pet.1:23-25.

4. "That we should be" is a pres. act inf. The present tense means he is speaking of the presenttense of church history. The Jews were the ones God began with in the Church Age. It is "to theJew first," historically. Remember, James is speaking to the Jews of the dispersion who hadbecome believers in Christ.

5. "A kind of first fruits of his creatures" The term "creatures" means that the product of theNew Birth is the product of God's creative activity. God created the first man Adam. Godpersonally creates every new man that comes into being through the preaching of the Gospel;2 Cor. 5:17.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF FIRSTFRUITS

(1) The figure is drawn from the Old Testament Law that designated the first portion of theharvest as belonging to God. This was to be offered to Him before the rest could be used forordinary purposes; Exo. 23:19; Lev. 23:9-11; Deut. 18:4.

(2) The firstfruits were specimens and pledge of the full harvest.

(3) Paul used the term of the first converts in a province; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:15.

(4) It is used by James to refer to the Jews being the first of a new harvest in this church age;James 1:18.

(5) There is the firstfruits of the Spirit;Rom. 8:23.

(6) Jesus is said to be the "Firstfruits" of the resurrection;1 Cor. 15:20.

James 1:19

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow towrath:"

CHAPTER ONE

1 7

I . "Wherefore" is the translation of hoste in the Textus Receptus. The so-called better texts rejectthis in favor of iste which means "knowing this." We will stay with the right translation. Theword is "wherefore" and sets the stage for an admonition in the light of the truth stated in Verse18. James says, "If we are the firstfruits of His creatures then there are some things we need tobe careful to do."

2. "My beloved brethren" is a statement of tenderness and affection. James appeals to equals whoare sheep and must be led.

3. "Let every man" is a pres. act. imper. The present tense means "keep on doing it right now."The imperative mood is a command. The words "every man" means that he has no particularperson in view, but all.

4. "Swift to hear" The word "swift" is an adjective that describes the attitude of a person listeningto the word as he is being instructed in the things of God. James is their instructor at this point.But the meaning expands beyond that point to include the attitude of one sitting underinstructions in the church today. The words "to hear" are an aor. act. infin. and refer to hearingat a point of time.

5. "Slow to speak" This speaks of a restraint upon hasty and verbal reactions to what is heard.Being slow to speak allows time to consider carefully what has been said in order to give a spirit-controlled reply.

6. "Slow to wrath" Wrath implies more than a passing irritation. It refers to a strong and persistentattitude of hostility.

GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS NEVER ACCOMPLISHED IN OUR ANGER

James 1:20

"For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

1. "For" introduces the reason for the warning against yielding to wrath.

2. "The wrath of man" The wrath of man many times is spontaneous and unreasoned. It comesfrom a nature that is alienated from God. It can be violent and dangerous.

3. "Worketh not" is a pres. mid. ind. The present tense is continuous action. The middle voice iswhere the subject is benefited by the action. There is no benefit to the man who attempts to workout God's righteousness by his own means. It cannot accomplish its purpose.

4. "The righteousness of God" The righteousness of God is:

18

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

a. Imputed righteousness to all who are saved; Rom. 4:5 8.

b. Imparted righteousness to all who are obedient and filled with the Holy Spirit; Rom. 8:4.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE WRATH OF MAN

(1) The believer is not to retain wrath;Eph. 4:26.

(2) Wrath in the believer grieves the Holy Spirit; Eph. 4:3 1.

(3) Believers are not to provoke their children to wrath;Eph. 6:4.

(4) Believers are to put away wrath as a part of mortifying the flesh;Col. 3:8.

(5) We are not to pray in anger;1 Tim. 2:8.

(6) Believers are to be slow to wrath; James 1:19.

(7) Man can never fulfill God's righteousness when under the control of his anger; James 1:20.

THE WORD ABLE TO SAVE THE SOUL OF THE SAVED

James 1:21

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive withmeekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."

1. "Wherefore" means "For this reason."

2. "Lay apart" is an aor. mid. ptc. from a word meaning "to put away." The aor. tense means apermanent act in the past. A good explanation of the meaning here would be to translate it,"having put off or away." This was done through the salvation experience. But the middle voicemeans that they participated in the action in their own behalf. This makes it practical. They hadactually put these things away.

3. "All filthiness" "All" means "every kind of." Filthiness means "dirt filth." The term "unspottedfrom the world" in verse 27 puts this statement in its proper light.

4. "Superfluity of naughtiness" means, "malice, ill-will, malignity." It refers to an attitude ofmind that desires the injury of others. This is in keeping with the statement of verses 19-20.

5. "Receive with meekness" The verb is aor. mid. imper. Meekness is not weakness. Meeknessis an attitude that these believers are told to have when it comes to receiving the word. They were

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER ONE

1 9

not displaying the best attitude. They were wrangling among themselves. They were also tryingto carry out the principles of Christianity through the "wrath of man." James is correcting this.The aor. tense means to do this once for all. The middle voice shows that personal action mustbe taken in behalf of themselves. The imperative mood means that it is a command. "Theengrafted word" refers to the word that they heard and will hear which the Holy Spirit makes apart of the believer's inner life. While it may be engrafted and stored there, we must receive itwith meekness, accept its rebuke, correction and instruction in righteousness, if we are benefitedin our practical lives.

6. "Which is able" means that the engrafted word has the inherent ability to save souls.

7. "To save your souls" The verb form is an aor. act. infin. This is not a reference to the "NewBirth." If it were, then James would be teaching works for salvation. It is a Hebraism used torefer to the whole personality, the real self. It refers to the new man walking in the power of theHoly Spirit and effectively manifesting the life of Christ through his life in word and deed.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE SOUL

(1) Definition: The non-material ego of man in its ordinary relationships with earthly andphysical things; the immortal part of man (Mat 10:28). Naves Topical Bible

(2) The word "soul" is the translation ofpsyche and is translated "souls" 58 times, "life" 40times, "mind" three times, "heart" one time, "heartily" one time and it is inJohn 10:24 and2 Cor. 12:15 in the Greek but not translated into the KJV.

(3) The word of God divides the spirit and soul; Heb. 4:12.

(4) Man is spirit, soul and body in his essential makeup;1 Thess. 5:23.

(5) The soul is the man and can be lost and suffer in hell with all the faculties that are manifestthrough his physical body; Luke 16:23-3 1.

(6) The souls of the saints are in heaven after death;Luke 16:23; Rev. 6:9-10.

(7) The soul of a saved person can be saved from the destructive consequences of sin; James1:21.

(8) Man's present state is soulish but his eternal state will be spiritual; 1 Cor. 15:42-49.


A SOURCE OF SELF-DECEPTION

James 1:22

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

1. "But be ye doers of the word" Verse 21 speaks of receiving the word into the life, but this versespeaks of the practice of the word. The verb is pres. mid. imper.

(1) The present tense means to continue to do something already going on.

(2) The middle voice means that the choice to keep on doing this will be theirs and that it is totheir benefit to do it.

(3) The imperative mood means it is a command and, therefore, must be done or it willconstitute disobedience.

The word "doers" is a word meaning to carry out the instructions of the word. This word isfound 6 times in the New Testament and 4 of those 6 times are found in James.

2. "And not hearers only" This is a statement of contrast. The word "only" indicates that thisdemand in no way disparages the importance of being "hearers." "Hearers" refers to the publicreading and oral instruction of the Word. Evidently their problem was not staying away fromassembly worship where they received the instruction of the Scripture, but putting thoseprinciples into practice. Their practice did not correspond to their teaching.

3. "Deceiving your own selves" The word "deceiving" is a pres. mid. ptc. and refers to a processof self-deception by means of human rationalism. They evidently thought that attending churchand hearing the Word taught was the fulfillment of all that was required. This word is found twotimes in the New Testament:

(1) In Col. 2:4 Paul is warning the Christians there not to be "beguiled" by the wrong reasoningsof others.

(2) In James 1:22 James is warning against self-deception-by their own reasonings.

God's answer to the dilemma of our reasonings is dealt with inProv. 3:5. The soul of manwhich is his mind, emotion, and will, is subject to Satanic suggestions and the rationalism of theold sin nature. The Christian has the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) and can apply that by faith toevery situation in his life.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER ONE 21

THE WORD A MIRROR

James 1:23

"For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding hisnatural face in a glass:"

I . "For if any" The "if' is a first class condition. It is assumed to be true.

2. "He is like unto a man" This introduces a vivid picture of his character. The pronoun "he"means, "this one."

3. "Beholding" is a present ptc. and refers to a continuous gaze, not a passing glance. It suggeststhat it is his regular practice. When he does this he will see himself as he really is.

4. "His natural face" means the face that nature gave him. The illustration implies a parallelspiritual truth. The truth is that the believer can see the old sin nature which allows him to giveattention to avoiding being drawn into an act of sin.

5. "In a glass" means mirror. The mirror is an illustration referring to the word of God. See I Cor.13:12.

WHEN YOU DON'T NEED TO FORGET WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE

James 1:24

"For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner ofman he was."

1. "For he beholdeth himself" The verb is aor. act. ind. and refers to the fact of looking or gazing.

2. "And goeth his way" This is a perf. act. ind. He went away with a settled state of mind that wasnot corrected by what he saw in the mirror. That settled state of mind was still true as Jameswrote his Epistle.

3. "And straightway forgetteth" The word "straightway" means "immediately." The word"forgetteth" is an aor. mid. ind. and means "forgot." The middle voice involves him in the actof forgetting. Sometimes when God shows us something about ourselves it will be somethingwe won't want to think about. We put it out of our minds to our own hurt.

4. "What manner of man he was" The verb is imperf. act. ind. It refers to the pre-salvation life.It also refers to his continuous state before conversion. When we see our old sin nature in themirror of God's Word, we do not see ourselves as we are now. We see how we were before we

Administrator

Line

22

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

were saved. As new creatures in Christ we have died to that through the death of Jesus;Rom.6:6 . It is the Christian's responsibility to allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to work inhis life to show that he has been changed. He sees his natural face in the mirror so that he willknow that this is NOT what he is now and not what is to control him.

THE WORD OF GOD IS WITHOUT FLAW

James 1:25

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not aforgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

1. "But whoso looketh" "But" contrasts this statement to the one who looks and doesn't doanything about what he sees. "Whoso" means "the one that" and refers to anyone. It is a generaltruth. "Looketh" is an aor. act. ptc. and refers to the fact of looking. It can mean a "once for allglance," but the rest of the sentence forbids that rendering.

2. "Into the perfect law of liberty" The preposition "into" suggests a penetrating look. "Theperfect law" is a reference to the word of God. The word of God is infallible, inerrant, andverbally inspired.

A SUMMARY OF THE WORD OF GOD

(1) It is God breathed; 2 Tim. 3:16.

(2) It was given through Holy men of God; 2 Pet. 1:20-21.

(3) It was given to equip us to perform all that God requires of us; 2 Tim. 3:17.

(4) It is complete so that the man of God needs no other source for the revelation of God's will;2 Tim. 3:17.

(5) Every word of it is inspired;1 Cor. 2:13.

(6) Even the plurals and singulars are inspired; Gal. 3:16.

(7) Paul's last charge to preachers is to preach the Word; 2 Tim.-4:2.

(8) It is compared to a mirror; James 1:23-25.

(9) It is a mirror in which a man can see himself the way God sees him;1 Cor. 13:12.

(10) It is used by God to help His children know their very motives;Heb.4:12.

CHAPTER ONE

23

3. "The law of liberty" The Word of God is not a cruel law of bondage for His people. It liberatesus. It sets us free. It reveals grace and grace is what God can do for a believing sinner becauseof the cross. It reveals that God does not save us by grace, then put us under the law for service.Sin cannot have dominion over us because we are not under law but under grace;Rom. 6:14.Christians who are led by the Spirit are the only ones not under law; Gal. 5:18. So the Word isthe means God uses to liberate the believer so he can live a different life. He is free fromcondemnation (Rom. 8:1) and has the Spirit's power over the flesh to live godly (Rom. 8:13).

4. "And continueth therein" is an aor. act. ptc. and means to persevere in anything. The aoristtense refers to a point of time in the past. This verse literally says, "Whoso looked into theperfect law of liberty and continued..."

5. "He being not a forgetful hearer" So many are prone to forget. Sometimes it is deliberate andsometimes it is just carelessness. But the man who forgets is accountable no matter what thereason. God's Word is to be a serious consideration.

6. "But a doer of the work" This stresses habitual activity. This is what a correct response to theWord of God produces.

7. "This man" Not the other man that is mentioned in verse 24 but "this man" that is faithful topractice the teachings of Scripture.

8. "Shall be blessed in his deed" This is a statement of assurance. It is future tense and can belooking to the time of the judgment seat of Christ and eternity. But it probably refers to the futurefrom the time that the deed is performed. The phrase "in his deed" means that in the very doingof it there is a blessing.

A SUMMARY OF THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY

(1) It is the Word of God;1 Cor. 13:10.

(2) God's Word is truth; John 17:17.

(3) The truth sets men free; John 8:32.

(4) The Word of God is a mirror reflecting man's sins;Heb. 4:12.

(5) Man can see himself in the mirror of God's Word the way God sees him; 1 Cor. 13:12.

(6) Man can be transformed into the image of Christ through looking into the mirror of God'sWord; 2 Cor. 4:18.

(7) Liberty is not freedom in sin but freedom from sin;1 John 1:9.


A MAN IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT HE SEEMS TO BE

James 1:26

"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth hisown heart, this man's religion is vain."

1. "If any man among you seem to be religious" The "if' is a first -class condition and assumedto be true. The word "anyone" is an indefinite pronoun and leaves the identity indefinite. Thephrase "seem to be religious" refers to a person with a reputation of piety. The picture is not ofa conscious hypocrite but a self-deceived religionist. The verb "seem" is a pres. act. ind. andmeans that "he keeps on seeming." He is practicing his religion and continues to live up to hisreputation.

2. "And bridleth not his tongue" "Bridleth" is a pres. act. ptc. The word means to guide and holdin check with a bridle. A man's tongue is like a wild horse. It is implied that a true applicationof the Word of God will bridle the tongue. Just like a wild horse can be brought under controlwith a bridle, so can the tongue. But to let this wild horse run loose can be very dangerous.

3. "But deceiveth his own heart" "Deceiveth" is a pres. act. ptc. meaning that it is a persistentreality. The word "deceit" means "to cheat, that which gives a false impression." This means hecheats his own heart or he gives a false impression to his own heart. If you tell yourself a lie andbegin to operate on the basis of that falsehood, then the outcome has to be what the lie produces.The heart can never enjoy true peace and liberty this way.

4. "This man's religion is vain" The word "vain" means "void of results." It does not mean thatit is without content, which would be another word (kene), but that it is futile because it fails tobring him to the goal for which religion is intended. His concern with the external leaves theinner life unchanged.

ORPHANS AND WIDOWS MUST BE HELPED

James 1:27

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless andwidows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

1. "Pure religion and undefiled" is religion that unites the inner and outward effects of theGospel. "Pure" speaks of that which is free from moral pollution or corruption, while "undefiled"means that which has not been soiled and stained by contact with moral evil. For James, moralpurity has replaced the concern for ritualistic purity.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER ONE

25

2. "Before God" means that which is right in His sight. There are those who think God does notsee. Isa. 29:15; Ezk. 8:12.

3. "To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" "To visit" means, "To look in on, gosee." Christianity is not just a set of ideas. It is practical. God wants His children to be practicaland help those in need. This statement also involves more than sending someone else by to help.We are to personally administer help in these situations. "The fatherless and widows"represented the two most needy classes in the ancient world. The "fatherless" is literally orphansand refers to those who have been deprived of their parents. The "widows" are those whosehusbands have died or abandoned them. They are without means of support.

4. "And to keep oneself unspotted from the world" The word "unspotted" implies a conditionof personal purity that remains unblemished from contact with surrounding pollution. This iswhere we need to abstain from the appearance of evil. "To keep" is a pres. act. infin. It means"to keep on keeping." It shows the need of the cooperation of the man's will. "The world" means"the world system" that is in conflict with God.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE WORLD

(1) The physical world was made by Jesus Christ; John 1:3.10; Col. 1:16-17.

(2) The world is the scene of man's sin and has been under a curse because of it;Gen. 3; Rom.8:20-22.

(3) The world came under the dominion of Satan when sin entered; 2 Cor. 4:3-4.

(4) The world has a course that keeps unsaved people captive; Eph. 2:2.

(5) The world loves its own and hates Christ and Christians; John 15:18-19.

(6) Jesus died for the sins of the whole world; John 3:16.

(7) Christians are not to be conformed to this world; Rom. 12:2.

(8) The Church is to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature; Matt. 28:19-20.

(9) The world will be judged in righteousness by Jesus Christ; Acts 17:31.

(10) The world will finally be destroyed and replaced with a New Heaven and a New Earth;Rev. 21:1-2.

JAMES CHAPTER 2

ATTITUDES TOWARD THE RICH

James 2:1

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respectof persons."

1. "My brethren" is a reminder that James is speaking to those who share a family relationshipthrough Jesus Christ. It will also set the stage for the rebuke that is to follow concerningpartiality.

2. "Have not" is a pres. act. ind. and means "do not keep on having." James is addressingsomething that is going on.

3. "The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ" The "faith" refers to the well-known faith of Christiansas embodied in the Gospel. James emphasizes the Lordship of Christ in this statement. Jesus isthe anointed One to take away the sins of the world; but He is also the Lord of those who havereceived Him as Saviour. What James is going to ask them to do is going to have the authorityof His Lordship.

4. "The Lord of glory" In the New Testament, the noun "glory" denotes the "divine and heavenlyradiance" manifesting God's visible presence. Believers are to be light reflecting His presencein their lives. This cannot be done when they have respect of persons. This does not representGod's view or God's will.

5. "With respect of persons" This statement stands first in the Greek sentence. It is the emphasisof what James is saying. It refers to preferential treatment. It would be favoritism based onexternal circumstances and appearances which James will illustrate. This is wrong. A person isto be received by us on the basis of our family relationship. The following scriptures tell us thatGod is no respecter of persons: Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25; 1 Pet. 1:17.

MONEY DOESN'T BUY FAVORS AT CHURCH

James 2:2

"For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and therecome in also a poor man in vile raiment;"

1. "For if there come" This verb is an aor. act. subj. The "if' here is a third class condition. Jamesis saying it may be true and it may not be true, but if it is... He is stating a hypothetical case forthe purpose of illustrating the principle. The subjunctive mood is the potential mood.

26

CHAPTER TWO

27

2. "Unto your assembly" is referring to the time when they assembled for worship and instruction.The word "assembly" is literally "synagogue". The word "synagogue" means "to cometogether." It is using the word as the word "assembled" would be used in the sentence, "Thechurch is assembled."

3. "A man with a gold ring" The description here is of a person who is wealthy and isdemonstrating it by the wearing of rings and the way he dresses.

4. "And there come in also a poor man with vile raiment" The verb here is the same as above.It is aor. act. subj. The vile raiment means ragged, tattered clothes that a very poor man wouldwear.

James 2:3

"And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou herein a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:"

1. "And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing" The words "ye have respect"means "to look upon." It means to look with favor.

2. "And say unto him" is an aor. act. subj. It is potential. It is spoken of as having taken place.

3. "Sit thou here in a good place" This is the preferential treatment that is given this rich man.

4. "And say to the poor, Stand thou there or sit here under my footstool" He is given a choice,but either alternative reveals indifference to his comfort and feelings.

James 2:4

"Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?"

1. "Are ye not partial in yourselves" refers to an inner attitude. It probably refers to an inneradmiration for the rich. This would be contrary to the Gospel which rejects all distinctions.

2. "And are become judges of evil thoughts?" James classifies them as judges if they makedistinctions. He says that the judgments they make in such a case as this would necessarily bebased on evil thoughts. They would be acting on the basis of worldly considerations.

James 2:5

"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith,and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"


1. "Hearken, my beloved brethren" The verb is aor. act. imper. This is a command "to hear."Listen!!! We are also reminded that James is tenderly addressing his brethren. He does not treatthem as opponents or verbally abuse them because they are wrong. He speaks the truth in love.But he does it with authority as seen in the imperative mood.

2. "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world" The verb is aor. mid. ind. The aorist refers toa time in the past. The middle voice means He did this in His own behalf. The "poor of thisworld" refers to those who are lacking earthly possessions. In the Old Testament, "poor" and"humble" are almost synonymous.

TRUE RICHES

3. "Rich in faith" This is a further characterization of the chosen. The world may view them aspoor but God views them as rich in faith. "Rich in faith" does not mean that their faith is theirwealth. But faith is the means by which salvation is received. It is also the means by which theChristian constantly obtains provisions for the Christian life. This is true riches.

4. "Heirs of the kingdom" refers to the future that the "poor of this world" have to look forwardto.

5. "Which he hath promised" is aor. mid. ind. The middle voice means that "He Himself' madethe promise. The aorist tense means that the promise is a premeditated gift. He has already madethis promise once for all.

6. "To them that love him" All believers love the Lord because He first loved them;1 John 4:14-19.

SHORTSIGHTED VALUES

James 2:6

"But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before thejudgment seats?"

1. "But ye have despised the poor" The verb is aor. act. ind. The word means, "to maltreat,dishonor, suffer shame." The aorist tense means that it has already happened. The active voicemeans they are responsible. They acted in doing this and are accountable. James is setting beforethem this wrong attitude that needs to be confessed and forsaken. They had demonstrated theirattitude toward the poor by their partiality toward the rich.

2. "Do not rich men oppress you" The word "oppress" is a pres. act. ind. and means "to exercisedominion against." The oppression is the rich man's ability to dominate the poor through theinfluence of his wealth. It is a common practice throughout the world. The verb is present tense

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER TWO 29

which means James is addressing a present problem. It was going on at the time James waswriting this epistle.

3. "And draw you before the judgment seats?" It is a pres. act. ind. The word "draw" means "todrag." The use of force is in the word. The phrase "judgment seat" is "tribunal or seat of justice."This is done to collect debts the poor are unable to pay. It is a means the rich use to make thepoor man poorer and thus continue to oppress him.

A NICKNAME FOR BELIEVERS

James 2:7

"Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?"

1. "Do not they blaspheme" This reveals the bitter religious hostility on the part of the rich. It isa reference to a verbal blasphemy against the honorable name of Christ. As a general rule, therich despise what cannot be controlled by their money. The Christian Gospel tells the rich manhe is a sinner and is in as much danger of hell as any poor man and will go there if he does notrepent. It informs him that God is not impressed with his riches or his accomplishments at all.

2. "The worthy name" The word "worthy" means "good, honorable." It is no doubt a referenceto the name of Jesus. The word "blasphemy" in connection with this statement suggests James'recognition of the Divinity of Christ. You can slander an enemy, or a neighbor, and you cancurse another person, but blasphemy refers to wrong words and actions toward Deity. James wasthe physical brother of Jesus, but He recognizes here that their fathers by natural generation weredifferent. Jesus is the "Only Begotten Son of God." Joseph was the father of James, but he wasnot the father of Jesus.

3. "By which ye are called" marks the personal relationship of the readers to that name. The verbis aor. pass. The aorist tense means that they had become identified with that name in the past.The passive voice means that the verbal identification with the name of Jesus was given to themby the world. This means that the term "Christian" was originally a nickname given them by theworld. See Acts 11:26. Someone said, "The expression is a gentle reminder that they belong toChrist Jesus and are not at liberty to practice partiality, for it dishonors the honorable name.

THE BIBLE IS OUR AUTHORITY

James 2:8

"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor asthyself, ye do well:"

Administrator

Line

3 0

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

1. "If ye fulfil the royal law" The verb is pres. act. ind. The word means "to accomplish, to reachthat as a goal." The word "royal" literally means "the king's law." It is the will of Christ ourSaviour that needs to be accomplished.

2. "According to the Scripture" James recognizes the Scripture as the final authority. The gift ofknowledge in the days of spiritual gifts never conflicted with the apostles' preaching of anddependence on the Scriptures.

3. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" The parable of The Good Samaritan is aninterpretation of this statement. Luke 10:30-37. The term "as thyself' is impossible toaccomplish apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit. God must put this quality of love in us;Rom. 5:5.

4. "Ye do well" is a pres. act. ind. and means their practice will be acceptable.

James 2:9

"But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law astransgressors.

1. "But if ye have respect of persons" The verb is pres. act. ind. James is not talking about asituation that does not exist. The present tense means he is saying, "But if ye keep on having..."It is something going on that needs to be stopped.

2. "Ye commit sin" The verb is pres. mid. ind. It means, "you yourselves keep on committing sin."

3. "And are convinced of the law" is a pres. pass. ptc. "Convince" means "to confute, admonish,tell a fault." The law shows up this fault and it keeps on doing it.

THE LAW AN IMPOSSIBLE SAVIOUR

James 2:10

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

1. "For whosoever" This means without exception. There is no respect of persons.

2. "Shall keep" is an aor. act. subj. from a word meaning, "to observe, to guard or to keep." Theactive voice means that he made the decision to do it by an act of his will. The aorist tense islooking at it as having been done. But the subjunctive mood is potential. So it is looking at ahypothetical case as having been done.

3. "The whole law" The word "whole" means "all, every whit."

CHAPTER TWO

3 1

4. "And yet offend in one point" The word "offend" is an aor. act. subj. from a word meaning,"to trip, to stumble." The suggestion here is that you have a man that has given it all he has. Heis putting forth his best effort. He is doing an amazing job of it. But suddenly he stumbles. Hedoes not transgress. That is not the word used. That would be used if it were deliberate. It issaying that he tripped. It is almost an accident. This is the word that is used here. Then it says"in one point." This may be what seems like a small point, but it is a legitimate point. Here isa man who has kept the whole law, but in a weak moment violates what might be considered bysome, one small point thus he is guilty of all. That means he is a sinner and must pay for that sinby going to hell (Rom. 6:23) if his salvation depends on his keeping the law.

5. "He is guilty of all" The verb is a perf. act. ind. It speaks of completed action in the past withthe result that it is still true. At the point that he stumbled it became a fact. He remains a sinnerbecause of that act.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAW

(1) It was given to the Jews at Sinai; Lev. 27:34.

(2) It applies only to those under the law; Rom. 3:19.

(3) It was given that "every mouth may be stopped."Rom. 3:19.

(4) It was given that "All the world may become guilty before God;" Rom. 3:20.

(5) It is by the law that we have the knowledge of sin; Rom. 3:20.

(6) No one will be justified by the law; Rom. 3:20.

(7) The law was added because of transgressions till the seed should come; Gal. 3:19.

(8) If righteousness could have come by law, then this would have been the method used; Gal.3:21.

(9) It was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ; Gal. 3:24.

(10) Anyone trying to be justified by the law is "fallen from grace." Gal. 5:4.

(11) The law was "taken out of the way" when Jesus died on the cross;Col. 2:14-17.


James 2:11

"For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit noadultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."

1. "For he that saith" This verse is an illustration of verse 10. A person can't say he is keepingthe law if he is keeping all but one of the commandments.

2. "Now if thou commit no adultery" The use of the negative in the conditional clause fixesattention on the fact that no adultery is being committed.

3. "Yet if thou kill" "Yet" is the conjunction de most of the time translated "but" showing contrast.The words "thou killest" is a fut. ind. So this is not addressing a fact but a possibility.

4. "Thou art become a transgressor" "Thou art become" is a perf. act. ind. This means that in theact of committing murder, one becomes a transgressor of the law, though he may have kept allthe rest of the law.

James 2:12

"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."

1. "So speak ye" is pres. act. ind. and means that James is referring to something already inprogress. James had already admonished his readers in these words, "But be ye doers of theword, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

2. "And so do" is a pres. act. ind. meaning that their speaking and doing is to be the same.

3. "As they that shall be judged" This is a pres. pass. inf. The present tense means that this lawof liberty is judging while we are acting. It either says "amen" to what we do or says "that'swrong."

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAW OF LIBERTY

(1) Christ and His disciples clearly regarded liberty as an essential of the highest religious life.He began His mission at Nazareth with the words of Isaiah that His work was "to set atliberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18.

(2) The law places one in bondage from which Christ sets him free;Rom. 7:1-4; Acts 15:10. TheJews were not able to bear it.

(3) It is the truth that sets one free; John 8:31-36.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER TWO

3 3

(4) It is a liberty that sets one free from the penalty of sin; Rom. 8:1.

(5) This liberty is not a liberty to sin; Rom. 6:1; Gal. 5:13.

(6) Justification by faith alone is the only thing that would make liberty actual;Rom. 3:28.

(7) Whoever tries to be justified by the law the Bible says, "Ye are fallen from grace." Gal. 5:4.

(8) Our liberty is never to become a stumblingblock to the weak; 1 Cor. 8:9.

(9) Being made free we are servants of righteousness; Rom. 6:18,20.22.

(10) Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty;2 Cor. 3:17.

(11) Satan's ministers will attempt to challenge our liberty in Christ and bring true believersinto bondage; Gal. 2:4.

James 2:13

"For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercyrejoiceth against judgment."

1. "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy" Matt. 5:7 says,"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." There is a parable in the New Testamentthat illustrates the meaning of this statement; Matt. 18:23-35.

In most of the uses of the word "mercy" in the New Testament the word is describing anattitude God has taken toward the believer because of the judgment He has taken on sin at thecross. Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:1, "As we have obtained mercy, we faint not." In Eph. 2:4 Paul says,"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us." In Titus 3:5 Paulsays, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he savedus." And on and on we could go giving verses that show God to be a merciful heavenly Father.God expects His children to derive this characteristic from Him. You know the Bible speaks ofgodliness; this is god-like-ness or being like God.

2. "And mercy rejoiceth against judgment" The reason mercy rejoices against judgment isbecause it knows that judgment cannot condemn. There was a group of travelers in the early daysof our country traveling west in a great wagon train. As they travelled one day they werehorrified as they saw the smoke of a prairie fire ahead. The quick-thinking leader picked a spotand burned off a large circle. Then he pulled the wagons into the circle that had already beenburned off. When the fire approached, they were safe because the fire could not burn where ithad already burned. This is the reason mercy can rejoice against judgment. The mercy we haveobtained is based upon what Jesus did for us at the cross. The judgment of God fell on Him. The


believer is in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) and the judgment of God cannot strike where it has alreadystruck. This is liberty from the penalty of sin.

PROFITLESS WORKS

James 2:14

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?can faith save him?"

1. "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say" James is about to use an unanswerableargument on professing Christians who have the habit of "saying" and not "doing." Here, manyhave accused James and Paul of being in opposition to one another on this subject. The thing wemust remember is that behind the human author is the Holy Spirit. So in reality the Holy Spiritis the author of Paul's and James' writings. That means that if there is a contradiction in the two,it is the Holy Spirit contradicting Himself. This is impossible. Now let's come back to thestatement, "though a man say." Human nature is no different in any age. People have. a tendencyto "say" without "doing." James is refuting this error.

2. "He hath faith, and have not works?" The man James is speaking of has made his claim offaith. But he has absolutely no works as evidence of this claim. Saving faith has good works asevidence of it, genuineness. After Paul said that salvation is by faith without works in Ephesians2:8-9, in verse 10 he says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto goodworks, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Now, in this chapter,James has contrasted the rich and the poor. Some were favoring the rich and looking down onthe poor. This James says is wrong. He uses several arguments including the fact that rich menare the ones who bring them into court. Then he also speaks to them about the Law whichforbids them to respect the person of man.

3. "Can faith save him?" James is not asking for information. It is a question with an obviousanswer. No! Someone will say that Paul said, "But to him that worketh not but believeth on himthat justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Let me quote Jamison, Faussetand Brown here: "It seems likely that St. James had seen St. Paul's epistles, for he uses the samephrases and examples (cf. Vs. 21,23,25 with Rom. 4:3; Heb. 11:17,31 and Vs. 14,24 with Rom.3:28; Gal. 2:16). At all events, the Holy Spirit by St. James combats not St. Paul, but those whoabuse St. Paul's doctrine." The doctrine of justification by faith alone can easily be abused butit is no less true (Rom. 3:28). Where it is being abused, the Book of James should be studied.

Now, we come back to the question, "Can faith save him?" The kind of faith James isspeaking of will not save. A good illustration of faith that won't save is found in the Parable ofThe Sower; Matt. 13:18-23.

Spurgeon said, "The faith which saves is not an unproductive faith, but is always a faithwhich produces good works and abounds in holiness. Salvation in sin is not possible; it alwaysmust be salvation from sin. As well speak of liberty while the irons are still on a man's wrists,

Administrator

Line

James 2:15

CHAPTER TWO

35

or boast of healing while the disease waxes worse and worse, or glory in victory when the armyis on the point of surrendering, as to dream of salvation in Christ while the sinner continues togive full swing to his evil passions."

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF WORKS

(1) Works and grace cannot be mixed as a means of salvation; Rom. 11:6.

(2) Works do not save; Eph 2:8; Titus 3:5.

(3) Works can be a fruit of repentance;Matt. 3:8.

(4) We are created unto good works; Eph. 2:10.

(5) We are commanded to do good works; Col. 1:10; 2 Thess. 2:17.

(6) Our faith is to work;1 Thess. 1:3.

(7) The Bible is the guideline for all good works; 2 Tim. 3:16-17.

(8) We are to be zealous of good works; Titus 2:14.

(9) We are to provoke one another to love and good works; Heb. 10:24.

(10) It is completely inconsistent to say we have faith then refuse to do good works;James2:15-16.

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,"

1. "If a brother or sister be naked" James is taking his illustration from the Christianbrotherhood. The word "naked" means "without clothes." Sometimes pictures are shown ofpeople in Africa who are in this very condition. It would be impossible for believers to clotheentire nations. But it would not be out of the question for us to respond to a plea for help if thatcondition existed in our missions and churches.

2. "And destitute of daily food" means that he does not have food for the day. Christians havesuffered this kind of destitution. Some have the mistaken idea that God will never allow Hischildren to get into this condition. But the facts are contrary to this. John tells us of thoseChristians who stand glorified in heaven after having been saved "out of great tribulation" inRevelation chapter 7 where God promises in verse 16, "They shall hunger no more, neither

36

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

thirst any more..." Remember these had not taken the mark of the Beast and, therefore, had notbeen able to buy or sell.

James 2:16

"And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstandingye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"

1. "And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled" James isspeaking hypothetically. But in speaking this way he does not suggest that this is what theywould do. He says, "And one of you..." He does make it personal. But his suggestion is that theremight be one with this view but never all. It is too contrary to the nature of Christianity.

2. "Depart in peace" suggests that the mere words would be enough to satisfy the needs of thisperson.

3. "What doth it profit?" This is a rhetorical question. There is no profit.

DEAD FAITH

James 2:17

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

1. "Even so faith" The words "even so faith" make the application of the illustration to "faithwithout works."

2. "If it hath not works" Someone has said, "Faith alone saves, but faith that saves is neveralone." Works accompany saving faith. Works follow in the train of faith. Faith is the engine,works are the cars. And it is an engine that never moves out without having a trail of cars hookedto it.

3. "Is dead, being alone" Dead faith is the "vain faith" ofI Cor. 15:1-2.

James 2:18

"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thyworks, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

1. "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works" James is dealing with ananticipated objection. James knows the people that he is writing to. He knows how they think.So, since they might think such a thought, he will give his answer to it in this epistle.

CHAPTER TWO

37

2. "Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works" Thewords "show me" mean to demonstrate. The conclusion is definitely that faith has to have someway of proving it exists so far as its being seen by another person. The way of being seen byanother is by works. This also brings up another important point here. James is speaking in thissection of justification in the sight of man. Man saw Abraham offer his son Isaac and said, "Whatfaith!" Man sees Noah building an ark for one hundred and twenty years by which he saveshimself and his house and says, "What faith!" But God saw their faith and justified them by faithapart from works: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deedsof the law." Rom. 3:28.

DEMONS HAVE FAITH

James 2:19

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

1. "Thou believest" The pronoun "thou" is emphatic. It means you are self-deceived to claim tohave faith and not have the works that demonstrate faith.

2. "That there is one God" God's existence and His Oneness is asserted here. Christians and Jewsbelieve this.

3. "Thou doest well" Because this is certainly true. But unless your faith goes further than this,you still lack saving faith.

4. "The devils also believe and tremble" The word "tremble" means "shudder." There are noinfidel demons.

SOMETHING TO KNOW FOR SURE

James 2:20

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

1. "But wilt thou know" Learning is a prerequisite to correcting what is wrong in our lives. Jamesis addressing this statement to a possible unwillingness to know.

2. "O vain man" The word for vain means "empty, devoid of real value." This is the way Jamesdescribes the man who rests his eternal destiny on a false faith. This language also suggestsfrustration that one should be so stupid as to hold to such a proposition in the light of divinerevelation on this subject. James could well be addressing this to a boasting hypocrite whonourishes an impure life under the pretense of faith.

3 8

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

3. "That faith without works is dead?" The faith that built the ark would have been dead withoutthe work that went into building it. The faith that really saves would be dead unless that faithwould cause us to make the changes that come after that initial faith is exercised. Faith alonesaves, but faith that saves is never alone.

ABRAHAM, AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH APPLIED

James 2:21

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son uponthe altar?"

1. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works" This verse is an illustration. It does notcontradict Paul. Paul said, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory;but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was countedunto him for righteousness." Rom. 4:2-3. Abraham was justified by faith alone in God's eyes.But faith wasn't alone. He offered Isaac as a proof of his faith. When men saw him do this, hewas justified by works in their sight.

2. "When he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar" I cannot conceive of a greater act of faiththan what Abraham demonstrated in Genesis 22. And it is not just obedient faith to do what Godsaid to do, but faith that God would raise Isaac from the ashes of a burnt offering if he wentthrough with it. Heb. 11:19 says of Abraham's faith, "Accounting that God was able to raisehim up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

James 2:22

"Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"

1. "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works" James turns directly to the boasting hypocritewho nourished an impure life under the pretense of faith. The words "seest thou" reveal thatJames is speaking of what man sees of justification. "Faith wrought with his works" means thathis faith rested not in a naked bare profession but was operative; it had influence upon his works.

2. "By works was faith made perfect?" There is a statement like this in 2 Cor. 12:9: "...for mystrength is made perfect in weakness." None would say that our strength or weakness would addanything to the power of God. It is made perfect because it can be seen. That is the meaning ofthis statement. Faith is seen by us when it is "wrought with works." It is made perfect, that is,more fully known and apparent.

CHAPTER TWO

39

James 2:23

"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputedunto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."

1. "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputedunto him for righteousness" The "Scripture" would not be fulfilled, as James says it was, butcontradicted, by any interpretation which makes man's works justify him before God: for thatscripture makes no mention of works at all, but says Abraham's belief was counted to him forrighteousness. God, in the first instance, justifies the ungodly through faith; subsequently thebeliever is justified before the world as righteous through faith manifested in words and works.

2. "And he was called the friend of God" SeeIsa. 41:8; Exo. 33:11; 2 Chron. 20:7.

"YE SEE" IS THE KEY

James 2:24

"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

1. "Ye see" is the key to understanding James as he comments on justification.

2. "How that by works a man is justified" Jesus said that we are to let our light shine before menthat they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. This isJUSTIFICATION IN THE SIGHT OF MAN. This cannot possibly contradict Paul; and it wouldif James is not writing from a different standpoint than Paul.

3. "And not by faith only" See Rom. 3:28; Titus 3:5. Man cannot see my faith. It is only as hesees the effect my faith has on my life that he can see it. So man is not justified in the sight ofmen by faith only.

James 2:25

"Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received themessengers, and had sent them out another way?"

1. "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot" She carries this connotation after her justificationby faith into the inspired writings of James. What a testimony to the grace of God. God'smarvelous grace can go deeper than all our sins.

2. "Justified by works" Rahab acted on her faith and hid the spies. Therefore her faith wroughtwith her works justified her faith to the spies.

40

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

James 2:26

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

1. "For as the body without the spirit is dead" Here is a good definition of when death takesplace. The medical world speaks of a person being "brain dead." We understand what they aretalking about, but as long as the spirit is in the body, the person is not dead. But if the spirit hasleft the body, the body is dead. Nothing short of a miracle will bring life back.

2. "So faith without works is dead also" Faith answers to the spirit here and works to the body.The spirit does not derive its life from the body just as faith does not derive its existence fromworks. But just the opposite! The body derives its life from the spirit. It is able to functionbecause it receives its life from the spirit. Therefore if the spirit is not present in the body it isdead. So faith without works is dead. Gal. 5:6: "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availethanything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."

SUMMARY OF FAITH AND WORKS

(1) A faith that does not produce works cannot save the soul; 2:14.

(2) A faith that does not produce works is "dead in itself;2:15-17.

(3) A faith that does not produce works is a hollow mockery and empty sham in the sight of Godand man; 2:18.

(4) A faith that does not produce works is the kind of faith held by demons; 2:19.

(5) A faith that produces works is able to save the soul. This is illustrated in the case ofAbraham; 2:20-24.

(6) A faith that produces works is able to save the soul. This is illustrated in the case of Rahab;2:25.

(7) A faith that does not produce works is "dead"; that is, inactive and useless; 2.26.

JAMES CHAPTER 3

RESPONSIBILITIES OF TEACHERS

James 3:1

"My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greatercondemnation.

1. "My brethren, be not many masters" James again uses the "my brethren" in tender, lovingaddress to his Christian brothers. The words "be not" Jamison, Fausset, and Brown comment:"Become not: taking the office too hastily, of your own accord." The word "masters" literallymeans "teachers." Jesus was called Master because He was recognized as a great teacher. It isprobable that many of them were wanting to become teachers. This can be brought about by aperson's admiration for his teacher. It can be brought about by a desire to want the spotlight. Wehave the inherent pride that is an expression of the old sin nature and it will continually lead usin the direction of self-exaltation. These Jewish brethren may have had a problem in this area.Teachers are called of God and placed in the body as He sees fit;1 Cor. 12:28.

2. "Knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." This statement reveals that wewill be judged according to the light we have. A teacher is a student of the Scriptures and has toknow something of the Word and will of God to teach it. Therefore he has the greaterresponsibility.

There are two dangers that always face the teacher. They are: distortion of truth, and livinga life that contradicts the teaching. Distortion of the truth is a serious offense to God. Peter refersto this in his second epistle, chapter three and verse 16: "As also in all his epistles, speaking inthem of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that areunlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."Jesus said, "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men speak, they shall give accountthereof in the day of judgment."Matt. 12:36. The second danger for the teacher is the danger ofcontradicting his teaching with his life. Teachers are continually engaged in passing judgments,both moral and intellectual. The very nature of their work makes them criticize the actions ofthose who are wrong. James warns them that all who have professed to point out to others theway in which they should live, will receive greater condemnation than the rest of men if theyhave failed to walk in the way themselves. We have a good illustration of this principle revealedin Rom. 2:17-24.

41

42

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

A MATURE MAN

James 3:2

"For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfectman, and able also to bridle the whole body."

1. "For in many things we offend all" Notice he includes himself by the use of the pronoun "we."First of all, James is saying that every man is guilty of sin. It is a common pitfall with the teacherto become so engrossed in condemning sin in others that he forgets that he himself is also asinner.

Another thing James may be saying here is that because we are all sinners, all have an oldsin nature, and we can go so far as to make it impossible to live the Christian life by ourteaching. In other words, it is impossible to live sinlessly perfect. In the most saintly Christianthere is sin. So we need to teach Christians to constantly bring their weaknesses and sins to theLord in brokenness and obtain forgiveness. We cannot live sinless, but we can live a cleansedlife. And you cannot be more right with God than the blood of Christ makes you.

2. "If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man" This is probably one of thehardest areas of the Christian life. It is so hard to control the tongue. Zodhiates tells a story inhis commentary on this passage:

There was an old man who often complained of pain and weariness in theevening, as many of us do. A friend asked him why he complained so. The old manreplied, "Alas! I have every day so much to do. I have two falcons to tame, two haresto keep from running away, two hawks to manage, a serpent to confine, a lion tochain, and a sick man to tend and wait upon." "Why, you must be joking," said hisfriend. "Surely no man can have all these things to do at once." "Indeed, I am notjoking," said the old man, "but what I have told you is the sad, sober truth for the twofalcons are my two eyes, which I must diligently guard; the two hares are my feet,which I must keep from walking in the ways of sin; the two hawks are my two hands,which I must train to work, that I may be able to provide for myself and for mybrethren in need; the serpent is my tongue, which I always bridle, lest it speakunseemly; the lion is my heart, with which I have a continued fight, lest evil thingscome out of it; and the sick man is my whole body, which is always needing mywatchfulness and care. All this daily work wears out my strength." The old man wascertainly frank about the struggle the believer has in this life. He very aptly describedthe tongue as a serpent, for it can spread deadly poison around.

If a photographer were to announce his ability to photograph the tongue, with a record of allthe bad things it had said and all the good things it had left unsaid, he would not starve to death,he would be put to death.

CHAPTER THREE

43

3. "And able to bridle the whole body." That is if a man can control his tongue which is thehardest member to control, he will be able to control the whole body.

James 3:3

"Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about theirwhole body."

1. "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths" The statement in verse two calls for thisillustration. A bridle is not used on the body but it is on the horse. And the effect of the bridleon the horse is an illustration of the effect of the bridle on the tongue. "We put" is a pres. act. ind.meaning that the subject acts through the bridle on the horse not the horse on the subject.

2. "That they may obey us" It is for this purpose that the "bits" are used. The rider must maintaincontrol if he is to effectively use the energies of the horse.

3. "And we turn about their whole body." "We turn" is a pres. act. ind. and means that thesubject acts and is in control. The control of the horse's mouth results in directing the wholebody. The personal pronoun "we" means that this is an illustration with which both writer andreaders were familiar from everyday experience. The Bible writers drew vital spiritual lessonsfrom everyday experience.

James 3:4

"Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yetare they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth."

1. "Behold also the ships," takes us to another illustration. It is again something that the readerswill be acquainted with.

2. "Which though they be great" emphasizes their size. Compared to the horse the ship is great.A ship is so big it will hold many horses.

3. "And are driven of fierce winds" The ships have no will of their own like the horses but arenevertheless subject to the winds beating against them from without. James says these winds are"fierce" and suggest that they cannot be controlled.

4. "Yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth."The rudder of ancient ships was an oar-like projection fastened to the ship's stern. Compared tothe size of the ship, this rudder was very small. It is very important to maintain control over thatsmall rudder. The governor is the man who steers the ship. The word "willeth" is a pres. mid.ind. Here the will of the governor is behind the hand on the rudder.

44

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

James 3:5

"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great amatter a little fire kindleth!"

1. "Even so the tongue is a little member" The words "even so" make the tongue the "littlemember" illustrated by the "bits" in the horses' mouths and the "small helm" of the big ship.

2. "And boasteth great things" Xanthus, the philosopher, once told his servant that the next dayhe was going to have some friends for dinner and that he should get the best thing he could findin the market. The philosopher and his guests sat down the next day at the table. They hadnothing but tongue; four or five courses of tongue. The philosopher finally lost his patience andsaid to his servant, "Did I not tell you to get the best thing in the market?" The servant answered,"Isn't the tongue the organ of sociability, the organ of eloquence, the organ of kindness, theorgan of worship?" Then the philosopher said, "Tomorrow I want you to get the worst thing inthe market." And on the morrow, the philosopher sat at the table, and there was nothing buttongue; four or five courses of tongue. The philosopher again lost his patience and said, "Did Inot tell you to get the worst thing in the market? The servant replied, "I did; for isn't the tonguethe organ of blasphemy, the organ of defamation, the organ of lying?" Well done servant! Youhave taught the philosopher a lesson. This is the lesson James is trying to teach us.

3. "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth" Again James contrasts the smallness of thetongue with the greatness of its effects. He is saying, "such a small fire kindles such a greatforest." Just a spark, and a fire that will take hundreds of men and many weeks to put out maybe started. We have seen this happen many times in various parts of our country. A camper inone of our forests may have neglected to put out a campfire. From this, a whole forest has beenset ablaze where wildlife and homes have been destroyed. Millions of dollars and lives have beenwasted because of a small fire uncontrolled.

James 3:6

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, thatit defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."

1. "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity" Here he amplifies the little tongue to a world-sized problem. Think of Hitler and the problem his tongue caused the world. A little girl cameto her mother and asked, "Which is the worse, Mama, to tell a lie or to steal?" The motherreplied that both were wrong and she could not tell which was the worst. "Well, Mama," repliedthe little girl, "I've been thinking about it, and I think it is much worse to lie than to steal." Themother asked her why she thought this and she replied, "Well you see, Mama, it's like this. Ifyou steal a thing, you can take it back, unless you've eaten it, and if you've eaten it, you can payfor it; but a lie is forever." How true was the perception of this little girl. Paul said, "Lie not oneto another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds." Col. 3:9.

CHAPTER THREE

45

2. "It defileth the whole body" The tongue is a member of your body like your arm or your leg.If your tongue says wrong things, people will consider you no better than your tongue. If a manor woman has a bad tongue, you usually choose to stay away from him. I've never heard anyonesay, "I'll fellowship with you, but not with your tongue!" A dirty tongue makes the whole bodydirty.

3. "And setteth on fire the course of nature" The word "course" here means "a series ofsuccessive acts or practices." - Webster. The idea is a cycle, a continuous course of conduct.The words "of nature" refers to man's fallen nature;Eph. 2:1-3. Man is depraved and it is hisnature to sin. The tongue activates in man what is natural for him. To see what is natural for mansee Rom. 1; Gal. 5:19-21.

4. "And it is set on fire of hell" The word hell is used here to stand for those who belong to itssphere; Satan, demons, and the whole world system. Jesus speaking of the Church said, "Thegates of hell shall not prevail against it." The gates of hell have certainly made an attempt buthave failed. So hell sets on fire the tongue in this same manner.

James 3:7

"For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed,and hath been tamed of mankind:"

1. "For every kind of beasts...." Here is a statement that is amazing. All of these different namedcreatures can be tamed. They can be trained. This is a fact that can be seen in many places of theworld. I recently saw a special on T.V. where a pig had been trained. When you go to Sea Worldyou see dolphins and whales perform acts that demonstrate the truth stated in this verse.

2. "Is tamed" is a pres. pass. ind. from a word meaning, "to subdue or tame."

James 3:8

"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

1. "But the tongue can no man tame" We can use all the force we possess; we can punish thetongue all we wish; we can forbid it to talk; but the same sinful nature will permit the tongue tocontinue in its uncontrolled state. Only salvation which gives us a new nature and the filling ofthe Holy Spirit can get to the root of our problem and bring self-control.

2. "It is an unruly evil" The word "unruly" means "unsettled." It is unpredictable. In this unsettledstate it may praise one man and slander another. There is also a further meaning of this word andit is "ungovernable." Have you ever tried to hold your tongue with your fingers? It will slip frombetween them. Our text says it is ungovernable.

46

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

3. "Full of deadly poison." The word from which the word "poison" is translated is "arror." Thetongue can be like a poison arrow. It can make sick, cause intense pain and even kill (thetestimony and influence). Someone said to John Wesley, "Mr. Wesley, I pride myself inspeaking my mind; that is my talent." "Well," said Mr. Wesley, "the Lord wouldn't mind if youburied that talent."

James 3:9

"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are madeafter the similitude of God."

1. "Therewith bless we God, even the Father;" The word "bless" means "to speak well of." WeChristians offer the sacrifice of praise to God (Heb. 13:15) and this is right. It is normal for thebeliever to praise God. The words "even the Father" remind us that we have a son's relation toGod. He is not only our God but also our Father by spiritual birth.

2. "And therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God" Now this isnothing but inconsistency and hypocrisy. Many people who claim to be Christians come tochurch and bless God with their mouths and they have such a negative personality that they havenothing good to say about anyone. In fact, they go beyond just mere negative statements andwish the curse of God on their supposed enemies.

James 3:10-12

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things oughtnot so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the figtree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield saltwater and fresh."

1. "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing" This would confuse any listener.This is the impact that James wants to make by this statement.

2. "My brethren" James is not saying that because you are doing these things you are not saved.He uses the tender respectful term "My brethren."

3. "These things ought not so to be" James is deploring this condition. He is saying this shouldnever have happened. It is almost like saying, "I shouldn't even have to say anything to youabout this."

4. Then James gives three illustrations to prove his point: the fountain, the fig tree, and the vine.James' argument is irrefutable.

CHAPTER THREE

47

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE TONGUE

(1) The tongue is used to deceive; Rom. 3:13.

(2) Every tongue will ultimately confess that Jesus is Lord; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:11.

(3) The tongue needs to be bridled; James 1:26.

(4) The tongue is a boaster; James 3:5.

(5) The tongue is a fire and world of iniquity; James 3:6.

(6) The tongue defiles the whole body; James 3:6.

(7) The tongue is set on fire of hell; James 3:6.

(8) No man can tame the tongue; James 3:8.

(9) The Christian is to refrain his tongue from evil;1 Pet. 3:10.

(10) The believer is not to just love with his tongue; I John 3:18.

James 3:13

"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a goodconversation his works with meekness of wisdom."

1. "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?" James has already impliedin this book that there were those to whom he addressed himself who were sadly lacking inwisdom (1:5). This statement and the one in verse 15 tell us that those who made the claim tohaving wisdom did not have it. The words "endued with knowledge" means that those who werecausing the problems that James is dealing with CLAIMED that their wisdom and knowledgecame from above.

2. "Let him show out of a good conversation" The word "show" means "to put on display." Thewords "out of a good conversation" means "manner of life." The life one lives shoulddemonstrate the grace of God and the faith of Christ.

3. "His works with meekness of wisdom" James is emphasizing works because works have to beconsistent with what one says in the Christian faith. The Christian says this is what I believe andthen you can observe him living according to that statement of faith each day he lives. The words"meekness of wisdom" mean that the Christian life is not a boasting, bragging faith. His wordsare spoken in meekness; his life is lived in meekness.

48

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

A little girl in a Chinese village watched a missionary as he went about the Master's work.She saw him go to the homes where there were sickness, death, and sorrow, and she watched himas he moved about the village, though she never- heard him speak in public. One day she wentto another village and followed some girls into a mission school. There she heard a lady talkingto them, in Chinese, about someone to whom little children came. One of the little girls askedthe visitor, "Do you know who it was?" "Yes," she replied, "I know him. He lives in ourvillage." She had never heard of Jesus Christ, and when the teacher described the beautiful lifeof Christ, she thought she was talking about the missionary who lived in her village.

James 3:14

"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against thetruth."

1. "But if ye have" This is a first class condition. James is addressing himself to an existingproblem. "Ye have" is a pres. act. ind. and means "If ye keep on having" or, "If ye continue tohave."

2. "Bitter" This word is used in Romans 3:14 of evil speaking; inEphesians 4:31 of bitter hatred;in Hebrews 12:15 of a root of bitterness producing bitter fruit.

3. "Envying" This word comes from a word that means "to boil or bubble up." It is something thatputs fire under our wisdom and knowledge, as they express themselves in action. The word"envying" means in this case the boiling within to do wrong.

4. "Strife" means "contention." There is no possibility for unity as long as this condition exists.Notice James is not telling those who are not participating in these evils to be peaceful with thosewho are doing wrong so they can be at peace with one another. He attacks the wrongdoers andcalls them to repentance. The way to have peace in the fellowship is for those who are wrong toget it right.

5. "In your hearts" When people go wrong it is always in the heart. We like to turn that around.We say, "That brother may be wrong but his heart is right." That is not what God says.

6. "Glory not" This is used in the sense of boasting. When people make a claim to having God'swisdom and the conditions of envying, bitterness and strife exist it is not a time for boasting.

7. "And lie not against the truth." When one lives contrary to the life he professes it is a lieagainst the truth.

Summary: Let's restate this verse: Since ye have bitter envying and strife, a condition that existsamong you at the present time, do not boast because when you do, you are lying against thetruth." The truth of God is totally contrary to what is going on in your midst now. To glory in

CHAPTER THREE

49

what you are doing would be to teach that the truth made you like you are. "Bitter envying andstrife can never be sanctified by man to be used for good. They are a lie against the truth.

James 3:15

"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."

1. "This wisdom descendeth not from above" This statement does let us know that there is awisdom which does not come from above. It is called "the wisdom of this world."

2. "But is earthly, sensual," The word "earthly" is put in contrast to the words "from above." Soit speaks of the wisdom of this world. Paul says, "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? whereis the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" 1 Cor. 1:20.The word "sensual" comes from a very interesting word. We get our word "psychic" from thisword. It is the adjective of the word "pseuche," from which we get our words psychology,psychiatry. This word is used by Paul in1 Cor. 15:44 where it contrasts the body at the time ofdeath, a natural body (Psuchikon) with a spiritual body. So the psyche translated sensual is thepart of us that is of the world and only allows us to know the natural world around us. It willnever bring us into touch with God. This is the reason the psychologists and psychiatrists whoare not born from above and who do not pray and receive wisdom from above are incapable ofoffering any real solution to man's problems. That is hard to accept by a society of people whoplace so much emphasis and value on worldly wisdom. But it is a fact to be reckoned with. 1Cor. 2:14 says, "But the natural (psychic) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God..."The wisdom that these Christians are being controlled by is of this world completely.

3. "Devilish." The word is translated from the same word as "demons." Plato used this word todescribe the intelligence of demons. So, evidently demons can speak to the psychic or the naturalman. This reminds us that we are in a real warfare against the forces of evil. Our protection isthe Word of God and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY OF THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD

(1) The Gospel is not to be preached with the wisdom of this world;1 Cor. 1:17.

(2) The wisdom of this world will make the preaching of the cross of no effect;1 Cor. 1:17.

(3) Paul took great care in avoiding this;1 Cor. 2:4-5.

(4) The preaching of the cross is foolishness to the worldly wise (implied); 1 Cor. 1:19.

(5) God will ultimately destroy the wisdom of the wise; 1 Cor. 1:19.

(6) The world by wisdom has never come to know God; 1 Cor. 1:21.

5 0

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

(7) God in His wisdom made it so that man would never come to know Him through the wisdomof this world; 1 Cor. 1:21.

(8) The foolishness of God is wiser than men; 1 Cor. 1:25.

(9) God chooses the unwise of this world to confound the wise that no flesh should glory in Hispresence; I Cor. 1:26-29.

(10) The worldly wise professing themselves to be wise have become fools; Rom. 1:22.

TROUBLE FOR SURE

James 3:16

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

1. "For where envying and strife is" The words here are the same as those in verse 14. Theenvying manifests itself in a zealous drive to accomplish a selfish end. The word "strife" meansthat these "worldly wise" have a party spirit and do not mind fighting for their ideas and personalself-exaltation.

2. "There is confusion" The word "confusion" means "a state of disorder, disturbance, confusion,anarchy." I Cor. 14:33 says, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in allchurches of the saints."

3. "And every evil work." The word "evil" means "good for nothing." There is a lot of "good fornothing" works going on today.

WISDOM FROM HEAVEN

James 3:17

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to beentreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

1. "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure" In other words, it is wise to be pure. Theword "pure" means "chaste, holy." Rom. 12:1 tells us that we are to present our bodies "holy."

2. "Then peaceable" The word "then" is from a word that means "thereafter or hereafter." It means"next in line." Purity comes first, then peace follows. Some references to peace are:John 14:27;16:33.

CHAPTER THREE

5 1

Not long ago a Hindu woman was converted chiefly by hearing the Word of God read. Shesuffered much persecution from her husband. One day a missionary asked her, "When yourhusband is angry and persecutes you, what do you do?" She replied, "Well, sir, I cook his foodbetter; when he complains, I sweep the floor cleaner; and when he speaks unkindly, I answer himmildly. I try, sir, to show him that when I became a Christian I became a better wife and a bettermother." The consequences of this was that, while the husband could withstand all the preachingof the missionary, he could not stand the practical preaching of his wife, and gave his heart toGod.

3. "Gentle" The word "gentle" means first "belonging to a family of social standing; of the upperclasses; of good birth." Then it means "mild; moderate; not violent, harsh or rough." -Webster.Paul was a gentle person;1 Thess. 2:7. Paul told Timothy to be gentle;2 Tim 2:24. It is a fruitof the Spirit; Gal. 5:22. Jesus Himself is our example in this;2 Cor. 10:1.

4. "Easy to be entreated" It is the only time this word is found in the New Testament. It means"easily prevailed upon, won over, or persuaded to comply." It refers to a person who easilycomplies, who readily obeys. Christ is our Lord and His Word is His instruction to us. Thismeans that we are to be the kind of people who are easily entreated by His Word. The oppositeof what he is saying here is being hardheaded, argumentative and rebellious. The Word of Godis constantly entreating us to do right. The wisdom from above will cause us to be easilyentreated. This is not just true of our response to God through His Word, but we are to have thisattitude toward one another. As Christians we should be known as people who can be easilyapproached and very cooperative.

5. "Full of mercy" In ancient Greek religions "eleos" or "mercy" was considered to be a god whostood as the personification of compassion and sympathy. In Athens in the Stoa there was analtar consecrated to Mercy where the persecuted, even among the strangers in Athens, could findrefuge and exemption from taxation, and where they could have freedom to speak and do as theywished. That was the conception of mercy by the ancient Greeks. Aristotle conceives and speaksof it as the grief that one feels for someone suffering unworthily.

To understand the word mercy as used here we must go to the cross; John 3:16; Titus 3:5.God's grace paves the way for God to be merciful to us. In the manner in which He is mercifulto us we should be merciful to others. It is easy to be merciful to our friends. But remember ifwe are like God we will be merciful to our enemies and to people who frustrate us. We need tobe ready to show mercy to people who have the same attitude toward us that we once had towardGod.

6. "Good fruits" First, we can contrast this with bad fruit. So much bad fruit or spoiled fruit is seentoday. The word "fruits" used here indicates the desirability and expectancy of results throughour words and works of mercy. Let's notice the kinds of fruit spoken of in the Word of God:

(1) The Bible pictures every Christian as fruitful; Matt. 13:8.

52

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

(2) There is the parable of the Vine and branches that has to do with fruit bearing;John 15:1-8.

(3) There is the fruit of the Spirit;Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9.

(4) There is the fruit of the lips;Heb. 13:15.

(5) The hypocrite is spoken of as being without fruit; Jude 12.

7. "Without partiality" The word means "not distinguished, undivided in the sense of being onlyone unit." Here it refers to one who does not push himself forward. He does not want others todistinguish him as someone extraordinary who deserves honors and laurels. The great Puritanpreacher, Thomas Manton, said, "Fools are the greatest censurers: what they want in worth ismade up in pride; and because they cannot raise themselves to an equality with others, theyendeavor by censures to take them down, that they may be as low as themselves."

8. "Without hypocrisy" A hypocrite in ancient Greece was one who played the part of an actor.It means or refers to a person who acts differently than he really is. James is saying that he whohas Christ in his heart ought not to act differently from what he really is. This is wisdom fromabove. If a person is a Christian he should act the part; he should be himself. For a person to bea Christian and not live the Christian life is to be a true failure.

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE HYPOCRITE

(1) A hypocrite puts on outwardly; Matt. 23:28.

(2) Hypocrisy is called leaven; Luke 12:1. Leaven is a type of sin in the Scriptures.

(3) Paul told the Church at Rome to let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy) Rom. 12:9.

(4) Peter spoke to those who had been purified from hypocritical love; 1 Pet. 1:22.

(5) Hypocrisy can be laid aside; I Pet. 2:1.

(6) This word is translated six times in the New Testament and it is used in connection with"love" and "faith" five times; see Rom. 12:9; 2 Cor. 6:6; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:22.

James 3:18

"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

1. "And the fruit of righteousness" Fruit is the product that comes from a plant and is the naturaloutcome of that plants existence. The believer has imputed to him the righteousness of JesusChrist. He is said to be partaker of the divine nature; 2 Pet. 1:4. This nature will bear fruit.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER THREE

53

2. "Is sown in peace" Those to whom James is speaking have had anything but peace. Thefightings and wars will be mentioned in the next verse. But the fightings and wars do not comefrom the new nature but the old; Gal. 5:18-19. Spirit-filled Christians have an outflow of theinner presence of the Lord in the Person of the Holy Spirit and it is always peace.

3. "Of them that make peace" Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall becalled the children of God" Matt. 5:9 God's people are characterized by being peace makers.This is an indictment against those who sow discord in the church and participate in gossip anddo those things that cause hard feelings between Christians. This is done many times by thosewho claim that what they are doing is standing for the truth!!!

James 4:1

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of yourlusts that war in your members?

1. "From whence come fightings and wars among you?" This question is proof of the existenceof this state of affairs among the Christians of James' day. There are some verses that might helpus to understand what kind of wars were being fought:

(1) 1 Tim. 6:4: The word "questions" in this verse means "debates." Also the phrase, "strifes ofwords."

(2) 2 Tim. 2:23: This verse speaks of "foolish and unlearned questions that gender strifes." Theword "gender" is the word for "beget." Strifes are begotten or conceived when "foolish andunlearned questions" are brought up. The word "knowing" is a perf. act. ptc. It means thatwe have a knowledge of this from past learning.

(3) 1 Cor. 6:1: Here believers were going to law with one another. They were fighting it out inthe courts.

Zodhiates says, "We are sure that the Christians to whom James is writing were notactually engaged in a war of arms, but as a group of Christians, they were hostile to othergroups. We can safely deduce that these groups with whom they were at variance wereChristian groups, for what else would the expression "among you" imply? Thus, we have oneChristian group against another in a state of war."

Spurgeon likens the various denominations to various rooms in Noah's ark. He says, "Inthe ark, rooms were made. Those who lived in one room did not stand or sit with those wholived in another; but they were all in the same ark.

But these are not proper applications. First, of all there were not different denominationsin that day. Second, those to whom James is speaking were agreed one hundred percent onthe plan of salvation and the major doctrines. Denominational differences today are over thebasic issue of how you get to heaven. I would agree with Spurgeon's illustration if we arespeaking of those who are in the same ark! But if a person does not believe the plan ofsalvation correctly he is not on the same ark with me. So, it is not those kinds of differencesover which these Christians are at war.

The war was going on between Christians in the same fellowship. It happens today.Churches are torn apart and sometimes destroyed because of the debates and strifes that goon. Most of the time it is over petty differences.

54

JAMES CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER FOUR

55

2. "Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" James now puts theverbal finger on the source of their problem. He recognizes that the external fights start fromwithin. The word "lusts" here means more than strong desires. It means desires actualized.

Paul says, "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, andbringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."Rom. 7:23

Whether we want to face it or not, while we are on earth and in this body, we are constantlyfacing a state of war between our old sin nature, called the flesh, and the Spirit; Gal. 5:17. Jamessays that these desires to give in to the flesh are warring in our members. It is not just a mildproblem.

"A man who had let an offender go instead of avenging himself of an insult, and who wascriticized in consequence, said to the friend who chided him, `Tell me, my friend, if you wereclimbing a hill, and a great stone or block rolled down toward you, would you consider itdisgraceful to step aside, and allow it to rush past? If not, what disgrace can there be in avoidingand giving way to a man instigated by anger, until he has had time for reflection, and his agitatedmind finds rest in repentance?' There is an old legend that tells of Hercules encountering astrange animal on a narrow road. He struck it with his club and passed on. Soon the animalovertook him, now three times as large as before. Hercules struck it fast and furiously, but themore he clubbed the beast, the larger it grew. Then Pallas appeared to Hercules and warned himto stop. `The monster's name is strife,' she said. `Let it alone and it will soon become as littleas at first.' This is valuable advice for those of us Christians who engage in counter-blows,thinking that only thus can we stop the blows."

Only the indwelling Christ can handle the problems that arise within us. He must be trustedto handle the flesh when it attacks the believer through lust.

James 4:2

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yetye have not, because ye ask not."

1. "Ye lust and have not" The word "lust" here is a different word from the word in verse 1. Theword here means, "The setting of one's heart or soul upon something." James is saying it ispointless to desire evil in your hearts since that desire is not going to give us pleasure. Thephrase "and have not" means that the desire in itself will not bring to pass what is desired. It iswrong for a believer to want what is not God's will for his life.

2. "Ye kill" is a very strong statement made by James. It is inconceivable that James is using thisword in the literal sense. I take it to mean that he is using it in the figurative sense and refers tokilling another's influence through the use of the tongue. There is also the killing of the spiritof an individual through criticism. There are those today who are sitting at home and are


completely out of service because their fruit-bearing life has been effectively "killed" throughthe abuse of someone's tongue.

3. "And desire to have" This desire to have is coming from the flesh. The whole context demandsthis conclusion. This being true, the desires are selfishly motivated.

4. "And cannot obtain" The Psalmist said, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall givethee the desires of thine heart." Psa. 37:7. But these are not delighting themselves in the LORD.They are selfishly motivated. So God is no doubt standing in the way of their selfish desires.James says, "And cannot obtain."

5. "Ye fight and war, yet ye have not" This is going on between believers. They were fightingfor position and recognition. James calls it "war." It is in our nature to fight for what we want.But it is not God's way. Paul tells Timothy, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but begentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;if God peradventure will give them repentance." 2 Tim. 24-25. Then James says, "yet ye havenot." They were not accomplishing the ends they desired through this approach.

6. "Because ye ask not" The words "ye ask" is a pres. mid. infin. The present tense means "to keepon asking." The middle voice means that they failed because they did not ask for help to getthemselves straight. If we want to be effective prayer warriors we need to begin by praying forourselves and removing those things in our lives that are not pleasing to the Lord.

WHY PRAYER GOES UNANSWERED

James 4:3

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

1. "Ye ask" is a pres. act. ind. and means "to continue to ask." They had been asking.

2. "And receive not" is also a pres. act. ind. and means that they were not getting what they wereasking for. Prayer must meet proper conditions if it is to be answered.

3. "Because ye ask amiss" The word "amiss" is an adverb standing emphatically before the verband means, "In an evil manner, badly." Their petitions were motivated by a mean andunacceptable desire. This is a strong indictment against selfishness in prayer.

4. "That ye may consume" means "to spend." This means that they were asking the Lord forsomething for the purpose of spending.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER FOUR

57

5. "Upon your lusts" Gives the intent or motivation of the prayer. It is like asking the Lord for asum of money to go out and get drunk on. Or, to do something else that springs from the old sinnature. It is asking the Lord to help you gratify the flesh.

A certain man was noted for two things: his poverty and his happiness. He was theembodiment of sunshine, despite the fact that he had none of this world's goods. Someone askedhim if he would not like to be rich. "No sir," was the reply, "I don't want to be rich." "Andwhy?" asked his friend. "Because all the rich I work for never laugh," came the answer. Lustsare never satisfied.

James 4:4

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmitywith God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."1 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses" Can you imagine this being addressed to saved people? Both

men and women are addressed. It is a strong statement against worldliness. The context will bearthis out. The Jews would understand this figurative language. Psa. 73:27-28 says, "For, lo, theythat are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. Butit is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declareall thy works." There are many passages in the Old Testament where God charged Israel withadultery when they were unfaithful to Him. Some of those places are:Isa. 54:5; 57:3-13; Jer.3:20; Ezk. 16:6-29; 23:1-49; Hos. 9:1.

2. "Know ye not" calls for an affirmative answer. This is an appeal to their consciences. They arenot ignorant on this subject. The people who are doing wrong know what they are doing.

3. "That the friendship of the world" The word "friendship" comes from a word that means love.So James is talking about "loving the world" which is forbidden by God;1 John 2:15-17. Theword "world" refers to the world system. The styles, the fads, the likes and dislikes along withall the philosophies of this world must be included in this. Friendship is based on a commoninterest and concern. This statement gives a true evaluation of what worldliness is. Jesus explainsour relationship to the world in John 15:18-21.

4. "Is enmity with God" The word "enmity" is the opposite of love. (Vine ) Webster says, "Theattitude or feeling of an enemy or enemies; hostility." God and the world are at enmity towardone another. When we are friendly to the world we are making friends with God's enemies.

5. "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." This is a hardstatement especially when applied to saved people. But James wants us to know the position thatwe put ourselves in when we become friendly with the world.

In the forests of northern Europe and Asia there lives a little animal called the ermine. He ismostly known to us by his snow white fur, which is the most beautiful in the fur markets of the

5 8

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

world. In some countries the state robes of judges are lined with it, the white being emblematicof purity and honor. The ermine takes a peculiar pride in his white fur coat. At all hazards heprotects it against anything that would spoil it. It is said that the fur hunters take cruel advantageof the ermine's care to keep his coat clean. They do not set a snare to catch him at some unwarymoment, but instead find his home, a cleft in the rock or the hollow of a decaying tree, and daubthe entrance and interior with filth. Then the dogs start their chase. Frightened, the ermine fleestoward his home, his only place of refuge. He finds it daubed with uncleanness, and he will notsoil his pure white coat. Rather than go into the unclean place, he faces the yelping dogs andpreserves the purity of his fur at the price of his life. This should be the stand the Christian takestoward the friendship of this world. Jesus died for us. May we have the courage to stand againstHis foes with Him.

James 4:5

"Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?"

1. "Do ye think" The word think is "dokeite" meaning "do you suppose, does it seem to you, doyou imagine." It may be that one's mind becomes so corrupt that though he sins constantly hehas no sense of guilt. He may even use the Scripture to justify his sin. When this is done, theScriptures are neutralized in their effectiveness to correct the wrong. The tragedy of modernChristianity is that it puts it's seal of approval on those whom the Scripture condemns.

2. "The spirit" refers to the Holy Spirit. Having rebuked their worldliness as spiritual adultery (vs4), and a disregard for the teaching of Scripture (v. 5), James adds a third rebuke: he speaks ofthe reaction of the indwelling Spirit. Then he quotes the Old Testament as confirming that God'sresponse to man is in accord with man's inner attitude.

3. "That dwelleth in us" The word "dwelleth" is an aor. act. ind. The aorist tense refers to a pointof time in the past when the Spirit came into us. When this took place is explained inEph. 1:13.The aorist tense also speaks of a "once for all act." A scriptural explanation would be, "Thatcame to dwell permanently in us at the point of salvation."

4. "Lusteth to envy" The word "lusteth" is from a word (epipothei) meaning "to yearn after, tolong for." It has a prepositional intensifier attached to the word making it indicate the greatestpossible desire and yearning. Another has suggested that the term denotes "the longing affectionof the lover." The word "envy" is used here in the sense of jealousy. God is a jealous God. TheHoly Spirit is in us to do a work. When we are not submitting to His leading He is jealous in thesense He desires to have our affections and support. We understand a husband being jealouswhen his wife gives her attention to another. We are the bride of Christ. He is grieved when wegive our attention to another.

CHAPTER FOUR 59

WHO GOD IS AGAINST

James 4:6

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth graceunto the humble."

1. "But he giveth more grace" It is the grace of God that enables a believer to withstand thenatural inclination to do wrong. God gives grace not to be a friend of the world.

2. "Wherefore he saith" Probably refers to the general teachings of the Word of God. But thereference closest to this is Prov. 3:34: "Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace tothe lowly."

3. "God resisteth the proud" The word "proud" is found in its various forms about six times. Itis a word which is made up of two words which means "to show oneself above." It is self-exaltation. It is to overestimate our own worth. The word "resisteth" is a military term meaning"to take one's position against an enemy, to meet in battle, to set one's self against." This is nota passive resistance of God's but is an active battle that He declares against the proud. Zodhiatessays, "There is no other sin mentioned in the Bible that arouses God in such a way as totransform His lovingkindness into fury. He resists it because it is the only sin which will hinderman from appropriating divine grace."

4. "But giveth grace to the humble" When we are humble we will confess our true condition andwill naturally receive the grace of God, not once and for all, but continuously, as the tense of theverb indicates. When someone asked St Francis of Assisi why and how he could accomplish somuch, he replied: "This may be why. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the earth andsaid, `Where can I find the weakest, the littlest, the meanest man on the face of the earth?' ThenHe saw me and said, `Now I've found him, and I will work through him. He won't be proud ofit. He'll see that I'm only using him because of his littleness and insignificance."' PhillipsBrooks said, "The true way to be humble is not to stoop till you are smaller than yourself, butto stand at your real height against some higher nature that shall show you what the realsmallness of your greatness is."

WHAT TO DO WITH SATAN

James 4:7

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

1. "Submit yourselves therefore to God" The word "submit" means "to place oneself under."It is an action of the will. The Apostle Peter commands us: "Humble yourselves therefore underthe mighty hand of God"1 Pet. 5:6. The word "therefore" means that because "God resisteth the

Administrator

Line


proud, but giveth grace to the humble" we should humble ourselves to His wishes, His will, Hisauthority. When we do, we get grace. When we don't we get justice. Paul is a man whosubmitted to God and look at what God did with him. Satan is one who did not submit to Godand look at what happened to him.

When we submit to God, then the responsibility of the outcome of our lives is His. That isthe reason it says, "God giveth grace to the humble."

2. "Resist the devil" The biggest threat to our humility is the devil. He challenges the will of Godin our lives constantly. A godly life is characterized by its conflicts with sin. The place mostfrequented by Satan is that in which holiness dwells. The word "resist" means, "to stand againstor to take your stand against." This is a defensive battle. Sin and Satan will come after thebeliever. When this happens we must take our stand. Either we will resist him or we will betaken captive by him. There is no discharge in this war.

The word "devil" here means "to accuse, to malign, to slander." This is one of the manynames attributed to Satan. The meaning of this word is descriptive of his principal work. Hecomes to us and accuses God of being mean and not understanding our situation. This isbasically what he did to Eve. Let's look now at a summary of the Doctrine of Satan.

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN

(1) His name was originally Lucifer; Isa. 14:12. The word Lucifer means "bright shinning one."This speaks of splendor and glory.

(2) He is a created being; Ezk. 28:13.

(3) He was perfect in beauty when he was created; Ezk. 28:12.

(4) He was perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him; Ezk. 28:15. This means he wascreated with a will and the possibility of disobedience.

(5) Through pride he rebelled against God and tried to exalt himself above the stars of God; Isa.14:13.

(6) He tempted Adam and Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden;Gen. 3:1-8.

(7) After man sinned, Satan came to be called "the god of this world."2 Cor. 4:3-4.

(8) He is the accuser of the brethren; Rev. 12:10.

(9) He is said to be "as a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour." 1 Pet. 5:8-9.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER FOUR

61

(10) He has a host of demons who evidently followed him in the rebellion that are under hiscontrol; Matt. 12:24-26; Rev. 12:4.

(11) He controls fallen men; Eph. 2:2; John 8:44.

(12) He can get control of the most sincere Christian; Matt. 16:22-23.

(13) Our responsibility regarding Satan is clear:

(a) We must be sober and watch lest he devour us; 1 Pet. 5:8-9.

(b) We must give him no ground whatsoever; Eph. 4:27.

(c) We must resist him on the grounds of the Cross; James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9.

(d) We must put on the whole armor of God; Eph. 6:11-18.

(e) We must not be ignorant of his devices; 2 Cor. 2:11.

(f) We must overcome him by the Word of God;Matt. 4:1-11; 1 John 2:14.

(g) We must triumph over him in Christ's Name; Eph. 1:19-22; 2:6.

(h) We must overcome him by the blood of the Lamb;Rev. 12:11.

3. "And he will flee from you" This is a tremendous promise. Satan can be successfully resisted.Billy Bray, the Cornish miner, whose rugged piety has been a blessing to many, says that oneyear his crop of potatoes turned out so poorly that, when he was digging them, Satan, at hiselbow, said, "There, Billy, isn't that poor pay for serving your Father the way you have all theyear? Just see those small potatoes!" He stopped digging and replied, "Ah, Satan, at 'it again:talking against my Father, bless His name! Why, when I served you I did not get any potatoesat all. What are you talking about?" Thanking God for whatever He gives us is one sure way ofresisting the devil. He cannot stand being around places where there is constant praise of God.He would rather be around where there is complaining and grumbling and praise of self.


GETTING CLOSE TO GOD

James 4:8

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; andpurify your hearts, ye double minded."

1. "Draw nigh to God" One of the great mysteries concerning God is the fact of His being soaccessible and near. "Draw nigh" means to take the step of faith and approach God. It is in theimperative mood, therefore, a command. It is aorist tense meaning to do it once for all; itprobably means to draw nigh with the intention of staying there. Only in Christ can this be done.Man changes. He will be hot one day and cold the next. But Jesus never changes; He is the sameyesterday, today and forever.

In the Old Testament tabernacle, to draw nigh to God you had to come through the outercourt. In the outer court you first came to the brazen altar (the cross) where the sacrifice had tobe made. Then you came to the laver (sanctification) where you washed before entering the holyplace. When you came into the holy place, there was only the veil separating you from theShekinah glory of God. But now that Jesus has died, even the veil has been taken away; Heb.10:20. So, in the light of this we are told inHeb. 10:22, "Let us draw near with a true heart infull assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodieswashed with pure water."

2. "And he will draw nigh to you" "Draw nigh" here is a future active ind. The future tense meansin the future, consequent of our coming to Him. It is the picture of the prodigal coming to thefather's house. The order is never reversed. It is our duty to draw nigh to God and in doing soHe draws nigh to us.

3. "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners" This statement has its origin in the practice of the priestswashing their hands and their feet before entering the tabernacle; Mark 7:3; Exo. 30:19-21; Lev.16:4. Zodhiates says that the hands are the organs and symbols of ethical actions. So this wouldmean that those to whom James is speaking had been sinful in their actions. Now it is impossibleto live without sin and because of this God has provided a laver; 1 John 1:9. For a man tosuppose that he can by-pass that laver on his way to worship God is to place God, by his action,on the level of sinful man. This is no doubt the reason he addresses them as "sinners". This isdefinitely speaking to those who are addressed as "brethren" in 3:12.

4. "And purify your hearts" The word "purify" means "to sanctify." It means our hearts are tobe set aside to be used of the Lord. The heart is the seat of the mind, emotion and will. It isprobably used synonymously with the soul. It is easy to give our hearts to selfish or worldlypursuits. James tells us to sanctify our hearts. Consecrate them to the use of our Lord. If we do,the mind, emotion and will will be subjected to His Lordship.

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER FOUR

63

5. "Ye double minded" We discussed this word back in chapter one verse eight. It refers to a manof two souls. It speaks of a wavering and doubtful disposition. There are many Christians whowaver between the world and God. They are unstable in all their ways. Jesus taught us to havea single eye. He said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit forthe kingdom of God."

Another aspect to which we would call your attention is that this refers to man's inner life,the heart. Man can clean his hands and appear to men to be right but men cannot see his heart.This man can be wavering and doubtful without others seeing. But we are to live before the Lord.Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God"Matt. 5:8. Dr. Robert E. Speertells the story of an old sculptor who was cutting a figure that was to stand in a niche in the wallso that it's back would never be seen, yet he was working with the same painstaking care on theback as on the front. Someone asked, "Why are you working on the back of that figure? No onewill see it." "Ah," replied the sculptor, "God will always be looking upon it." So this storyillustrates something about which all of us should be concerned. God looks upon us and searchesour inner lives. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart.

STEPS IN DRAWING NIGH TO GOD

(1) Take the initiative: "Let us..."

(2) Have a "true heart." Absolute sincerity

(3) Come to God "In full assurance of faith."

(4) Inward cleansing: "Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience."

(5) External cleansing: "And our bodies washed with pure water." SeeEph. 5:26.

SELF HUMILIATION

James 4:9

"Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joyto heaviness."

1. "Be afflicted" (Talaiporeo) Vine says that this word came to signify that which is miserable.It is in the middle voice and gives the meaning of self-inflicted misery. Paul says, "0 wretchedman that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"Rom. 7:24. The word"wretched" comes from the same Greek root. The burden of indwelling sin was a load which theapostle could neither cast off nor bear. He could only groan under its pressure and long fordeliverance by a power greater than his own. Now those to whom James is writing had evidentlycome under the power of the old sin nature and were not disturbed over their condition. There


is a time to rejoice, but not when you are under the power of sin and doing the things that theywere doing.

2. "And mourn and weep" Jesus said, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted"Matt. 5:4. Man does not want to do this; he had rather be laughing all the time. Man is ashamedto reveal his true state. If he is miserable, he covers it up. A professional clown recently cameto entertain the children at a Christian Academy. In just a moment after he began his act he hadthe students' undivided attention and rolling with laughter. After the performance, the pastor,who was also the head of the Academy, invited him to his office. Soon, in their conversation, theclown revealed that inwardly he was a miserable and lonely man. He asked the pastor, "Whatdo you believe it takes for a man to be saved?" It wasn't long until the professional clown andthe pastor were kneeling and he received Christ as his personal Saviour. Now he knows thesource of true joy and happiness. He was able to laugh and cause laughter when he really neededto mourn.

3. "Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into heaviness" Any laughter andrejoicing experienced by these professing Christians would have to be carnal and thereforesinful. It is as if James says, "Wipe that silly smile off your face. Quit that hypocritical rejoicing!The way you people are acting you need to be mourning over your condition.

James 4:10

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

1. "Humble yourselves" This means that we are responsible for the attitude of pride. The lack ofhumility is our fault. We must take action to correct this. God gives us a verbal rebuke throughHis Word and also brings circumstances to our lives to humble us. But we must humbleourselves and receive these things as from the Lord or they will not profit us.

2. "In the sight of the Lord" This takes all the hypocrisy out of it. One of the most disgustingthings is to see someone "acting" humble. James says that this is to be done in the sight of theLord. This assures that it will be from the heart.

3. "And he shall lift you up" The life of Joseph is an illustration of this principle. He humbledhimself in Potiphar's house and the Lord laid it upon this Egyptian captain to make him the headof his whole household. The same thing happened when he was put in prison and he was finallyexalted over the entire land of Egypt. God gave us a pattern in Jesus Christ. First, He "madehimself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likenessof men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient untodeath, even the death of the cross." Then, after He did this, the Scriptures say, "Wherefore Godalso hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at thename of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER FOUR

65

the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father;Phil. 2:7-11.

QUIT CRITICIZING YOUR BRETHREN

James 4:11

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgethhis brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou artnot a doer of the law, but a judge."

1. "Speak not evil one of another, brethren" To do this is contrary to the spirit of Christianity.In becoming Christians, we all admitted that we were sinners beyond our ability to do anythingabout it. We recognized if we were to be saved it would have to be based on the grace of Godalone. This means that we have already admitted that there is much in each of us worthy ofcriticism. When we come down to it, the things which we may accuse our brethren of are thevery sins which we may have committed in our own minds and hearts. The fact that others didnot know of it does not mean that God did not.

A man in a responsible position, entrusted with large sums of money, was one day temptedto put some of the cash to his own account. He knew that it would be a long time before his theftcould be discovered. He resisted the temptation but felt that he must tell somebody the anguishof mind through which he had passed. He went, therefore, to the man who had occupied theposition before him, and told him all about the temptation, and how he had almost fallen. To hissurprise, the man did not reprove him, but put his hand on his shoulder in a fatherly sort of wayand said, "I know exactly how you felt. I went through it all myself when I occupied yourposition." It was of course humiliating for both men to admit the temptation of the heart,although neither had committed a crime.

2. "He that speaketh evil of his brother" Remember, James is addressing himself to existingconditions. He is not shadow boxing. The word "speak" means "to speak flippantly, withoutexercise of the faculty of reason." It is running one's mouth without cause.

3. "And judgeth his brother" The word "judgeth" here means "to condemn." In this word Jamesis showing what their evil speaking amounted to. Evil speaking is the same as condemningsomeone and by so doing we are assuming to have the same authority as the Word of God. Alady, paying an early morning visit to a neighbor, was ushered into a rather untidy room forwhich her hostess profusely apologized, but her visitor smilingly replied, "I had eyes for nothingbut these lovely roses," pointing to a vase of beauties which occupied a prominent place on thetable. Just as the eye sees what it looks for, so the soul that is itself beautiful finds all that is bestand noblest, and most worthy of praise, in the men and women that surround us.

66

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

4. "Speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law" Manton says that every sin is an affront to thelaw that forbids it. He says that by doing contrary to it we do, in effect, judge the law not fit tobe obeyed.

5. "But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law but a judge" That is, when youexercise such a rash superiority over the law, you exempt yourself from obedience and subjectionto it. This is true when you approve what the law condemns. This is also true when we Christianstoday approve what the word of God condemns. It is so easy to fall into this trap. We takeourselves out from under the very word we claim to believe.

THE JUDGE PLAYS GOD

James 4:12

"There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgestanother?"

1. "There is one lawgiver" There are others who have had the name of lawgivers but only Godis the absolute and supreme Lawgiver. He is the only One Who when He gives a law can neverbe wrong about it. He is the only One Who can be absolutely right about the judgment of thosewho break the law. In other words, no one can deny the charges brought against them for thebreaking of His law. They cannot deny they did it and they cannot say they didn't mean it orunderstand. God is omniscient.

2. "Who is able to save and to destroy" This part of the verse recognizes God's sovereignty orHis absolute power over man. In His sovereignty He chooses to save the believer and to destroythe unbeliever.

3. "Who art thou that judgest another?" Jesus said, "Judge not according to the appearance, butjudge righteous judgment" John 7:24. It seems that we are commanded to exercise our judgmentin situations, but refrain from passing judgment on our fellow beings. There is a story that willillustrate this. Dr. Miller of the Central Emergency Hospital in San Francisco said they had agreen nurse in the detention ward where they also had a very violent case. He said the man wasin the worse stage of delirium tremens. The doctor tells of being awakened in the middle of thenight by the head nurse requesting that he come immediately to the patient. He said, "When I gotthere I found him raving and very violent, with the new nurse scared out of her wits." Then thedoctor said, "Why did you let him go so far? I left you with medicine to give him as soon as hegot delirious." "Yes, doctor," replied the nurse, "but you told me to give that to him if he sawany more snakes, and this time he was seeing blue dogs with pink tails."

The nurse should have had judgment enough to know if the medicine would take care of thesnakes it would get the blue dogs with pink tails. Judgment is a great gift of God in the way wehave just illustrated it. It is something no other of God's creation has.

CHAPTER FOUR

67

A lawyer once asked a man who had at various times sat on juries, "Who influenced youmost- the lawyers, the witnesses, or the judge"? He expected to get some useful and interestinginformation from an experienced juryman. This was the man's reply: " I tell you sir I alwaysmake up my own mind. I am a plain man, and a reasoning man, and I am not influenced byanything the lawyers say, nor by what the witnesses say. No, nor by what the judge says. I justlook at the man in the dock, and I say, "If he hasn't done anything wrong why is he there?" AndI bring them all in guilty! There are a lot of Christians like that juryman. Without giving fullconsideration to facts and evidence, they judge. It is against such judgment James writes.

HOW TO PLAN TOMORROW

James 4:13

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue therea year, and buy and sell," and get gain:

1. "Go to now" is a phrase intended to provoke them to consideration. It is a statement to motivatethem to action.

2. "Ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city," Here it speaks to the businessmen. Merchants did their business like this. He is speaking to those who undertake businesswithout seeking the will of God in the matter.

3. "And buy and sell and get gain" These are the words of a man who is used to making his plansand working them. A business man has been given talents and abilities. He can work a plan outin his mind to make money and he can make it work. He has that ability. But here we see thateven God-given talents and abilities are not to be used without our Lord's guidance. A principalmay be suggested here. Many people are born with talents in music, art, public speaking, etc.These can be dedicated to the service of God. But it is also possible that God would not allowthese talents and abilities to be used until a person has grown enough spiritually to use themwithout being built up with pride through the use of them.

James 4:14

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even avapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

1. "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow" God, our Creator has endowed us withmany gifts and faculties, among them memory. We can recall the past but as much as we wouldlike we cannot foretell the future. St. Augustine said, "God will not suffer man to have theknowledge of things to come: for if he had prescience of his prosperity, he would be careless;and understanding of his adversity, he would be senseless." James says you talk of a long time(v. 13: "Continue a year."), and you do not even know what will happen on the next day. We are

68

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

serving a God who knows tomorrow so we should never make a move concerning tomorrowwithout consulting Him.

Then, let's look at another question. Is it wrong for a person to make provisions for thefuture? The answer is suggested by Solomon. Solomon tells us to learn from the ant: "Considerher ways, and be wise; she provideth her meat in summer, and gathereth her food in harvest;"Prov. 6:6-8. Joseph laid up food in the cities against the years of famine; Gen. 41:35. But we arealso to be governed by Matt. 6:19-20: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, wheremoth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselvestreasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not breakthrough and steal." These thoughts do not contradict each other. A spiritual man is sensible abouthis spiritual future as much as he is about his future physical needs. If a person goes overboardin any area it should be to lay up treasures in heaven.

2. "For what is your life?" Life is not composed of a few chemical elements that make up thebody. Life is not only distance in time but is existence and actions relative to everything onecomes in contact with.

3. "It is even a vapor" James is emphasizing the time or duration here. The brevity of life is setforth by many comparisons in Scripture: by the flowers of the field, Isa. 40:6-7; by the wind,Job7_7; a leaf before the wind, Job 13:25; by a shadow,Job 14:2. This does not teach the extinctionof life after death. When we see the vapor disappear it does not follow that it ceases to exist.

James 4:15

"For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

1. "For that ye ought to say" Many times we do not know what to say. Here we are told. God'sword spells it out for us. This means that even in our talk we should acknowledge God's will andauthority over us.

2. "If the Lord will" The word "If' makes it conditional. The word "Lord" acknowledges oursubmission to His authority. The word "will" acknowledges His Sovereignty, His ultimateauthority. All our undertakings must be referred to the will of God.

3. "We shall live" means that our life right here on the earth is in His hands. God is notdisinterested or uninvolved.

4. "And do this, or that" The words "this or that" means that it is referring to any conceivablething. It means if we seek and do God's will in the "this or that" it will truly be a happyexperience.

CHAPTER FOUR 69

James 4:16

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY

(1) God has supreme volition. He is absolutely free in all his decisions; Isa. 40:13-14.

(2) God is unlimited in power in His control over the affairs of nature and history;Isa. 45:9-19; Rom. 8:18-39.

(3) God in His sovereignty is working out a plan in human history to save His creation; Eph.1:11.

(4) Once a person is saved, God works His sovereign will in man so man can cooperate withGod's will; Phil. 2:13.

(5) A believer is predestined to body glorification, and an eternal inheritance by God'ssovereign will; Eph. 1:5.11. The "Adoption" is the redemption of the body;Rom. 8:23.

(6) God works in His sovereignty to secure those whom He has predestinated; Phil. 1:6.

(7) God's sovereignty is never to be seen as removing man's free will or responsibility tochoose; 1 Tim 4:10.

"But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil."

1. "But now ye rejoice in your boastings" Boasting seems to be something that we all inheritedwith the fall of Adam. It is hard for us to rid ourselves of it even as Christians. We even boastof our humility! When Bonaparte was about to invade Russia, a person who had endeavored todissuade him from his purpose, finding he could not prevail, quoted to him the proverb, "A manproposes, but God disposes." Napoleon indignantly replied, I dispose as well as propose." AChristian, on hearing the impious boast, remarked, "I set that down as the turning point ofBonaparte's fortunes. God will not suffer a creature with impunity thus to usurp Hisprerogative." It happened to Bonaparte just as the person predicted. His invasion of Russia wasthe commencement of his fall.

There is a story of a little watch which became dissatisfied with its little sphere in a lady'spocket. It envied Big Ben, the great tower clock in London, as one day it passed with it'smistress over Westminster Bridge. "I wish I could be up there," said the little watch so delicatelystrung. "I could then serve the multitude." "You shall have your opportunity, little watch," saida voice. Magically the watch was drawn up to the tower by a slender thread. When it reached thetop, its mistress said to it, "Where are you, little watch? I cannot see you." Nor could anybodyelse. It's elevation became its annihilation. The little watch may have been proud that it reachedsuch heights, but it destroyed its usefulness to itself and others.

Administrator

Line

70

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

The following is an interesting article someone has written:

Think about yourself.Talk about yourself.Use "I" as often as possible.Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.Listen greedily to what people say about you.Be suspicious.Expect to be appreciated.Be jealous and envious.Be sensitive to slights.Never forgive a criticism.Trust nobody but yourself.Insist on consideration and the proper respect.Demand agreement with your own views on everything.Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them.Never forget a service you may have rendered.Be on the lookout for a good time for yourself.Shirk your duties if you can.Do as little as possible for others.Love yourself supremely.Be selfish.This recipe is guaranteed to be infallible. It will surely make you miserable.

2. "All such rejoicing is evil" The word evil means "bad, useless, good for nothing." Neitherdeception nor boasting about the success of one's deception does anybody any good, not eventhe boaster. It just helps to puff him up, which is bad for him. A boatman once took a party outboating. In the group was a young man who was a "know-it-all". After getting out to the opensea, the boatman gave life belts to everyone except this egotistical young man. "Where is mine?"cried the terrified youth. "Don't worry!" said the boatmen, "you don't need a life belt. You'llnever be drowned. A fellow with a head as hollow as yours can't sink!" The man who thinks hehas a full head, but brags about his evil doings, independent of God, shows how empty-headedhe really is. And in the sight of God and men he is declared to be good-for-nothing.

THE SIN OF OMISSION

James 4:17

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

1. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good" This is to be taken in context. It refersparticularly to those merchants about whom he has just been speaking. They were not ignorantof their wrong. The word "knoweth" is from a word that means "to see." It refers to a positive

knowledge. It is one thing to do wrong in ignorance; it is quite another to willingly do wrongwhen you know what you are doing is wrong.

2. "And doeth it not, to him it is sin" Does this mean that if a person does wrong and is inignorance of his wrong that it is not sin? Absolutely not. It is still sin but the responsibility forwhich he would be held accountable would be different. Any violation of God's will is sinwhether in ignorance or full knowledge. David prayed, "Keep back thy servant also frompresumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall beinnocent from the great transgression" Psa. 19:13.

It is a Christian's duty to refer everything to the will of God in light of life's uncertainties.We must never act as if we are equal with God.

71

JAMES CHAPTER FIVE

THE RICH HAVE A BAD REPUTATION

James 5:1

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you."

1. "Go to now, ye rich men" The first six verses of this chapter are a prophetic and sterndenunciation of the ungodly rich. The rich are not condemned here because they are rich, but itis hard to possess riches without being corrupted. The problems that the rich will have is clearlystated in 1 Tim. 6:9-10.

2. "Weep and howl" "Weep" is an aor. act. imperative. This is a command and it refers to a pointof time in the past. Since it is speaking about something that is not happening but should, itmeans that this is something that should have been already taking place. The word "howl" is apres. act. ptc. The present participle represents action as taking place at the same time as theaction of the main verb. The word "howl" means "to lament aloud." There is no conjunctionbetween these two words in the Greek text, so it means "Weep howling." You need to beweeping aloud over this.

3. "For your miseries" The word means "wretchedness, calamity."

4. "That shall come upon you" This is a prediction. God knows the future. God is telling themthat their efforts to protect themselves from future miseries by this means of obtaining wealthis useless. Their future did not include the need for wealth.

Josephus tells us about a persecution of the Jews in Alexander only forty years after theascension of Christ. By the command of Falcus they were forced into a strait place of the city,without sustenance, food, or fresh air, where they were not able to stir one for another, and if anywandered abroad, they were knocked down and slain. Many of them were smoked and chokedto death in a fire. Thirty-eight of their counsellors and rich men were sent for, dragged throughthe streets, and beaten to death.

James 5:2

"Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten."

1. "Your riches are corrupted" "Are corrupted" is a perf. act. ind. This means that their richeshad been corrupted in the past and remained in that condition. James is talking to a particulargroup of rich. He had addressed them in Chapter four. It is not a sin to be rich. Abraham was richand many other followers of the Lord have been. But these had never submitted to the Lordshipof Christ. They went on their trading ventures without so much as consulting the will of God in

72

CHAPTER FIVE

73

the matter. One cannot separate his relationship to the Lord from his business life. One is eithera Christian twenty-four hours a day or he is not a Christian at all.

An Arab once lost his way in the desert and was in danger of dying from hunger. At last hefound one of the cisterns out of which the camels drink, and a little leather bag near it. "God bethanked," he exclaimed. "Ah, here are some dates or nuts; let me refresh myself." He opened thebag, but only to turn away in disappointment. Alas, they were only pearls, and what good werethey to a man who was dying of hunger? Was this man rich or poor? He was rich, yet poor. Hisriches were corrupted as James says in our verse.

2. "And your garments are motheaten" This is a perf. act. ind. The perfect tense means that ithappened in the past and it remains true. This could mean that they were wearing motheatengarments in order to hoard money. The rich often make money their security. The Lord is theChristian's supply and security against the day of famine.

James 5:3

"Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, andshall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days."

1. "Your gold and silver is cankered" The phrase "is cankered" is a perf. act. ind. It is alreadyin that condition.

2. "And the rust of them shall be" The phrase "shall be" is fut. mid. ind. It means that the goldand silver shall of themselves witness against you.

3. "And shall eat your flesh as it were fire" The phrase "shall eat" is fut. mid. ind. These thingsthat you have put your confidence in will do to you what fire will do. Riches are provisions forthe flesh. But instead of providing protection, they themselves turn into a destructive force todestroy the flesh.

4. "Ye have heaped treasure together" The verb is aor. act. ind. These rich men had stacked itup.

5. "For the last days" This seems to indicate that they had the prophetic information of the GreatTribulation. The last days here is not a reference to the last days of their lives, as old age. Thereare those today who would hoard stores of things to take them through the tribulation period.There is absolutely no verse of scripture in the Bible which would justify this kind of action. Ifa person wants to get ready for the tribulation period, let him do it by winning the unsaved;before the tribulation, the Lord will come and store us all in His presence!!!

The Parable of the Rich Fool is a good commentary on this verse:Luke 12:16-21.

74

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

James 5:4

"Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you keptback by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of theLord of sabaoth."

1. "Behold, the hire of the laborers" The word "behold" means "Look!" or "See here." The "hire"refers to wages. "Laborers" refers to those who work for the rich.

2. "Who have reaped down your fields" The rich businessmen had fields equivalent to our farmswhere people are hired to reap when the harvest comes.

3. "Which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth" This statement implies some legal technicality.They were cheating their workers out of honestly earned money by some legal means. This kindof dishonest action cries out to be punished.

4. "And the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of saboath"God has heard and He will even the score in judgment. This is a transliteration of the Hebrewplural noun "Of Hosts." It is one of the most majestic titles of the God of Israel. It expresses notonly His majesty and power as Creator and Ruler of the world, but also as Commander of thehosts of heaven.

James 5:5

"Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts,as in a day of slaughter."

1. "Ye have lived in pleasure" The verb is (truphao) aor. act. ind. meaning, "to give one's self upto pleasure." The aorist tense means it is a past fact. The active voice means that they wereresponsible for their actions. They were not just the victims of their society.

2. "And been wanton" The verb here is (spatalao) an aor. act. ind. meaning, "self-gratification."It is found only one other place in the New Testament where it is translated "live in pleasure"I Tim. 5:6. Zodhiates says the first word applies to the rich faring sumptuously every day, butthe second one might be laid to the charge of the Prodigal, scattering his substance in riotousliving. In modern Greek the word means "to waste."

In the palace of Nero in Rome, not far from the Colosseum, where the Christian martyrswere tortured and killed, there is a dining room that had something like a well in the middle ofit. Nero and his guests used to eat so much that they could not hold any more, so they would goto this hole in the midst of the room, vomit what they had just eaten and begin again. Howdisgusting, yet it is true. Such was the life of the notorious Nero. He was a man, yet he lived as

CHAPTER FIVE

7 5

a pig. And no doubt we could find many such pigs in the night clubs and luxurious rooms of ourmodern aristocracy.

3. "Ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter" The heart is the seat of lusts anddesires. The word nourished can be translated "fattened." There are farmers who buy cattle inorder to fatten them for the slaughter. In our verse it is speaking of the judgment. The rich fattentheir hearts, satisfy their lusts and are headed straight for the judgment. They seem to be assenseless about it as the stupid cow that is being fattened for the slaughter. A boy who hadmanaged to make the pigs follow him faithfully to the slaughter house was asked how he did it.He said, "That is easy, I just go before them and I keep dropping a few beans, and so feedingthem I lead them to the slaughter." That is the technique of the devil. He baits us and leads usalong until we are trapped.

James 5:6

"Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you."

I . "Ye have condemned and killed the just" This could be paraphrased "Because the just do notresist you, you have exploited and taken advantage of the passive attitude and the peacefuldesires of the just. This speaks of the absolute ruthlessness of the ungodly mighty and rich. Theydiscover that the Just of this earth will not resist them or will not utilize the same bloodymethods that they do, therefore, they oppress them all the more. The passivity and peacefulnessof the Just emboldens the wicked. The word condemned (katedikasate) is a word which impliesa lawsuit. This may have been the method they used. Then they killed them to stop thepossibility of protest.

God is committed to judge these rich people who have at their disposal the means tocondemn and kill the Just. He will even the score and exercise punishment more than equal totheir crimes.

2. "And he doth not resist you" The verb is pres. mid. ind. The middle voice means he does notdefend himself. He trusts God to be his defense and take care of him.

THE DOCTRINE OF TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK

(1) Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek; Matt. 5:38-48.

(2) We are like sheep led to the slaughter; Matt. 10:16; Rom. 8:36.

(3) We are taught to take wrong;1 Cor. 6:7; 1 Pet. 3:17.

(4) Servants were taught to submit to oppressive masters;1 Pet. 2:18-24.


(5) We are to recompense no man evil for evil; Rom.12:17.

(6) We are taught to trust the Lord to even all scores;Rom.12:19-21.

James5:7

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandmanwaiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive theearly and latter rain."

1. "Be patient therefore, brethren" The verb is imperative; therefore, a command. The word"patience" means "longsuffering." Patience is abiding under afflictions without murmuring andaccepting injuries without revenge. Longsuffering is patience extended and lengthened out sothat it is able to do its "perfect work." James 1:4 The word "brethren" reaffirms his confidencein their salvation.

2. "Unto the coming of the Lord" This part of the verse tells us how long that we are expectedto be patient. Many believe a person has to "hold out faithful to the end" to be saved. This is nottaught in the Scripture. Salvation is a gift of God to a believer. But Christians are expected to befaithful to the end as a service of love to our wonderful Saviour. This is what James is speakingabout.

3. "Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath longpatience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain" Clement, another Greek churchfather, born about A.D. 150, informs us that James and his brother Jude were farmers. Thisexplains why James so often brings vivid illustrations from a farmer's life. It was something thathe lived with and fully understood. He knew how hard a farmer had to work, and how long hehad to wait for the yielding of the ground, and how fully dependent upon God a farmer had tobe for this yield. Thus, he once again turns to his own farming experience to give us anillustration with which to counteract the anticipated objection by the Christian to be long-suffering until the coming of the Lord to vindicate righteousness. "Behold," says James, "thehusbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until hereceive the early and latter rain."

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE SECOND COMING

(1) Jesus promised He would return for His disciples; John14:3; Acts 1:10-11.

(2) We are taught to look for His return;Matt.24:42.

(3) We are taught to wait for His return;I Thess. 1:10.

(4) We are to keep ourselves prepared for His return; I Thess.3:13

Administrator

Line

CHAPTER FIVE 77

(5) This is the "Blessed Hope" of Christians; Titus 2:11-14.

(6) This hope purifies Christians; 1 John 3:3.

(7) This is when the resurrection and rapture will take place; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58.

(8) The hope of His return will be ridiculed by scoffers in the last days; 2 Pet. 3:3-4.

(9) We are to live in such a way as not to be embarrassed at His return; 1 John 2:28.

THE LORD'S RETURN IS IMMINENT

James 5:8

"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

1. "Be ye also patient" The word is aor. act. imper. It is a command, therefore, a duty. The wordalso means that the believer is to be patient just as the farmer.

2. "Stablish your hearts" The word "stablish" means a "prop." What he actually advises us to dois to prop ourselves up. That means the heart is drooping and needs a prop. So many times wewant God to prop us up or we expect other Christians to do it. And sometimes we feel that whenwe fail it is the other person's fault. James is telling us that we have the responsibility ofpropping up our own hearts. Mohammed once overheard one of his followers say, "I will loosemy camel and commit it to God." "Friend," said Mohammed, "Tie thy camel and commit it toGod." Try to prop up your heart in times of discouragement. Running away from your problemwill not solve it. The heart is the mind, emotion, and will. Here is the battle ground.

3. "For the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" The word "coming" here means "body presence."(parousia) He is saying the coming of the Lord is so real, so certain, so imminent that we canlook for Him any time. McCheyne, the Scotch preacher once said to some friends, "Do you thinkChrist will come tonight?" One after another they said, "I think not." When all had given thisanswer, he solemnly repeated this text, "The Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."

DON'T HOLD A GRUDGE. JESUS IS WATCHING

James 5:9

"Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judgestandeth before the door."

1. "Grudge not one against another, brethren" The word "grudge" means "to have feelings thatare internal and unexpressed." So if we have hidden feelings against a brother, even though they

Administrator

Line

78

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

are unexpressed, it is still sin. God desires our happiness and this happiness cannot be in the lifeof one who has hidden feelings toward a brother or sister in Christ. This means we must forgiveour brethren immediately instead of desiring to see them punished by God for an injustice theyhave inflicted upon us. The tense is present so it is speaking about a continuous thing going on.Some people carry a grudge and grumble all the time. Once I read of a church calling a newpastor. There were only a few negative votes, the great majority being in favor of the nominee.A gracious member of the minority moved to make the choice unanimous. But one man in theminority, a stern old Scotchman, was by no means disposed to make any such soft surrender ofopinion and he wasted no words. His ultimatum was quick and straight. "There is one thing yemight as well understand right here and now. I'll let you know there will never be anythingunanimous in this church as long as I am in it." To be a chronic griper in God's family is anawful thing. A certain father was a chronic growler. He was sitting with his family in thepresence of a guest in the parlor one day when the question of food came up. One of the children,a little girl, was telling the guest very cleverly what food each member of the family liked best.Finally it came to the father's turn to be described. "And what do I like, Nancy?" he askedlaughingly. "You," said the little girl slowly, "Well, you like most anything we haven't got."

2. "Lest ye be condemned" Since grudging is a sin, the judgment of God is sure to those whocontinue in it. To avoid judgment, the sin must be repented of.

3. "Behold the judge standeth before the door" This speaks of eminence. This is the languageof Rev. 3:20.

James 5:10

"Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for anexample of suffering affliction, and of patience."

1. "My brethren" refers to the prophets. James is calling them his brethren. Paul is my brother;James is my brother; the prophets are my brethren.

2. "Take" is a pres. act. ind. verb. It is in the emphatic position in the sentence which means itstands first in the sentence.

3. "The prophets" qualifies the words "My brethren." The prophets were attacked for theirmessage. Jeremiah was put in prison for telling the truth. There are many New Testamentreferences to the persecution of the Old Testament prophets;Matt. 5:12: 22:6; 23:29-37; Luke13:33; Acts 7:51-52.

4. "Who have spoken in the name of the Lord" They were sent by Him, they represented Him,and their message had the effect of God speaking. "Thus saith the Lord!"

CHAPTER FIVE

79

5. "Example" means a "pattern or model." Those to whom James is speaking know their OldTestament scriptures. They know about the persecution that the prophets endured. James issaying these men are our model. Follow the pattern these men set out for us.

6. "Suffering affliction" This means "the suffering of what is base or evil." This is evil in thesense of ridicule, torture, abuse, etc.

7. "Patience" This word shows that they courageously endured the afflictions without giving in.

James 5:11

"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, andhave seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."

1. "Behold, we count them happy which endure" The verb "endure" pictures a great load beingplaced upon one. It is the ability to carry these burdens that will make others call us blessed afterwe are gone. There is a story that will illustrate the meaning of this part of the verse.

St. Basil was a great man of God, one of the greatest of the church fathers. One of his nobleorations is dedicated to the memory of forty martyrs of Sebaste who were ordered by the officersof Licinius, in the year A.D. 320, to offer sacrifices to heathen idols. These were soldiers whohad proven to be excellent in every respect. They had become valiant in battle, and theirreputation among the kings was great. But Licinius the Emperor issued a decree that they mustrenounce Christ or else their lives would be in danger. Those who refused to give up Christ weresubmitted to indescribable brutalities and tortures. The story is as follows:

"The torturers were called forth. The first was ready and the sword was sharpened ... Thensome of the persecuted Christians fled, others succumbed, others wavered, and some before evenbeing submitted to the tortures were afraid because of their threatenings. Some, when facing thetortures, became dizzy. Others entered the battle, but were not able to persevere to the end insuffering the pains, and this is why in the middle of the martyrdom they renounced Christ andsank ... At that time the invincible and gallant soldiers of Christ proceeded visibly to the middleat the time when the judge was showing the decree of the king and was asking them to submitto it. Without being afraid of anything which they saw, nor losing their heads as a result of theirthreatenings, they confessed that they were Christians. Blessed tongues which pronounced thoseholy words, which sanctified the air, which were commended by the angels, which wounded thedevil and the demons, and which the Lord registered in the heavens."

These Christian soldiers were offered money and honors in order to induce them to join theranks of the heathen. But to earthly honors they would not yield. Then came threats ofindescribable tortures. What an answer these Christian soldiers gave: "Do you have blessings ofequal value to those you endeavor to deprive us of, to give us? We hate your gift because it willmean our loss. We do not accept honor which is the mother of dishonesty. You offer us money


which remains here, glory which fades away ... We have despised the whole world. Those thingswhich we see in the world do not have for us the value of the heavenly things which we hope andlong for ... We are afraid of only one punishment, the punishment of hell. We are here ready tobe tortured ... for you to twist our bodies and to burn them."

The judge was infuriated by the courage of these brave Christians, and so he devised a slowand most painful way of putting them to death. It was very cold. He waited for the night whenthe wind was violent and the air freezing. He ordered these soldiers to be thrown naked on thefrozen lake in the center of the town to die from freezing. There is no more atrocious and painfuldeath than that. These Christian soldiers did not have to be forced to take off their clothes. Theytook them off themselves and marched on to the frozen lake. As each went, he said, "We are notmerely putting off our clothes, but we are putting off `the old man, which is corrupt accordingto the deceitful lusts"' (Eph. 4:22). All together they shouted, "The winter is bitter, but heavenis sweet; the freezing painful, but sweet the rest. Let us persevere a little longer and we shall bewarmed in the bosom of the Patriarch [meaning Christ]. Let us exchange all the eternity for thepains of one night. Let the leg be burned so that it may ever dance with the angels ... How manysoldiers have died in the battle remaining faithful to a mortal king, and we, for the sake ofremaining faithful to the true king, shall we not sacrifice this life? ... We are going to dieanyway; let us die so that we may live." Their prayer was unanimous and ascended with onevoice, "Forty have we entered this ordeal, may all forty of us receive the crown of martyrdom.Oh, Despot, grant that not one of our number may yield ... You honored this number because youfasted forty days."

In spite of this earnest prayer, one of their number did not persevere and gave in to the offersof the heathen persecutors. Great sorrow came upon the others because only thirty-nine remainedin the arena of death. Their plea became even more vigorous to their Heavenly Father. Fortyentered the ordeal and forty wanted to see the face of the Lord. The deserter came to the warmplace prepared by the emperor's executioners. But going from the extreme cold to the warmplace, and plunging himself into the water, he died instantly. The guard, a heathen who waswatching all the developments and saw angels ministering to these saints of God, on hearingtheir prayers, decided to answer them. He took off his clothes and declared with a loud voice,"I am a Christian, too," and jumped naked on the frozen lake joining the thirty-nine to completetheir number to forty. Thus their prayer was answered, for forty entered the ordeal of martyrdomand forty saw the face of Jesus Christ. Now, whose memory was cursed and whose was blessed?We call the saints who persevered unto death blessed, indeed.

2. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job" The verb is aor. act ind meaning they knew of thepatience of Job because they were students of the Scriptures.

3. "And have seen the end of the Lord" The verb here is also an aor. act. ind. meaning "Ye saw."They had seen how God had blessed in the end for Job. This is the point James is making.Patience is never wasted. God always keeps His promises to us. God never forgets us as His

CHAPTER FIVE

8 1

children and we always win out in the end. You see, the Lord controls the end! Have you everread the last book and the last chapter of the Bible?!

4. "That the Lord is very pitiful" The word "pitiful" is from a word meaning "intense inneryearnings of the heart." The Lord is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities."

5. "And of tender mercy" The reason why Job had such a good end was God's tender mercy, nothis own merit. We need to always remember that God responds to our need not because wedeserve it but because He is "very pitiful" and of "tender mercy" toward us.

If we would look beyond the immediate to the end we would be happy in the midst ofaffliction. "Fine day," said a man to a farmer, "Bad for potatoes," was the discontented reply.Next day being wet, "Fine weather for potatoes," said the man. "Yes, but bad for corn," said thefarmer.

James 5:12

"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth,neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall intocondemnation."

1. "Swear not" is a pres. imper. The present tense tells us that it was going on. The imperativemood is a command to stop. It is hard to imagine that these Jews were using the Name of Godwith disrespect. However, they could have easily been using heaven and earth and other thingsto swear by. This is also forbidden in Scripture.

2. "Lest ye fall into condemnation" This is the result when rash and false swearing takes place.These Jews had been persecuted by the rich and probably in the courts. So this could easily referto this kind of judgment. It could also refer to the judgment of God because of their breaking HisCommandments.

WHAT TO DO WHEN AFFLICTED

James 5:13

"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms."

1. "Is any among you afflicted?" The verb is a pres. act. ind. and comes from a word that means"to suffer hardships." Affliction is a fact of life. James is not in doubt as to whether these fellowbelievers are suffering affliction. But this is James' way of putting it to them and us today. Areyou going through hard times? Then the thing to do is pray. But remember that hardships are sentof God to purge us and cause us to bear more fruit;John 15. So prayer is said to be the answer

82

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

to affliction. God will answer the prayer of the afflicted person. On the value of affliction, seePsa. 119: 67, 71.

2. "Is any merry?" The word "merry" has to do with the well-being of the soul, the strength andthe disposition of the mind, the inner self which the world, press as hard as it may, cannot affectin any way. The Christian is not merry just because of what is going on around him but in spiteof it. There is an inner life which is molded by God who made it and directs it. That is why onefinds Christians passing through the valley of the shadow of death singing. The word sing hereis the word from which we get our word "Psalm." The basic meaning of it is "to touch sharply,to pluck, to pull, to twitch." It refers mostly to the plucking of the strings of a musicalinstrument. Then it came to mean to sing by mouth. If all is well with our souls, we ought tosing.

SEND FOR THE ELDERS

James 5:14

"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him,anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:"

1. "Is any sick among you?" The verb is pres. act. ind. from a word meaning "to be withoutstrength, primarily physical, bodily strength, to be weak in the body." This is not always causedby personal sin. It can be, but in the case of this verse, James does not say this. Paul was a manwho suffered much physical infirmity. Heb. 4:15 says, "For we have not an high priest whichcannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities..." (Same word)Matt. 8:17 says that Jesus,"Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." Some people believe that this means thatJesus, through the blood of His Cross, fully restored man to his original image, including thegiving to him of nonsusceptibility to physical weaknesses and illness. I believe this to be thewrong interpretation of the verse. The verse means that Jesus Christ was in the full sense ahuman being, subject to all the afflictions that attack our bodies. Therefore He is fully able tosympathize with us in our affirmities. Why God permits sickness in the life of some and not inthe life of others is something that is impossible for us human beings to fathom. He knows best.It was painful for Him to have chosen the way of the Cross, but He chose it, and one of thereasons may be that you and I might not complain if He chooses for us the way of affliction.

2. "Let him call" The word is an aor. mid. imper. The imperative mood means that it is acommand. This shows the urgency of the situation. Notice it did not say, "Let the elders of thechurch search and find them." They are to call for the elders to come to their bedside and pray.

3. "For the elders of the church" The word "elder" is sometimes used for ancestors. Heb. 11:2says, "The elders received a good report." The Bible speaks of "The tradition of the elders,"Matt. 15:2. Sometimes it is put for elders in years and wisdom; 1 Tim. 5:1-2. But none of thesefit the context. Thomas Manton says that it refers to that order of elders who are elsewhere called

CHAPTER FIVE

83

bishops, whether ruling or teaching elders. There was usually a plurality of preachers in the earlychurches. They had one pastor, but there were others who studied under him and aided inteaching of the word of God and shared in responsibilities such as this. Manton goes on to say,"In sickness we call in the best helps, and it is to be supposed that the best gifts reside in themwho are called to teach in the church." Note the words "of the church." This excludes theseprofessional healers who claim to be God's gift to all the saved. When a person who is a memberof one of the Lord's churches gets sick, he has instructions here concerning his approach to theproblem. He is to call for the elders of the local church of which he is a member.

4. "And let them pray over him" The words "let pray" are aorist middle imperative. First, thismeans that it is a command. The aorist tense refers to the fact of the event and the middle voiceis where the subject is benefited by the action of the verb. The benefit here would come whentheir prayer was answered in behalf of the sick person. The words, "over him" probably refersto the elders standing around his sick bed.

5. "Anointing him with oil" The word "anointing" is an aorist active participle. The action of theaorist participle always precedes the action of the main verb. This means the anointing with oiltook place prior to the prayer. The oil refers to olive oil used by the people of that day for manythings. It is used here as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

6. "In the name of the Lord" We are ambassadors for Christ and stand in His stead; 2 Cor. 5:20.We do it in His authority and in His behalf. The Lord is giving the elders the authority to act inHis Name in His behalf with regard to this sick person who has called for prayer. What aprivilege and responsibility is placed upon these elders!

James 5:15

"And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he havecommitted sins, they shall be forgiven him."

1. "And the prayer of faith" That is, the prayer that is made in faith. We are told that "the justshall live by faith" Heb. 10:38. Faith is to be the motivating principle of life for the Child ofGod. It should be that when a person of the world looks at a Christian he would say, "There isa man of faith." Without faith it is impossible to please God. So when an Elder prays for a sickperson it should be a prayer offered in faith that the sick person will be healed.

2. "Shall save the sick" The verb is a future active indicative. The future tense means that thehealing will take place sometime after the prayer of faith is offered. This may indicate arecuperation period. The active voice is where the subject does the acting. Prayer is the subjectand it means that the kind of prayer that is spoken of here is the prayer that will save the sick.This is the reason it does not seem to me that oil is medicinal. Some good Bible scholars insistthat the oil in this passage is medicinal. In other words, the Elders were to administer medicine

84

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

then pray the prayer of faith. This interpretation is totally out of keeping with the statementsmade in the passage.

3. "And the Lord shall raise him up" The verb here is future active indicative. The Lord is thesubject and the active voice means the Lord will act to raise the sick person up. It is definitelyreferring to the supernatural restoration to health.

4. "And if he have committed sins" The "if' is a third class condition. It is the condition ofpossibility. In other words, maybe it is true, maybe it is not true. James is not saying that he hascommitted sins. But he is saying if he has, there is forgiveness for him.

The possibility of sickness because of personal sin ought to cause us to examine our livesdaily and ask for cleansing. We know from1 Cor. 11:30 that sickness can be chastening for sin.

5. "They shall be forgiven him" God does not only heal his body but in the case of personal sin,He cleanses the man of the cause. Sin must be dealt with if the sickness is chastening becauseof sin. When the sick person confesses the sin, forgiveness is obtained; 1 John 1:9. Then healingfor the body will take place.

AN ILLUSTRATION OF A MISSIONARY'S LIFE

Many of you are familiar with C. T. Studd, one of the great missionary pioneers that Godsent out to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. C. T. Studd became very ill on the missionfield. There was no medical help of any kind available. If something wasn't done he would notbe able to continue his missionary work. So he read this passage of Scripture, and as he read it,God spoke to his heart and impressed him to do what the passage said. He looked around in thatmission field and there was only one elder in the whole territory, because not many people hadcome to know the Lord Jesus Christ. That elder was only twenty years of age. You see, it isn'ta matter of age; it is a matter of qualification. This twenty-year-old man was an elder inrelationship to the others. Studd looked around and could not find any olive oil. So he took theoil out of his kerosene lamp, and he asked the twenty year old elder to anoint him with oil andpray for him, and God raised him up.

THE ELDERS NEED TO BE RIGHT TOO

James 5:16

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. Theeffectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

1. "Confess your faults one to another" The word "confess" means "to agree with." It is a presentmiddle imperative verb. The present tense means to keep on doing this. It speaks of a principle.The middle voice means that personal benefit comes to the one doing it. And the imperative

CHAPTER FIVE

8 5

mood means that it is a command. The word "faults" means "slips" that we make. It is the sameword that is found in Gal. 6:1. This is not the same word that is translated "sins" inverse 15.This word refers to things that are wrong in the life but are called "faults" instead of sins.

The words "one another" means "one another of the same sort." James considers the eldersof the same quality and rank with one another and the one for whom they are praying. So theconfession in this case is not just agreement with God in our hearts that we have faults that needto be corrected, but an admission to one another that this is true.

This confession to one another is to be done by the Elders. This is suggesting that the Eldersneed to get right in this area of their lives before prayer is made. It could be that if this werepracticed literally, there would be more healing in answer to prayer.

BUT I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG!

"In the early part of the reign of Louis XVI, a German prince traveling through France visitedthe arsenal at Toulon, where the galleys were kept. The commandant, as a compliment to theprince's rank, said that he was welcome to set free any one galley slave whom he should chooseto select. The prince, willing to make the best use of the privilege, spoke to many of them insuccession, inquiring why they were condemned to the galleys. Injustice, oppression, falseaccusations were assigned by one after another as the causes of their being there. In fact, theywere all injured and ill-treated persons. At last he came to one who, when asked the samequestion, answered to this effect: "Your Highness, I have no reason to complain. I have been avery wicked, desperate wretch. I have deserved to be broken alive on the wheel. I account it agreat mercy that I am here." The prince fixed his eyes upon him and said: "You wicked wretch!It is a pity you should be placed among so many honest men. By your own confession, you arebad enough to corrupt them all; but you shall not stay with them another day." Then, turning tothe officer, he said, "This is the man, sir, whom I wish to be released."

2. "And pray one for another" The same "one for another" is found here as in the former clause.James does this to teach us that when we pray for each other it should be with the consciousnessof our equality in the sight of God. Now we pray for a brother who may have sinned, but laterthat brother may be praying for us who have sinned. We are taught here not to pray for a brotherin Christ with an attitude of superiority. Gal. 6:1 gives us a look at this principle.

3. "That ye may be healed" The verb is an aorist passive subjunctive. The passive voice meansthat the subject is acted upon by someone other than itself. Here God acts in healing. Thesubjunctive mood means that the healing is dependent upon our submission to the truths set forthin the passage and the sovereignty of God.

4. "The effectual fervent prayer" The word "prayer" here is not the ordinary one that refers toprayer in general, but a word that refers to specific requests. This means that we can name ourrequests. Once there was a sexton in a church who was very devoted to the pastor. But a new

86

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

pastor came, and some one asked the sexton what he thought of the new preacher. "Well," saidthe sexton, "I like him pretty well, but when it comes to praying, the former preacher asked theLord for things the new preacher doesn't even know the Lord's got."

The words "effectual fervent" is the translation of one Greek word that has the meaning ofbeing effective and powerful. So we cannot do much to enhance the meaning of the text.

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF PRAYER

(1) Prayer is worship; Luke 2:37.

(2) Prayer is to be in faith; Matt. 21:21-22; Mark 11:22-24.

(3) Forgiveness of others is necessary to answered prayer; Mark 11:25-26.

(4) Prayer should be fervent; Col. 4:12 .

(5) Prayer and fasting go together; Matt. 17:21; 1 Cor. 7:5.

(6) The prayer of faith can save the sick; James 5:15.

(7) Prayer should be in the Holy Spirit; Jude 20.

(8) The Holy Spirit aids in prayer; Rom. 8:26-27.

5. "Of a righteous man" Man by nature is unrighteous. Religious men are self-righteous and thisis nothing but filthy rags in the sight of God;Isa. 64:6. The righteous man here is the saved manwho has been clothed in the righteousness of Christ; 2 Cor. 5:21. But he also has experientialrighteousness because he has confessed his faults to his brethren and they have prayed for oneanother and have been set right with God.

6. "Availeth much" It means that much can be received in answer to prayer. George Muellerreceived over $7,500,000 in answer to prayer in his day. Bro. Lester Roloff received literallymillions of dollars in answer to prayer to keep homes open for the fallen and forgotten. By wayof summary let's notice:

(1) The qualification of the prayer: fervent, effectual.

(2) The qualification of the person: a righteous man.

(3) The effect of the whole: availeth much.

CHAPTER FIVE

87

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO GET A MIRACLE

James 5:17

"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it mightnot rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months."

1. "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are" This is the Elijah of the Old Testament.There is no prophet besides Moses that commands more respect of the Jews. The Jews expectElijah to come before the return of the Lord. Every year during the Passover in the Jewish homethey set a place at the table for Elijah. But James is saying that he is just like we are and wassubject to all the passions that we experience. James is saying that if Elijah could get this kindof answer to prayer, then we can too.

2. "And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain" He prayed specifically. He had a particularrequest. And it was not a passive prayer. The word "earnestly" shows the sincerity of this man'srequest.

3. "And it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months" And this inanswer to a man's prayer. In other words, man can implore God to step in, set aside the naturalprocesses, and work a miracle.

James 5:18

"And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."

1. "And he prayed again" There are two miracles here. He got the first miracle when the rainstopped and now he is going to get another one in answer to prayer.

2. "And the heaven gave rain" Another miracle. He got exactly what he asked for.

SOMETIMES CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE CONVERTED!

James 5:19

"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;"

1. "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth" James is speaking to brethren. The words "errfrom the truth" mean that they knew the truth. You have to know the truth in order to err fromit. They knew the right way. The word "err" means "to wander, a wandering." This suggestscarelessness. Many Christians in our day are careless.

88

COMMENTARY ON JAMES

2. "And one convert him;" The word "convert" means "to turn again or return again." 2 Tim.2:24-26 is a good commentary on this. It is possible for us to rescue an erring brother.

James 5:20

"Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall savea soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

1. "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way" James sayslet him know that this work of saving an erring brother is an important work. The "sinner" hereis the "brother" of the last verse. It is possible for the believer to become an awful sinner. Butnotice an important thing here. James does not call him a "Christian;" he calls him a "sinner,"because that is what he is.

2. "Shall save a soul from death" The "soul" is the "life." This man is about to die physically. Heis about to lose his soulish life. A Christian who wanders from the right way is in danger ofphysical death. This must be connected with the "sick" in verse 14. Again a sick person may notbe that way because of personal sin. But it is a common way God chastens His children. SoJames deals with this aspect of it in these verses.

3. "And shall hide a multitude of sins" This means that he will be forgiven of his sins. They willbe blotted out by the blood of Jesus. It also means they will disappear from sight because thebrother will cease from sin.

Documents

Commentary on James