Bible Study - James Chapter 1
Bible Study - James Chapter 1
| 1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. |
James identifies himself as a doulos to God, which is Greek for a bond-servant or slave. This is the attitude and title of Christian leaders in the first century, as well as of Old Testament leaders. False Christian leaders often show themselves to be fake because they do not have this attitude. Then James identifies Jesus as Lord, affirming Jesus as being God. The other title for a leader in the early church is just as humbling. Shepherds were the lowest rung of first century society. A slave who removed animal dung from the road had greater respect. To remind themselves to be humble in their leadership position early church leaders took Shepherd as a title. A Christian leader is as an under-shepherd responsible to the owner-shepherd just like most shepherds of Jesus’ time were not owners but still looked after their flock sacrificially. Latin for shepherd is pastor. Unfortunately, that title has been perverted to mean the opposite of the most humble servant to the flock. Pastor has come to mean an elite and untouchable class above the lowly membership of the church. They have literally changed the shepherd title into a priesthood set apart, which Christ deliberately abolished. They forget Christ’s admonishment that the least will be the greatest and the greatest will be the least. Some even go so ridiculously far that they claim the privilege of a king. This is when they claim they should never be criticized because they are “God’s anointed”. The anointment of Saul to be king is not the anointing to be an elder in the church. Even if these anointings were the same the argument is blatantly false as kings, including Saul and David, were publicly called out for their sin and wrongdoing. Peter was called out for his sinful behavior in front of everyone. Those who know they are teaching a false gospel twist scripture to protect themselves from criticism. The Bible is clear that leaders are judged more harshly, and that is not just in the end times. This letter is addressed to the 12 tribes referring to the true Israel, which after the temple veil was torn included Gentiles. However, it took some time for the Apostles to recognize that fact in Acts 15. Gentiles were grafted into the covenant with Abraham by the new covenant. Before this they had to convert to Judaism. |
| 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, |
As a leader writing instruction, James identifies as a brother to the readers, again showing true Christian leadership. He is not above them. He is a coworker in Christ sharing the truth with those of equal rank. Trials in Greek is peirasmois, which means temptations or tests, but is accurately translated as trials here. James is referring to persecutions because of our faith. This verse is an illustration of the difference between Joy and happiness. Joy is not dependent on circumstances. Joy is a choice and attitude. |
| 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. |
While trials are also for other reasons, we can view them with joy because we know they will be to our benefit. The Greek word for endurance is hupomonen, which means enduring regardless of the trial, staying put and standing fast. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. This is like the runner who endures the pain of training without giving up becomes a better runner. Then, when they go to the trials they can endure and earn a place on the team. And it’s like the musician who keeps practicing the same thing over and over when others would be sick of it and give up. But they endure and perfect their ability, setting them apart as true musicians rather than noise makers. |
| 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. |
The endurance produced by our trials makes us able to react in a Christ-like way to adversity. This changes our character for the better. It makes us more mature as Christians. The perfect result here is for Christians to be Christ-like. As Jesus said: Matthew 5:48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Perfection is the goal of our journey. Although we will not fully reach that point until Christ’s return. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for perfection now. Just like the runner who makes it through the trial and gets on the team continues to train, we should do likewise. The runner who stops pushing themselves doesn’t get the gold. The player who doesn’t perform gets extra trials to get their performance where it should be. The player who doesn’t bother to learn the playbook gets benched. If they persist in their rebellion against the standard they are cut from the team. The player who gives every effort physically and mentally shows their heart is with the team. |
| 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. |
Asking for wisdom is a principal of Christian adulthood. God gives wisdom generously to all Christians who sincerely ask. That it is given without reproach means God doesn’t hold it against us that we had a lack of wisdom before we asked. He wants us to seek wisdom. The main caveat is that we must humbly acknowledge that have a lack in this area. If we are arrogantly sure of ourselves we are immune from wisdom. Wisdom cannot find a home in an arrogant person. This is the opposite of the false gospel that insists we ask God to tell us what to do for every little decision. If the Spirit is supposed to direct our every little step, then there is no purpose for wisdom. This false teaching tries to make everyone into infants and toddlers that have to be constantly guided. This is a shameful false teaching. God in scripture calls for us to become mature Christians, using our wisdom to discern what is right and do what is right by own reasoning and will. A toddler has to be reminded to use the bathroom, wash their hands properly after, dress properly, not do things that will harm them, when to eat, what to eat, and so on. If my adult child still needs that guidance I have utterly failed as a parent. To behave like an irresponsible toddler spiritually is insulting to God. |
| 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. |
Fear and doubt are the opposite of faith. God will not grant the prayer of one who asks, but is sure in their heart that God won't do it. Scripture is absolutely clear here that God gives wisdom to those who ask God for it. To doubt that is to doubt God's word, which is the same word that is our assurance of salvation. A person who has weak faith is tossed about like a boat in a storm. The lamest statements from some ignorant atheist on social media cause them to question God's word. If someone doubts God will do what He said He would do, then they are putting themselves outside Christianity. This is not referring to having a doubting thought pass through our minds. That is human nature and the attacks of the enemy. The difference is in where we live. If we live in doubt, we deny God. If we live in faith regardless of passing doubts we acknowledge God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego showed faith without doubt when facing certain death in the fiery furnace. In reply to Nebuchadnezzar’s threats they replied in Daniel 3:16-18 that God can deliver us. He will deliver us. But even if he does not, we will not bow to your idol. That last part of their statement is vitally important. It is almost certain that these three men were sure they were going to die in the furnace. Miracles were not common then. But their faith was strong, so it didn't matter what actually happened to them. They knew that God would save them. Even if they were not saved physically in that moment, their souls would be saved and brought into God's presence. Whatever happened, they trusted that God would do what is best. No matter what, they knew they would win because they were on the Lord's side. Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus *answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." |
| 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, |
To doubt that God will give us what He promised is to call God a liar. It is denying a fundamental truth of God's nature. It is not a Christian attitude. And it will keep us from getting what God wants to give us. This is like a desperate person who doesn't have enough money to pay their bills and has a faithful family member who has always done what they say they will do. The faithful family member tells the desparate person they will bring them the money. All they have to do is meet them at a store halfway between their homes. However, even though their family member has always done what they said they would do, the desperate person doesn't even leave their house and doesn't meet the one with they money. Instead they cry that they don't have the money and the faithful family member wasn't going to come anyway. It is utterly foolish. They are preventing the solution to their need. |
| 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. |
This verse describes the one who doubts in verses 6 and 7. Double-minded is the literal translation of the Greek word dipsuchos. However, this is usually translated as doubting. This is described in a secular text of that time as one whose mind staggers helplessly from one thing to another, being uncertain of the truth. In other words, this person has no faith in anything. James' description of them as unstable is in line with that understanding of the word. John 15:6-7 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. The way to not live in doubt is to abide in Jesus and have His words abide in us. This is done by reading scripture, studying it, getting it inside us, and meditating on it daily. |
| 9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; |
Verses 9-11 are not a digression into an unrelated topic. The book of James must be taken as a cohesive whole, as well as in the context of the rest of scripture. Thus an earthly status of being humble, better translated as poor in the immediate context, is a trial that produces endurance and a perfect result. In other words, having the trial of being poor in this life makes for an even more exalted life in the next. It's not that being poor in itself gets this result. It is that the endurance of that humble circumstance makes a person more humble towards God, which makes it easier for God to bring about the changes needed in us. Most importantly, it is much easier to learn to depend on God instead of depending on ourselves. Brother is the literal translation of the Greek word adelphos, but it was and is used to refer to a fellow member of the Christian church. However, it was not used casually then as it is now. |
| 10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. | Verses 9-11 are sometimes wrongly used as anti-rich propaganda. These verses are not saying people shouldn't be rich. It is a warning to both those who are rich and those who envy them that their status is as fleeting as the flowers of the grass in a field. This life is also as temporary and quickly gone for the poor. But the poor are unlikely to grow too attached to this life. Whereas the rich are easily tempted into focusing on this temporary life instead of what really matters. And the rich are much more easily fooled into thinking they can depend on themselves and don't need God. |
| 11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. | Continuing the flowering grass metaphor for this life, the flower falling off and withering the grass can refer to life being so short. It also could refer to how riches can disappear overnight, and the rich man turned into a poor man. This is not necessarily due to spiritual forces as was in the case of Job. Weather or natural calamity can ruin investments, thieves can steal, rust can corrode, and war can destroy. It is likely James was alluding to both of these. Regardless of financial status in this life, it is submission to God that matters. |
| 12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. | In this verse the trial is specifically temptation. "Been approved" is genomenos dokimos in Greek, which can also be translated as "become pure". Either way this is an idiom meaning "passed the test." The clear implication is that the requirement is that we resist temptation that pulls us away from God until the end. That we sometimes fail is not relevant. It is that we continue to strive and persevere. Those that persevere receive the promised reward from God. A crown is a common metaphor for ultimate reward in scripture as it means being elevated to royalty. This is a crown of life signifying the reward of everlasting life. That the crown is given to those who passed the test on judgement day alludes to us being adopted into the royal family of God and having a rightful place in the King's palace, which is the new heaven and new earth. |
| 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. |
There is a key theological point in this verse on the nature of God and the nature of temptation. God is not the origin of temptation. He cannot be or He would violate His own nature. That God is good is a fundamental truth of the universe and Christianity. God does not tempt and is not tempted. On the contrary, God is the one who saves us from temptation. On a side note, this verse is one of the many that support that we have free will. Both Greek and English are totally clear that it is the person who endures and passes the test. It is not God forcing it on them. |
| 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. |
This verse is absolutely clear that we are the source of our own temptation. It is our sin nature that responds to bad things as well as good things in a way that is not good. In common English today lust implies sexual desire. However, here it refers to all sinful desire, not just sexual. The Greek word is epithumia which means a great desire, longing or craving. This can be for something forbidden or not. It is the great strength of the desire that is the core meaning of the word. Of course, something felt strongly can more easily be perverted. Some try to shift the blame to the thing itself, and falsely label a good thing as evil. For example, many false religious sects label sex itself as evil and forbid it even within marriage. However, this is anti-biblical. Sex is part of God's design, and was meant to be pleasurable. However, it is to be within marriage. Just because it is easily misused and is a strong temptation does not change that it is a good thing in and of itself. It is the misuse that is wrong, not the thing itself. However, this verse and others point out the truth that we are the problem, not the things we misuse. |
| 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. |
There is a very important point in this verse. Sin does not just happen. It starts with the temptation by our own desires as in verse 14. Then it becomes a thought of doing the sin. Next we do the sin. And doing the sin brings death because that is what we have earned when we sin. We can break this chain of events. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Jesus warned us that sin begins in our thoughts before we actually do it. Matthew 5:27-28 You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Sadly, many misunderstand Jesus' warning in those two verses. There are countless stories of pastors who destroyed their own ministries under the mistaken notion that thinking about sin is the same as doing it. And thus when their thoughts turn to a sin they wrongly think they might as well do it as they are already guilty of the sin. That was not what Jesus was saying. Matthew 5:27-28 is a warning like James 1:14-15 that sin is first made possible when we conceive it in our minds. Thus we should control our thoughts. Temptations from our sin nature will pop into our heads. But we can choose not to give those thoughts a place to grow. We can choose to push them out. Quoting 1 Corinthians 10:13 to ourselves is a good strategy. Jesus defeated Satan's temptation by quoting scripture using it correctly, not by calling down armies of angels. Thoughts will occur, but don't dwell on them, fantasize about them, etcetera. Kick them to the curb. |
| 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. | James wrote this for the same reason Paul wrote it over and over. They warn us not to be deceived because we are easily deceived. We should not deceive ourselves that sin just happens, or that temptation is something outside ourselves. |
| 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. |
This verse supports and expands on verse 13. God is not the origin of temptation or evil. He is the origin of all good because He is good by nature. What is good in the world and in our lives is from God. God is referred to as the Father of lights. This is literally true as He created the sun, moon, stars, and all the things on earth we use to light up the night. It is probable that this description also refers to how things will be in the new heaven and new earth. Revelation 22:5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. We should not put too much into such descriptions as they are an incomplete representation of heaven. We do not have the frame of reference to really understand a complete description. Some have taken this to mean God himself functions as the sun and all light radiates from Him. However, it could also be that God causes the new earth and heaven to be in light by his will and not by a direct radiation of light. Of course it is most likely that how this will actually work is beyond our ability to comprehend now. What is clear is there will no longer be a night nor the need for another source of light than what exists there. That there is no variation or shifting shadow refers to the unchanging nature of God. In some cases He does act when people pray and doesn't act when they don't, especially in individual lives. Failure to pray is why many people lack things that God would bring them as James wrote in 4:2-3. These things are in His will, but only if asked for. But many things He does regardless of whether anyone prayed for it because it is His good and perfect will to do them no matter what. We will not fully understand why until we see Him face to face. |
| 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. |
God brought us forth is the same Greek word translated in verse 15 as giving birth. Our nature gives birth to sin and evil and God's nature gives birth to us by way of His word of truth. Some claim that this verse contradicts free will as it states that God brought us forth by His will. However, scriptures like 1 Timothy 2:4 state that God's will is that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Since many verses like John 3:36 and Matthew 7:21-23 make it clear that not all are saved then God's will cannot be an absolute and always result. Since God's sovereignty is a part of His nature, this cannot be a violation of that good and perfect nature either. The solution to this is that God's sovereign will also includes that we have free will, and that we choose to follow him willingly or not. This unifies scripture about God being sovereign with scripture about our free will choice. The first fruits of the harvest were to be brought to the temple or synagogue as a gift sacrifice. This was the best and most perfect of the produce. This is an analogy of our becoming disciples of Jesus. By becoming like him we are the best of the harvest, both as a living gift to God and as an example to others. |
| 19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; |
The beginning of this verse states as fact that the things in the introduction of verses 1-18 are already known to Christians, referred to as beloved brethren. That was and is a common term of endearment between Christians. That these things are not already known by a majority of self-proclaimed Christians is partly an indictment of them, and mostly an indictment of their churches. The church is supposed to educate, convict and train up disciples to be like Jesus. The evidence is that the majority of churches today have failed in this most basic duty. Next James gave three commands for Christians that are about both attitudes and actions. These commands should be self-explanatory, but these days they are not. The first command, being quick to listen means to exercise self-control. It is listening to others carefully for what they mean instead of getting triggered by a word or two, or thinking about a reply instead of listening properly. The second command, being slow to speak, is also about self-control. It is thinking carefully before we speak, especially when reacting to what someone else says. Asking for clarification, active listening techniques, and being calm and respectful are Christian ways of reacting to what others say. The third command, being slow to anger, is absolutely about self-control. Rationality decreases in direct proportion as anger increases. Not to mention that a reaction of anger is often based on incomplete information, such as not really listening to the other person as we should in the first command, or being triggered by a couple words taken out of context. Just following these three commands would cure most of what is wrong in the west. But most people who claim to be Christians aren't willing or capable of following them, let alone the secular culture. The first two commands, be quick to listen and slow to speak, may be the origin of the modern proverb that God gave us two ears and one mouth so we will listen more than speak. Unfortunately, this proverb is rarely shared these days. And it is contradicted by the entire concept of social media like TikTok. |
| 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. |
This verse specifically refers to anger that originates from humans as not achieving the righteousness of God. The righteousness here means the justice of God. The biblical view of anger is one of the more misunderstood things in churches today. From their words and arguments it appears that most are doing eisegesis, which is reading into scripture biases that aren't actually in scripture. We are supposed to do exegesis, which is reading scripture for what it actually says. The majority that get this wrong condemn all anger as sin. And a tiny minority believe human anger is justified. Whereas scripture contradicts both sides. Anger cannot be sinful as scripture in both testaments tell us of God's anger and wrath. And God is incapable of sin. The most concise and to the point verse on the biblical view of anger is found in Ephesians. Ephesians 4:26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger This verse quotes Psalm 4:4 where in Hebrew it says to tremble in anger and do not sin. For most people, to be trembling in anger means a great rage. Yet even then we are not to sin. The underlying thread to all scriptural guidance on anger is maintaining self-control so we don't sin. In other words, being angry is not an excuse for bad behavior. It is actually an additional condemnation. Almost as important in scripture is the warning not to be an angry person. That is, don't be one who is frequently or always angry. A hot tempered person creates chaos and pushes people away. We can get angry, but we shouldn't live there. And we most certainly shouldn't act out of anger. On a side note, the end of Ephesians 4:26 is one of the most misunderstood passages in scripture. Many wrongly interpret this as a command not to go to bed angry. While that may or may not be good advice, it is absolutely not what this verse means. In the Hebrew worldview a new day begins at sunset. This is why the Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday. This worldview is logical as a bad night usually makes for a bad day after, or at least a more challenging day. Thus the end of this verse is a commandment not to hold a grudge. Today's anger is to be left behind and not brought into the new day. |
| 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. | In this verse James gave exhortations to do the two things that will result in a successful Christian life, put aside sin and humbly accept scripture. The first thing is to put off and away from us all impurity and the perisseian, literally abundance in Greek, of evil wickedness. This is a choice. God gives us the way of escape. But we must choose that escape instead of choosing the things our sinful nature wants. The second is about scripture. We must be humble and put scripture above our own thoughts and ideas. This is not the obvious thing it ought to be. The majority of people who call themselves Christians hold the thoughts in their own head above scripture. No matter where it comes from, the doctrines of their church, what they were taught as kids, the pagan culture, or simply their own arrogance, thoughts and ideas that contradict scripture need to be rejected and not read into scripture. Instead we must stick to what actual scripture says, and with the truth implanted in us not allow nonsense to remove or replace God's word. It is not our own thoughts and reasoning that save us. It is the true word of God. |
| 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. | Delusion is self-deception, which is an epidemic today. I am not referring to the obvious delusion in the secular culture. The secular culture has clearly lost its collective mind. Rather it is that a majority of people who claim to be Christians are utterly delusional. They have created a fake Jesus and a fake God that meets with their personal approval. They hear scripture but deny it and any correction to their bad reasoning and false beliefs. In reality, they worship themselves and the fake gospel they have created for themselves. A person who does what scripture says to do demonstrates they are followers of the real God. |
| 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. | Scripture confronts, convicts, and corrects us if we humbly listen and do what it says. Those that hear and do not do are delusional. Scripture is a mirror revealing our true selves, including our faults, errors, and sins. A delusional person hears the conviction of the word like mirror revealing flaws pushes it aside and forgets it. They return to their comforting delusion that they are good people doing alright as they are. But the comfort will end on judgment day when Jesus declares He never knew them and sends them to the hell they chose. |
| 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. |
The law is used as a euphemism for scripture here. This is not referring to the Law of Moses, but all scripture. This is not a misnomer. Those who know scripture know that Jesus gave commands, as well as Paul and the other apostles. Scripture is rightly called the law. Continuing the mirror metaphor James identified the good Christian as one who looks intently in the mirror which is scripture and does what it says. The one who looks in mirror causally easily pushes it aside and forgets about it. Common examples of this are those who never touch scripture for themselves but only hear it when they are at church and those that read scripture but mentally edit out anything that contradicts their personal false gospel. It is worth noting that the word of God is referred to as the law of liberty. Secular culture wrongly brands the law of God as a bunch of restrictions or even a prison. The real prison is sin. God's way is real freedom. |
| 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. | Being religious has a negative connotation today. In the usage here it means one who devoutly does the duties of their faith. This is a good thing if it is based on a real conviction and faith. But someone who is going through the motions without a real faith and relationship with God is self-delusional. A religious person who cannot or will not control what they say is absolutely delusional. And all their observance of their religious duties and good deeds are completely worthless. |
| 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. | If we have real faith in the real gospel and the real God, it will show in our actions. An important action is to keep ourselves pure, unstained by the sinful secular world. This doesn't not mean separating from the world. It means going carefully and avoiding adopting sinful practices the secular world is constantly trying to get us to adopt. James went into greater detail on this in Chapter 2. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.