'Because the Christian faith is not just an organization to join
or a few abstract doctrines to hold, a letter like James's is
immediately relevant to every Christian
.The Christian faith
requires each believer to bring every thought and action into
conformity to the Word of God. It proclaims a Christian philosophy
of life in stark contrast to the self-seeking, unfocused, and
often tumultuous existence that frequently characterizes those
outside the faith
.A matter worth pondering is the fact that
the very first topic James discussed involved the difficulties
encountered in the Christian life. Totally foreign to him was
the curious modern notion that becoming a Christian will make
life easier, that all problems will disappear
' (Kent p.
33)
1:1 'James, a bondservant of God and
of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed
abroad, greetings.'
'James, a bond-servant of God'-Some
have contended that if the brother of Jesus had written this letter,
then it is strange that James didn't mention that relationship.
But Roberts notes, 'Notice that there is a complete lack of claim
to special prestige or attention as a brother of Jesus. Some
have thought this unnatural, but it is a mark of modesty.' (p.
36) The name James in the Greek is pronounced ee-ack'o-bos and
is the equivalent of the Old Testament name Jacob, it was a common
name among the Jewish people.
Points To Note:
Unfortunately, it seems that some Christians have lost sight of
what it means to be a servant of God. And the freedom that is
found in completely giving ourselves to God (Galatians 2:20; 2
Corinthians 5:14-16).
'of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ'-This
clearly points out that there are at least two beings Who have
the qualities of Deity. Be impressed that James describes himself
as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not
only does James give absolute obedience to God, but also to Jesus.
'By designating himself as a bondservant of "God and the
Lord Jesus Christ", James has put Jesus and God the Father
on the same plane, surely a remarkable statement for a half-brother
to make.' (Kent pp. 34-35)
'to the twelve tribes'-as noted
in the introduction on James, it is obvious that James isn't addressing
this letter to unbelieving Jews. Concerning the next statement
the only remaining question would be, is James writing to an audience
of predominately Jewish Christians in Palestine or does the expression,
'to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad', refer to Christians
everywhere?
Points To Note:
'who are dispersed abroad'-Initially
the "Diaspora" referred to the Jews who lived outside
of Palestine. In New Testament times it is estimated that three
to five million Jews lived in other parts of the Roman Empire.
The "Diaspora" contained about four groups: 1. Those
who lived in Babylonian and were the descendants of those removed
from Palestine by the Assyrians and Chaldeans in 722 and 586 B.C.
2. Those who lived in Syria, dating from the Greek conquests.
3. Those who lived in Egypt, especially in Alexandria, established
by Alexander the Great and Ptolemy I. 4. The Jews who lived
in Rome, dating from around 63 B.C. The great importance of
the literal "Diaspora", is that they converted many
people to Judaism, produced a Greek translation of the Old Testament,
which was the Old Testament used by the early church. In addition,
the presence of Jewish synagogues in almost every major city outside
of Palestine, made it easier for Christian preachers to spread
the gospel (Acts 17:1-2). 'This Dispersion is witnessed in the
book of Acts as the reader sees Paul visiting the synagogues for
his first contacts with the community. Along with these, there
were large numbers of devout Greeks
who were already attracted
to the religion of the Old Testament by the teaching and lives
of their Jewish neighbors.' (Roberts pp. 38-39)
While some writers believe that James wrote primarily to Jewish
Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire, I am more inclined
to believe that the statement, 'to the twelve tribes who are dispersed
abroad', refers to all Christians who are scattered throughout
the Empire. 1. The expression 'twelve tribes' was used to refer
to the totality of the people of God. In a literal sense, it
meant the same thing as the entire nation of Israel. Christians
of a Jewish background do not make up the entire Church. 2.
The letter doesn't deal with strictly Jewish issues, in fact
many Jewish hot-topics are never mentioned, i.e. circumcision
and the relation of the Law of Moses to the New Covenant. 3.
The letter does mentioned a few Old Testament quotations and
examples (2:8,10-11; 21-26; 5:11-17), but these examples are relevant
for all Christians.
James 1:2 'Consider it all joy, my brethren,
when you encounter various trials,'
'Consider it'-to consider, deem,
account, think (Thayer p. 276); 'regard, "deem it pure joy,
when" (Arndt p. 343); 'first aorist middle imperative, "Do
it now and once for all" (Robertson p. 11). 'James wasted
no time in coming to an unpleasant subject and ordering a most
difficult response
.To "consider it all joy" means
to respond with a deliberate intelligent appraisal, not an emotional
reaction.' (Kent p. 36) Notice the choice and freewill in this
verse. A simple change of attitude or perspective on our part
can make all the difference in the world. Attitude isn't something
that is inherently fixed from birth and God isn't going to come
along and miraculously change our attitude.
'all joy'-And not merely "some"
joy. 'unmixed joy, not just some joy along with much grief' (Robertson
p. 11). 'The sufferer is to be glad that he can suffer. He
is not to dwell on the unpleasantness of the experience. There
should be no such thing as a complaining, grumbling disciple of
Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).' (Roberts p. 40)
Points To Note:
'when'-'whenever, it implies
that temptation may be expected all along the Christian course.'
(Vincent p. 724) (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12)
'you encounter'-the word "encounter",
is the same word as used in the parable of the Good Samaritan,
when the man "fell among the robbers" (Luke 10:30).
It means, "to fall into as to be encompassed by" (Thayer
p. 504). It is the picture of being surrounded by trials. '
Notice that James says "when" and not "if".
'We cannot choose whether or not we will fall into testing.
We will be tested
..If we think for a minute that when we
get "spiritual", we will stop being tested, we are mistaken.'
(Draper p. 14) We cannot anticipate and avoid every possible
trial in life. For many trials, all we can do is prepare.
'various trials'-1. The word
"various" suggests that trials come in many forms, and
we will face of variety of hardships (1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews
10:32ff). Various trials are mentioned in this letter (2:6-7;
5:1,6,13). 2. "trials"-'adversity, affliction, trouble'
(Thayer p. 498).
Point To Note:
James makes it clear that God doesn't seduce anyone to sin (1:13),
and yet God allows His people to undergo hardships and periods
of testing. The word here 'trial' is usually understood to be
a testing from without, such as some sort of hardship or persecution.
And yet I believe most of us realize that a trial can very quickly
become an excuse to sin, if our attitude isn't right. An outward
trial can quickly shift to an inward temptation. For example,
many people handle stress by drinking, yielding to selfish anger
and engaging in immorality.
1:3 'knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance.'
'knowing that'-'recognize that,
accept the fact that' (Roberts p. 42) The above "joy"
is based on knowledge of certain truths. During trials, the Christian
needs to remain calm and have their mind focused on the promises
of God. The Christian needs to remember that when they encounter
a trial, they immediately know what the end result will be if
they remain faithful to God! If our attitude is right, we can't
lose (5:11).
'the testing'-'James was making
the point that the presence of trials in the lives of believers
refines their faith so that what is false can be stripped away
and the genuine part that continues to trust God will develop
victorious positive endurance.' (Kent p. 37) Barclay notes,
'This is an interesting word ("testing"). It is the
word for sterling coinage, for money which is genuine and unalloyed.
The aim of testing is to purge us of all impurity
.to leave
us cleansed and purified.' (pp. 50-51) The same idea is found
in 1 Peter 1:6-7; Job 23:10 'When He hath tried me, I shall come
forth as gold'; Psalm 66:10. Be impressed that the Holy Spirit
doesn't miraculously remove evil desires and bad habits, for if
He did, then trials would serve no useful purpose.
'of your faith'-Trials test your
faith and they also determine whether your faith is genuine or
not. The result is either that you gain a stronger faith, a greater
conviction in God or such faith is destroyed or seriously weakened
to where you become ineffective. Our faith needs to be tested
and analyzed because hype and arrogance can often pass for faith.
'produces endurance'-brings about
or results in, Romans 5:3 "knowing that tribulation worketh
steadfastness". The word "endurance" means steadfastness,
perseverance, fortitude.
Points To Note:
1:4 'And let endurance have its perfect
result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.'
'let endurance'-The language
of choice, 'present active imperative, let it keep on having'
(Robertson p. 12). 'But wait a moment----we have all known people
who have grown impatient under testing. Is James saying
that testing always works patience? Yes
Patience is always
the result when our faith is tested if we let the test run
its course.' (Draper p. 16) The word "let" reminds
us that we have the choice whether testing brings about improvement
or disaster in our lives. Trials do not inherently bring improvement,
they only bring improvement when we allow growth to happen.
'Never accuse God of not knowing what it happening. Nothing comes
to us that does not come by his permissive will. He knows every
disappointment, every point of pressure. James is saying, "I
know what it is like to have heartaches, to face pressure
.let
God have his way with you. When the testing is finished, it will
have produced in you a pure faith that is strong and sturdy
Testing,
trials, troubles are God's pruning shears, his purging fire, his
carpenter's bench in order to make us what we need to be.' (Draper
p. 16) (See John 15:2 and Hebrews 12:9-11, 5-6).
'have its perfect result'-'present
active imperative, let it keep on having' (Robertson p. 12).
The word "perfect" means: 'brought to its end, finished,
wanting nothing necessary to completeness' (Thayer p. 618); 'having
attained the end or purpose, complete' (Arndt p. 809). Concerning
the phrase "perfect result", Arndt says, 'let endurance
show itself perfectly in practice' (p. 308). "Result"
means practical result, thus patience during trials must be put
to actual work; it must be allowed to work in our lives during
trials.
'that you may be perfect complete, lacking
in nothing'-The word "perfect" here means: 'fully
developed in a moral sense' (Arndt p. 809) (Col. 1:28; Hebrews
5:14; 1 Cor. 14:20). A mature, tried and proven character is
in view (Romans 5:3-4). The words do not mean sinless perfection.
Therefore, the Christian who starts to doubt or complain in the
midst of trials is lacking in such spiritual maturity. A great
test of spirituality is how we react during trials. As long
as we lack patience, as long as we have a short level of endurance,
we are spiritually immature (Hebrews 6:11-12; 10:35-36). Barclay
notes, 'Bit by bit this unswerving constancy removes the weaknesses
and the imperfections from a man's character. Daily it enables
him to conquer old sins, to shed old blemishes and to gain new
virtues.' (p. 52)
Other Scriptures on suffering (Psalm 94:12; 119:67-71; Proverbs
3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5; Eccl. 7:2-3,14; Matthew 5:11-12; Luke 6:23;
Romans 5:3; 1 Peter 1:6).
The connection between the following verses 1:5-8 and the previous
verses appears to be: 'James has just told his readers that,
if they use all the testing experiences of life in the right way,
they will emerge from them with that unswerving constancy which
is the basis of all the virtues. But immediately the question
arises, "How can I so use these testing experiences to use
them in the right way?" James answer is, "If any man
feels that he has not the wisdom to use aright the experiences
of this life---and no man in himself possesses that wisdom-let
him ask if from God.' (Barclay p. 52)
1:5 'But if any of you lacks wisdom,
let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without
reproach, and it will be given to him.'
'lacks wisdom'-'wisdom is a practical
thing. Wisdom is not philosophic speculation
Wisdom is wisdom
for life.' (Barclay p. 53) In addition, "wisdom" is
inherently connected with a right attitude towards God and His
word (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33). 'The wisdom he speaks of here
is not merely information, or simply education
The wisdom
spoken of here is the ability to judge and evaluate sorrow and
joy from God's standpoint, to view from God's perspective what
comfort and pain mean, understanding wealth and poverty on a divine
level.' (Draper p. 17) Wisdom is the ability to put into practice
the principles and instructions given us in the revelation of
God's word.' (Roberts p. 46) (Colossians 4:5)
'let him ask of God'-And yet
many people, even some Christians insist on believing that there
is a better "wisdom" outside of the will of God. But
such is not the case, a higher wisdom than that which is found
in the Bible does not exist (1 Corinthians 2:9). 'It is quite
significant that James did not say, "But if any of you lacketh
wisdom, let him study philosophy, or, let him meditate, or, let
him consult the wise."' (Woods p. 40) "Let him ask"-"present
active imperative, 'let him keep on asking' (Robertson p. 13)
'who gives to all men generously'-"Generously"-'openly,
frankly, sincerely' (Thayer p. 57); 'Simply giving, and adding
nothing afterwards which may take off from the graciousness of
the gift.' (Alford p. 1592)
'without reproach'-'to heap insults
upon
a special kind of reproach is the manifestation of displeasure
or regret which too often accompanies the giving of a gift' (Arndt
p. 570) (Matthew 7:7-11)
Points To Note:
'and it will be given to him.'-Wisdom
will be given him or her, but the following verses let the reader
know that this wisdom isn't given unconditionally. And such wisdom
is not available for the person who is outside of Jesus Christ,
not to mention the Christian who can't trust God or who always
seems to find an excuse for why they aren't growing spiritually.
1:6 'But let him ask in faith without
any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea
driven and tossed by the wind.'
'But let him ask in faith'-(Matthew
21:21; James 5:15). God has a ready answer for the Christian
who complains that God hasn't answered their prayer, or that they
have been trying to live the Christian life and yet they are still
confused. Faith, trust, confidence in God is essential (Hebrews
11:6).
'without any doubting'-Notice
the word "any". How many us think we are pleasing to
God as long as we don't voice our complaints? 'Arguing with
God, complaining about circumstances, or hesitancy to be open
to His answer are human attitudes that will prevent God from responding.'
(Kent p. 39) Vine says concerning the word "doubting",
'the verb suggests, not so much weakness of faith, as lack of
it' (Vine p. 335)
Point To Note:
We should note that "doubting" includes any manifestation
of unbelief. Complaining about our circumstances, questioning
God, blaming others, trying to punish God (because He didn't respond
in the way we had requested) by withholding our contribution,
or prayers, are all forms of unbelief. (Romans 4:20-21 'yet,
with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief,
but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully
assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.'
) (See 1 Corinthians 10:1-13).
'for the one who doubts is like'-This
is God's view of the person who can't trust Him. And the reader
should note that this doubter is a professed Christian.
'the surf of the sea driven and tossed
by the wind'-Like Jesus, James had grown up in Galilee.
Violent storms would hit the sea of Galilee. 'the constant churning
of the water suggested the agitation in a doubter's heart. Such
persons are encouraged one moment, discouraged the next.' (Kent
p. 40) Paul spoke of people who were carried about by every
wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). Often we see professed Christians
who are hot and then cold, high and then low. 'Every pressure
that is brought to bear upon his life will bear fruits of confusion
and despair.' (Draper p. 23) This is the type of person who
has just enough religion to make them miserable. Such a person
is often rash in their decisions, impatient, can't wait for God
to act, and subject to extreme mood swings. Like waves blown
by the wind, the mood and spirit of this individual is determined
by the external happenings in life.
1:7 'For let not that man expect that
he will receive anything from the Lord',
'let not that man expect'-Don't
even entertain the thought that God will answer any of your prayers
if this is your spiritual condition. The only encouragement that
should be given to such an individual is to change their ways,
to be no longer faithless, but believing! (John 20:27) Unfortunately,
sometimes we tend to pamper this sort of individual. Often such
a person looks for sympathy, wants others to hear their complaints.
This man doesn't need sympathy, he needs faith!
1:8 'being a double-minded man, unstable
in all his ways'
'double-minded'-lit., having
two souls. 'double-headed people who stagger helplessly here
and there in their thinking, doubting, hesitating.' (Arndt p.
201) We often talk about the person who has one foot in the
world and one foot in the Church. Those who are trying to please
God and at the same time be a friend of the world (James 4:8).
People who act as if they have two minds, directing them in contradictory
directions, so that they make no lasting stand for anything.
'unstable in all his ways'-"Unstable"-'restless'
(Thayer p. 22); 'unsettled, fickle, and hence unreliable. The
man who cannot trust God cannot be trusted by others.' (Roberts
p. 50); 'uncertain about everything he does' (Gspd)
Points To Note:
1. The doubter is the person who is trying to serve two masters
(Matthew 6:24). 2. Notice the statement, "in all his ways",
unbelief will affect every area of your life! One cannot limit
unbelief to merely one area of our relationship with God. 3.
'Doubt to him was no evidence of superior learning or unusual
intellectual attainment; it was, instead, a mark of mental instability,
evidence of confused intellectual processes.' (Woods p. 45)
4. Sadly, such a doubter often argues that he or she has been
the victim of circumstances.