CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION:

There are several men named James in the New Testament.
James, the son of Zebedee - an apostle and brother of John the apostle.
This James was executed by Herod before 45ad. (See Acts 12:2)

James the son of Alpheus - also an apostle and mentioned as being in the
upper room with the other disciples.
Perhaps, this is the James that Peter referred to in Acts 12:17.
This James continued to reside in Jerusalem. (See Acts 15:13, 21:13)

James, the half-brother of Jesus - It is evident that one of the half-brothers
to Jesus was named James. (See Matt. 13:55)

Now, which of the latter two was the penman of God's Scripture named
JAMES??
Nobody can give a definitive answer to that question.

James the half-brother of Jesus is generally given the penmanship of this
letter.
He was converted AFTER Jesus' resurrection. (See 1Cor. 15:7)
And, it is assumed that this James rose to great esteem in the church.
(See See Acts 21:17-18, Jude 1)

The main purpose of the letter is to produce a realistic and practical faith.

VS 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes
which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Notice how James identifies himself.
"..a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ!"

And, note to WHOM the Scripture is written:
"...to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad..."

This last statement lets us know that the letter is NOT written specifically
to those of Hebrew faith; instead it is written by a man converted to Jesus
as LORD of His life.

We must remember that the FIRST Christians were of Hebrew descent.
And, this letter is written to address having PRACTICAL faith in Jesus!

So, now, the letter moves to the first LESSON in that practical faith.

VSS 2-4
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing.

Interesting to note here that the word "temptations" is taken from
the Greek peirasmos which means putting to proof, or adversity.

Also, the word "trying" in verse 3 is dokimion which means
testing.

((Life IS turbulent!
The later you stay up, the earlier the kids will arise!
When you are late, in a hurry, you have a FLAT, or a cop stops you!
Just when you expect a rose, you receive a thorn!))

The examples in parenthesis are called "divers temptations!"

Remember: TESTING has a PURPOSE!
For instance, the blacksmith getting iron ready to make a knife.
He puts the iron in the FIRE, shapes it, then puts it in the water!
Again, and again he does this to TEMPER the metal.
And, the metal grows STRONGER with the tempering!

When the incidents of life TEST the Christian, practical faith lets us
grow STRONGER in FAITH!

That kind of testing also grows PATIENCE (vs 4)!

VSS 5-7
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave
of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

Again, may I say, KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM are DIFFERENT things!!
Knowledge is the amassing of information.
Wisdom is learning to make right decisions WITH the information.

True wisdom comes from God!
Prov. 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the BEGINNING of wisdom."

It is by giving genuine reverence to God that we ASK Him to grant us wisdom.
AND, God GRANTS that wisdom through His Word and His Holy Spirit!
(2Tim. 2:15, 3:16, Ps. 1:1-3)

All too often Christians read and listen to the WORLD's thoughts instead of
the WORD's thoughts!!

We need only to ASK in FAITH - believing God will answer.
And, here, FAITH means CLINGING to God; studying the Bible
(not just reading it); and gleaning the wisdom of making right choices.

VS 8
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The word "double minded" is from the Greek dipsuchos.
It means vacillating in opinion or purpose; inconstant.
That would apply to a person who is stating he wants people to be free,
but votes to subject them to heavy taxation!

Totally UNSTABLE in making righteous decisions!

VSS 9-11
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass
he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass,
and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also
shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

When a ditch-digger surrenders to Jesus, he becomes a "son of God!"
(See John 1:12)
So, though one may be thought of LESS for his world position, he is EXALTED
through salvation by Christ Jesus!

And the rich (or monetarily powerful) Christian should realize he has no more
spiritual status than the saved ditch-digger!

Each of us will eventually occupy a 6'X6' grave, unless the Lord returns first!

In verse 11, the Scripture paraphrases Is. 40:8, "...grass withereth and the
flower fadeth."
And, take note, that Is. 40:7 says, "...surely the people is grass!!!"

It's uphill TO the cross,
It's downhill FROM the cross,
BUT, the ground is LEVEL AT the cross!

ALL of us have the SAME standing with Christ!
ALL of us are in NEED of the Lord to SAVE us, and CONTINUE saving us
throughout our physical lives!

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

We all fade because of our sin, and the end is physical death.
BUT, the JOY of the saved is knowing we are EXALTED to be with Jesus
when we die!!!

That "crown of life" is WORTH fighting for in daily living.

Vss 13-16
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

The word "tempted" here, in vs 13, is DIFFERENT from the one in verse 2.
It is the Greek peirazo meaning enticed, or examined.

Vs 14 plainly tells us that it is our OWN desire that TEMPTS us!!
And, when our "lust" (or desire), is pursued, it leads to SIN! (vs 15)
And, sin leads to DEATH!

We Christians must THANK GOD EVERY DAY for 1John 1:9:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to gorgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness!"

DEATH means separation from the living.
In THIS context, it means spiritual separation from the Living God!!
We ALL need to go to God EVERY day and ask His forgiveness!!

Jesus is the MASTER of all trials!
For He was tempted in EVERY way just like us - but OVERCAME!!!
(See Heb. 4:15)
AND, Jesus knows how to HELP us ENDURE and OVERCOME!

VS 17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

((Once I was playing golf with a fellow pastor. I hit the ball down the right side of
a par 3 fairway, but it caught a limb. Then it bounced off the limb and rolled to the
edge of the green. Quickly I quoted that verse above!))

GOOD gifts - everything GOOD comes from God!
He is the "Father of LIGHTS!"
Remember Gen. 1:3?

SHADOWS are cool!
LIGHT is warm!
DON'T be fooled into veering off the LIGHT path into shadowy ones!!

(Hog hunting with traps. Set the trap, lock the door. Day 1, little pigs enter,
big hogs notice nothing happens. Day 2, same thing. Day 3, unlock the
door. Little pigs enter, and hogs go in also. WHAM! The trap door closes.
He WANTED to be FED, but he BECAME SUPPER!)

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

It IS God's will that ALL people have an opportunity to be SAVED!
(See John 3:16, Rom. 5:8, Rom. 10:9-10, 2Pet. 3:9)

Christians are created (re-created) to become "firstfruits" of all creatures.
TRUTH is the germ whereby we are born again - recreated.
And, we must GROW and CONTINUE in God's TRUTH!

Eph. 1:12 says, "we should be to the praise of His glory, who first
trusted Christ!"

VSS 19-20
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

SINCE we are regenerated, re-created, born again, we should listen CLOSELY
to God's Word, be disciplined in our speech, and our anger.

The word "wrath" is from the Greek orge which means violent
passion or indignation.

VS 21
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with
meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

RECEIVE with DISCIPLINE the "engrafted" (or IMPLANTED) Word of God!
In other words, receive that word with INTENT to DO as it states!

And, here comes a follow-up thought.....

VS 22
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

WOW! How OFTEN we FAIL!!
When we study the Bible, we should have the intent of DOING the truth, not just
HEARING it!
((Lots of Christians are like sponges.....needing a little SQUEEZE!
A spiritual MIRROR will accomplish NOTHING without the WORD of GOD!))

VSS 23-24
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was.

I remember taking ONE art class in college.
The teacher asked us to draw OURSELVES!
AND, we were NOT allowed to use a mirror.

Then, the teacher surprised me!
She asked, "Does that tell you WHO you are?"
And, she quoted the two verses above!!

Then, she said, "Showing me what you LOOK like is not the same as showing
me WHO you ARE!"

God sees who I REALLY AM!! On the INSIDE!!

HEARING what God says, and NOT DOING it is DISOBEDIENCE!!!!

VS 25
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

God's Word teaches me who I really am! I am a sinner in need of a Savior!
And, when I surrender to Jesus, I begin the process of salvation, which INCLUDES
SANCTIFICATION!

If I LOOK into God's Word, and LEARN it, then LIVE it, I will be "BLESSED"

The word "blessed" here in verse 25 is the SAME as the word
"blessed" in Matt. 5:3-11!!
It is makarios in the Greek, and means supremely blest, exceedingly happy!

The word "deed" is from the Greek poiesis which means
PERFORMANCE.

Take a NOTE!!
This is NOT saying if you live by God's truths you will be prosperous!!
It IS saying you will be HAPPY, VERY HAPPY, because you have
complied with God's WILL for you!!

VSS 26-27
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The word "religious" in verse 26 is from the Greek threskos, and
means demonstrating worship of God.
The word "religion" in verse 27 is from the Greek threskeia, and
means worshipping God.

What if a person SEEMS to be a worshipper of God, but in his daily
conversation is cursing and gossiping?
The Scripture says he "DECEIVETH his own heart," and, his
"religion is VAIN!" ((EMPTY))

PURE worship of God is demontrated by TWO things: (Vs 27)
1) To VISIT (go see and comfort) those who are suffering;
2) to KEEP "himself UNSPOTTED from world!"

The word "unspotted" is from the Greek as'pilos and means
to live morally correct.

Our lives, as Christians, should demonstrate clinging to God and His Word
MORE than to the world and man's traditions!
Our faith, as Christians, should be exhibited in our tongue and PRACTICAL
mannerisms.

To close this chapter, let me illustrate a SCARY thought in a joking manner.

((A boy in school was told by a classmate that he didn't act CHRISTIAN LIKE!
He went home and asked dad, "Exactly WHAT is a Christian?"
Dad said, "A Christian is one who believes in Jesus Christ, studies the Bible,
prays, attends church, gives to the church, and helps lead others to know Jesus."
The boy, with wonder on his face, asked, "Dad, have I ever SEEN a Christian?"))