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JAMES CHAPTER 5 See previous page KJV WEB Jm 5,1-11 (49l) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Condition of the world in the last days – For him to say that the judge is standing right at the door in verse 9 is where He has been standing for the last 2000 years, beginning with Christ’s ascension to the Father and His subsequent ministry from heaven that marked the beginning of a new age, called the last days, because it is the last age of man’s reign on earth. Prior to chapter five, James did anything but speak like a prophet, but the first part of this chapter is devoted to endtime prophecy, speaking about the antichrist’s empire as Daniel and the book of Revelation spoke about it. He used some of the same words in his description, such as “Luxuriously” in verse 5, which is used in Rev 18-14. The first few verses here describe the internal conflicts plaguing the antichrist’s kingdom. It is by principle that there would be quarrels and conflicts and jealousy surrounding the materialistic pursuit of wealth and pleasure. Satan may very well deceive the world with his outward appearance as the antichrist controlling everything, but the fact is just the opposite; he has absolutely no self-control. Through the absence of God’s character the antichrist’s lack of self-control will shake his throne apart from the inside out. See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5,1-6; 160k Jm 5,1-9 (34m) Gift of God >> Be generous like your Father >> Give to the poor Jm 5,1-8 (23e) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are rich in their own minds (29f) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> Delivered from spiritual impoverishment Jm 5,1-6 (26j) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >> Sin backfires on you – According to the book of Revelation, after the thousand years have been completed (the millennium), God will allow Satan out of his prison for a short period and during that time men will become greedy again, and Satan will amass a small army to rise against Christ’s throne in effort to somehow unseat Him and steal the treasure that James mentioned here, if only he could succeed, but of course that is impossible. This exercise in futility will prove a couple things, that it has been Satan all along for the last seven millennia who stirred up the minds of people against the Lord. Man is evil in himself, but combined with the devil whispering in his ear it accounts for all the evil that has transpired throughout the ages. Second, it proves that man and the devil have always had a common goal, which was to overthrow Christ's throne and become God. How could Satan become God? He already killed Christ once, and it backfired on him, so what does he expect to accomplish? Satan is insane, and he motivates people to serve him through a spirit of insanity. So, it doesn’t actually make sense what he is doing. (28i) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God crushes those who make us stumble (40m) Judgment >> God is glorified >> God defends His righteous ones through judgment – God has created a hell, and those who do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them when they meet God will be cast into the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (Rev 14-11). Sinners will have gotten by with nothing, and their torment will last forever, and the temporal rewards they sought have been long spent. This is the folly of sinners to sacrifice everything for nothing. Those who find their place in hell will be happier there than they would be in heaven, because God is there and they hate God; that will never change. Repentance is simply not in them. God has put man on the earth in a failed world and in a failing body, and He asks him one question: ‘Do you prefer your sinful flesh over My promise of eternal life?’ Every person answers that question by his actions. (55l) Paradox >> Gain the world to lose your soul >> live this life to Lose eternal life (56j) Paradox >> Opposites >> He who exalts himself shall be humbled (60e) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Rich people of the world / Rich people of the Church (77l) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Let your laughter be turned to mourning (98m) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> Endurance invites the judgment of God (160k) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Temptation to walk in unbelief >> Tempted to pursue your addictions – The treasures of the antichrist are still setting in the place where he left them. The last kingdom of man will be such a money-grubbing kingdom that the vast majority of the gold that was ever mined on earth since the beginning of time will all be in one place, where the antichrist last had his kingdom before the return of Christ, and where was that? Jerusalem! All the wealth of the world representing every civilization that rose and fell on earth will be stockpiled in the City of God, and it will just sit there and rust, meaning God’s millennial kingdom will not be an economy that uses gold and silver. This suggests a barter system. No one will come along and try to take it; nobody cares about it; nobody wants it; they don’t need it, also no one comes to take it because Jesus will have established his throne in Jerusalem and will be sitting on it. The antichrist’s treasures will therefore act as the millennium’s tree of knowledge of good and evil, at the end of the age when the nations gather together for war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore (Rev 20,7-9). See also: Endtime prophecy; 161m (161m) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried away by greed – The fact that the antichrist’s gold and silver have rusted and that his garments have become moth-eaten suggests that a period of time has transpired since acquiring them, so what is this long segment of time? After the great tribulation runs its course the millennium of Christ's reign will begin. This will be a time when faithfulness and righteousness and obedience will have its place in the world, and people will be happy to serve the Lord with joy for a thousand years. The angels have grabbed the antichrist by the nap of the neck and throne him into the lake of fire, along with his false prophet, but Satan is held in captivity somewhere, until his time of release (Rev 20,1-3). Therefore, the millennium represents a time of judgment for Satan, and this is the connection that James is making, that if we pursue worldly treasures, we will get nothing but bondage for our trouble. See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5,1-5; 217l (183ea) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Nursery for the spirit of error >> Selfish ambition >> Seeking to control the Church – Everybody who oppresses the poor and the citizens of heaven is like the devil, who live in the last generation and take the mark of the beast and gladly worship the devil, and they will face the consequences eternal damnation, “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2The 1-9). Had they to do all over again, they would not hesitate to repeat their same mistakes. They may not like hell, but they would hate heaven even more. This is incomprehensible to those of us who love God. (242d) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting God >> Persecuting righteousness (249i) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> World’s perception of wealth >> The world's wealth erodes good values >> Being a slave to wealth KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5,1-5 (171e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Vanity >> Vanity lacks worth (217l) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> You cannot control the judgment of God >> You cannot control how God responds to sin – James said that the gold and silver testify that the antichrist was there, but his treasures have since rusted as a witness against him that his value system was meaningless. The antichrist made his laborers work even on Sunday, implying they worked seven days a week, suggesting they were slaves for the antichrist during his reign as a means of him coming to power. Their pay was withheld from them through inflation and taxation. They worked with the promise of pay, but never received it, and so they were deceived, which makes it worse than slavery. This is a familiar scenario even in today’s world. The antichrist’s lawn care provider is just a microcosm of the rest of the world who was employed by the antichrist and got nothing for their labor. He did these things against the people in order that he himself might be the sole beneficiary of their labor, that he might live luxuriously on the earth, but James says all this pleasure seeking hedonism has only fatten him for the day of slaughter. His day is coming; he was accumulating, not fat cells, but sin, so when God judges him, it will be that much more severe. Once Satan entered the antichrist, God could judge him as a man, which carries a stiffer sentence than the judgment of angels. See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5-5; 240d Jm 5,1-4 (154g) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Witness that the world is rebellious against God >> Witness against sin Jm 5,1-3 (4b) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable to the Judgment of God -- These verses go along with verse12. Perhaps being a missionary or a pastor or a deacon in a church is the last thing in our mind, but the Bible says that everyone will advocate God’s cause in one way or another, if not in heaven or on earth, then somewhere else. If we have money, we can buy almost anything, except eternal life, so when our health goes, they bury us, and all of our money loses its value, and other people will spend it on themselves probably without thinking about us. God considers this fair, because everyone will give an account to God for what they have said and done. If we had a good, easy life, while your neighbor struggled in his faith, both are fair to God. In fact nothing is unfair to God after He judges the world in righteousness. Jm 5-1 (188h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Sorrow >> Grieving over your own loss >> Grieving over your sinful nature KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5,3-6 (57a) Paradox >> Opposites >> The rich are poor Jm 5-3 (104c) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by fire >> Purified through fiery judgment (159g) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Wealth is a form of counterfeit godliness Jm 5,4-11 (34j) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> Receiving God’s blessings through endurance (218d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> We choose our actions, not their consequences >> God controls the consequences of our actions -- These verses go with verses 17&18. Owners of businesses made their employees work seven days a week and never paid them; this is slave labor. There was no mention of slaves, so on top of that their employers lied to them; they waited for a paycheck that never came, or it was eaten by inflation and taxation. This sort of thing is happening in our own generation, and if it happened in the first century, then it also happened in every generation in-between, and it started long before James wrote his epistle. It is the way that man has treated one another from the beginning. We have been given a free will to do whatever we think is right, and since the beginning of time God has been faithful to return man’s sin to him. God has sown the principle of sowing and reaping into the fabric of His creation; these things happen automatically. A man with a criminal mind treats his neighbor harshly, and his soiled brain haunts him to an early grave. Sometimes God will personally divvy out retribution to those in need, though usually He allows His creation to judge itself, and at the end of time He will erect a White Throne and judge every sinner according to his deeds. These owners of businesses who neglected to pay their workers thought they would get by with it, but eventually the tables turn and order is reestablished. This is God’s relationship with unrepentant sinners. Jm 5,4-9 (237n) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Transferred from lawlessness to righteousness Jm 5,4-8 (116m) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to self >> Dying to self by the Spirit Jm 5,4-6 (48k) Judgment >> Levels of judgment >> God judges your enemies according to your faithfulness (201k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> Man is unwilling to acknowledge God Jm 5-4 (82d) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Our approach >> How to pray KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5,5-12 (8i) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God's cause >> Preparing for Judgment – The best thing we can do to prepare for God’s vindication against our oppressors is to be innocent of all evil to avoid being judged along with them. Jm 5,5-8 (229e) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> God causes the growth >> Kingdom grows like crops in a farmer’s field Jm 5-5,6 (124i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love your enemies >> Loving your enemies leaves room for God to Work >> Leave room for the wrath of God Jm 5-5 (74j) Thy kingdom come >> Heart of man is sinful >> Sin is conceived in the heart (196k) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Replacing God’s standard of excellence with yours >> Fattened for the day of slaughter (214c) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s timing transcends our comprehension >> God’s time line gives the wicked just enough rope to hang himself (240d) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >> Beware when all men speak well of you >> Natural disadvantage of being popular – This is the only time James gets prophetic and speaks about the last days, before Christ establishes His kingdom on the earth for a thousand years. After that, He will close the curtain for good on this temporal realm, on man's reign on earth and on sin, and He will create a new heavens and a new earth in which Christ will be king of the universe. Before that happens, though, we must get through the last days' tribulation. It says that the Antichrist will live luxuriously on the earth, leading a life of wanton pleasure, fattening himself for the day of slaughter. The book of Revelation refers to the antichrist in a similar manner (Rev 18-14), and it says that she holds a chalice in her hand full of the blood of the saints (Rev 17-6). In many Catholic churches only the priest drinks from the cup, and so John's Revelation implies that judgment against the Catholic Church is against the priesthood and not against the parishioners. They have turned Christianity into pagan superstition, saying that their many rites and ceremonies stir the spiritual realm so that the bread and wine mysteriously turn into the body and blood of Christ at the blessing of the priest. The Catholics have backed-off this and many other long-held beliefs after being exposed as a brotherhood of homosexual child rapists. Is James talking about anybody else here? Does he not also describe the vast majority of Christian pastors who bring home a salary greater than many of their parishioners? The average salary of a pastor today is between $50,000-75,000/year, whereas the average salary of a believing Christian is often well below that figure, and so this verse applies to them too. James also said, “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man” (Jm 2-5,6). It is generally the poor who pay the pastor’s salary, who don’t make much money and are generally disenfranchised by the world, then go to church and are disenfranchised there too. Reduce the salary from most pastors to the average income of their followers and most of them would find another job that pays better. See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5-6; 189f / Mark of the beast associated with the blood of the saints; Rev 16,1-7; 189f Jm 5-6 (25c) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Murder >> Persecution to the death >> Murdering for prestige (189f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyr >> Martyrs bring about the judgment of God – James refers to martyrdom in the last days. He also refers to the kind of attitude martyrs should have in the last days, that if we get a gun to defend ourselves, we should remember that anyone who comes to Christ is a sheep in the midst of wolves (Mat 10-16). The misconception that many have applied to this verse is that God will always protect us, but wolves do eat sheep, yet Jesus promised that not a hair on our head will perish (Lk 21-18), so whether or not we are martyrs is irrelevant, because we are never going to die. There is no fear of death for the Christian; this is why we don’t resist the antichrist; we are proud to be martyrs for Christ, not like radical Muslims who kill themselves and take as many people with them as possible. That is not a martyr but a suicidal maniac. See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5-7,8; 50b KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5,7-11 (98l) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> Endurance invites the glory of God Jm 5,7-9 (194c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Run to God >> Running to meet Jesus prior to His visitation (214i) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s time is soon >> Evidently soon Jm 5-7,8 (50b) Judgment >> God judges the world >> The second coming of Christ – Throughout Scripture, including this passage, the Bible has consistently given us one piece of advice about preparing for the last days. It has nothing to do with doomsday prepping, or stockpiling food and ammunition, or digging a bomb shelter. The gospel was meant for the poor, and if they cannot afford to prepare in this way, then God will not require it of them. Rather, the Bible says the number one thing we can do to prepare for Christ’s second coming is to strengthen our heart and remain in the word of God and prayer and focus our attention on our relationship with God. If that day catches us unaware and we are not spiritually prepared, but have become a doomsday prepper or something else, we will be too weak to resist temptation and deny Christ. We are called to victory, not to be overcome by darkness. Everyone will be tested. Attempting to blend with the crowd is not the answer, just the opposite; we are called to shine all the brighter, because darkness is afraid of light. If we do our part and bear witness of the light that is in us, demonstrating the love of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, they might kill us but they can't hurt us. See also: Endtime prophecy; 126ka (50d) Judgment >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Jews lead the world into revival >> Leading the harvest at the end of the age (105c) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> Being a slave to a pure heart (126ka) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Have patience for the return of Christ >> The spiritual return of Christ – James has written an endtime prophecy in these verses. Collecting silver and gold is not a means of surviving the last days, or investing in the stock market, or becoming a doomsday prepper. We are not to dig a hole in the ground and crawl in it, thinking it will save us, or buy a bomb shelter and fill it with canned goods, thinking it will suffice. None of these things are the Bible’s answer to preparing for the coming of the Lord. Instead, what does it say? Both Old and New Testament give uniform advice: “Strengthen your hearts” in the word of God and prayer. Develop a relationship with God and focus on Him. No matter what else we do to prepare, it won’t work. There will be a minimum span of 3½ years that we will have to survive and most people can only hold enough reserves for six months, and we can’t live in a hole that long. God has already told us what to do, and if we do something else, how can it work? See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5-17,18; 151e Jm 5-7 (129e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Bear fruit by dying to self -- This verse goes with verses 16-18 (225d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about wealth >> Parables about a land owner and his farm Jm 5-8 (9i) Responsibility >> Strengthen one another >> Be strong (74a) Thy kingdom come >> The heart >> God wants you to bless your brother from the heart Jm 5-9 (4l) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable to your brother (8p) Responsibility >> Prevent God’s judgment on your life (26l) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >> Words of your mouth -- This verse goes with verse 12 (40e) Judgment >> Jesus judges the Church (45j) Judgment >> Judgment of believer’s sin >> God will judge us for the words we speak -- This verse goes with verse 12 (51h) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> No partiality among us with God (53e) Paradox >> Opposites >> Freedom and bondage >> It takes one to know one – When someone offends us, they are giving us an opportunity to demonstrate the principles of God; their sins highlight every act of kindness we return to them, exposing their malice. Now we have given them an opportunity to confess their sins, or they will be haunted by them. More often than not, the consequences of their actions infiltrate their lives, and they never have any insight about what is happening to them, so they remain in the dark. Instead of complaining, we should pray for them and be kind to them whether or not they respond to our kindness to avoid being judged with them. (60e) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Judged for complaining/Judged for the sins of your brother whom you are complaining about (84h) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Gossip >> Attacking a person’s character (131i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Interdependence >> Encouraging one another – This is one of many pieces of advice James gave for securing unity in the Church that we should pursue as the day draws near, but complaining and leading a faction is not how to do it. (158b) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Strife >> Grumbling – We should take James’ advice and keep our mouths shut, for complainers are a dime a dozen. Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (Mat 7-1,2). When James used the word “brother”, he was referring to our fellow Christians. Complaining against the brethren is a form of judgment, not on them but on us. There is always more room for pity than there is for complaining. People do things that are clearly wrong, and we meticulously tabulate them, but we don’t keep track of our own sins. We do things to people that make them feel the same way we feel about them. These are all aspects of the sinful nature. We feel totally justified in all we say and do, not understanding that complaining is unwarranted. If we want to behave like Christ, we will look past the injustices imposed on us and take on God’s view instead, which is one of pity, being the reason he sent his son in the first place. God is calling us to fall out of tune with other people’s sins and realize what we do to others and forgive what they do to us, work on our usefulness to the Lord and be a blessing instead of a curse. This is how Jesus lived and died and rose again on our behalf, forgiving others for what they did to Him. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5-10,11 (12a) Servant >> Examples of God’s people >> Good examples – James brings up Job of the Old Testament and places him among the prophets as an example of conduct in the last days, suggesting we have a high chance of suffering. God was compassionate and merciful, but first Job had to suffer. Oppression and slavery (Vs 4-6) are just as unfair as Job’s plight, who was chosen by Satan because of God's blessing and Job's good faith toward God. We should have the attitude Job had, not to forsake the Lord, but to continually believe in His good intensions for us no matter what happens. In the midst of darkness and suffering, we should know these things do not come from God, but He uses them to test our faith and strengthens us to prove that goodness and righteousness, holiness and purity are very valuable traits that we should pursue. See also: Endure suffering; 126m / God allows suffering and evil to test us like He tested Job; Rev 9-11; 26g (126m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Be patient in your circumstances – Talking about what we deserve and don’t deserve, we quickly run into trouble; i.e. we deserve hell, but God rescued us, and we don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy, yet we have received them. We are partakers of Him, blessed with all good things to enjoy and blessed when we endure hardship. Our faithfulness as Christians separates us from the world as His beloved, blessed even when persecuted. When we endure persecution on top of hardship and oppression, we will receive all the more grace from God. Most people don’t want to wait to be rewarded for faithfulness, but God often requires us to remain faithful for long periods before His blessing comes, and God’s purpose is for us to wait. Our reward will be greater the longer we wait, for He is worthy of long-suffering. What happens to us is only temporal, but God’s reward is eternal. In a billion years from now, we will still be glad we served the Lord in these days. See also: Endure suffering; 143a (143a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a reputation for knowing God >> known for walking close to God – We have an interest in being healed and God has an interest in our faith; it takes a lot of faith in God for healing, but it takes even more faith to believe in Him while we are sick. Since God loves our faith, for Him to heal us would be like shooting Himself in the foot, for now He has taking away our need of Him. God can use us just as well when we are sick as when we are healed, for our testimony of believing in Him in our sickness is just as great as the testimony of God's healing. See also: Endure suffering; 239b (150i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word of the Spirit >> Speaking the words that God has spoken to you (151h) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> New Testament bears witness of the Old >> Men of faith (239b) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Recalling the circumstances – The rich have neglected to pay their employees, making them work seven days a week. It says they will receive retribution from the Lord for their actions (Vs 4-6), and we are to mind our manners so we are not counted among them. The advantage of being on the wrong end of oppression is being in the right, and to remain there is our goal as Christians, so when God distributes His judgment to those who deserve it, He will pass over us. We must make a distinction between ourselves and our oppressors to receive God’s grace; otherwise, He will consider us no better than them. God made a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians, requiring them to paint their doorposts with lamb’s blood, a simple gesture of faith, but it was necessary, and it saved their lives. See also: Endure suffering, Jm 5,13-20 83a Jm 5-10 (67i) Authority >> Jesus delegates authority >> Preaching the gospel in Jesus’ name Jm 5-11 (123e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Compassion >> Being willing because you are able Jm 5-12 (4b) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable to the Judgment of God -- This verse goes with verses 1-3. (26l) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >> Words of your mouth – This verse goes with verse 9. Lying was something in ancient times that almost didn’t exists, when their word was their bond, combined with a handshake. Now we sign our name to documents because our word means nothing anymore. We are to be careful what we sign, though a good lawyer can usually overturn it, but at a great financial cost. The integrity of their word used to be important to people, but now people lie and don’t think anything about it. In ancient times, people did business by their word, and if they didn’t do what they said, they could be shunned by the community, and depending on the infraction, they could suffer jail time or even be stoned, but nowadays people lie about everything. The only time lying is a crime today is under oath in a court of law; otherwise, people lie as a way of life. However, God doesn't change; He views lying as He did when he gave Moses the Ten Commandments that said not to bear false witness. (45j) Judgment >> Of believer’s sin >> God will judge us for the words we speak – This verse goes with verse 9 (85k) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Words will make you obligated KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5,13-20 (83a) Thy kingdom come >> Receiving from God through prayer >> Prayer of faith – What is the solution to suffering? It is prayer. We don’t feel like praying when we’re sick; that’s why James has the presbytery come and help, but any other kind of suffering pulls us into prayer, hence one of the reasons God allows suffering. Anxiety, fear and other such afflictions of the soul is remedied through prayer, because God can work His Spirit into our problems, giving us a new perspective, so they seem a little smaller, especially by virtue that one day this life will be over and we will go to heaven, and none of these problems will plague us again. That’s a wonderful perspective, and it is a joy we have no matter what happens to us. The greater our suffering the greater our joy and hope. See also: Endure suffering; Jm 5-10,11; 12a (130e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Committed to caring for the needs of the body >> Committed to holding up one another – We don’t pray for ourselves when we are sick; we depend on the Church to help us. This establishes interdependency within the body of Christ. Also, this is a good reason to stay strong spiritually, so we have this blessing. The elders of the Church are to pray over the sick, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. This ritual is accomplished nowadays with a single drop of oil on the forehead, rubbed with the finger in the shape of a cross, but the anointing of oil in the old days was to wash the sick person’s head with oil, which was an expensive commodity back then, and if he has committed any sins, they will be forgiven him. Jm 5,13-18 (8g) Responsibility >> Prepare to interact with God >> Preparing to receive from God Jm 5-13 (23f) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Rich are those who are poor in their own minds (82i) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His blessings (188g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Enduring your circumstances Jm 5,14-16 (120h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> God forgives us through His power (145d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Jesus heals through the Church (194j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Confessing your sin to God Jm 5-14,15 (59b) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Your sins are forgiven / You are healed – Sin could be the cause of illness; hence, God heals the soul with the body. If the man is repentant, he will be forgiven and receive healing, but if he isn’t, he will neither be forgiven or healed. However, sin and unbelief is not the only reason some sicknesses cannot be healed, and for this reason we should not accuse the sick person. If he has been healed by the power of God, he is certified repentant, which can be useful as a trust factor. (67f) Authority >> Jesus delegates authority >> Name of Jesus >> Performing miracles in Jesus’ name – People seek healing when their bodies are racked with pain, injury and disease, and sometimes God heals them through their faith. Some quit believing in God because they were not healed or a family member was not healed; they give up on God, as though He were a servant working for them. Understanding how God heals is just as mysterious as the reasons He doesn’t heal. For a person seeking healing in the body, he takes the Scriptures into prayer and reminds God of what He said regarding His promises, using passages specific to healing. Missionaries and evangelists more often see God's healing touch, because God is more inclined to heal for the sake of His word than for the sake of a sick man, since God can use sickness to extract faith and trust from the one who is sick, but He can use healing to advance the gospel into the world for more people to be saved, but we must make certain of our teaching and doctrine, otherwise God will not confirm His word in us through healing. (72i) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More Authority The More Responsibility >> Closer we get to Jesus the more power (106k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Means of hearing from God >> Through prayer – Prayer is in association with repentance, for you cannot have an unrepentant heart and an effective prayer. After the obstacle of sin has been removed, the repentant believer automatically prays and seeks a relationship with God, for he has realized the error of his ways and admitted his guilt and taken responsibility for his actions. These things are hard on the ego, and for this reason the fleshly man holds onto his sin, because he doesn’t want to change his ways, but the spiritual man seeks a relationship with God, confessing his sins as a means of growing closer to Him. (113i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Anoint with oil (116b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> In prayer KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5,16-18 (129e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Bear fruit by dying to self -- These verses go with verse 7 Jm 5-16 (9c) Responsibility >> Prevent disunity within the body of Christ >> Prevent discord within the Church Jm 5-17,18 (16b) Sin >> Man’s nature is instinctively evil >> Man is an enemy of God (151e) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> New Testament bears witness of the Old >> The Patriarchs >> The Old Testament prophets – James gave us reason to expect our prayers to be answered, giving us Elijah as a model for the effective prayer of a righteous man (v16), indicating that we have something in common with him: he was a sinner like us. Therefore, we can pray as he prayed and expect results. There were other things about Elijah that do not apply to us, such as his ministry as a prophet, yet Jesus in so many words taught that we all have a Spirit of prophecy within us. In Jn 16-13 He said, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” That was Jesus’ promise to every Christian, and so in that sense we are a little like Elijah, though that doesn’t mean we are all prophets or even have the gift of prophecy; it only means we know the truth when we hear it. Elijah will return as one of the two witness according to Rev 11,1-14, only not him but the spirit and ministry of Elijah will return. A man will be born in the last days whom God will endow with a ministry similar to Elijah of the Old Testament. The second of the Two Witnesses will be a man with a ministry similar to Moses. For James to compare us to Elijah was audacious, when we think of all the things Elijah did. He took on King Ahab, the evil king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel. Jesus said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things” (Mat 17-11); we will never have the ministry of restoring Israel to fellowship with God, as the Two Witnesses will restore Israel and the Church in the last days, yet we all play a part in restoring one another, giving us more confidence to pray like Elijah did with the expectation to receive. Prayer is a very important ministry, and each of us has this ministry. Even unbelievers pray; how much greater is the prayer of the beloved? If there is one thing that separates us from the heathen, it is that God listens to our prayers, but until a person dedicates his life to Christ, God does not listen to him. See also: Endtime prophecy; Jm 5,1-11; 49l / Great Endtime Revival (John the Baptist had the ministry of Elijah); Mat 17,10-13; 193d (218d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> We choose our actions, not their consequences >> God controls the consequences of our actions -- These verses go with verses 4-11 (229f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> God causes the growth >> God uses us to cause the growth (237k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Transferred from darkness to light KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5-19,20 (25l) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> You’re walking in death if you’re not walking in Jesus – In heaven we will receive bodies that are geared toward the will of God, but currently we have bodies that are geared against His will and toward sin; in fact, Paul describes us as having a "body of sin" (Rom 6-6). We must force ourselves to do the will of God, but if we give free reign to our flesh, it will immediately lead us right back to sin. We don’t know what it’s like to have a body and a mind that wants only to please God without any conflict of interest. (47e) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Hell is a place of the dead – The Bible speaks of two deaths: the first is natural death and the second death is hell. No one can save anyone from an ensuing natural death, but Jesus spoke in a way that those who believe in him, their natural death will be nullified by the First Resurrection (Jn 11-26), making death as though it never happened, even as Paul said that it will be swallowed up by life (2Cor 5-4). That promise is for the believer, but what about the unbeliever? Jesus told a parable of the rich man and Lazarus and testified that the rich man died and was buried, and the next moment he found himself in hell (Lk 16-22,23). Therefore, to the unbeliever hell is death that never ends; they are one and the same, the experience of forever dying, called the second death (Rev 20-14). This is the death that James implied. See also: Losing your salvation; 185l (86g) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word >> Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Practice the truth – James said that the one who turns a sinner from the error of his way would cover a multitude of sins, and Peter also said, “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1Pet 4-8). Therefore, turning a Christian brother from the error of his way (evangelism) is the ultimate act of love, and all acts of love cover a multitude of sins. When we feel weak in faith, this is when we should perform great acts of love, not to feel better about ourselves, but to bolster our faith that we belong to Christ. Even if we sin we know we love God because we love the brethren (1Jn 3-14). Love is proof of knowing God; for this reason we should compile a storehouse of proof. When we sin, we know it is an exception, for we ordinarily live by the rule of love. Our heart is with God and we can prove it because of the love we have shown, but the person who has no evidence of his faith cannot prove that he loves God. (113a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Protection >> Covering (131e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Brother depends on you >> To lead him to Jesus (149d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Compel them to come in >> Forceful persuasion (161c) Works of the devil >> Wandering from the character of God >> Wander from the truth (183i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of error will lead you astray (185l) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> Blasphemy >> Unwilling to obey the revelation from heaven >> Unwilling to walk in God’s freedom – There is a line a person crosses that changes him from once believing to becoming an unbeliever, and in that way he loses his salvation. James said for those who cross this line it is the point of no return, who have blasphemed the Holy Spirit and caused irreparable damage to their conscience. There is a hardness of heart beyond a certain point that he can no longer believe, even if he sought repentance with all his heart, after which not even God can rescue him. It is something that he does that he cannot undo, such as Esau, who could not undo the contempt he demonstrated when he sold his own birthright to Jacob, his brother, for a single meal. The line the person crosses always involves other people, as Esau’s point of no return involved Jacob. See also: Losing your salvation; 204b (204b) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> Going astray – The soul winner saves a man’s soul from death who has strayed and covers a multitude of his own sins. James is saying that it is possible to lose our salvation, referring to catching a person in the later stages of backsliding. “Save his soul from death” means that a Christian is tempted to fall away from the faith. He hasn’t lost his salvation yet, for if he lost it, we couldn’t get it back, for no one can be born-again, again. A person is born, and if the baby dies, it goes to heaven. There is an age of accountability, and once we pass that age and come to know the difference between good and evil, and our conscience forms, and we begin to sin against our conscience, that is when we need to be saved. See also: Losing your salvation; 207a (207a) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish by losing your faith >> The apostasy (walking out the same door you came in) – As a result of so much heresy in the Church today, when we read a verse like this, many of us immediately interpret it to make it fit our doctrines, but James didn’t write this in code but wrote very clearly. He was not trying to confuse anybody; he was trying to tell us about God, yet nowadays those who read this verse add layer upon layer of interpretation in order to make it sound like their doctrines, namely the doctrine of Eternal Security (easy-believism) that teaches we cannot lose our salvation. We understand that God is protecting our faith, but we have a will too, and we can override God’s will. When the Bible speaks of death, especially in this context, it refers to hell. Note, however, the identity of the sinner; he was once a believer. Can a Christian lose his salvation? Many say no, but this verse says yes, and many other passages support this fact. Once saved, if a person backslides from his faith and a brother turns him back to the faith, let it be known that he delivered the person from the fires of hell. Once a person completely falls away from the faith, he cannot be restored. A person may try to interpret the word “death” to mean something else, but God has charged us to keep our lamps lit, and if the flame dies, we are spiritually dead and there is no way of relighting our lamp. God has given us power to keep the fire burning in our heart, but if it dies, he has not given us matches to relight our lamps. See also: Losing your salvation; 47e KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 5-20 (120i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> Forgiveness sets you free