JEAN'S BIBLE STUDY COM

KJV    NAS

1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. 

Jm 1,1-8

(96a) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering under the hand of men – These verses go with verse 12. The Apostle John was the writer of the Gospel of John and the writer of the epistles of First, Second and Third John, but the Apostle James was not the writer of the epistle of James. Instead, the writer of “James” was the brother of Jesus. How interesting that the brother of Jesus wrote such an epistle, who lived with Him throughout His childhood and adolescent years into adulthood and personally witnessed the character of Christ and saw the way He lived before His ministry. What he wrote is how Jesus lived as a child, as a boy and as a man. James observed his big brother’s endurance and His compassion for the poor, the weak and the sick, and he recognized that faith without works is dead, and that if we don’t bridal our tongues our religion is worthless. He learned all these things from Jesus long before His ministry began, seeing these things in Him before He believed in Him as the Son of God. What made James change his mind about his brother? James was a conscientious man who believed the truth to be invaluable. Once He put all the pieces together from Jesus’ childhood to His ministry, comparing it to Old Testament prophecy, there was only one conclusion, and the icing on the cake was His resurrection. If you want to know more about Jesus as a child, just read the epistle of James.

Jm 1,1-5 

(97g) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Facing the direction of God’s will >> Focusing your attention on finishing the course

(233j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering >> Seek His glory through perseverance -- These verses go with verse 12. James doesn’t address whether or not we pass the test, for with the true children of God either way it ultimately produces endurance. When His people are tested and fail, it makes them all the more determined to pass next time. Like someone who is seeking a degree, he needs that diploma to get a high-paying job so he can get married and support a family. Everything depends on whether or not he passes his school exams; all his dreams and hopes are based on it, so when he succeeds, it is called perseverance. Those who fail at perseverance don’t quit but seek God all the more how they might learn to persevere under trial, so they can achieve their spiritual goals. 

(12e) Bond servant (Key verse)

(12j) Servant >> Bond servant >> Salutations – This first verse proves the audience to be the messianic Jews, referring to them as the twelve tribes who are already scattered abroad, suggesting that it was written after AD 70. The funny thing about the book of James written to Christian Jews is that there is almost no mention of old covenant temple worship or making any comparisons from that to Christianity. Even Paul did that occasionally and his ministry was to the gentiles.

(105l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Led by the Spirit into the fire >> Into the wilderness >> Wilderness of safety

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

Jm 1,2-11

(103m) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >> Purified through faith

Jm 1,2-9

(8j) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God’s cause >> Preparing to die to self – Sometimes all it takes to die to self is to simply stop sinning, but when you make decisions that affect your whole life it takes wisdom to know what to do. When you make a decision to follow Christ, you will need to seek God’s wisdom about the way you should go; and if you decide to follow His advice, you will need to die to self to get where you're going. There are many who make decisions to follow Christ, and many who seek God’s wisdom about their future, but few who follow His advise and do what He says. That is why you see so many Christians whose lives resemble "the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind."

(99a) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Enduring the word of God >> Endure obeying the word of God – If we have an ear for the Holy Spirit and have heard Him calling us to a specific ministry, and if we are doing His will but can’t endure our trials, our failures will undo our successes. Conversely, if we endure our circumstances but never seek the will of God, still we produce very little fruit. Often when we are doing the work of God, circumstances will come to try us. We think these come from the devil, yet this is irrelevant, in that God has ultimately given us our circumstances, that if we endure them, it will put our faith on display as an aspect of our ministry. Preaching the gospel can only tell people what we believe, but our endurance and perseverance tells them how much we believe. What and how much we believe are both important. The person who believes a little doesn’t believe at all, and the person who fails to endure his circumstances is communicating that he doesn’t believe in the character of God. We are all guilty of this at some level.

(137h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing in Jesus is hard work >> Maturity comes through discipline – Dear reader, please keep in mind that I am preaching to myself before I say these things to anyone else. Note also that I have never prefaced anything with a disclaimer like this anywhere else on this website, because of the content of James’ message, who was very strict. James was a results oriented person. He wanted to see results. He was the opposite of Paul, who taught theory over practice. James simply wanted to see us living the Christian life and wasn’t interested in any of our excuses.

(187f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self to know the revelation of God -- These verses go with verse 21

(248i) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> Valuing God >> Do not value things that will devalue God

Jm 1,2-8

(5j) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your strength through endurance – These verses go along with verse 12. God wants you to endure the circumstances where He has placed you, and if you can’t, then He wants you to ask Him for help. All of God’s wisdom in these verses is for you to understand how to endure your circumstances. Wisdom is God’s plan for your life. If you receive a plan from God about how to endure your circumstances, but don’t institute it in your life, then there is nothing else God can do for you, except reiterate what He has already told you. In other words, if you don’t like God’s plan, then you are out of luck, unless you think someone else can come up with a better one, which is what most people believe. That is why you see so many people in ruins today; they believe their fellow man before they believe God – way before.

(80b) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To deliver yourself from bondage – These verses go with verses 22-25. Enduring our trials is part of spiritual warfare. God is ready to convey His wisdom to us for the purpose of enduring the struggles of this life, not as a technique of endurance but as the strength of endurance itself. Also, God reveals His word to those who commit themselves to Him, and once we have endured our trials, He will manifest His word in us. In other words, to have the wisdom of God is evidence of possessing His power to endure our circumstances. If we take these things to heart, God will give us the incentive we need to see beyond our troubles. The wisdom of God is the Bible revealed to us by the Spirit, called the anointing. The wisdom of God cannot be read in the Bible outside of faith. An unbeliever can read the Bible and be none the wiser, but the man of faith reads the Bible and the Holy Spirit reveals it to him.

(125c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >> Investing in a life of adversity – Trials are an absolute certainty in this life. Being joyful about our trials is very difficult, yet James taught if we don’t joyfully endure our circumstances, we won’t endure them at all, so it would behoove us to face our trials with joy. Having joy about our troubles is a state of mind; it’s an attitude that we must cultivate; it’s a perspective that we must train our minds to accept, which is very difficult to do, but not impossible, since we have God to help us. James taught that we live in a cause and effect world, and that if we want our personal attributes to be positive and not negative or deleterious, we must make sure not to produce them in the negative ways that we are tempted to react. 

(236j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest in the treasures of the kingdom >> Invest your life in God’s faith – We go from what we know to what we don’t know. We who have a confident faith in Jesus know that God loves us, that we have eternal life, that if we must be martyrs, Jesus is worthy of our service and worship, it’s not a wasted life. There are other things we don’t know. We don’t know what is around the corner; we don’t know about tomorrow, but because we know Jesus, what we don’t know doesn’t matter. We will just live another day and find out what happens. That is all we can do; it's how God wants us to live.

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Jm 1,2-6

(126f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Peace >> Terms of peace

Jm 1,2-5

(32i) Gift of God >> Father will honor you if you die to self >> Honor His word in you – These verses go with verse 12

(79f) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind through prayer

(121a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with your way of life >> Content in any circumstance -- These verses go with verse 9

(249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- These verses go with verse 12

Jm 1,2-4

(5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course – These verses go with verse 12. James carries a multidimensional, soft-prickly message of correction and hope.

(39f) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Victory >> He overcame every circumstance – These verses go with verse 12

(91e) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Purpose (of God’s calling) >> God has a reason for the things that happen to us – These verses go with verse 12

(93n) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on the circumstances of this life – These verses go with verse 12. Here is one of the perspectives of wisdom that helps us joyfully endure our tribulations, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (2Pet 3-10,11). Once we see that our problems are not as big as they appear, we can begin to face them with joy.

(99h) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring circumstances >> Endure temptation

(114f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Receiving a revelation from God through obedience -- These verses go with verses 21&22

(129e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Bear fruit by dying to self

Jm 1-2,3

(106l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >> To protect your faith

3&4 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

(97i) Endurance (Key verse) – Here is an illustration of endurance: once there were two row-boats with a rowers. Each boat had a hole in the bottom, but the holes were different sizes. God commanded them to stay afloat by bailing out the water. The one with the smaller hole frequently took rests, leisurely going back to bailing out his boat, while the other with the bigger hole could not keep up with the inflow of water, and eventually sank. There in his helpless circumstances he persevered in his futile attempts to bail out the water. Finally, God miraculously raised the boat from the bottom of the lake and plugged the hole, while the rower removed every drop of water so that the boat was dry. The other rower, however, fell asleep and awoke with water up to his arm pits. He frantically scooped at the water, but didn't have time or strength to bail out his boat, so it sank. Endurance never quits or considers the circumstances; it only remembers what God said and does it, having confidence in His character, that He who promised is faithful. The hole in the boat represents our weakness. Some are weaker than others, which makes it harder to do the will of God; but it doesn't take strength to love God and our fellow man; it takes endurance. Endurance invokes the power of God to help us step beyond ourselves, past our human nature and weaknesses into a supernatural ability to live for God.

Jm 1-4,5

(112a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Wisdom of the spirit

(227h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to impart His gifts into us >> He gives us what we give to each other

Jm 1-4

(43k) Judgment >> Satan destroyed in the absence of sin >> Perfected in weakness – This verse goes with verse 12. What does it mean to be perfect? We can have tremendous spiritual gifts and also have an angry temper, and James would say we are imperfect. Therefore, we can define perfection as being of a homogeneous state, or responding to only one nature, the divine nature that God has given us in the Holy Spirit. The imperfections of our flesh, if we allow them to manifest, will destroy the work of God not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others. We will become an offense to those we are trying to help, and they will no longer receive our ministry and possibly turn off to Christianity altogether. 

(44g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Complete >> Lacking in nothing – The result of endurance is perfection and completion. These two attributes of God (perfect and complete) go together like left and right hand, and the only way we can achieve them is through endurance. Endurance and perseverance act as left and right foot. “Endurance” is an effort to remain motionless in the face of temptation, while “perseverance” is an effort to remain in motion doing the will of God. The absence of one cancels the other. When our flesh tempts us to do evil, the best thing to do is nothing at all. If we can avoid the evil that knocks on our door, then we can continue persevering in the goals that He has set for us, but if we fall to temptation, it puts a halt to our progress in the will of God. Often we must stop what we are doing to surmount the hindrances that come to us. Endurance is just as important as perseverance. It would be nice to continue the work of the Lord unhindered, but the fact is there are many obstacles in the way of the Christian who is striving to accomplish divine goals set by the Father. What we need to understand is that overcoming them are just as important as accomplishing the goals that God has given us. In fact, overcoming these hindrances is an aspect of our spiritual goals, so when these forces halt the work of God, we should not consider them as something negative but part of the work that God has given us to do.

(206a) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to living in the spirit >> Conditions to partaking in the spirit

(233b) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Seeking the goals of the kingdom >> Seek the goal of freedom – No one has spiritual goals they determined for themselves. A self-determined spiritual goal is nothing more than a religious inclination, but a genuine spiritual goal originates from heaven, where God enables His people to lead the faithful, strengthen the weak, establish unity in the Church and promote the Kingdom of God in the world. Genuine spiritual goals are supernatural and produce miraculous results, for the flesh would show no interest if we put our sinful nature in charge of them. Without the Spirit of God man is interred in his flesh, and there is nothing else he knows or understands.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

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.

Jm 1,5-16

(23e) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are rich in their own minds – These verses go with verses 22-26

Jm 1,5-11

(22a) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The deception of greed

Jm 1,5-8

(51h) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> No partiality among us with God

(83a) Thy kingdom come >> Receiving from God through prayer >> Prayer of faith – When we ask for wisdom, we must ask with all confidence, and in that confidence behave as though we have received the wisdom of God, for the person who asks for wisdom and acts like a fool, makes the observer question whether the wisdom he cannot see is real or if the foolishness that he can see is real in his behavior. James intrinsically answers the question with whatever manifests—that is real. If we joyfully endure our circumstances, it proves we possess the wisdom of God. Our behavior is proof of possession.

(114e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Obeying the revelation from heaven >> Obeying the revelation by putting away the flesh

(186d) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool >> The fool throws Jesus away for something better >> The world betrayed the Lord

Jm 1-5,6

(89h) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom of the Spirit – James’ version of Christianity speaks to the individual and is based on the wisdom of God. This word “wisdom” came out of nowhere; why do we suddenly need wisdom? Remember in verse 2 he said “Consider it all joy, by brethren, when you encounter various trials.” We need wisdom to joyfully endure our trials. What does the wisdom of God promise that will help us joyfully endure our problems and difficulties? The word “wisdom” calls up an image of an old man with a long white beard. This is an accurate depiction of wisdom, for the older we get the more wisdom most of us accumulate. This has to do with perspective, that is, the longer we live, the further back we step from our problems and difficulties. So, wisdom helps us see our problems from a distance, helping us to see that they are not as big as they appear, for the further back we step, the smaller our problems become. Wisdom therefore is like a time machine that allows us get a better perspective on our problems.

(100i) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in protecting your heart from greed -- These verses go with verse 9

Jm 1-5

(34g) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> He is generous with His spiritual blessings

(36f) Gift of God >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> The gift of wisdom

(175l) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Lack of knowledge

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6&7 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. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

Jm 1,6-11

(79e) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> If you don’t, you won’t know truth

(170d) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Seeking the glory of man >> Greed and lust are the glory of man >> Earthly riches are the glory of man – Do these verses mean that every rich man is destined for hell? No, it means the pattern has been set by the world itself that most rich people will never find heaven, because they are too busy looking for heaven on earth, and the closest he can get to it is the distinction between himself and the poor man. God has not set up his kingdom to glorify only a few; rather, heaven is a place where the least are greatest and the greatest are least. God would say to the rich man, ‘Since the heaven you envisioned was about excluding the poor man, having only enough room for yourself and a few of your rich cronies, so I also will excluded you from my heaven that I envisioned for the lowly and contrite of heart.’

Jm 1,6-10

(97i) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Giving attention to the wrong things – Problem with so many of us is that we pay attention to the wrong things while we are attempting to receive from the Lord. Man’s needs are a long list of demands such as food, shelter and sleep just to name a few, and we work hard to meet those needs, but Christians are also called to ask God for help in meeting our needs. What do we expect God to do for us? Inevitably we look to the world to meet our needs; the things we need do come from the world, and the world is also the cause of our needs. Christians ask God for help with their needs; it is incorporated in the Lord’s prayer. We want to honor God for the things we use to live and thrive, and we ask God for them so we can see the connection between the things we have and the things we received. If it weren’t for God we would have nothing; if it weren’t for Him this would be a scorched earth. Instead, we live in a world where things grow and live and bloom and fill our lives with good things to eat and enjoy. If we don’t think these things are from God, one reason God made hell was to show what creation would be like if He has removed every semblance of Himself from it. Outside His presence there is nothing but pain and suffering. Nothing grows in hell; there is nothing to eat or drink; there is no joy, no living things. As it is, we enjoy sunlight, a green summer, rainfall, autumn colors, they all come “from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (Jm 1-17). These are all gifts from the God of heaven, so we ask the Lord to “give us this day our daily bread” to understand that these things are from His hand.

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Jm 1,6-8

(11a) Servant >> Standard for a servant >> A changed lifestyle – Doubt would obey God if it could get some questions answered; the problem with living in a mental and spiritual environment of doubt is that those questions never end, because our doubts overrule the evidence of faith. Doubt is the limiting factor of our faith, for we all live in varying levels of doubt, and that doubt works as the ceiling of our faith. Fortunately, however, all things have a cure, for if Jesus could heal the deaf and blind from birth, then He can also heal our doubts.

(20h) Sin >> Doubt replaces faith – Sin is a terrible thing for a Christian because it creates a gray area, being neither black nor white. The gray area is defined as “doubt”. Sin causes us to first doubt that we believe and then to doubt what we believe. Sin leads to doubt and doubt leads to unbelief, and unbelief simply does not know how to obey God. The gray area is always difficult to manage, requiring us to make allowances for our behavior, basically reducing our faith to a set of doctrines that we claim to believe. When we compare the Bible to this kind of gospel, we find no resemblance. Nevertheless, every Christian sins. Sometimes our circumstances are so severe that we can’t help but sin, and God helps us through these troubled times. It is always the chronic circumstances that cause us to sin, because we get tired of them. We want our lives to change, so we invite a different set of problems to replace our current ones, but soon we get tired of our new problems. The only real answer is to endurance our problems. We must keep our ear open for the Holy Spirit, who wants to tell us things about ourselves and about our circumstances and give us a better and more accurate perspective on our lives.

(24d) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Pursuit of happiness creates anxiety

(56a) Paradox >> Lose by gaining >> Gain your idea of wealth to lose God’s wealth – These verses go with verses 10&11

(121g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope >> Expectation >> Expecting good things based on God’s character >> Expectation based on His word

(159g) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Wealth is a form of counterfeit godliness -- These verses go with verses 10&11

(162a) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Carried Away >> Carried away by the storms of the devil

(162d) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >> Bondage to an unwillingness to believe (deception) – The one who doubts doesn’t believe at all, for doubt is a form of unbelief. Did doubting Thomas believe? He believed in Jesus until He was crucified. 'Unless he see Jesus alive and walking around with nail holes in His hands and feet, he simply would not believe.' So too, James needed to see our faith before he would believe we had any. James’ attitude was, ‘Since faith becomes visible when we manifest it through the members of our bodies, why should I believe it exists in those who merely call themselves Christians?’ The one who walks in unbelief has no concept of the truth; he has no compass, and if he had a compass it wouldn’t do him any good, because his boat is constantly pointing in different directions. Just because his bow is pointed in a certain direction doesn’t mean he’s going that way; the wind could be pushing him broadside. For the person in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean in a vicious storm with no land in sight, there is no north; nor is there right or wrong or even truth. A person like this, if he did receive anything from the Lord, wouldn’t know what to do with it. There are no controlled variables in the Christian who doubts. 

(167h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not believe the word of God

(169c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is blind to God >> Blinded by Satan’s thoughts >> Blinded by a false sense of sight

(174i) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Form of a servant but denying God your loyalty

(203b) Denying Christ >> Dishonor God >> Dishonor God by your unbelief – The world lives in willful ignorance of God, willfully denying His existence, devising elaborate theories how we emerged from the primordial soup. They say everything just happened by itself without any need of a creator, and these ideas plant doubts in our minds. We say to ourselves that since we have these needs, how could there be a God, and how could He love us if we are suffering? God says we are missing the whole point. He is not here to cater to our every need; we live in a fallen world of our own making. This is the hand we were dealt, so deal with it. God expects us to rise to the occasion of this life and accomplish the things that are required of us, and that takes fortitude and a little faith in God. If we did that and followed the Holy Spirit wherever He led us and did what He commanded us and lived the way He showed us with obedient attitudes, we would avoid the temptations of sin and pitfalls of this life. Often when a person puts himself in a position where he really needs God’s help, he put himself there through his own sin. How are we supposed to develop faith to resolve our problems if we got there from a lack of faith? It is like pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, yet God’s proof of character, strength and ability is always right in front of us, and repentances is always available. The word of God is also in front of us that tells us of His love and His willingness to help. He acknowledges that we are fallen creatures and He doesn’t condemn us for it, but what He does condemn is unbelief, and He despises our doubts.

(222e) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> God does not entrust his treasures to dogs >> If you are unfaithful, God won’t bother with you

(232d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> If Jesus cost too much, then you aren’t worth much

(241e) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Obstacles in the way of the kingdom >> Ask but don’t receive because of unbelief – There are dark times when we need to ask God for help, and this is the case when James said we must ask in faith without any doubting. Why is it so wrong to doubt or to have turbulent times when we feel driven by outside forces and tossed against the rocks by strong winds? Why do we need to be anchored before we can ask God for the things we need? To speak to God about our needs without faith is an insult to Him, suggesting how much evidence God has given us proving His greatness and character. He created the entire universe, and with the Hubble Telescope we can look into deep space and see his handiwork, hundreds of thousands and millions of galaxies, each with billions of stars. Our own galaxy is profound and the earth itself is an incredible sample of His handiwork. It acts like a living organism, running by a cause-and-effect system, just like our own bodies that have come from the earth. We have all this proof of God and evidence of His creativity, and are we going to doubt Him anyway? To the degree that He demands respect by showing Him a little faith is the degree to which He has already proven Himself by His creation and by His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Jm 1-6

(159j) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >> Drunkenness >> The alcoholic

(191c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Extract the leaven of hypocrisy -- This verse goes with verse 21

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8&9 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

Jm 1-8

(195e) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >> Being double minded

Jm 1,9-11

(77g) Thy kingdom come >> Humility >> Refusing the glory of man >> Rejecting their admiration

(94b) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on wealth in this life

(96m) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having an attitude of greed – The world sees us being of humble circumstances, whereas God sees us in a high position, and James says that though the world has a negative view of us, we are to maintain God’s attitude in receiving His offer of eternal life in paradise with a level of authority that no human on earth has ever known. It is a paradox for the rich man to glory in his humiliation. He thinks he lives a glorious life, but God sees it as humiliation and shameful, and in the end God’s view will stand. Man’s glory fades like fields of flowers withering in the noonday sun; this is what a very small amount of time will do to every person. Young people have their whole life in front of them; then they blink, and suddenly they’re old; their flesh has faded and the beauty of their appearance is destroyed, and everything they possess will be taken from them at death, and they will be forgotten as though they never existed, and the world will continue without them, until it too passes away. So this life is not to be sought but to be invested in the life to come. There is no hope to grasp in this life, for it all slips from the hand and decays into dust and blows to the four winds with a scorching wind. Our only real hope is to throw our lives on the mercies of God and be delivered from death and from this world in all its attitudes and values, and take on the attributes of Christ and walk in His light, and He will lead us to his heavenly kingdom where death does not exist.

(171l) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Outward appearance of circumstances – There is a contrast between the elementary principles of the world and the kingdom principles of Christ that He has commanded us to follow. The brother of humble circumstances is not just anybody who has cause to glory, but is a brother in the faith. James said that Christianity was made for the poor, suggesting that everybody in the Church is poor in one way or another. They are either literally poor or poor in spirit, or else they are social outcasts for some other reason. Either way, they are hardly successful by the world’s standards, but they believe in Jesus and God has accepted them, because they have a sincere faith, and though they may not have a high position in this world, they are to glory in the high position that they will receive in heaven, but the rich man is to glory in his shame. We know that there are some saved rich people, but James informs us that their numbers are few who make it to heaven, who are rich according to the standard of this world, simply because we are talking about distinct kingdoms that are in opposition to each other. They will never come into agreement, otherwise there would be no need for Christ to have save us. If the world were no different from the Kingdom of God, there would be no need for Jesus to have shed His blood for our sins.

(77c) Humility (Key verse)

(77h) Thy kingdom come >> Tapping into the power of God through humility >> The high position of a humble servant – We can be a nobody and glory in our high position, knowing the Lord and knowing the truth and His ways and His priorities. Although we may be of humble circumstances, we are not low in God’s eyes if we are serving Him in Spirit and truth. Instead, He exalts us in our low position to a place of dignity and honor in the life to come, because we are willing to live in humble circumstances and trust God in the place we were given. Then there is the rich man who thinks he has it all, but has nothing in view of eternity. He thinks he has the world by the tail, and maybe he does, but not for long. Without faith in Jesus Christ all things come to an end, and when the unbelieving rich man dies, suddenly he will find himself in hell and wonder how he got there. He forgot to acknowledge God in his life.

Jm 1-9

(56c) Paradox >> Opposites >> Humble yourself to be chosen of God

(56m) Paradox >> Opposites >> The poor in spirit are rich in faith

(100i) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in protecting your heart from greed -- This verse goes with verses 5&6

(121a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with your way of life >> Content in any circumstance -- This verse goes with verses 2-5. The Bible teaches that with a little we shall be content. Paul addressed contentment, saying that it is more valuable than money. Contentment can make a man wealthy who has very little, in that it lowers our standard of living, requiring less money to live, yet having everything we need and want, plus have time and energy to serve the Lord. This is the will of God, in contrast to the person who thinks money is his answer. The Bible promises that time will steal a man’s earthly treasures and possibly give it to a fool (Proverbs 23-5; Ecclesiastes 2-18,19). Earthly wealth will fail the person who pursues it, and he will fade into obscurity never to be remembered. There were rulers from the Greek and Roman empires whose name we still remember; yet eventually they too will be forgotten. For this reason it is important to accumulate treasures in heaven, “where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal” (Mat 6,19-21). In heaven we will never be forgotten and we will always live, and we will continue making memories and friends and life will extend into eternity without the need for money, and we will never fade away.

10&11 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 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.

(23d) Poverty (Key verse)

(24c) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >> Fear of losing spiritual territory – In the same way that the rich man fears losing his wealth, so the Christian ought to fear losing his faith. We may have achieved spiritual goals, but that doesn’t give us permanent status, anymore than a football team after it has gained thirty yards is guaranteed to keep it. For this reason the Church should strive all the more not just to pursue the things of God, but to keep the ground that we have won and not give way to the forces that seek to steal our prize (Rev 3-11). For example, if the rich man has gained his wealth by the stock market, the next day it can plummet and he can lose half of everything he has gained, or else he can be sued, or a bill can land on his desk that he didn’t expect. All number of snares can befall the rich man’s money to lose what he has gained; so it is with the Christian; there are many forces against us. There is the temptation of wealth, we can find a good paying job that takes away all our time and energy that we would have spent serving the Lord so we have none to devote to our faith in God. All we have to show for our labor is a cushy bank account. The more money a person accumulates the more he wants to spend, making the only result a higher standard of living. If that is our goal in life, then we have already failed as Christians.

(40m) Judgment >> God is glorified >> God defends His righteous ones through judgment – God’s judgment on the wealthy is the simple fact that their glory is temporary. God is all in favor of those who work to live, but He condemns those who live to work. The vast majority of wealthy people are very ambitious, and that is commendable in view of the alternative, since we know what the Bible says about laziness, so we think God would show a little respect for motivated people whose life’s goal is to stockpile wealth and riches. The book of Proverbs commends the industrious man over the sloth, and the book of Ecclesiastes commends the person who enjoys his work. We must see the rich man’s ambition as misappropriated, since it is not possible to be overzealous for the Lord. God’s complaint of the rich man is not his ambition, but that his interests lie only in money. To the productive rich man God says, “You fool,” according to Jesus’ parable in Lk 12,16-21. At the moment of His death He said, “This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” Ecclesiastes 2,18-21 brings up the point too that if the rich man has a fool for a son, all his wealth will be wasted on him, saying that it is vanity and a great evil.

(56a) Paradox >> Lose by gaining >> Gain your idea of wealth to lose God’s wealth – These verses go with verses 6-8. The rich man has man’s approval, but James gives it perspective. When the rich man’s life is over, reality sets in, and then he will receive God’s perspective resembling withering grass when its flower falls off in a scorching wind; “…so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.” One day he will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment and give an account of himself, and then all the rich man’s priorities will seem meaningless. He will look back recalling his fortunes and how big it made him feel, compared to his stature before God. There is no world prepared for him, but the brother of humble circumstances is living by a different set of principles that mirror the Kingdom of God, and for this reason God has prepared a place for him where he will fit in with his new heavenly family, but the rich man is cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(57a) Paradox >> Opposites >> The rich are poor – The biggest enemy of the rich man is not competitors or thieves, but time, the clock on the wall that goes tick, tock. One day the secondhand will move in position when the rich man breathes his last. If he had not dedicated his life to faith in Jesus for the hope of eternal life, then he has absolutely nothing, and the rich man will awake in hell (Lk 16,19-31). Jesus said about him, “…for I am in agony in this flame.” He had no future and no hope; all his wealth and riches are gone; this is God’s judgment on the rich. The Bible teaches that wealthy people are least likely of all to see heaven. Wealthy Christians do exist, but the Bible teaches they are an enigma. In fact, the Bible teaches that if he were truly committed to his faith, he would give his money to the poor (though throwing money at poverty fixes nothing). A rich Christian should see no need for all his money and his conscience should bother him about all the people suffering around him, and so it would actually be better for him to liquidate his assets and donate it all to charity to appease his conscience, so when he saw the poor man, the only thing he could do for him is preach the gospel to him, which is all the poor man really needs. The gospel of Christ was made for the poor; they are the most susceptible to the gospel and the most likely to believe in Jesus, because they have nothing to lose, whereas the rich man finds it difficult to juggle his faith with his wealth.

(60e) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Rich people of the world / Rich people of the Church

(159g) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Wealth is a form of counterfeit godliness -- These verses go with verses 13-16

(163c) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Being a slave to greed

(166i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> >> The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >> The world’s perspective on wealth – James is resetting the priorities that the world has misconstrued for everyone. We Christians need to see others and ourselves in light of God’s word. Those who humbly serve the Lord are the greatest people on earth, but those who are the greatest according to the world are usually rich, and everyone clamors to them. Mankind has always been ready to worship those who have scratched and clawed to the top of the dung pile. When they finally reach the summit, James says, “Let him glory in his humiliation…” Like people who climb Mount Everest, there is nothing up there except a pretty view and a lot of discarded air tanks. The air is too thin to breath, so they haul oxygen up there, and when the tanks are empty, they discard them at the top of the mountain. They should have climbed the mountain next to it, for that summit isn’t polluted. After the person descends from the mountain and is interviewed, they ask him why he did it, and invariably the answer involves ‘the journey,’ and I suppose the rich man became rich for the same reason, for once he attains his quarry, there is nothing at the top but a lot of discarded people with the life sucked out of them.

(175c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Wealth gives a false sense of godliness

(182k) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Deceitfulness of riches – The rich man can keep his money and be a Christian, and he doesn’t necessarily need to have an evil conscience about it. The problem with money, though, is that it has a corrupting effect, influencing people to ignore God and focus instead on this world, to the belief systems of carnality, secularism and agnosticism. Through exorbitance people can afford certain lavish lifestyles, traveling and going on extravagant vacations, frequenting fancy restaurants, hobnobbing with their fellow aristocrats and feeling superior to others of lower class. Soon the gospel of Christ become of petty concern. The vast majority of rich people will die without Christ and face an eternity in hell. James wasn’t trying to devise a cure for that; he was merely citing their probable fate.

(245g) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm is imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of God’s righteous judgment >> Manifestation of God’s justice – Let’s say a man became wealthy very young in life, and he has the world by the tail; he regularly entertains his guests; he has the best of everything: fast car, big house, beautiful wife, but everyday that passes he gets a little older, and he doesn’t notice until one day he looks in the mirror at an old man. He was thinking of himself as still young and vibrant as he was thirty years ago, and now he’s sixty and still getting older. One day he will be 90 and barely able to move from his chair, but he has a lot of money. Finally he dies and they bury him; now what good is all his money to him, and what good is all the enjoyment that it gave him for the few fleeting years of his life? We cannot bottle youth, and pleasure is in the moment only. If we want to live forever in a young, healthy body that will never age with pleasures forevermore, we must sacrifice this life for it. Temporary pleasure is no pleasure at all, but the promise of eternal happiness has meaning, because then we will be able to enjoy the moment forever. In this life everything is temporary, but eternal life with Christ is a goal worth pursuing.

Jm 1-10

(178c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the facts about the circumstances >> Presumption interprets our observations

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

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.

Jm 1-12

(5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course – This verse goes with verses 2-4

(5j) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your strength through endurance – This verse goes with verses 2-8

(32i) Gift of God >> Father will honor you if you die to self >> Honor His word in you – This verse goes with verses 2-5

(39f) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Victory >> He overcame every circumstance – This verse goes with verses 2-4

(43k) Judgment >> Satan destroyed in the absence of sin >> Perfected in weakness – This verse goes with verse 4. Before we can receive this crown of life God must first approve us, and He is a God of perfection. His approval comes by way of our determination. Many worldly people accomplish great things, but their motivation is not to achieve God’s approval but man’s. In contrast, Christians are called to sacrifice their lives for the sake of others that God’s kingdom many be advanced in the world. To receive approval from God is our most valuable possession, for what greater achievement can we accomplish beyond that? The world continually seeks approval from their fellow man, but the true disciple of Jesus seeks approval from God, and that is a completely different set of values. God is outside this natural realm and of this world, so to seek approval from Him is to become separate from the world. Many think they are approved of God just because they believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, but if their faith does not lead them to perseverance under trial, even though they have faith to be saved, they will not receive His crown of approval, for not every Christian achieves the crown of life.

(44c) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Complete >> Fulfill the requirements

(71l) Authority >> Ordained by God >> We are ordained through obedience

(91e) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Purpose (of God’s calling) >> God has a reason for the things that happen to us – This verse goes with verses 2-4. The age-old question: ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ could have Jm 1-12 as an answer, but it would be insufficient for most people, simply because they are interested only in this life. Much as we don’t like trials, we all have them, and sometimes the problems we are required to resolve bring great sadness, and we wonder why God allows them. However, without problems and difficulties God could not award us this crown, because He gives it only to those who endure their circumstances, and without trials to endure, we would have no means of attaining it. The crown of life is meant for this life too, which is not immediately apparent. It may be a crown that we will literally wear in heaven, but we wear this crown in this life as the anointing. People can dismiss the anointing, but not as easily when we open our mouth and allow the life-giving word of God to richly flow from us.

(93n) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on the circumstances of this life – This verse goes with verses 2-4

(96a) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering under the hand of men – This verse goes with verses 1-8

(100a) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >> Persevere in tribulation – In verses 2-8 James talks about enduring our trials, but in this verse he talks about perseverance, which is quite different. To endure our trials is to strive to remain motionless, such as during times of temptation we try not to move on our impulses, but perseverance is just the opposite; it strives to keep in motion as in doing the work of the Lord. As we work to fulfill our ministry, our trials and difficulties get in the way. Therefore, to the one who finishes the course and keeps the faith to the end and fulfills his ministry will receive the crown of life.

(111a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit sets you apart by the word >> Set apart through repentance

(111k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Living and active word of God

(116f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through hardship

(165j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >> Troubles of this life

(189g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyr >> Martyrs witness to the life of God

(205e) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> Promise of eternal life

(226b) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards >> The reward of a crown – How ironic it is that dying to self holds promise to the crown of life, suggesting that we die in order to live. Paul said in Gal 5-24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Death by starvation most typifies the death that God has called us impose on our sinful nature that resides in our flesh. A person can live a month without food, but what makes dying to self even worse is that it never really dies, but just goes into a torpid state, and if we feed it sin, like a zombie our flesh awakens from hibernation to wreak havoc in our lives until we can place a lid on it again. If we will die daily to the sinful passions of our emotions and to our selfish interests and desires of our flesh, James says that we will receive a crown of life.

(227e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> God rewards endurance >> Keeping our rewards through endurance

(233j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering >> Seek His glory through perseverance -- This verse goes with verses 1-5. An advantage of enduring our trials is that we can have the wisdom to counsel others who are experiencing the same things. Note that James didn’t say ‘blessed is the man who is beset with trials and difficulties;’ he said, “blessed is the man who perseveres under” them. Also keep in mind that it uses the word “persevere” and not endure. Endurance refers to the effort of remaining motionless in times of distress when we want to run, whereas perseverance refers to remaining in motion when difficulties threaten to stop us from doing the work of God. When these forces come against us, the crown of life dictates that we persevere, and those who don’t are never sure of their salvation, because the lack of perseverance under trial opens the door to nagging doubts. These are proofs that we belong to God, who has called us to be like Him, for Christ persevered under trial too. If a person's perseverance fails under trial, there is no point in them having an anointing, because they won’t use it anyway, but those who are determined to finish the course and see His work finished in their lives will receive an anointing from God.

(236g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest your treasures into the kingdom >> Invest your flesh – James is admonishing us to invest our flesh in the Kingdom of God. Paul said in Eph 5-29, “No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it.” If possible we pad our lives with comfort and happiness, because our flesh is very important to us; our bodies are our greatest treasure in this life. Nevertheless, our sinful nature is encased in our bodies. In Romans chapter seven Paul used the word “flesh” to mean the medium of the sinful nature, and in order to do the will of God we must commit our flesh to God’s purpose or it will sabotage all our efforts to please Him. James gives us a promise and says, ‘Blessed is the man who does this.’

(249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- This verse goes with verses 21&22

(254c) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live because He is life >> We live because we died with Him

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.

(26a) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death >> Dead to God through sin – Lust produces sin if we act on it and sin produces death. Lust in the heart is a temptation, not a sin, until we manifest it through the members of our bodies by submitting to its temptation, and the result always has a negative affect in our lives, always taking and never giving, causing a part of us to die. Death is defined as “separation;” spiritual death is separation from God. Our sin positions itself before God, casting a shadow on us, so that whatever is not in the light is dead. After sin is conceived, something must die; that is a spiritual principle, and the thing that sin kills first is our conscience. Then, do we lie to ourselves and say we have not sinned, which further defiles our conscience, or do we tell the truth and seek repentance and restoration?

(159g) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Wealth is a form of counterfeit godliness -- These verses go with verse 26

(160g) Temptation (Key verse)

(161n) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Carried Away >> Carried away by lust

(162h) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Addicted to sin >> Being a slave to the nature of sin

(167a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Lust of the fleshly mind – There are some Christians who have just as many problems with sin as worldly people; what can we say about that? If we sit there and meditate on sin, then we will have problems with sin even as Christians. Since the flesh always tries to lead us into sin, the question becomes, “How do we stop paying attention to our flesh mind?” It goes back to the grace of God. The anointing is an outward manifestation of an inward work. God bestows His anointing on our outward form to manifest His kingdom through obedience to snuff out sin that seeks to dominate our lives, and ultimately destroy us.

(181j) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Self deception >> Deceitfulness of sin – God will eventually demand that we hand over our sins, and if we refuse, it will be a form of blasphemy, and now we are walking down a very dark ally, risking our faith and our eternal future, making deals with ourselves and with the devil, trading our faith for sin, not allowing our left lobe know what our right lobe is thinking. These kinds of spiritual contracts are real to God (remember Jacob and Esau); He takes them very seriously. Although we don’t allow our minds to know what we are saying and doing, we sign these contracts in the dark. God wants to bring them into the light and show us what is written on these documents that we might renounce them. He will ask us if this is really what we want; once things are in the light we can make better decisions, but darkness is a part of every person’s life. We need to live and walk in the light of God’s truth, so all our dealings are in the open, so we understand what we are doing.

Jm 1,13-15

(160k) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Temptation to walk in unbelief >> Tempted to pursue your addictions

(184a) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Darkness >> Hiding behind your own imagination >> Hiding behind a false partition

(204a) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> Dying in sin

(218f) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> We choose our actions, not their consequences >> wages of sin is death

Jm 1-13

(17d) Sin >> Judging in the flesh >> Accusing God and others of sin – It is a very common error to believe God is tempting us, as though He were responsible for all our problems. People like to blame God for everything, drawing from the deep, philosophical questions about His willingness to allow the circumstances in our lives. It’s a whole can of worms. Those who are quick to judge God by blaming Him for their problems, are the ones who most often get ensnared in their own lust. So, instead of taking responsibility for their actions, they look to blame somebody, and when no one else is available, they blame God.

(64e) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God cannot sin

(75e) Thy kingdom come >> Motives >> Being manipulative >> Questioning God’s judgment

(94p) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective >> False perspective in the Church

(96f) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude toward the Father -- This verse goes with verse 17

(177k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Man’s knowledge of God is based on presumption -- This verse goes with verse 26

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

14-17 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 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. 

Jm 1,14-16

(22g) Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly mind – If we give attention to our temptations, it will turn into lust, and after lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. The attention we give to our temptations acts as an egg, where lust is the larva and sin represents the adult insect that eats our crops and destroys our lives. Another analogy is the relationship between the egg and sperm during conception, where the sperm uses all its energy to find the egg and be first to burrow into its protective shell and fertilize the egg. This competitive process of sperm racing to beat all the other sperm cells represents giving attention to the object of our temptation. If we pay attention to our temptations too long, like medusa, eventually we transition from desire to need, and once we feel a need to have something, it changes the whole game. Now the struggle to avoid sinning has become a near impossibility. James says that if we let temptation turn into lust, we have already lost the battle. All that is left is for sin to finish its course, just like an egg that has been fertilized. Then there is always the option of abortion, but it is easier to abort an unborn child than to abort our lust. We know our needs, but lust thinks it has needs too. People are often tormented by lust even though it promises pleasure, and it doesn’t ask us nicely but makes its demands and harasses us like a spoiled little child, until we give it what it wants. We are not capable of aborting our own lust; only God can do this; He can take our evil desires from us, but it takes working with Him in our pursuit of freedom. If we really want to overcome our temptations, God will deliver us as many times as it takes, but He knows when our heart is not with Him.

Jm 1,14-15

(78o) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Putting your heart on display >> Consequence of not renewing your mind

(96k) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Being willing to practice sin

Jm 1-15,16

(134b) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Mediator between the natural and the spiritual realms >> Manifesting the kingdom of darkness through disobedience

Jm 1-15

(48h) Judgment >> Levels of judgment >> Judged according to your type of sin

Jm 1-17

(30b) Gift of God >> God is our source >> His creative ability supplies our needs

(36d) Gift of God >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> All good things are gifts from God – Don’t let anyone fool you; all good things come from God. Some people think sin is a good thing. Although some of the pleasures they seek derive from God, sin itself does not come from God, so there is some interpretation involved in defining what is good. One thing we know for certain is that in hell there is nothing good. Hell is defined as the absence of God. It is a spiritual place that God has utterly and completely deserted. Hell is a vacuum where God has removed every aspect of Himself. All His attributes and traits are absent, which is why it is called hell. Now we know a little more of the scope to which James was referring when he said “all good things.” He meant literally everything that has a semblance of good has its derivations from God. Some of the places on earth where people don’t serve the Lord and have lived for a very long time, such as places in the Middle East, much of that area is now a vast desert, though it was once described as a place flowing with milk and honey. Sin has done this to the land. It takes and never gives, until nothing is left.

(43g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Perfect (mature) >> Flawless – This verse goes with verse 25

(96f) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude toward the Father -- This verse goes with verse 13

(112c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Jesus’ light overcomes darkness >> The light of His truth

(205a) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> God never changes

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

18-20 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. 19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 

Jm 1-18

(107a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Receiving unction from God – When he said, “In the exercise of His will,” to which aspect of God was James referring? We could say that he was speaking about God the Father, but Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” Therefore, the Father exercises His will by the Holy Spirit through the word of truth, as the first fruits of His creatures. James and the First Century Church were the first fruits of His creatures, and God has been building on that foundation for 2000 years, and throughout this period many converts have been made. Another interpretation of the phrase, “first fruits” is that God intends to make other people in eternity, so the Church as a whole represents the first fruits of His creation, and other creatures will follow, and we will rule over them.

(110g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >>

(212c) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> All things originated from God – We are the first fruits of His creatures. There are a couple ways to interpret this, and both of them are correct. James was talking about himself and his fellow believers in the first century being the first fruits of His kingdom, and we are those who came after them in faith. The second way to interpret this is that every member of the body of Christ from the first century to the last, whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life are all first fruits of His kingdom, suggesting that there will be others who will come after us, a people that God will create in the future. God is not done creating things; He will never be done, because that is what He does. The next creatures that He will make will be like us in every respect, except one; they won’t know sin, and for that reason God has created us to lead them into the ways of righteousness, and if they make a mistake it won’t matter. If God tried to lead them and they rebelled against Him, they would be in our predicament, another repeat-performance of Adam and Eve. They will be happy to obey us, because they will be without sin. There won’t be any proclivity for rebellion; their bodies and minds will have an affinity for what is good and right, yet they will make mistakes. It is all about freedom. God will never make robots. Man loves to make robots; man himself doesn’t mind being robots for Satan, but God is not interested in making robots.

(219a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God elects us through His sovereign will

(229d) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> God causes the growth >> Kingdom grows according to the will of God

(238a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> Born again >> Born of the Spirit by the will of God >> Born again by the will of the Father -- This verse goes with verse 21

(238f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> New creation >> The new creation is our spiritual composition

(248b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> God exercises His will – Eph 2-6,7 says God has, “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,” yet we are creatures, created by God, and we will never rise above that. Great as God has made us, He will forever remain infinitely greater than us. He may have given us a seat on His throne, yet we need to remember that this place is a result of His grace, mercy and generosity; we didn’t earn it. He made us like Him by making Himself like us, as 2Cor 8-9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Jesus showed us the way to God, which is the way of humility, and this is how we will always be with God. Our place with Him will forever be one of submission. Jesus will forever remain under the authority of His Father, so He will always be able our example in relating to God. Again it is written, “When all things are subjected to Him [the Father], then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all” (1Cor 15-28).

(250h) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> The first is a precondition for what comes after it (Cause and effect)

Jm 1,19-27

(87a) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> God blesses us for doing His word, not for knowing it

(24j) Anger (Key verse)

(24l) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Unrighteous anger – James is addressing our flesh, since it is our flesh that thinks our anger can achieve the righteousness of God. We get angry and we throw, hit or destroy something, and say things we shouldn’t say, and feelings get hurt. It’s always an ugly scene, but it doesn’t deter our flesh from believing that our anger can solve problems and accomplish things. It is possible to channel our anger in ways that do in fact solve problems and accomplish things; it is called determination, but the kind of anger to which James is referring isn’t that kind of anger, but anger out of control, anger that takes control of us. This kind of anger never achieves the righteousness of God. Our flesh is very quick to chose anger as a remedy for many situations, but we often fail to remember at the time that there are other alternatives, such as keeping silent and opening our ears, actually listening to people instead of getting angry. So many times we get angry at someone, and we don’t even know what they said; they’re trying to explain something to us and we won’t listen to them. We need to learn to keep our mouths shut and our anger behind bars.

Jm 1-19

(85j) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Shut up! – This verse goes with verse 26

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.

Jm 1,21-27

(78c) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity of heart >> Being honest >> Free from inconsistency

Jm 1,21-26 

(100g) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in studying the word of God

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

Jm 1,21-25

(2f) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments in your walk with God – One of the main themes of the book of James, especially in chapter one is that our hypocrisy can undo all the good we have done. God would rather we rooted out sin than to perform great deeds of righteousness that are above the normal level of our faith, since rooting out sin is in fact a work of righteousness. No one knows what to think when they see both sin and righteousness coming from the same person. James is suggesting that a man who is merely a hearer of the word and not a doer will not be blessed in what he does. Contradicting our works will rob us of the fruit of righteousness. We must avoid contradicting ourselves and remain true to the Lord, for God will bless us in what we do in His name. Paul said in 1Cor 9-27, “But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” We must be faithful and strive continually to walk in the Lord, that God may bless the things we have done in His name. It is better to be consistent than to be good, in that consistency is good. God's blessing is first and foremost the anointing. Everyone knows who has this great seal and who doesn’t, for if the anointing is not observable, then what good is it? The anointing that God bestows is not only observable, it even has the power to change the world, but these things work only through consistency.

(5a) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples chasten themselves

(8m) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God’s cause >> Laying the foundation of freedom – Take away the boundaries of freedom and freedom will run away from you like a pitcher of water pour on the floor. True freedom is found behind the fence of obedience and loyalty to God and to His version of justice and righteousness. All other versions of freedom, those that seek freedom from responsibility, will in the end put you behind a fence just as well, but without the added benefit that true freedom offers, the power to make good choices that will sustain both you and those who share your life.

(96c) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude about the word of God

(113c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Clothe yourself with good works

(118k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Law of liberty – What is the law of liberty? It is “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” as Paul mentioned in Rom 8-2. Jesus referred to this when He said in Jn 8-32, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The Pharisees complained about this statement, and they were followers of Moses. Jesus told them they were slaves of sin. So, the law of liberty must be the different from the Pharisees' version of the law of Moses. The law of liberty is the Holy Spirit, who reveals Jesus Christ to us. 

(191c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Extract the leaven of hypocrisy -- This verse goes with verse 6. James is saying that there is a discrepancy between our idea of who we are and who we think we are, reflecting the disparity between hearing the word and doing it. James encourages us not to lie to ourselves about the truth, but to courageously look in the mirror of God’s word and let it reveal our true condition. Those who are not doers of the word have an idea of who they are, but they don’t see what the rest of us can see in them. Therefore, we shouldn't judge, for the moment we think we are seeing clearly, we more likely have a distorted image of ourselves. Doers of the word stand in the mirror of truth and study the image in front of them, not narcissistically, but critically, corresponding with the Scriptures. How do they do it? "The one who looks intently at the law of liberty and abides by it will be blessed in what he does." This is Christianity according to James.

(229h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Kingdom assumes the mind of Christ >> Kingdom grows into the likeness of Christ

Jm 1-21,22

(97e) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Facing in the direction of the Lord >> Focusing your attention on the word of God – James is speaking directly to our flesh to sit down and shut up. He is perhaps the only author of the Bible to do this. Paul almost never appealed to our flesh, but spoke to our spirit man to put down our flesh in order to do the will of God. James goes right to the source of the problem, telling us to put aside our fleshly inhibitions and pick up the word that God planted in our hearts and focus on it, which is able to save our souls. He tells us to minor on matters of the flesh and major on things pertaining to the Spirit. Instead of getting mad and angry, keep our perspective in light of eternity and the Kingdom of Heaven, remembering that all things are destined to pass, so that whatever is making us angry will fade into obscurity. Since all these things are to pass away, the best thing to do is to concentrate on our relationship with God and let our circumstances work themselves out.

(114f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Receiving a revelation from God through obedience -- These verses go with verses 2-4

(249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- These verses go with verse 25

Jm 1-21

(77k) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Having an attitude of humility

(116l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to self >> Relax as God kills you

(145h) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Deeds of the flesh

(187f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self to know the revelation of God -- This verse goes with verses 2-9

(190e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >> Undressing >> Take off your sins

(238a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> Born again >> Born of the Spirit by the will of God >> Born again by the will of the Father -- This verse goes with verse 18

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Jm 1,22-27

(155ka) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> You will know them by their fruits >> You will know them by their good deeds >> Good works that prove our faith – James is going back to the very rudiments of Christianity, saying that the foundation of God’s kingdom is also the pinnacle of God’s glory. He was saying, ‘Anyone who wants to be a theologian or a great orator behind a pulpit in front of thousands, you have your reward in full, but if you want to be great, help the helpless, “the widows and the orphans in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.’” Dying to the will of the flesh, this is true Christianity according to James. To be a bigwig in the Church does not guarantee greatness with God. You can be an eloquent speaker and an adulterer, but you cannot keep yourself unstained by the world and be an adulterer. If you are busy helping those who can’t help themselves, it is the first step in being too busy to sin. To think that this was one of the last books to be included in the cannon of authoritative books because James taught the gospel differently from Paul is amazing, yet no one can deny the truth he presented.

Jm 1,22-26

(23e) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are rich in their own minds – These verses go with verses 5-16

(78n) Thy kingdom come >> Putting your heart on display >> The result of a renewed mind

(181h) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Self deception >> Imaginary perception of self >> Distorted perception of self – We look in the mirror, and then walk away developing a mental image of ourselves, loosely basing it on what we saw in the mirror. That image evolves, until the next time we look in the mirror and are jolted back to reality. If the mirror tells the truth about us in the natural realm, then the word of God tells the truth about us in the spiritual realm.

(196i) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Replacing God’s standard of excellence with yours >> Lukewarm Christianity – The vast majority of Christians today admit they have no clue what God wants them to do, only because they have never trained their ear to hear what the Spirit is saying. This does not mean people are barred from heaven just because they don’t know their calling, but if they are not even looking for it, this warrants questioning their salvation. It sends up red flags, suggesting the possibility that the person is only fooling himself into thinking he believes in God. There are many people who really believe from the bottom of their hearts that they are Christians, though there is very little evidence of faith in their lives. We can use the evidence they provide to determine whether they are Christians without judging them. If they cannot provide any evidence of their salvation, we should beware of that person as a brother in the faith, because he has ulterior motives. The more evidence we show of our Christianity, the more confident we can be of our salvation, and consequently the more confident others can be of our brotherhood in the faith.

Jm 1,22-25

(11f) Servant >> The word of God is our standard of truth

(30f) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Favor with God through His word

(42i) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the mind of Christ

(55b) Paradox >> Ironies >> Forgetting who you are – We look in the mirror and are reminded of our physical appearance, and then we go through the circumstances of the day and come back to the mirror and are reminded again what the world sees of us. The circumstances of life try to change us, and occasionally we must look in the mirror to see how our countenance is doing and whether we need to comb our hair. What we are looking at is the sum total of our past, what years of experiences have done to us, having formed us into the person that we have become. This has the greatest effect as a kid, though we haven’t yet had many experiences, we are unsure of ourselves from the start. Often our self-esteem is low, so when we look in the mirror, we are pleasantly surprised like Pig Pen said when he looked in the mirror on the classic Charlie Brown Christmas show, “On the contrary, I didn’t know I looked that good.” Sometimes it is an encouragement to look in the mirror and other times we have an inflated ego. Either way, we are reminded how we appear to other people, and James is using this as an analogy of how the word of God works in our lives to mold us from the inside out.

(80b) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To deliver yourself from bondage – These verses go with verses 2-8

(94o) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective is your personal reality >> How your location influences you – Salvation for some people is like being lost in the woods; they take out their topographical map and look for hills and valleys or some other landmark that corresponds with the map, and spends some time configuring their physical location with a point on the map. Once they have plotted themselves and determined their direction with the compass, they put away the map and start walking without ever looking at the map again. This is actually how they got lost in the first place. They may have correctly plotted themselves on the map and started walking in the right direction, but the fact that they didn’t pay any attention to the map after they started on a new course, they get lost again, and now it is getting dark. James wants us to keep the map in our hand and refer to it regularly, whenever we come across a landmark, a hill or a valley. We look at our reflection in the mirror and know who we are at that moment, but then we walk away and our imagination takes over and creates a distorted version of ourselves. We go throughout the day lying to ourselves thinking one way when in fact we look totally different, then pass a mirror and wonder who that bald guy is in the reflection and suddenly realize that it is “me”. Throughout the day we imagine our nose is proportional to their face when in fact it’s bulbous. We think our weight is proportional to our height, when in fact we’re obese. If we think we are saved when we’re not, we should take another look in the Bible, for it judges us by what we do and not by our intensions.

(115k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through obedience of faith >> Through diligence

(197a) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling Against what God wants you to do >> Refusing to renew your mind

Jm 1,22-24

(167h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not believe the word of God

(174j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Form of godliness but denying the truth

(4j) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your deeds

(86f) Doers Of The Word (Key verse)

(86f) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Mental ascent (believing a set of facts)

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

23-25 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. 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. 

Jm 1,23-25

(98e) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> To keep from falling away – Knowing God, as James says, is like looking at our face in a mirror; the moment we look away we immediately forget our true appearance. This represents the revelation knowledge that God has given us; it is easily forgotten, because of the opposite forces of the world competing for the mind. If we decide we don’t want to know God anymore, before we know it we have already forgotten the reality of our experiences with Him and remember only the events. If we put down the word of God in pursuit of the world, almost immediately the faith we once had disappears like a ghost. We don’t understand how we once believed, eventually excusing it as a naïve period in our lives when we were beguiled by ethereal and entrancing ideas. People who fall away from God say their times of faith were foolish, remembering they once believed but not the faith itself.

(114d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Obeying the revelation from heaven >> Obeying the revelation of God’s word

(118h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Giving God your attention >> Resolutely focus on the glory of God >> Focus on Jesus

Jm 1-23,24

(161f) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Wander >> Wandering from the commandments of God

(215k) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> Suddenly >> Working quickly – How long does it take us to forget the word of God? James said immediately after we look away we forget, suggesting that we are more convinced of our self-perceptions than we are of the image in the mirror. Paul said in Rom 12-3 not to think more highly of ourselves that we ought to think, not to live beyond our faith or to hope for things we don’t believe, rather to look at our face (our faith) in the mirror (of God’s word) and get a sense of reality about ourselves, and live in that state, not below and not above it, and remain in the word of God so we don’t forget. Too often we are ready to lie to ourselves about the true state of our faith; this does us no good. To feel better without becoming a better person is useless.

Jm 1-24

(60d) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Forgot what kind of person he is in the Spirit / Forgot what the word is creating in his soul – God said, “Let there be light,” and the stars were formed. Although there is no apparent connection between the word of God and the stars sprinkled in the sky, yet one created the other, so they are related but they show no resemblance. When we look into the word of God, we get all excited about His grace and love, and the hope we have in Christ of eternal life. Someday this foolish little life of ours will end and we will be ushered into eternity, and one day we will have new resurrected bodies that will be indestructible, no more pain or sorrow or death. We like this hope, but sometimes we don’t read the Bible for long periods; months pass, years sometimes. That has the same effect on us as if months or years passed since the last time we looked in the mirror; our physical appearance would have changed by then, if nothing else our self-perception. Likewise, when we stay away from the Bible for long periods, our perception of it changes; we begin to believe things it doesn’t teach. During that time away from the Scriptures, we forget who we are in Christ, and what is even more detrimental; we forget what God was building in our spirit through His word. The things God is doing in us is just as great as the universe itself. This may not seem likely, but give it time and God will destroy this universe and build a new one in its place and put us in charge of it.

(183f) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Nursery for the Spirit of error >> Ignorance

Jm 1-25

(43g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Perfect (mature) >> Flawless – This verse goes with verse 17

(93a) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Keep yourself on the narrow way

(118l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Spirit delivers you from the desire to sin

(156b) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Loving God is evidence of salvation >> Keeping His commandments

(249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- This verse goes with verses 2-5

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

26&27 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. 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.

Jm 1-26,27

(95i) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >> Attitude of a servant

(188a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to self takes discipline – James talks to us not only in relation to his own walk with the Lord but also in relation to what he saw and heard in the example of his big brother.

Jm 1-26

(74i) Thy kingdom come >> Heart of man is sinful >> It is deceitful and desperately wicked

(85j) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Shut up! – This verse goes with verse 19. Ouch!! Unquestionably, this verse contradicts just about every person who has ever lived! Nobody walks away from this unscathed; it virtually gives everyone a black eye. It’s like, ‘Okay, line up for your black eye,’ Jm 1-26, Whap! When you think of the boldness and confidence James possessed to be able to say this without threat of hypocrisy, it is safe to say there are whole structures missing from the Church today that we need in place to give us the confidence to seek God the way the early church did. Everyone says things they shouldn't say; it’s so easy; it slips from our mouth so fast, and so much of it is habitual. If we have trained our minds to say them, then we can train it to say better things. We have the Spirit of God to help us; He will teach us the truth, give us wisdom and empower us to succeed. We can become different people; we can place a restraining order on our tongues.

(157h) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Deceiving and being deceived >> Being deceived

(159g) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Wealth is a form of counterfeit godliness -- This verse goes with verses 6-8

(166n) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> >> The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >> The carnal mind lacks integrity

(171e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Vanity >> Vanity lacks worth

(174e) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Self righteousness >> Justifying yourself

(177k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Man’s knowledge of God is based on presumption -- This verse goes with verse 13

(198d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained by man >> Men place themselves in positions of authority >> Men who have no business in the ministry

Jm 1-27

(9k) Responsibility >> Strengthen one another >> Tend to the widows – There are many church ministries devoted to both men and women in nursing homes, who are not able to attend the regular church services, so they bring church to them. Believers and non-believers alike attend these services, some of them having never darkened the door of a church their whole lives, but they attend these services because they are so lonely and sad, some looking for hope at the eve of their lives. Those who conduct such a ministry are fulfilling this verse.

(42h) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the purity of Christ – Throughout this first chapter, James had been talking about being doers of the word instead of mere hearers, giving context to this verse. James says, ‘Do you want true religion? Stop sinning!’ What did Paul say? “For some have no knowledge of God” (1Cor 15-34). Paul was very concerned about how we appear to other people; our reputation matters. We have the power to glorify God, and we have the power to discredit the gospel. If we glorify God through the gospel, we will be rewarded, so the question reduces to whether we want to be judged or rewarded.

(104g) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> God can see us – we are in His sight – Basically, we have two scenarios taking place in the Church today; we either have people who are reluctant and slow of heart to do the will of God, or we have high-powered preachers who are trying to rev-up the people and turn the gospel into something that it is for the sake of sordid gain. James puts it in perspective and says that if we want to believe in the truth, he will describe how it looks in action: “to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Women and children, they are always the victims of this world, the weakest in society and most neglected and abused. If they possess something of value it gets taken from them, and if they don’t, they are shoved to the side and ignored. It is questionable how good it would do to merely visit these people; if we visit an orphanage, the children would want us to adopt them. There are many distressed widows in nursing homes who want their family members to come and take them home with them.

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