James, chapters 1 - 5

• The symbol {XVI #.} after a word/phrase means that word/phrase is given in Greek on page XVI (Jame)-- scroll down (if necessary) to that #;
• the symbol  means the Greek is the same as for the same word recently covered;
• the symbol  means the word does not exist in Greek.

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Chapter 1 James (brother of Jesus & Jude) writing

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Salutation: James, a Servant of GOD & of the LORD Jesus Christ. To the 12 tribes scattered among the nations. Greetings.

Consider it pure joy, My brothers, whenever You face trials{XVI 30.} of many kinds, because You know that the testing{XVI 6.} of Your faith develops perseverance{XVI 42.}. Perseverance{XVI 42.} must finish its work so that You may be mature & complete, not lacking anything. If any of You lacks wisdom, He should ask GOD, who gives generously to all without finding fault, & it will be given to Him. But when He asks, He must believe & not doubt, because He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown & tossed by the wind. That man should not think He will receive anything from the LORD; He is a double-minded man, unstable in all He does. The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in His high position. But the 1 who is rich should take pride in His low position, because He (His self-esteem) will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat & withers the plant; its blossom falls & its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while He goes about His business. But many that are rich-- upon becoming born again, such richness, whether simply acquired or pursued-&-acquired, can remain/become the worship of the money-god.

Remember, this is the physical brother of Jesus speaking (Matt 13:55 & Mark 6:3 list Jesus' brothers as James, Joseph, Simon & Judas-- James only is named in Gala 1:19 as being a brother of Jesus, but Jude 1:1 says that James & Jude were brothers): Blessed is the man who perseveres{XVI 41.} under trial{XVI 30.}because when He has stood the test{XVI 7.}, He will receive the spiritual crown of life that GOD has promised to Those who love HIM. When tempted{XVI 29.} no 1 should say, GOD is tempting{XVI 29.} Me. For GOD, who inhabits our hearts via the Holy Spirit, cannot be tempted{XVI 2.} by evil, nor does HE tempt{XVI 29.} anyone-- not as the author of said temptation; but each 1 is tempted(v.){XVI}:

• when, by His own evil desire, He is dragged away & enticed.
• Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;
• & sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Repeat, at no point during this 3-stage process, can anyone point their finger at God-- nor even say that 'The devil is making me do it.' Don't be deceived, My dear brothers. Every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the FATHER of the Heavenly Lights, WHO does not change like shifting shadows. These perfect gifts are ours for the claiming! In like manner as HE chose to give Us the new birth (& it is ours for the claiming) through the Word of Truth, that We might be a kind of firstfruits{XVI 1.} of all HE created.

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My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen{XVI 37.}slow to speak{XVI 4.} & slow to become angry{XVI 5.} for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that GOD desires. Stop presuming oneself to be righteous, & defending oneself via anger; presume oneself perhaps unrighteous, & perhaps will acquire righteousness by exhibiting peace & being quick to listen. In this way you will Therefore get rid of all moral filth & the evil that is so prevalent & humbly accept the Word planted in You, which can save You from the unrighteousness you presumed not to have. BUT, do not merely be quick to listen to the Word, & so still deceive yourselves. Do what it says{XVI 33.}. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at His face in a mirror &, after looking at himself, goes away & immediately forgets what He looks like. But the man who looks intently into the Perfect Law that gives freedom{XVI 38.}, & continues to do this accepting/applying, not forgetting what He has heard, but doing it{XVI 32.}He will be blessed in what He does. An example of the presumed/defended: If anyone considers himself righteous & yet does not keep a tight rein on His tongue, He deceives himself & His religion is worthless. Religion that GOD Our FATHER accepts as pure & faultless is this:

• to look after orphans & widows in their distress &
• to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Chapter 2 James (brother of Jesus & Jude) writing

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My brothers, as believers in Our Glorious LORD Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into wearing a gold ring & fine clothes, & a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If You show special attention to the man wearing the gold ring & fine clothes &

• immediately say, Here's a good seat for You, but say to the poor man, You stand there or Sit on the floor by My feet;
• or later upon his returnings, presume him to have a gold ring stashed somewhere, & have the attitude, 'Why haven't you traded in your gold ring for some acceptable clothes?',

have/are You not discriminated among yourselves & become judges with evil thoughts{XVI 23.}? Listen, My dear brothers: Has not GOD chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith & to inherit the kingdom HE promised Those who love HIM? But You have insulted the poor visitors. Is it not the rich non-Christians who are exploiting You?

• Are they not the ones who are dragging You into court?
• Are they not the ones who are slandering{XVI 3.} the noble Name of HIM to whom You belong?
• Are you not turning your frustrations upon the church visitors (prospective members)?

If You really keep the royal Law{XVI 39.} found in Scripture, Love Your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18b), You are doing right. This Royal Law was just 1 concept of the many facets of the 10 Commandments (listed/described in Exo 20:1-17)

• as pointed out, this Royal Law, Love Your neighbor as yourself, was advised in the O.T. (Lev 19:18b);
• which Royal Law Jesus repeatedly referred to (Matt 19:19; 22:39; Luke 13:39);
• but Jesus 1st referred to another most important concept: Love the LORD Your GOD with all Your heart...soul...mind...strength (Mark 12:30);
• followed by the concept we've already seen-- then adding, There is no greater commandment than these (Mark 12:31);
• & then He went on to say that these 2 are more important than all burnt offerings & sacrifices (Mark 12:33);
• to which Roma 13:9-10 adds that there is 1 abiding concept that sums it up-- love is the fulfillment of the Law.

But if You show favoritism, You sin & are convicted by the unfulfilled Law as being lawbreakers{XVI 28.}. For whosoever keeps the whole Law{XVI 40.} & yet stumbles at just 1 point is guilty at breaking all of it. For HE who said, Do not commit adultery (Exo 20:14; Deu 5:18), also said Do not murder (Exo 20:13; Deu 5:17). If You do not commit adultery but do commit murder, You have become a lawbreaker{XVI 28.}Speak & act{XVI 24.} as Those are going to be judged{XVI 16.} by the fulfilled Law that gives freedom{XVI 27.}, because judgment without mercy{XVI 20.} will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful{XVI 31.}Mercy triumphs over judgment{XVI 9.}! I.e., only those who have been merciful will experience merciful judgment.

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What good is it, My brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save Him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes & daily food. If 1 of You says to Him, Go, I wish You well; keep warm & well fed, but does nothing about His physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show Me Your faith without deeds, & I will show You My faith by what I do. You believe that there is 1 GOD. Good! Even the devils believe that-- & shudder.

You foolish man, do You want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not Our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what He did when He offered His son Isaac in the altar? You see that His faith & His actions were working together, & His faith was made complete by what He did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed GOD, & it was credited to Him as righteousness, (Gen 15:6) & He was called God's friend. Indeed, we 1st have that Abraham believed GOD, & it was credited to Him as righteousness early-on, before Isaac was even born, when God 1st promised Abram (before the name-change) that he would have a son in his old age (Gen 15:1-6). That credit was the immediate reward for belief. Which scripture was indeed fulfilled later, when Abraham obeyed God & offered that son. God tested Abraham (which is not a conflict with what we recently saw, that GOD cannot be tempted by evil, nor does HE tempt anyone) when HE instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain. Indeed Abraham offered Isaac, for he bound him, placed him on the wood pile, & was about to slay him-- but God then spoke & provided the ram (Gen 22:1-14). Point is, it was then that Abraham was credited for faith! And note the end of that passage-- And to this day it is said, 'On the Mountain of the LORD it will be provided.' You see that a person is justified by what He does & not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when She gave lodging to the spies & sent Them off in another direction-- so that they escape those seeking them, when they were sent by Joshua as spies around the city of Jericho soon after crossing the Jericho River into Canaan (Josh 2:1; 6:25)? We saw this Rahab listed in the 'Faith Chapter (Hebr 11).' As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Chapter 3 James (brother of Jesus & Jude) writing

The highlighted phrase communicating-via-prayer used several times below was taken from a recent sermon by my pastor (implied is the state of constant communication, as in pray without ceasing). Not many of You should presume to be teachers. My brothers, because You know that We who teach will be judged more strictly{XVI 25.}. A teacher is held more accountable for the simple reason that he is entrusted with communicating the word to students-- however, teaching is not to be shied away from. Rather, it is a Gift from GOD, a challenge to be able to remain focused on teaching while communicating-via-prayer with God. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what He says, He is a perfect man, able to keep His whole body in check. Those who pursue perfection apart from God, eventually considering themselves to have reached perfection & shall never stumble, are imbeciles. But let's look at God's method for influencing the world-- the world HE created, but which is prone to go asunder (we must continually seek & choose to go HIS way).

• When We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey Us, We can turn the whole animal.
• Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large & are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants them to go.
• Likewise the tongue is a very small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Sure God created us, but in order that we might choose to obey HIM:
  • HE has turned over the jurisdiction of the bits to us;
  • HE has made us to be the pilots in charge of the rudders.
• Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire (there's no for sparks, though; it already is a great hell-fire!), a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole personal forest, sets the whole course of his life on fire, & is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles & creatures of the sea are being tamed & have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue We praise Our LORD & FATHER, & with it We curse men, who have been made in GOD's Likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise & cursing. My brothers, this should not be. It's not natural! Can both fresh water & salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

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But there is a remedy for this Out of the same mouth comes praise & cursing. Not a remedy in the sense of a permanent fixture-- rather, a means to temporarily prevent the mixture. One can remain communicating-via-prayer to God-- the duration of the purity depends upon one's duration of communicating-via-prayer. Who is wise & understanding among You? Let Him show it by His good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if You harbor bitter envy & selfish ambition in Your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from Heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where You have envy & selfish ambition, there You find disorder & every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is 1st of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy & good fruit{XVI 8.}, impartial & sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness{XVI 10.}.

Chapter 4 James (brother of Jesus & Jude) writing about the health of a church

There is a transition here, from individual church members to the church-as-as-a-whole:

• What causes fights & quarrels among Y'all-- whereby there are factions...divisions...splits? Don't they begin with disagreements that come from Your individual desires that battle within You individually? You want something but don't get it. Y'all form factions & spiritually kill & covet, but Y'all still cannot have what Y'all want. Y'all form division & quarrel & fight. Y'all Still do not have, because Y'all do not ask GOD. When Y'all do ask, Y'all STILL do not receive, because Y'all ask with wrong motives, that Y'all may spend/direct what Y'all would get on/according to Your pleasures-- what you perceive as God's will.
• You adulterous plural people, don't Y'all know that friendship with the world is hatred toward GOD? Anyone who mocks & proudly chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of GOD? See how the much required hospitality to the lost can become blasphemy? Or do Y'all think Scripture says without reason that the spirit HE caused to live in Us at creation envies intensely the Holy Spirit? Nearly to the extent that the tongue remains a fire, left upon salvation that we might choose to obey, almost to this extent our spirit remains, hopefully that we might humbly follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. I say 'almost to the extent': But HE gives Us more grace. That is why Scripture says: GOD opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Pro 3:34-- which actually says, HE mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble).
• Submit yourselves, then, to GOD. Resist the devil, & he will flee from Y'all. Come near to GOD as a congregation & HE will come near to Y'all. Wash Your hands, You that are sinners, & purify Your hearts, You that are double-minded. Grieve, mourn & wail. Change Your mocking laughter to mourning & Your proud joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the LORD, & HE will lift Y'all up.

Now there is a return to individual church members:

Brothers, do not slander 1 another{XVI 14.}. Anyone who speaks against His brother{XVI 13.} or judges Him{XVI 17.} speaks against the Law{XVI 15.} & judges it{XVI 19.}. When You judge the Law{XVI 19.}, You are not keeping it {XVI 34.}, but sitting in judgment{XVI 22.} on it. There is only 1 Lawgiver{XVI 26.} & Judge, the 1 who is able to save & destroy. Do not forget what Jesus said: I have not come to abolish the Law & the Prophets, but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). And we just saw how in olden times, they were to love their neighbors as themselves. But You-- who are You to judge Your neighbor{XVI 18.}?

Now listen, You who say, 'Today or tomorrow We will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business & make money.' There is no more stupid excuse to leave a congregation! Why, You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is Your life? You are but a mist that appears for a little while & then vanishes. It is extremely fortunate you have the opportunity to live for Jesus! Instead, You ought to say, 'If it is the LORD's Will, We will live here-n-now & determine to do this or that. As it is, You boast & brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good He ought to do & doesn't do it, sins.

Chapter 5 James (brother of Jesus & Jude) writing

We saw transitions from the word about individuals in the church to the church-as-a-whole, & back to individual church members; here we see a transition, albeit a more radical transition, from he who knows the good He ought to do & doesn't do it (from the last verse of chapter 4), to those who  never heard & have no idea what good really is:  Now listen, you rich people, weep & wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, & moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold & silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you & eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the LORD Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury & self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned{XVI 11.} & murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Now we see another transition, to how Christians should deal with this: Be patient, then, brothers, until the LORD's Coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop & how patient he is for the autumn & spring rains. You too, be patient & stand firm, because the LORD's Coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or You will be judged{XVI 12.}. The Judge{XVI 21.} is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the Name of the LORD. As You know, We consider blessed Those who have persevered{XVI 41.}You have heard of Job's perseverance{XVI 42.} & have seen what the LORD finally brought about. This "Job's perseverance" (& God's patience) is more like it (as opposed to the usual "Job's patience"). Most certainly the Lord "finally" gave a complete turn-about for good (& then some) to Job. As we saw back then, Job went on for chapters blaming God to HIS Face-- but when Job finally repented in sackcloth & ashes, that is when God blessed him abundantly (with forgiveness, followed by new children & a long life-- also pointed out back then was that I found no evidence Job got a new wife). Now I'm adding this in later: In a sermon my pastor recently preached, he said, "You may have a past event or a current circumstance that is holding you spiritually hostage." Via my usual "connecting-of-dots" I immediately thought of Job, that it described him perfectly-- i.e., before He repented. The LORD is full of compassion & mercy.

• Above all, My brothers, do not swear-- not by Heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let Your "Yes" be yes, & Your "No," no, or You will be condemned.
• Is any 1 of You in trouble? He should pray.
• Is anyone happy? Let Him sing songs of praise.
• Is any 1 of You "simply" sick? He should call{XVI 36.} the elders of the church to pray over Him & anoint Him with oil in the Name of the LORD. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the LORD will raise Him up.
• If He has sinned, He will be forgiven. Therefore confess Your sins to each other & pray for each other so that You may be healed.
• The prayer of a righteous man is powerful & effective. Elijah was a man just like Us. He prayed earnestly{XVI 35.} that it would not rain, & it did not rain on the land for 3.5 years. Again He prayed, & the heavens gave rain, & the earth produced its crops.
• My brothers, if 1 of You should wander from the truth & someone should bring Him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death & cover a multitude of sins.