Letter of James Ch1
A letter from James to the Israelites/Hebrews, regarding Hebrew christian concerns.
It is not just a book, but a personal letter, and a long one.
James 1 -ASV
1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, greeting.
To the 12 tribes and yet shared amongst the brethren, as apparent in canonisation of the letter.
This greeting does not compose any special or specific blessings.
Christians and Jews do not commonly greet others with blessings. "Shalom" is not the only greeting. Hebrew is not always spoken.
1. |2385| James, |2316| of God |2532| and |2962| of {the} Lord |2424| Jesus |5547| Christ |1401| a slave, |3588| to the |1427| twelve |5443| tribes |1722| in |3588| the |1290| dispersion, |5463| greeting. -Y lit
A servant is a watered-down idea. Doulos |1401| ought to be translated - a slave.
Jacobus |2385| in Greek is the same name as Jacob; a very Jewish name.
A slave of God. God does hold slaves. Satan also enforces slavery. You either belong to God or darkness/Satan.
2. Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations;
A true brethren, a Hebrew to the Hebrews.
Have a clear, spiritual understanding to what temptation is. It is not all sadness under temptation.
3. Knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.
Patience is not something everybody are born with.
Temptations are trainings.
4. And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
This requires wisdom to understand.
Contrary to lies of non-believers, christians are told that they lack nothing. They are complete both in knowledge of Christ, and union with Christ.
5. But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
A reminder of God and His providence.
Giving liberally, but not taking/receiving liberally.
Liberals (Theologically) are not giving every good things liberally.
Liberals hold back and do not explain or understand scriptures fully.
6. But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
Liberals do not ask in faith. Neither do they approach matters of God by/in faith. But by ideals, man-made/self-made (extra-biblical) principles.
Liberals/non-believers doubt scriptural revelation a lot.
Great doubts indeed! Stirring up much debate and controversies.
7. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord;
Let not!
Yet Liberals/non-believers believe they are the winners. They think they have much love and compassion, while doubting the revelation of God and the deeds of Christ which are discourse of love and righteousness according to the standard of God that has no turning/shifting shadows.
8. a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.
Instability appears when things are divided. One against another. No oneness. No unity.
9. But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate:
Even a lowly person, an illiterate has things he can hold in esteem. The Lord. The Holy Spirit. Obedience. Humblness.
10. and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
No earthly richness may last.
How wrong are the Jehovah's Witnesses claiming the eternal continuation of the original earth and cosmos. Even their founding leader has passed away with unfulfiled prophesy.
11. For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass: and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings.
It is a natural cycle.
Fresh flowers do not last for long.
Roses do not keep blossoming.
12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him.
Endurance is required. Endurance brings forth joy.
People are watching to approve whatever endurance any individual may afford.
The crown of life, a symbol of being with God eternally is to be given later in life. Ordination is yet to take place.
This is the hope and encouragement for believers to strive for the glory yet to be revealed.
13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:
Do not associate purity with contemination.
It is possible to say wrong things. Christians are admonished not to do so. Actively avoid sinning.
God does not annexe with evil. God does not cause any man to sin.
14. but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
We should pray that we will not be led into temptation.
We ourselves are not strong enough to resist all temptation.
Tempted |3995| somehing greater annexed to the self. Lust induce desire to join with something the lusting person fall/follow after.
15. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
A procreation process. Sin is born. Sin is created.
Without sin, there is no death. Death is a kind of darkness.
16. Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.
It is possible to be deceived.
An admonishment.
All believers are brethren, and beloved. There is a loving relationship that unites. Unity is in LOVE.
17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.
Satan and darkness do not give good gift. Satan gives broken promises.
The Father gives good gifts. Light is good. No rotating shadows. No dizziness.
No partiality! Love is the same at every angle. Righteousness never shifts. Righteousness is love; the stable standard on which all things are based for determination of stability, eternality, goodness, faithfullness, steadfastness, value, kindness.
Like with like, christians ought to do the same, having love and righteousness.
18. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Righteous acts from righteousness. One very standard. One very source.
Righteousness establishes the truth.
19. Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
All christians belong to one another. A picture of unity.
Forbearance.
Wrath is still allowed and possible, although christians should be slow to wrath. A wrathless God is not a righteous God. A wrathless person is not a son of the Righteous One.
Love does not do away wrath; as it does not delight in falsehood, sin, death and darkness.
Patience has limits.
20. for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Righteousness of God take time to reveal the steps.
Quick anger does not help to elaborate the truth.
21. Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Wrong against wrong is not promoting the implanted word.
Destruction upon destruction does not save souls from destruction.
22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.
Be ye doers of righteousness. The Word is truth.
Take action whenever possible to do good.
This commandment is for the redeemed ones, not as part of the condition for redemption.
There is no mentioning of good deeds being the pastport to heaven, or being (close to) with God.
23. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror:
Hear first. Listen and hear swiftly, but with action as well.
Be the benefactors. Be Light.
Be subatantial.
24. for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25. But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.
The perfect law frees people.
The perfect good people do not forget to do good when facing such need.
The needy are not deprived.
26. If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain.
Have you given your hearts to the Lord of your lives, the Lord of your redemption?
Are you just paying lip service?
Anyone who are in the religion of God worships (worth fellowship, walking with, listening to, acting upon, following, preaching, growing in) the Lord.
27. Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Christianity is indeed a religion and a pure one.
It is not constitutional or institutional.
It is God centred and God led. It is spiritual and not carnal. It is not of the world.
Not of the world. Not to be like the world. Nothing worldly about true christians. Living for the salvation of others, fighting evil, confronting wickedness, set good example, peace making.
Pure religion is caring and working out the welfare of the needy. It is giving of good things.
It is leading the lost to the source of life, the Lord God.
Pure religion is not about worldly enjoyment, doing what others in all forms of living do.
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