James 1 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: James 1

James 1:27 – Unselfish Light

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Will

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to watch over orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Truth to Learn

The true outward expression of a Christian life is to care for the needs of others and not be caught-up in the world around us.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Pure” is katharos, meaning “clean, unsoiled, or pure.” It is the word from which we get our English word catharsis, which refers to “a cleansing.”

“Undefiled” is translated from amiantos, which is made up of the privative a and a form of miainō, meaning “to stain, pollute, or defile.” So, it means something that is unpolluted or undefiled. Since purity is the opposite of polluted or defiled, James is expressing a type of religious observance which is completely without sinfulness or selfishness.

The word translated “watch over” is a form of episkeptomai, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” or “over” and skeptomai, meaning “to look around.” Hence, this word means “to watch over” or “to look out for.” The word episkopos, meaning “elder” or “overseer” is derived from this word.

“Trouble” is translated from thlipsis, which means “to crush, compress, or squeeze.” Hence, its root meaning is “stress” or “pressure.” Figuratively, it refers to distress or afflictions.

Finally, the word “world” is translated from kosmos, which refers to “an orderly arrangement.” It is the word used throughout the New Testament to refer to the world system.

Meaning Explained

There are many people all over the world who think they are religious – and many of them are! But there’s a big difference between being religious and being a Christian. Being religious, by itself does not gain you a thing. Since James is talking to Christians in this letter, we have to assume that he means Christians who are religious.

As was mentioned in the previous verse, religion refers to the ceremonial observance of a religious system (praying, making sacrifices, giving money, taking care of others, reading scripture, fasting, partaking of communion, etc). James is not condemning any of these things. Rather, he is focusing where God focuses – on the heart; that is to say, on our motives. We can do these things for selfish reasons and they have no effect, or we can watch over those who are undergoing difficult times and take care of them, unselfishly watching out for them.

But just doing things for others is not enough. James also tells us that we are to keep ourselves from becoming spotted by the world system around us. We are to be separate from the world and not be polluted by it. We are to be a light to the world, but our light cannot shine brightly if it has to shine through a life that is stained and polluted by the things of this world.

Application

Many people just want the right formula for religion (say the right prayers, perform the right observances, give the right amount of money, etc.) but, like the Pharisees of old, they become whitewashed tombs. James says, instead of this type of religiosity, we need to be more concerned about the needs of others and we need to keep ourselves holy before a Holy God.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:26 – Tongue Control

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Will

If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

Truth to Learn

Controlling what we say and how we say it is a clear indication of the degree to which we are submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Behind the Words

The word translated “thinks” is dokeō. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, this word, “expresses the subjective mental estimate or opinion formed by man concerning a matter.” So, this could be translated as “think, imagine, or consider.”

“Religious” is translated from thrēskos, which refers to the ceremonial service of religion. It expresses the external actions of religion whereas the Greek word eusebeia refers to the inward piety of the soul.

The word translated “bridle” is the Greek word chalinagōgeō, which is a compound word made up of chalinos, meaning “a bridle” and agō, which is a verb meaning “to lead or direct.” Hence, this word refers to restraining or controlling something (the tongue).

Finally, “useless” is translated from the Greek word mataios, which means “something which has no purpose” like chasing one’s own shadow.

Meaning Explained

Many of us have heard the saying “religion is man doing what he can to try to earn God’s pleasure.” Christianity, on the other hand, is believing that God loves us enough to have sent His own Son to die on the cross as payment for our sins. Religious activities without faith in Christ are worthless. But, religious activities that spring from faith can be evidence that we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Each of us does things that are religious: we go to church, we read our Bible, we pray, and we do good things for others. As a result, we believe ourselves to be fairly religious. James is cautioning us, however, that if we think of ourselves as being religious and don’t have control of our tongue, then we are deluding ourselves and our religion is worthless and meaningless.

But what does he mean to “bridle the tongue?” Literally, it means to have restraining control of our language, the things that we say. The image here is of a man putting a bridle in his own mouth to have control over his tongue. A person’s ability to bridle his tongue is a reference back to verse 19 where James said:

Know this, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger

If we cannot control our tongue then we are not slow to speak and our witness for Christ as demonstrated through our actions of faith are without purpose or effect.

Application

The things we say and the way we say them are clear evidence of our own submission to and obedience to Christ. If we can control our speech, we are well on our way to being Christ-like.

How is your tongue, is it under control, or do you need to fit yourself with a tongue bridle?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:25 – Blessed Performance

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Will

But he who having looked closely into the perfect law of liberty and having continued looking closely, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Truth to Learn

God will look favorably on the performance of those who practice what He teaches.

Behind the Words

The word translated “having looked closely” is the verb parakuptō, which is made up of para, meaning “beside” or “alongside” and kupto, meaning “to stoop down.” Hence, this word is a picture of someone bending down to take a close look at something. This verb is expressed as an aorist participle. Thus it means “having looked closely.”

“Having continued” is translated from the Greek word paramenō, which is another compound word made up of para, which we just saw means “beside” or “alongside” and meno, meaning “to remain.” Hence, the picture that James is painting for us here is of someone who bends down beside something to carefully observe it and remains there, taking a good long look at it.

The word translated “doer” is one that we looked at a few verses back. This refers to someone who is a performer, like a musician, who practices constantly to bring his or her life in conformance with what God instructs in the Bible.

Finally, the words “what he does” are translated from poiēsis, which literally means “his performance.”

Meaning Explained

James concludes this little treatise on putting faith into action by telling us:

The person who has bent down to look intently into the Word that gives freedom, and has stayed there observing it, having not become a forgetful hearer but a practicer of the work, this person will be blessed in his performance.

Some people have a natural aptitude for music, like Mozart who began composing at the age of five. Others, like my own father, can only do one thing with music, listen. When it comes to the Word of God, however, just listening is not good enough.

James tells us that we have to put into practice what we read and hear from the Word of God. He tells us that we have to stop and bend down. In order to bend down to carefully observe something we have to stop, not just slow down. When we read a passage in the Bible that we don’t understand, we need to stop and take the time to find out what it really means. When we hear a sermon that touches our heartstrings, or one that feels like our toes just got stomped on, we need to pray about what we heard and ask God to give us the strength and determination to do what He is telling us.

The result, according to James, is that God will bless us in a way that only He can do. And, I can assure you that there is nothing on this earth that can compare to His blessing!

Application

In the Book of Psalms we often encounter the word “selah” which means “pause,” which is written in the fixed imperative form, indicating more than just a suggestion. It is most likely a musical term indicating a pause in the singing or reciting of the words, but it also implies that the reason for the pause is for reflection regarding what was just sung or recited.

The next time the Word of God really speaks to you, stop and pause. Consider intently what God is saying, and then pray that God will help you put it into practice. It will prove to be a double blessing, it will bless God and it will bless your own heart.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:24 – Absentminded Professor

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Will

for he studied himself, has gone away, and immediately forgot what kind of person he was.

Truth to Learn

Hearing or reading God’s Word will have no effect on our lives unless we put it into practice.

Behind the Words

In the previous verse we looked at the word for face. But the translation of that verse said, “natural face.” The word translated “natural” is the Greek word genesis. This is derived from the verb ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” Hence, James is talking about our “beginning face,” or our “birth face.” Hence, it means our “natural face.”

The word “studied” is translated from the verb katanoeō. This same word was used in the previous verse. The difference is that the tense of this verb here is aorist, meaning an action that took place at a point in time in the past. That is, “he studied.”

“Has gone away” is from the Greek word aperchomai, which means “to go away” or “to depart.” The significance here is that this word appears in the perfect tense implying past completed action with an ongoing effect, the emphasis being on the effect. He is now in a place away from the mirror.

The word translated “forgot” is epilanthanō, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” and lanthano, meaning “to lie hidden or concealed.” The significance here, again, is that this verb is in the aorist tense implying past action; that is to say he forgot.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse James talked about the one who hears the word but does not practice it. James said he is like a person studying his face in a mirror. In this verse he finishes the simile by saying, “For he studied himself, went away, and immediately forgot what kind of person he was.”

It is good for us to read and study the Bible and to listen to preaching and teaching taken directly from God’s Word. But, if we don’t apply the word (put into practice what we read and hear), we forget what it said to us and it does us no good.

Christ himself, in the parable of the sower and the seed, said:

The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:14-19)

Application

Don’t let the busyness of this life, the cares of the world, or “stuff” rob us of the joy that comes from putting into practice the things we are taught in God’s Word!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:23 – Studious Reflection

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Will

Because, if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror;

Truth to Learn

We can learn a lot about God and about ourselves by looking intently into the Word of God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “studying” is a form of the Greek word katanoeō, which is a compound word made up of kata, which means “down” but is used here as an intensifier and noeō, which means “to perceive with thought.” So, this word means “to intensely observe” or “to visually study.”

“Face” is translated from the Greek word prosōpon. This word is made up of pros, which means “toward” or “in the vicinity of” and a form of ops which literally refers to the “eyes.” Hence, this word refers to that which is in the vicinity of the eyes. It is the Greek word generally used to refer to the face.

The word translated “mirror” is a form of esoptron, made up of eis, meaning “into or unto” and a form of optomai, which means “to look” or “to perceive.” So, quite literally it is “a look-into thing.” Early English translations of the Bible translated this as “looking glass” which we refer to today as “a mirror.”

Meaning Explained

James has just instructed us to be doers (performers) of the word, not just hearers and he is now going to explain by way of example in the form of a simile. He says that if you hear the word and do not put it into practice, you are like a person who is studying himself (or herself) in a mirror. Do you ever do that? No, I don’t mean simply looking at yourself, but studying yourself. You know, checking out the blemishes, trying to decide what color your eyes really are, surveying the new laugh-lines that seem to have recently appeared, or perhaps counting the gray hairs.

The person who is not a hearer of the word doesn’t do that. They see someone else in the mirror. Instead of thinking, “Wow, God’s talking about me in that passage, I better listen up,” he or she thinks, “I wish so-and-so could hear this, they really need to hear what the Bible says about them.”

How many times have you walked out of church not remembering a thing about what the preacher just said? We’re all guilty of that at times. But how many times have you walked out of church thinking what a great message you just heard, that God was speaking directly to you? Hopefully, that happens to you on a regular basis. If so, then you are a hearer of the Word. If not, before you start church hopping in search of a better preacher, you might want to spend more time in prayer asking God to make you a better listener.

But, just because you regularly hear good preaching based solidly on what the Bible teaches, doesn’t mean that you put it into action. James is talking about a “put it into action” person.

Application

The Bible is like a mirror, indeed. It lets us see ourselves more clearly the way God sees us. And, fortunately, He is a God of grace and mercy. But the Bible also reveals to us what God wants us to be. When was the last time you saw yourself in the mirror of the Word? Do you remember what you looked like? How does that compare with what God wants you to look like?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:22 – Perfect Practice

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Will

But become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Truth to Learn

No one ever coined the phrase, “listening makes perfect.” That’s because it is only through practice that we improve on anything that we do.

Behind the Words

The word translated “become” is a form of ginomai, the basic meaning of which is “to begin to be.” This word is written here in the imperative mood indicating a command. And, the word “doers” is poiētēs, which is derived from poieō, meaning “to make something or perform something.” Poiētēs means “to be a doer or a performer.” Thus, we see that James is giving us a firm instructive command to “become people who do what the Word of God says!”

“Hearers” is translated from the Greek word akroatēs. This word is derived from the classical Greek word akroama which means, “something which is heard, such as a piece that is read, recited, played, or sung.” The implication is that it is something that is being intentionally and intently listened to.

Meaning Explained

Though my father passed away many years ago, I can still hear him saying to me as a young boy, “Don’t let my words go in one ear and out the other!” That’s probably a decent colloquialism for what James is telling us here.

James has just told us that we need to rid ourselves of evil thoughts and bad, self-serving actions and to allow the Word of God, which has been implanted in our hearts, to grow. But our faith does not grow strong without practice.

You do not become a great musician by simply reading about how to play an instrument, you must practice. But, practice does not mean simply playing through a piece once and then moving on to another (unless you are practicing musical sight-reading). It means playing the piece over and over again, paying particular attention to the nuances of the written music and the technique used to produce the sound. As the musician repeatedly plays through the music, he or she memorizes the notes and markings until the piece can be played without having to think about the specific notes on the written page.

Any Christian who wants to live the victorious Christian life and have a close fellowship with God, must cultivate the habit of reading and studying the Bible regularly. But that by itself will not produce results any more than reading about music. As we read the Word of God we need to think about it and put it into practice. We need to be aware of the nuances of God’s word just as a musician needs to be aware of the nuances of the music. And we need to practice doing it over and over again until the principles or actions become second nature to us.

Let me say that another way. Just as a musician performs music as a result of repeated practice, we must be performers of the principles given to us in the Bible by repeated practice.

Application

Hearing the Word of God is important indeed, but not nearly as important as doing what it says. James tells us that if we are only hearers of the word and not doers, we are deceiving ourselves.

Let’s put “practice being a Christian” on the top of our priority list for today, and for the rest of our lives!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:21 – Discard Filth

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Will

Therefore having laid aside all filthiness and abundance of wickedness, receive in meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Truth to Learn

We need to rid ourselves of our sinful thoughts and actions and let the Word of God grow in our hearts.

Behind the Words

The word translated “having laid aside” is a form of apotithēmi, a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and tithēmi, meaning “to set in place” or “to lay down.” Hence, this word means “to set aside, away from oneself.” This particular verb is in the middle voice which in Greek means that the subject is acting upon itself. James is telling us is that we are to take action on ourselves by putting away all that is filthiness. It is expressed here as an aorist participle indicating something that was done previous to the main verb (receive).

“Filthiness” is translated from hruparia, which means “dirtiness” or “filthiness,” as it is translated here. In a moral sense it refers to those thoughts and actions of ours which are not clean or morally right. The picture James is portraying here is one of taking off a soiled garment and laying it aside.

The word translated “wickedness” is the Greek word kakia, which refers to “that which is intrinsically bad or worthless.”

The word translated “implanted” is emphutos, which is made up of en, meaning “in” and a form of phuō, meaning “to germinate” or “to spring up from a seed.” It refers to something that is implanted by an external force and springs up as an act of growth. This word is sometimes mistranslated as “in grafted” which is an entirely different word, egkentridzō, meaning “to cut in” or “to graft in.”

Meaning Explained

Remember that whenever you see a “therefore” or a “wherefore” you need to find out what it is there for. James already told us that God is the source of all good giving and completely good gifts. He also said that our own lustful sin nature is the source of our selfish sinfulness. Therefore, because of these facts, we need to get rid of all of our dirtiness and abundance of badness. This includes all of our evil thoughts and all self-serving actions. Remove these things from yourself, lay them aside, and don’t pick them up again.

Once we have laid these things aside, we are told to receive with humility the mighty Word of God which the Holy Spirit has implanted in our hearts. It has such power that it can even lead to the salvation of souls. When we have sin prevailing in our lives, we cannot receive the word of truth. When we lay aside our sinful thoughts and actions, we then allow the Word of God to grow and mature within us, making us more like Jesus Christ.

Albert Barnes in his Notes on the New Testament interprets the verse in this way:

In view of the fact that God has begotten us for his own service; in view of the fact that excited feeling tends only to wrong, let us lay aside all that is evil, and submit ourselves wholly to the influence of truth.

Application

Let us confess and forsake our sins, discarding all filth, and let us receive His truth, allowing it to grow in our hearts. All this, for His praise and glory! Can you do this?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:20 – Bad Example

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Will

Truth to Learn

We should not be easily angered because it does not show the world the type of godly example that we should be.

Behind the Words

In the previous verse we looked at the Greek word orgē, which refers to “violent passions.” It is most likely derived from the Greek word oregō, which means to stretch out with the hand or to snatch. Metaphorically, it means to covet, to long after, or to desire. Hence, orgē is the state of mind produced when we don’t get what we desire.

“Bring about” is translated from katergadzomai which is a compound word made up of kata, used as an intensifier and ergadzomai, which means “to work.” Put these together and we see that katergadzomai means “to work out, to bring about, or to fully accomplish.”

The word translated “righteousness” is dikaiosunē, which is based on the word dikaios meaning “equity, justice, or that which is right.” The sunē ending makes this an abstraction. Therefore, the word dikaiosunē means “the characteristic of doing that which is just or right.”

Meaning Explained

According to an area of Psychology called Cognitive Behavior Theory, “The main cause of anger is represented by our irrational perceptions and evaluations of situations when our rights and goals are apparently broken.” Put in layman’s terms, anger is caused when someone does something to us that we don’t like. When someone insults us, we don’t like it and we get angry. When someone cuts in front of us in traffic and slows us down, we don’t like it and we get angry. When the sports team we are rooting for loses, we don’t like it and we get angry.

Anger is a selfish response to a situation where we don’t get our way. This selfishness is not only the root of our anger, it is sin. God’s anger, on the other hand, is the result of people not giving Him the reverence that He alone deserves.

Because we have a sin nature, we are incapable of always responding properly to situations in our life. Because of His holiness, God is incapable of responding any way other than the right way. That’s His righteousness. He always does what is right.

The only way we can respond properly to difficult situations is to recognize that we belong to Christ; we have been bought with His blood. Because of that we have no personal rights and showing forth His righteousness is our high calling in life. But when we get angry because we think we have been wronged, we are sinning, therefore we are not producing righteousness.

James has just told us that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. The reason given here is that when we get angry we are not being an example of or a witness for God, which should be our full time occupation.

Application

The old adage of counting to ten before you get angry has some basis in this verse. Let us all work harder at keeping our cool, and keeping our testimony pure and God glorigying.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:19 – Ears Open, Mouth Closed, Without Anger

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Will

Know this, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Truth to Learn

Your hearing will do you much more good in your walk with God than your mouth will.

Behind the Words

There is a variant reading in the first part of this verse. Some manuscripts begin this verse with hōste, meaning “so then” or “therefore.” The best manuscripts, however, begin with histe, a form of eidō, meaning “know this” (imperative). The latter is probably the correct reading.

In the Greek text a literal reading is, “Know this, my brothers, beloved ones …” As we pointed out in the notes on verse sixteen, James is not saying that the brothers (and sisters) are beloved by him (though, surely they are), but that they (and we) are beloved ones of God.

The words “let … be” are translated from the Greek word estō, a form of eimi. This is the verb of being and it is a command. Hence, James is commanding us all to, “be swift the hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath!”

“Swift” is translated from tachu, meaning “quick or nimble.” Figuratively, it means “ready and willing.”

The word “slow” is from the Greek word bradus which means “slow” but metaphorically it means “inactive.”

The word translated “anger” is the Greek word orgē, which means “violent passion.” It often refers to getting so angry that we yell or throw things.

Meaning Explained

Here is what Albert Barnes says of this verse in his Notes on the New Testament,

Since God is the only source of good; since he tempts no man; and since by his mere sovereign goodness, without any claim on our part, we have had the high honor conferred on us of being made the first-fruits of his creatures, we ought to be ready to hear his voice, to subdue all our evil passions, and to bring our souls to entire practical obedience.

In other words, what James is saying in this verse is: because God dearly loves us and because of what He has done for us, we must all be promptly ready to hear, that is, to listen intently to what God has to say to us. In addition we should not be in a hurry to express our own views. We cannot hear very well, either physiologically or mentally, when we are talking. If we are to learn what God has to teach us, we need to work hard on listening and even harder on not talking. There is an ancient saying which says;

The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.

Finally, in this verse James says that we are to be “slow to anger.” If we have truly received the perfect gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, then we should be eager to learn and we should not be characterized by outbursts of anger.

Application

There is a modern proverb which says:

It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all reasonable doubt.

I’m sure that James would say, “Amen!”

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:18 – New Birth

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Will

Having desired it, He brought us forth by the word of truth, for us to be a certain first fruit of His creatures.

Truth to Learn

Our salvation is the greatest example of the goodness of God and His desire to give us good things.

Behind the Words

The words translated “having desired” is a form of the Greek word boulomai. This word refers to “a passive desire, or desirous will” as opposed to the Greek word thelō which expresses “active volition and purpose, or determined will.”

Back in verse 15 we were introduced to the Greek word apokueō, translated in this verse as “brought forth.” It is a medical term for a woman giving birth. It is never used of a man, only of women, inanimate objects (metaphorically speaking), and God.

“First fruit” is translated from aparchē, which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” and archomai, meaning “to begin.” This is a reference to the special firstfruits offering that God required of the Israelites.

The expression “for us to be” is composed of the purpose clause eis to along with the infinitive einai, meaning “to be.” So, this could be translated as, “for the purpose of us to be.” James is not saying that it is possible that we will be a kind of first fruits but that it is God’s purpose for us to be a kind of first fruit.

Meaning Explained

James tells us that it was simply because He desired to do it that God gave us birth, and He did so by the word of truth. The birth referred to here is not our physical birth but our new birth (our spiritual birth). This is the birth of which Jesus spoke when he told Nicodemus:

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Our new birth is not the result of us performing some sacred act, nor is it the result of us completing a series of religious classes and partaking of the sacraments. This spiritual birth comes only from believing God’s promise to us that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all our sins.

James is here giving an example (perhaps the best possible example) of a good act of giving that is completely a gift from God. It was by His will (desirous preference) that he gave us the new birth by the word of truth. It was not by obligation, because we did something, rather it was His choice. He chose us so that we would be a kind of ‘first fruit’ of His creatures.

The “first fruit” is a reference to the Jewish sacrifice that consisted of the first born of all animals and the first part of the harvest of the crops. James’ reference to first fruit here is not meant to emphasize the timing (first) but first in importance, the fact that God considers us as consecrated, or set-apart from the rest of creation.

Application

God is the source of all good and perfect gifts, and an example of that is the gift of our salvation, given to us because He wanted to, not because we earned it in any way.

In God's service, for His glory,