James: Chapter 1

Encouragement and Advice for Believers

1:1

This letter was written by James, who identifies himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This title clearly identifies Jesus, as the Lord and God of the Universe, as well as the “Christ”, the Messiah, or Savior, of the world. James was also the leader of the Messianic community in Jerusalem. Many believe he was the chief Rabbi of this Messianic Jewish community. It is interesting that James did not identify himself as the half-brother of Jesus. Matthew 13:54-58, clearly shows that he was indeed, the brother of Jesus. Yet, because he did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior of the world until after His resurrection, he perhaps did not feel worthy to even claim the relationship. After all, he, and his family, often thought Jesus was mentally “off”. (Matthew 12:47-50) James is writing this letter specifically for the 12 Tribes of Israel, who had been dispersed from Jerusalem, during the persecutions, into other lands. Since James is writing to ALL 12 Tribes, it would be common sense to assume that the 12 Tribes were still able to be identified. Thus, any references to so-called “lost” tribes of Israel, is erroneous. James personally knew many of these Jewish believers and had heard about others who came to accept and believe in Yeshua. Some Jews may have not been believers in Yeshua until after they had left Jerusalem; yet the letter was for ALL of them. (See Acts 8:1-8) The letter is also for the Gentiles, who were believers in Yeshua, as Lord, God and Savior; so that includes us! James begins his greeting with SHALOM! This would mean a joyful greeting of the Peace and Love of God! Perhaps we should begin greeting friends with the words of God’s Peace and Love ~ Shalom!

1:2-3

Immediately James begins with an unusual reference to their trials and sufferings, not with sympathy, but with great encouragement! James says to consider, or regard, it ALL as JOY! We think, what! are you nuts? Joy? Suffering and trials are to be considered as ALL JOY?? Is James delusional, or out of touch with reality? No! He understands the connection between our trials and suffering, and following Jesus with all our hearts, minds and souls in FULL TRUST of Jesus being in TOTAL CONTROL! There is no other ABSOLUTE TRUTH more important to us in times of trials and sufferings. We must focus on, and believe with all our hearts and minds, that Jesus is in Control, and everything He allows is for our best interests, even the sufferings. This is hard to fathom, as we are so influenced by the worldly values of ease and comfort, that we forget that to follow Jesus WILL BRING SUFFERING! We are guaranteed by Jesus in many scriptures, that the World will persecute His followers. The reference to “temptations” is actually a “testing”. This “testing” is allowed by God to TEST US. How do we respond to the testing trials and sufferings? Complaining? Crying out for deliverance? Get me out of this mess!? Or do we consider that God IS IN CONTROL, thus He has allowed the testing, trials, suffering, whatever form it is; to strengthen and “prove” we are His. How can we even know we will be true to Jesus without a Test? We can’t! Only through these “testings” can our faith be proved and strengthened. So, what does this Testing of our Faith and Trust prove? We are given the answer right here: PERSEVERANCE! Yes, the only way to learn and gain Perseverance as a true Character trait, is through testing of some sort. Do we know we can persevere with just one little testing? Of course not, we need testing, after testing, our entire lives to build and prove our character trait of Perseverance in following Jesus. Remember, to become a true follower of Jesus, we must be transformed in our character traits. This transformation takes time and effort. We must repent of selfish worldly character traits and seek after godly character traits. Perseverance is a godly character trait that Jesus exhibited His entire earthly life. We must develop this same trait IF we are to become true followers of Yeshua.

1:4

Letting Patience run its course and do a thorough work, would mean that we make the effort to persevere and be patient. The patience we must cultivate, is one that causes us to obediently follow Yeshua, even in the storms and trials. We must pray, and make the extra effort to trust Jesus, through the Holy Spirit; listening for His voice to guide us in our trials and tribulations. Too often we seek the counsel of men, rather than God. Your first response should be to call out to God, seeking His guidance, direction, wisdom, and strength. Remember, He knew this trial was coming long before you did!

1:5

WISDOM! That is the one thing we need most during the tough times. And Who gives the quality kind of Wisdom we need? Only God; as He alone knows what is best for us, and what we need to pray for, what action to take, or just wait patiently and let God work out the details. Too often we jump ahead and try to “solve” the “problem” without consulting God. This type of action usually makes the situation worse. So, the very first thing we should do is ask God for His Wisdom, His insight, and His discernment in whatever way we should pray and act. This shows, and proves we DO Trust God! Remember, if we ask for God’s Wisdom, and then ignore Him, and disobey His voice, we have chosen to put ourselves outside the Will of God. Not a good place to be, especially when we are facing trials and sufferings.

1:6-8

Here is the heart attitude we absolutely must develop: Obedience; not wavering or vacillating and hesitating about following and trusting God. If we truly want God to lead, then we MUST be ready to follow, with no doubting and wavering. 7. The Believer who wavers and doubts God, will NOT receive what they are asking God for. You think God has NOT answered your prayers for help? Have you acted obediently, asking in Faith, Trusting God and patiently waited for Him? God cannot answer our prayers if we refuse to Trust Him! 8. Why Not? We are unstable and unreliable and uncertain, and really NOT TRUSTING God; so He cannot lead us if we refuse to follow Him. Think carefully about your trials, are you seeking His Will, seeking His Wisdom, and NOT doubting and wavering? If not, then you now know where the problem lies, with you! God truly wants to see your Faith grow and mature, but He will not force you to obey Him.

1:9-10

Those “brothers” means BELIEVERS. When we are in humble circumstances, that would refer to a situation, or trial, or tribulation, some sort of suffering; we should ‘glory’ in that situation, meaning we should give Glory to God for His provisions, His guidance, His healing, provision, or whatever way God is leading us. As God provides the way through the difficulty, we must give Him the Glory. Be careful not to take ‘credit’ for the ‘solution’ ourselves; always give God the Glory. Remember, He is truly the One Who provides the strength, healing and answers to our difficulties. Too often people may think ‘they’ figured out the solution, but it is God Who provides the True answers. 10. A ‘rich person’, (and that means most of us), is to remain humble, realizing that ‘for the Grace of God, I could be in that situation’. None of us ‘deserve’ to be immune from trials and tribulations. Yeshua has PROMISED that ALL of His true followers WILL SUFFER! That is one promise NONE of us want to claim, yet all of us must be prepared to face. That ‘suffering’ is the ONLY WAY we can be tested and proved in our Faith. There is an old truism: Calm seas does not a sailor make. Anyone can ‘sail along’ in life just fine, IF there are never any problems. But Life itself is filled with all sorts, types and kinds of problems. C. S. Lewis once stated that Christians should NOT be concerned that so many faithful Believers are subjected to trials and sufferings, they should be concerned that some ‘believers’ do not suffer at all. Remember, to be a True Believer is a GUARANTEE of being subjected to trials, tribulations, persecutions and suffering.

1:11

We see this reference to tender flowers and plants, all eventually withering away and dying, to remind us of how fragile and short life really is. None of us get out of this World without dying. The ONLY exception, MIGHT be the Rapture. However, none of us should be counting on that ~ we need to remember that we are only one breath away from Eternity. Today might be your last day on Earth! Are you living your life each day like it might be your very last day on earth?

1:12

James reminds us of the words of Jesus, from Matthew 5:10, (from the ‘Sermon on the Mountain). It would be good to read Yeshua’s Words right now to give us encouragement and wisdom. Read Matthew 5:1-16. These are just some of the reasons we absolutely MUST LEARN to be more like Yeshua. Notice that we cannot just read about how Jesus prayed, spoke, acted, and thought, we must Live it out in our own lives! We are promised the Crown of Life, which Jesus promised to all those that truly love Him and obey His words. This Crown is Eternal, and we should seek to be worthy to receive Crowns promised by our Messiah. Rewards and Crowns are promised to faithful Believers by Jesus, so they must be extremely valuable and important!

1:13

Temptation. Let’s look at it carefully, and analyze what it is, and how we are deceived and led astray by ‘temptation’. First, we must always remember that God NEVER temps us, NEVER! Remember, Temptation NEVER looks like it is evil, it is deceptive and looks like an attractive option. Plus, the world, the flesh, and the devil, constantly deceive, lie and trick us into evil. Satan is very clever, he knows our weaknesses, and takes unfair advantage of us when we are suffering, no matter what the cause.

1:14-16

Now we are given the progression of Temptation into Evil. Notice that first there is a desire, or enticement; we are ‘baited’ by deception of foolishly thinking that the desire, passion, or enticement is a ‘need’, not a ‘want’. The beginning of the Battle is actually in our MIND. Then, we do exactly what Eve did in the Garden of Eden. She listened to the lies of the tempter, then she looked at the ‘fruit’ and saw it was ‘attractive’, then she believed the lies of the evil one, foolishly believing the lie that it would ‘make her wise’, then she succumbed and committed the sin of ‘tasting the evil’. 15. Notice James uses another analogy to show us the progression. First, the evil desire is conceived, grows in our mind. Then we falsely convince ourselves the evil is ‘o.k.’ We actually LIE to OURSELVES! Then when we commit the sin; and it bring forth…. Enjoyment? Fun? Satisfaction? NO! NO! NO! SIN always bring forth DEATH! We don’t physically die from every sin, but we do remove ourselves from God’s Grace, and place ourselves outside His Will and that is a form of spiritual death. Unconfessed sin will bring Suffering, Sorrow, Shame, and eventually DEATH. 16. James warns us DO NOT BE DECEIVED! Remember, there is ALWAYS a choice. We must ‘turn away’ from the deception, whether it comes from outside forces, or from within our own minds or emotions. Too often we follow our emotions… this must be o.k. because it ‘feels’ like it brings me pleasure, fun or whatever; that is exactly how we are deceived, we fall prey to our temporary emotions and feelings, rather than what is True and Good. Think about it, every poor decision, that led you to sin and suffering, you made! You chose to think, do, and say the wrong thing! We are not robots; we can choose to say NO! NO! NO! to sin; instead make the choice to do what is good and right for our lives. It requires power and strength from the Holy Spirit, we cannot just rely on our own strength. We must PRAY to avoid all sin, and instead chose to follow the perfect Will of God.

1:17

Now James shifts to what is actually Good for us; what is a Blessing from God. He confirms that all good gifts, that is Blessings, come from God. James wants us to focus our minds on what is GOOD, not what is Evil. This is sound advice. Keep in mind that those people that insist on having one pity party after another, are NOT healthy folks to be around. They are depressing to everyone, including themselves! So, when we suffer, we should avoid the “Oh poor me,” pity party language and attitudes. Instead, look carefully at ALL the good things God has blessed us with; EVERYTHING good comes from God: Our minds, our bodies, our Eternal Salvation, our family, and friends; things like food, clothes, a place to live, and be secure and safe, and a safe place to lay our head at night. Remember, Jesus said of Himself: “The Son of man has nowhere to lay His head”; meaning He was homeless! (Matt. 8:20) We forget that stark fact about Jesus; He suffered much more than we can ever realize, or fathom. Not only was He homeless, but He, and His followers often had to just eat the grain from the fields, as gleaners, as they had no other source of food. They were a band of men that were constantly traveling, without any place to sleep at night except out in the open. No hotels, no restaurants, no vehicles for transportation; NOTHING! Think about it, the Creator of the Universe denied Himself all the creature comforts that we just take for granted. Does this stark truth help you put your situation in a different perspective? It should if you are honest with yourself. So, begin, right now, to focus on, and thank God for, the numerous Blessings God has given you. Why not name a dozen, or so, right now?

1:18

This verse is extremely crucial to our correct understanding and appreciation of our Salvation. We did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of ourselves to obtain the Mercy and Grace of God needed for our Salvation. His, God’s, OWN FREE WILL using the Word of Truth, brought light and truth to our stubborn, sinful hearts the truth and conviction that we are sinners. We, of ourselves, could do NOTHING to remove ourselves from our ETERNAL DEATH SENTENCE! Only the Mercy and Grace of God, through the Sacrifice of Jesus and the Truth of God’s Word: JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS TO PAY THE PENALTY OF ETERNAL DEATH AND SEPARATION FROM GOD. That was our fate: Eternal Death and Separation from God! The Holy Spirit is the one who enabled us to realize our sorry state of sin, and confess our sins, repent of our sins, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and accept the FREE ETERNAL GIFT OF SALVATION. So, we then, become the kind of First Fruits of His Creation. Oh, we’re not there yet, we still have a lifetime of SANCTIFICATION to slowly transform us into the image and likeness of Jesus. These GOOD GIFTS referring to our Gifts of Eternal Life, Sanctification, and Glorification; all with the incredible Joy of being with our God Forever, ALL come from God. Heaven help anyone who thinks for even a second that he/she did ANYTHING to merit or earn these incredible Gifts from God!

1:19

So, now, knowing this, HOW DO we respond? James tells us: Let all of us be quick to hear (the Word of God, the Truth) and slow to speak. It is amazing how many people fail to realize that we only learn while LISTENING, NOT when speaking! Notice that we listen to understand TRUTH, then in understanding the Truth, we apply what we understand, the Truth, to our lives! So those who talk a lot, and like to hear themselves speak, are not learning. They are foolish, and often arrogant and self-absorbed, or just plain selfish. When you hear someone talk, talk, about themselves, watch out, these folks are fools. Our words are very powerful. We must remember this Truth. Everything we think and say has repercussions. Is what you are saying True? It is helpful? Gracious? Is it needed? These few reflections can keep us out of a lot of trouble; and avoid damage and hurt to ourselves and others. Notice that James also tells us that we are also to be slow to become angry. So, let’s analyze this a bit, why do we become angry? Because we do not get what we want, or things don’t go the way we would like, or something similar. Now, there is something called “justifiable anger” meaning we see a wrong being done to someone else and want to do something to ‘right that wrong’. There are, of course, a lot of situations that are not right, that means they are evil, or against the Will and purpose of God. These are the areas we should be angry about; yet we should ‘sin not’, thus we should determine, with prayer, and Godly direction, what action we should take to assist in changing the evil that is being done. Yet, the Anger James is teaching us about, is the selfish anger that directly affects us and others. Now, keep in mind, that sometimes what was done to us was wrong, or evil, yet we are still cautioned to be ‘slow to anger’.

1:20

So WHY should we be slow to anger? James tells us: Man’s anger does NOT promote God’s HOLY righteousness. God wants righteousness. God wants us to carefully analyze and chose our response to the evil, rather than just REACT. That is what most of us do, React! Usually a reaction is an emotional ‘revenge attitude’ of some sort. Anger also leads to hating. Hating leads all the way to MURDER! So, do we see how our emotion of Anger has now become our BOSS, actually having control over us? And who is behind this BOSS? You guessed right, satanic demons. These evil entities want us to be controlled by our emotion of Anger, rather than Trusting God. Jesus warned us about that more than once. A RESPONSE would be carefully thought out, prayed about, and, ideally, would be a Response guided by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, God just wants us to let Him handle it. That is absolutely the hardest thing for most of us to do. Why? Because we want it our way, right NOW! Plus, when we wait for God, and Trust Him; we must admit that we are NOT in control. Remember, we must remember the TRUTH, we just think we are in control. Who is really in control?

1:21

James continues with his lessons for us by telling us what we should do. SO, (because of what he has just told us), this is what we should do: “Get rid of, (purge)” Then he begins to tell us exactly what we need to purge from our character. This means we need to have a heart change and attitude adjustment. Confession time is coming! We need to admit our tendencies to uncleanness and evil and seek Gods Word to cleanse our minds and hearts. Our ‘flesh,’ and ‘emotions’, wants it ‘our way’ rather than seeking after God’s Will and righteousness. This is a crucial issue. Most of us pray for God to ‘correct the evil done to me’ rather than praying for purity of heart, mind, and soul. Think about most of our prayers: We pray for safety, protection, provision, healing, etc. Very seldom do we fervently and continually pray for purity, for selflessness, for a humble heart, to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus, with all our heart, soul, and mind. True repentance will be when we cry out to God, I don’t want to be like this (meaning selfish), anymore. Then, and only then, will we seek, and pray for, purity and holiness in our lives, day after day.

1:22

Now James hits the nail right on the head. This is the result we must attain: We MUST become DOERS of God’s Word, not just Hearers. WHY? Because we DECEIVE OURSELVES. That means we LIE to ourselves and believe the lie. What fools we are! So, let’s look at some ways we are “hearers only”: We twist the truth to accommodate ourselves, we use subjectivity and relativism. We are superstitious, we are emotional, we are oh, so, ‘Theoretical’, instead of being OBEDIENT to God’s Word. Whenever you find yourself telling others, or God, ‘but, this and this was done to me, or they deserved that, or…’, you get the idea. Instead of focusing on how we ‘justify’ our actions, let’s look at some ways we can become DOERS of God’s Word. Looking intently; searching the Scriptures, digging deep into God’s Word, just as we are doing right now. Devotional reading is NOT EVER enough! Reading, praying, studying, and applying God’s Word EVERY DAY! Memorizing, and praying God’s Word during those ‘challenging times’. Write down an area you need the Holy Spirit to REALLY do a work in your heart. Seek God with all your heart, mind and soul, every single day. Remember, you are either in God’s Will or your will. God’s Will is becoming more and more like Jesus, your will, is worldly backsliding, which means you are following someone other than Jesus. Pray fervently about the areas you need a heart of obedience. Remember, you have not, because you ask not. God will Sanctify you, and transform your heart attitude, as you truly seek Him.

1:23-24

So, if we carefully LISTEN to God’s Word, then verbally, or mentally agree with it, yet do not OBEY His Word, then James says we are like a person who carefully looks at himself in the mirror (thinking ‘yes, I need to do something about myself’) 24. Then the person goes on their merry way and does NOTHING to change themselves. Why even bother listening to God’s Word, if we don’t intend to OBEY it? We are actually treating God’s Word as if it was useless and futile. Do we realize this is one of the ways we BLASPHEME God’s Word?!! We are lying to ourselves, actually deceiving ourselves, about the very nature and purpose of God’s Word. We are fools if we claim ‘salvation’ and yet persist in sin which leads to death. Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is DEATH! (that’s what we earn!) “Yet, the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior”. Notice that the gift is THROUGH, or IN, JESUS AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. If we refuse to obey Him, then He isn’t our LORD and SAVIOR, because we have refused His LORDSHIP and SAVING GRACE! This is such a crucial issue; we must come to a full understanding and knowledge of what it means to truly be a FOLLOWER OF JESUS.

1:25

BUT, remember this is one of those words that should grab our attention. Because now James is telling us what is needed by true Believers. We must carefully search God’s Word. Notice he calls it the ‘law of LIBERTY’! Not restrictions, but LIBERTY. Why, because God’s Word (Laws and commands) actually give us LIBERTY which is TRUE FREEDOM! See James 2:12. Remember, Patrick Henry crying out to his fellow countrymen, “Give me LIBERTY or give me death!” He was seeking true FREEDOM! Jesus told his ‘followers’ IF you TRULY LOVE ME, YOU WILL OBEY MY COMMANDS. See John 14:15. Why? Because Jesus knows that ONLY through obedience to His Word can we ever hope to be truly Free ~ Free to be the perfect person that God created! YES! God created YOU to be PERFECT! Then Jesus tells his disciples, and us, that only by being obedient to His Word, are we truly united with Him in Love, and can expect to bear eternal fruit, and be confident that He will answer our prayers. See John 15:1-14. Why is this so important? Because when we obey God’s Word, we are LIVING IN HIS WILL. That is the PERFECT place to be, in God’s Will! This is TRUE FREEDOM! Freedom from the evil and suffering of sin! However, disobedience is living outside the Will of God; and that means we are living outside of REALITY. That is crazy! Why would we be so foolish as to try to live outside of true reality? Because we believe the LIES of the evil one! Sometimes, we tell ourselves these foolish lies ~ ‘this one time won’t matter’, ‘it’s no big deal’, ‘no one but me will know’, you can add your own lies that you have been a VICTIM of. Notice that we are ALL VICTIMS of LIES! LIES are evil and destructive, they all come from Satan and his demons! So, why do we fall Victim to these Lies? We are in a vicious BATTLE between our Fleshly desires and our Spiritual desires of our Soul. Which one is our ultimate Goal? Of course! Our souls are ETERNAL, our flesh will one day get old, sick and die. So, we must make an EFFORT to seek the Spiritual well-being and PERFECTION of our Eternal Souls. See John 8:36, Matt 7:21-24, Psalm 19:7-11.

1:26

Now James says IF you think you are ‘religious’ which means outwardly observant of the ‘rules’ of religion, and do not CONTROL your tongue; that is, your words, but lies to (actually deceives) your own heart, then your religious service is absolutely WORTHLESS! This may seem harsh to us, but it is the HARSH TRUTH! Notice that the word ‘Religion’ is used only a few times in the New Testament. The Greek word means ‘fearing or worshiping God; to tremble or be fearful’. In our world, ‘Religion’ is defined as a system of faith and practice. The forms and ceremonies emphasize outward observances. Remember that Jesus was NOT religious, He was always obedient to His Father in Heaven! Jesus told us He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6. Following Jesus is a Way of Life, not a ‘religion’. This is one of the ways we can know what is in our hearts, by what comes out of our mouth! Our Words are very POWERFUL! Those who speak evil, curse, criticize, gossip, or speak forth anything else that is harmful; are speaking EVIL. Notice that one of the most painful and destructive is Gossip. This is a form of BETRAYAL. This sin undermines trust, relationships, confidences, and spreads injustice. Gossip is slander of others! See Rom. 1:30, 2 Cor. 12:20, James 4:11, John 8:7. Even the Old Testament gives us clear instructions regarding this evil: Lev. 19:16, Prov. 11:13, 18:8, 26:20, 26:22.

1:27

James refers to True Faith as Pure religion and being undefiled before God the Father. This would mean we are to be OBEDIENT to God’s Word. James addresses two areas as being specifically identified: We are to have a personal walk of being holy and pure, being ‘unspotted from the world’. This would mean we are morally obedient to God’s Word. See Isaiah 1:15-17. We must have a true, real concern for others, especially the ‘needy’, specifically those who are fatherless and widows. It is interesting that James did not say ‘orphans’ meaning children who had no father OR mother, but ‘fatherless’. How many children today are ‘fatherless’, with no father to really love or care for them? The numbers are staggering. These children are ‘starving’ for a real father. In James day, a widow had no way to support herself, she was usually destitute and had to depend on extended family to survive. So, when we care for the ‘needy’ we should be wise and discerning to help those who are truly needy, not ‘wanting’, or ‘irresponsible’ or just plain lazy. James was not just a ‘moralist’, keeping a list of ethical guidelines, he was one who was committed to demonstrate by his very life, day in and day out, that he owes everything to his King. See Matt. 23:23. So, if we truly ARE followers of Jesus, we must heed James’s encouragement to the reality of applying God’s Word, and nature, in our Christian lives. See Gal 5:14. Are we living identifiable as His First Fruits in His redemptive work, though Jesus Christ, as our Lord, God, and Savior?

O, Lord, our God, plant these seeds of Truth of Your Word, deep into our mind and soul. Transform our rebellious heart into a heart of Obedience to You, and to these Truths we have studied to understand. Remove our selfish tendencies and replace them with a generous heart and spirit. May each of us, deep within our Eternal souls, with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, truly desire to make a new, fresh commitment, to live faithful, true Christian Lives, as First Fruits of Jesus, every single day of our lives! Shalom!