Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 1
1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ- A good case can be made
that James was written as a follow up to the Council of Jerusalem. It's
interesting to observe all the connections between the letter of James and
the Acts 15 council. Note some of the more obvious: The salutation (James
1:1 = Acts 15:34); "Listen, my brothers" (James 2:5 = Acts 15:13); "The
name which was called upon you" (James 2:7 = Acts 15:17); "Keep unspotted
from the world" (James 1:27 = Acts 15:29); and there are at least three
Greek words which occur only in James and Acts 15 (James 1:27 = Acts
15:14; James 5:19 = Acts 15:19; James 1:16,19,25 = Acts 15:25). Perhaps
the letter of James is in some way his retraction of his wrong attitude,
an example of where a man comes to understand what works are really
important... or perhaps it was to dissociate himself from those who are
called "certain persons who came from James" (Gal. 2:12), as if he was not
actually behind them. Perhaps, however, it was that James saw through
church politics for what they were, and focused upon the need for real,
practical spirituality, the works of faith and spirit rather than mere
legalism.
The reasons for believing James to be the Lord's brother are well
summarized elsewhere; his introduction is therefore an essay in humility
and not playing on human relationships as a means to assert authority,
seeing he does not mention this fleshly relationship: "James, a servant of
God and of the Lord Jesus Christ". James the Lord's brother being the
clear leader of the early church, it would be fitting that at least one of
his letters (and Hebrews too?) be preserved. His high position of respect
is indicated by Mk.15:40 describing a "James the less"- i.e. than the
great James the Lord's brother. It was not until after James' death that
the Gospel mushroomed among the Gentiles, which again points to a
basically Jewish readership being catered for. The Lord's brothers having
been sceptical of him during his ministry (Jn.7:3-5), James' depth of
appreciation must have developed at lightning speed for him to write this
epistle at a relatively early date. Two outstanding characteristics of
James are the constant allusions to previous Scripture, especially the
Gospels and Proverbs, and the intensely practical understanding of the
moment by moment spiritual battle which we all face. It is worth noting
that the most senior brother of the early church scored highly on these
points. His humility in calling himself a servant of the Lord Jesus is
remarkable- Paul could legitimately lay weight to his reasoning by saying
he had seen Christ in the flesh (1 Cor.9:1; 2 Cor.5:16); how much more so
could James have gently pointed out his "(knowing) Christ after the
flesh"?
1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations- The question is whether the "temptations" refer to tests or trials; or to spiritual temptations. Both approaches make sense; but we note that the same word is to be used in :14 of "temptation" in the sense of moral, internal, spiritual temptation. And a related phrase is used in 1 Tim. 6:9 about not 'falling into temptation' in a moral, spiritual sense. The word for "fall" is often used in a moral sense, e.g. 'falling into the ditch' of spiritual failure (Lk. 6:39), Israel "stumbled that they should fall" (Rom. 11:11,22), we are to take heed lest we fall (1 Cor. 10:12; Heb. 4:11); and James himself uses the term in speaking of falling into condemnation (James 5:12). We immediately get the challenge to see life differently to people in the world- for whom any test, any interruption to their life's path, is a tragedy. But we are to rejoice in these moments. This is a radically different worldview. The parallel passage in 1 Peter definitely implies that the dispersed Jewish Christians were enduring literal tests.
We must pray not to be led into temptation (Mt. 6:13);
but when we fall into such temptation (s.w.), count it all joy, James says
(1:2). The exercise of praying not to experience those temptations was for
our spiritual benefit, and God is willing that it should be so. James
exhorts us to count falling into spiritual temptation as a joy; instead of
the 'here we go again...', 'sin after sin' kind of attitude descending on
us as we sense such temptations approaching. We must instead rejoice that
here is another opportunity to please God on the highest level possible;
to have an evil desire in your heart and to overcome it. The idea of
falling ("When you fall...") may create the idea of giving way to the
temptations. But there may be some degree to which we fall a little way
before we are tempted: "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away (from
his normal safe spiritual self, abiding in Christ) of his own lust"
(1:14). There is surely no real temptation if the evil desire appears so
unattractive as to not even lead us part way towards realizing it. Thus
the devil in the sense of the Lord's natural desires (Heb. 4:15 cp. James
1:14,15) led Jesus away from His own supreme spirituality to tempt him.
1:3 Knowing that the proving of your faith works patience- Our joy
at the onset of temptation should be because we know that we have an
opportunity to develop permanent spiritual fruit, if only we can respond
correctly in those split seconds when the process of being drawn away and
enticed is going on. The trying of our faith due to spiritual temptation
is in the sense of our faith that God "is able to keep (us) from falling"
(Jude 24); and also our faith in His forgiveness when we do "fall" into
temptation. In the moment of temptation, whether it be from an unkind word
from someone or irritation at someone's natural characteristics, our joy
will be helped by our faith that God will keep us from falling, and will
not lead us any further into temptation unless we go on ourselves.
However, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.
10:17).
It is worth drawing attention to the remarkable parallels between James 1 and 1 Peter 1. The infallible principle of interpreting Scripture by Scripture will therefore allow more light to be shed on much of James 1. Peter's parallel to "the trying of your faith worketh patience" is "Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith... tried with fire" (1 Pet. 1:6,7). Peter is talking about literal trials in this world, the persecution of the scattered Christian Jews who had fled Jerusalem. But James sees the essence of those trials as being in terms of spiritual temptation,
A heavy spirit is more likely the result
of prolonged spiritual temptation than physical trials, although these
were no doubt the cause of the spiritual tests. The fire therefore
represents the fire of the flesh, a figure which James also uses regarding
the tongue as the epitome of our evil desires (3:5,6). Thus Prov. 16:27:
"An unGodly man digs up evil (out of the evil treasure of his heart- or is
this the basis of the wasted talent parable?): and (therefore) in his lips
there is as a burning fire"; cp. too 1 Cor. 7:9. It is the constant
reaction to spiritual trial that forges an acceptable character, not just
the receipt of physical trial, as would be the case if the fire only
represented persecution in itself. This trial of faith "works patience"-
which must therefore be defined in this context as the ability to grit
one's teeth in the moment of temptation, and cling on to one's faith in
God's spiritual protection in the power of the word.
The interpretation of "faith" as faith in the Spirit keeping us from
falling (Jude 24) is confirmed by a closer look at Rom. 5; "Not only so,
but we glory in tribulations also"- as if he is saying that the
"tribulations" had the same effect as "being justified by faith (in
forgiveness), we have peace (through forgiveness) with God...we have
access by faith (in forgiveness) into this grace..." (Rom. 5:1,2). So we
see the equation: "Tribulations" (Rom. 5:3)= same effect as having total
faith in forgiveness (Rom. 5:1,2)= "the trial of your faith" that God will
help you overcome your sin (James 1:3), i.e. keep you from spiritually
falling (Jude 24). In the language of Rom.5, the "experience" of patiently
resisting sin gives birth to hope- confidence and a positive approach,
hoping for grace in the last day. The more we overcome the hour by hour
niggles of the flesh, the more humbly confident we will be of our eternal
future.
1:4 And let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect
and entire- Such patience results in a "perfect
work… perfect and entire, lacking in nothing" (1:4; note the triple
emphasis of the same idea) in terms of spiritual development. The word of
God has the power to make perfect (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Cor. 13:10), and we have
seen its place in developing the faith and patience which James says lead
us to perfection. But the "perfect work", the work that leads to
perfection, may refer to how through the process of trial and even
'falling' spiritually into temptation, being forgiven, pressing on... we
shall eventually come to the great moment before the Lord's judgment seat
when we are "perfect". God is not defeated by sin. Through our failures,
our falling into temptations, we are led onwards to the point of final
perfection when we stand faultless before His judgment seat, with
exceeding joy. See on :20.
God's working is through His Spirit, working towards bringing us to that moment of perfection when we are immortalized at the last day. He has begun a good work in us, and will complete it at that day (Phil. 1:6). James is here saying that we should be part of that process, allowing patient endurance in faith to lead us to that end point. That is the point when He "will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself" (Phil. 3:21). He will then "perfect you in every good thing to do His will; working in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ" (Heb. 13:21). Thus Paul says that he labours / works according to God's working, that works mightily within him (Col. 1:29). Ephesians has much to say about this working of God within us, "that working of the strength of His might" (Eph. 1:19), "according to the working of His power... strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner " (Eph. 3:7,16). In this sense the Lord Jesus is "working with" those who believe in Him as they do His work (Mk. 16:20). But we must allow that work of perfection to proceed in our lives and hearts, and not obstruct it. The anger of man doesn't allow the righteousness of God to work; we will not be brought towards that final perfection if our own deep seated anger and bitterness stops that work (James 1:20). That work of God is the counter-work to the process of lust, sin and death which naturally works within us (:13-15). He implants His word in us, for us to respond to, which counters the pull of lust towards sin. This is the whole idea behind the call to be doers of the word and to be blessed in our doing (1:20-23). That is not so much a call for works per se but rather an appeal to allow God to work, and to be workers together with Him, rather than against Him.
The trial of faith leads to the development of these
fruits of the Spirit; yet the word also leads to the same fruits (Jn. 15:7
cp. v.4,5). The goals of spiritual development James sets are high-
contrast Paul, who frequently laments the realities of the flesh (why the
different approach?). Maybe James was alluding to Christ's ultimatum "Be
you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect",
Mt. 5:48. The idea of perfection occurs again in 3:2, where it applies to
the man who does not offend in word, and therefore has his whole life in
tight control- again, the result of a mind fully controlled by the word.
In the context of sin and forgiveness, Paul's words in Rom.5 take on new
meaning: "We glory in (spiritual) tribulations (cp. "Count it all joy...")
also: knowing that (spiritual) tribulation works patience; and patience,
experience; and experience, hope: and hope makes not ashamed" (Rom.
5:3-5). "Tribulation" is therefore to be equated with "the (spiritual)
trial of your faith" in James 1.
"That you may be perfect" may seem an unreasonably high target. In Eph.
4:13 Paul says that through the ministry of the Spirit (now in the word)
we are on the way to the "perfect man" state; he implies that he too is on
that journey ("till we all come"). Yet in Phil. 3:12-17 Paul speaks as if
whilst he has not yet reached that state, striving for literal perfection
is the same thing as being perfect. "Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after... reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize...
let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded... be followers
together of me" in this example of all out striving for a perfect
character. Does this indicate that a state of perfection is theoretically
possible for us in this life, through developing a full faith in God's
total justification of us on account of our being in Christ? Thus both the
word and the blood of Christ sanctify us, seeing that the word reveals and
develops faith in Christ's sacrifice (Jn. 17:17; Heb.10:10-14). Both blood
and water (the word- Eph.5:26) came from Christ's side on the cross.
Lacking in nothing- The allusion is surely to the Lord's words to the rich young man. This man "lacked" (s.w.) one thing if he wished to be "perfect" (Lk. 18:22). What he lacked was not so much the need to give his wealth to the poor; but the humility to throw himself at the Lord's feet, admitting 'Sorry, I can't be perfect', so that he would be accepted by grace, and have perfection imputed to him. He lacked the 'wisdom' (:5) to do this. This is why in that context, the Lord had enquired why the man considered Him to be "good" or perfect (Mk. 10:18). What the man needed was to be "in" that perfectly good one, and have perfection imputed to him, rather than seek it through obedience to commandments. The allusion to the rich young man continue; in that we are now told to ask God for wisdom (:5), clearly alluding to what the rich young man Solomon did, preferring wisdom above wealth.
1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproaching, and it shall be given him- The
allusion is to Solomon, asking for wisdom instead of worldly advantage.
His right choice is set up as our pattern. The context requires that "wisdom"
is associated with the faith and perfection which James well anticipates
his readers would complain they lacked. We have seen that the word is the
source of such faith, perfection and endurance; it seems fair to equate
wisdom with the word. We will see by and by that James makes frequent
reference to Proverbs- and in that book wisdom is almost a synonym for the
word, in the local instance the Law of Moses, upon which Proverbs is often
a commentary. Again, James anticipates the natural human fear that a
totally spiritual God will upbraid us for our lack of spiritual strength;
but God's giving of such strength is "liberal", to whoever asks. God will
not be mean in providing spiritual strength. James
evidently interpreted "Ask, and it shall be given you" (Mt. 7:7) as
primarily referring to asking for spiritual strength and knowledge.
Similarly "...how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good
things ("the Holy Spirit", Lk. 11:13) to them that ask Him?" (Mt. 7:11).
These passages appear to be alluded to by James here- thus wisdom, the
word, the Holy Spirit, good things, "every good gift and perfect gift"
(1:17), God's spiritual help to overcome sin, are all equated. These
things are further defined in 3:17 as resulting in peace and harmony.
"Reproaching" can imply to taunt, to cast in the teeth. James says that
God doesn't do that, implying some others did. No doubt he was
referring to the spiritually elitist Judaizers, who would have rejoiced to
mock the spiritually immature who humbly sought for spiritual strength to
overcome their temptations. God expects us to crawl to Him seeking for
such strength to do better. But half the time our love of true
spirituality just isn't strong enough to motivate us, and we let our fear
of God's holiness and righteousness make us fear His 'upbraiding'.
1:6 But let him ask in faith, never doubting. For he that doubts is
like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed- A half
hearted 'Dear God please keep me from this sin I think I may well commit
soon' is no good. It is easy to conceive of faith as a sense of hope and
trust in God in time of physical trial. But far more is it a totality of
belief that God will hold us back from sinning as the temptation starts to
develop- surely the supreme way of showing faith.
There must be a connection with the later description of a controlled
tongue being the force that overcomes fierce winds (3:2-4). Words being a
reflection of the mind (Mt. 12:34), controlled words show a controlled
mind, which is through the influence of the word. Such a man is a "perfect
man" (3:2)- i.e. matured by the word (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 1 Cor. 13:10). Thus
the only way to ask for spiritual strength is if the mind is firmly
controlled by the word, which thus generates an upwards spiritual spiral-
"unto every one that hath (of spiritual strength) shall (more) be given...
but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath"
(Mt. 25:29). This parable of the talents must refer to spiritual knowledge
and strength, and the need we have to develop (trade) the spiritual gifts
we have been given. Notice how we are given the talents/ gifts of
spirituality, totally at the discretion of the Master. In a similar way,
the gift of wisdom in James 1:5 equates with the "good and perfect gift...
from the Father... the word of truth" of 1:17,18 and the wisdom that
descends from above that is pureness, peace, gentleness, mercy etc. in
3:17.
"Doubts" comes from a root meaning 'division', giving the idea of inner
debate. We will see that time and again James is warning us against having
a semi-spirituality, whereby only part of our mind is totally influenced
by the word, whilst other parts still retain the thinking of the flesh.
James being so shot through with allusions to the Gospels, it is tempting
to think that James is as it were taking a snapshot of Peter, wavering
both in his physical movement and in faith as he stood on the water. Jesus
did not upbraid Peter (cp. 1:5) for his request for strength and support,
but was eager to satisfy it. There is also a possible connection with Eph.
4:13,14, which says that the miraculous Spirit gifts were to be possessed
until the church reached the "perfect man" state, i.e. when the
canon was completed (1 Cor. 13:8-10 cp. 2 Tim. 3:16,17), and that through
being in that state they would "henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine... and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive". The primary reference is
doubtless to the doctrine of the Judaizers. This would liken the brother
in James 1 whose faith in the Lord's protection from temptation is weak,
to the brother in Ephesians 4 who will not make full use of the word to
remain in the "perfect man" state, and is therefore liable to be
influenced by false teaching. Both brethren are weak for the same reason-
not making full use of the Spirit's gift in the word. Eph. 4:13,14 implies
that firmly grasping the basic doctrines of the one faith results in us
not being blown about by winds. This connection with James teaches that
true doctrine will have a very practical effect upon our lives; in this
case, by developing a firm faith.
It's significant and instructive that the other leaders of the early
church not only accept Peter's authority, but do so exactly because of how
he had dealt with his weaknesses and failures. It's as if they see in his
humanity a reason to elevate him in their own estimations. Thus Peter’s
wavering when walking on the water is picked up by James, in one of the
earliest of the New Testament letters [note the allusions to Stephen, John
the Baptist, the references to Christians as still meeting in the
synagogue, etc.- it has been argued by John Robinson that James was in
fact the first of the epistles. It seems that the “scattered abroad”
audience of James 1:1 refers to the scattering abroad of the Jewish
believers in Acts 8:1]. James warns that we shouldn’t waver in faith, like
a wave on the water, blown and tossed around by the wind (James 1:6).
James of course had seen Peter wavering on the water; and he holds up
Peter, who at that time was the senior elder of the very early church, as
an example of how not to be. My point is that the greatness of
Peter was in his example of failure and how he overcame it.
1:7 Do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the
Lord- James constantly sets before us the need to strive for a
"perfect" (complete, mature) man state, through having a mind wholly
committed to the word. His black and white, "hot or cold" approach is now
powerfully shown: "Let not that man (the waverer) think that he shall
receive anything of the Lord" (1:7). This squashes the natural human
reasoning that a bit of faith in prayer will lead to a bit of response
from God. Faith is an absolute state. We either pray in faith- or with
what are effectively empty words. But of course by contrast, if we do not
waver, we certainly shall receive of the Lord. Again, there is another
warning against semi-spirituality: having faith within certain limits,
being content with expecting a small answer to our requests in accordance
with our shaky faith. The way James understands human nature shines
through, and it is fitting that someone of his experience and insight into
the moment by moment ways of the flesh should have been the great leader
of the early church. He too must have analysed his sins and temptations
like we also can do. The correlation between his being such a senior
brother and his evident appreciation of the wiles of the flesh must be
significant; something to think about at the next ecclesial election?
1:8- see on Mt. 14:31.
He is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways- The theme of semi-spirituality continues: "A
double minded man is unstable in all his ways"- i.e. all his spiritual
ways. "Ways" is often used in a spiritual context in Proverbs, to which
James alludes so much. The more evident allusion here is to Mt. 6:24: "No
man can serve two masters: for he will hate the one, and love the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon". James inspired interpretation of Matthew
would make this apply to our minds. One can quite easily serve two masters
physically, externally; as every self-examining Christian should be all
too aware. It is only in our heart that we can only serve one master.
"Mammon" in the James context is thus not just material goods, but more
importantly the lack of a totally spiritual mind which is behind these
things. Note again the 'all or nothing' approach. While surely every
reader of these words finds this somewhat worrying, tempting to conclude
that this exposition is so idealistic as to be out of touch with reality,
it does us no harm to reflect that ultimately in God's sight things are in
black and white. As we read these words we are either in black or white
with God. The ideal standard is set by Christ speaking of taking up the
cross daily and following him. "To me to live is Christ, and to die is
gain" Paul could say. If our conscience is tuned according to the word, we
should be able to sense whether we are "double minded... wavering" or with
that totality of commitment to the word in our heart, even if sometimes we
falter. Considering these things should make us all recognize that
spiritually we are but candles in the wind, desperately needing to make
every effort to resist the winds of the flesh, and seek the shelter of
Christ and His word of grace which keeps us from falling. "Double minded"
means literally 'two souled', showing that the soul can refer also to the
spiritual side of man, as well as the carnal. Notice how in the context
James is talking about the mind being split into carnal and semi-spiritual
divisions. The 'souls' referred to in the phrase 'double minded' would
therefore be referring to attitudes of mind.
1:9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation- The
riches which exalt the poor brother are the spiritual riches contained in
the word (Ps. 119:14; Prov. 3:16 etc.). A poor brother being exalted
recalls the parable about taking the lowest seat in the ecclesia so we may
rise up higher at the judgement. Yet James uses the present tense- "he
is exalted". This is one of many examples of believers being spoken of
as if in prospect they are already in the Kingdom, in the same way as
Israel were constituted the Kingdom of God at Sinai after their Red Sea
baptism, but were not fully manifested as such politically until their
entry into Canaan. Thus "The rich... is (present tense) made low
(i.e. told to take the lower seat, as he will at judgement)... he shall
(future) pass away" (v.10). However, this may have had a primary
reference to the rich Jews of the first century being stripped of their
wealth in some parts of the empire. Note that Heb.10:34 was also written
to the scattered, persecuted Christian Jews whom James was addressing:
"Ye... took joyfully the spoiling of your goods". If James is alluding to
the parable of the wedding feast, then the reference to the poor brethren
being given an honoured seating place in God's sight in this life, would
have telling reference to the practice of the rich Christian Jews having
their own honoured seats in the ecclesias to whom James was writing (2:3).
This command to "rejoice" is in the context of v.2 speaking about
rejoicing in spiritual trial. For the low brother who was to be exalted,
the very thought of such greatness in the Kingdom could be a temptation to
pride- and he should rejoice in the chance to fight this. 'Let him
rejoice' shows that the kind of joy James is thinking of would not come
naturally, as it would if the brother was just thinking of his exaltation
in this life.
1:10 But the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field
he will pass away- 1
Pet. 1:24,25 has a similar passage: "All flesh is as grass, and all
the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower
thereof falls away: But the word of the Lord endures for ever". The fading
grass is contrasted by Peter to the enduring Word of God, and this is
repeated by James. The humble brother taking the lowest seat in the
ecclesia (cp. the more spiritual members being told in 2:3 "sit here under
my footstool... you stand there" because all the chairs were taken by the
rich) is connected with the one who asks the wisdom from God (v.5), who is
not wavering or double minded, and who through the word is attaining to
the perfect man state (v.4). Thus the poor in this world are rich in the
faith that comes by hearing the word of God.
The figure of fading grass suggests reference back to Is. 40:5-8: "The
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together... The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh
is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
the grass withers, the flower fades... surely the people is grass... but
the word of our God shall stand for ever". The "glory of the Lord" being
revealed primarily refers to Christ's manifestation to Israel at his first
coming. The preceding verses 3 and 4 describe John's preparatory work:
"The voice of him that cries in the wilderness...". "All flesh" were to
see the revelation of God's glory in Christ. This "all flesh" can refer to
the Jews, "all" of whom went out into the wilderness to hear John's
testimony regarding the coming Christ. This is confirmed by v.7 "The
(Jewish) people is grass". The "goodliness thereof is as the flower of the
field" would then be a reference to the Jewish law, which was "holy, just
and good" but offered a fading glory, which Paul in 2 Cor. 3:7-18 said
epitomized the Law. The word of the Lord (v.5) and "the spirit of the
Lord" (v.7) were to make the grass wither and pass away, although the word
would remain. This pointed forward to the ending of the Jewish system and
Law through the work of Christ, "the word made flesh", "the Lord the
Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18 R.V.), and the ministry of the word remaining. James
seems to have this background in mind when he makes the allusion in 1:9-11
to Is.40. The rich Christian Jews of the first century who were not that
humble to the power of the word may well also have been swayed by Judaist
arguments. They are being likened to the "grass" of Is. 40, which
represented the Jewish system which was to be replaced by a permanent,
unfading system based on the word. The Messianic Ps. 102:4,11 describes
our Lord as being "withered like grass", showing how in his life and death
on the cross he took upon himself the punishment of apostate Israel. James
is neatly exhorting them to commit themselves wholly to the word, lest the
demise of the Jewish system should result in their fading away too. Yet
there is also the very primary application to the materialism of this
group, being obsessed by their earthly riches.
1:11 For the sun rises with the scorching wind and withers the grass,
and the flower of it falls and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So
also shall the rich man fade away in his business- This is an obvious
allusion to the person who received the word and quickly "sprung up,
because they had no deepness of earth", referring to the person who falls
away due to temptation (Mt. 13:5,20,21). The rich members of the ecclesia
had therefore only let the word enter them skin-deep; it had not
penetrated far through the "earth" of the flesh. The rising of the sun can
refer both to Christ's coming (Mal. 4:2) and also to trials. In a sense
both these meanings were fulfilled in AD70, when the rich Jews converted
just prior to AD70 fell away, having endured only "for a while". The call
to let God's word fully penetrate our flesh goes out to us with great
urgency, living as we do on the brink of the final period of trial, and
the full coming of Christ.
"So also shall the rich man fade away in his business". "Business" is
elsewhere translated "journeyings", and would connect with the reference
to the itinerant Jewish traders in 4:13: "You (amongst the believers) that
say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a
year, and buy and sell, and get gain".
1:12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation. For when he has been
approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised
to them that love him - Now James is giving us supreme encouragement
in those moments when the decision between flesh and spirit looms large.
When we endure spiritual temptation, hanging on to the spiritual side of
our minds, we will at that moment receive a crown for overcoming in
Heaven. Because of this, we will be given the crown of victory at the
judgement (2 Tim. 4:8), which has been developed as a result of our moment
by moment spiritual victories in this life. Therefore each temptation we
face is like a mini-judgment seat. This idea of there being some
recognition in heaven the moment we achieve a spiritual victory is perhaps
based on Mt. 5:11,12. So much of James is rooted especially in the Sermon
on the mount. "Blessed are you, when men shall revile you...rejoice, and
be exceeding glad: for great is (present tense) your reward in
Heaven". Our eternal life "is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory"
(Col. 3:3,4) Similarly Rev. 3:11 implies we do now have the crown in a
sense: "Hold fast that thou hast (your reward you have in prospect?) that
no man take thy crown". Through our trials, God "scourges every son whom
he receives", and therefore we can be spoken of in the continuous tense as
"receiving a Kingdom" through our continued correct response to trials
(Heb.12:6,28).
1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted: I am tempted by God. For God
cannot be tempted with evil, and He tempts no one- In those moments of
spiritual temptation it is easy to recognize that the situation creating
the temptation has clearly been arranged by God, and therefore to get
bitter against Him. Now the earlier definition of 'temptation' as the
spiritual temptation to sin which arises within us becomes vital. God may
put the physical temptation in our way- e.g. the serpent in Eden, God
tempting Abraham in Gen. 22:1- but our evil desires or "lusts" in our
minds (v.14) are alone responsible for our sinning, due to wrongly
responding to these physical temptations. Thus God could therefore examine
the inner thought process of David's mind to reveal whether he was giving
way to the spiritual temptations that would be developed by the physical
trials: "Examine me, O Lord, and prove (same word as "tempt" in Gen. 22:1)
me; try my reins and my heart" (Ps. 26:2). Thus "Every man is tempted,
when he is drawn away" (v.14).
1:14 But each man is tempted, when he is dragged away by his own lust
and enticed- See on :13. It could be that James is arguing against the
popular view that temptation is due to the overpowering swamping of a
person by a cosmic Satan. Instead, we are to understand temptation as
coming from our “own lust”,
internally. We can take ownership and control over the source of
temptation, which is within us. We are not merely puppets of some external
cosmic forces. Those internal lusts are personified here as a women
enticing and then dragging away her male victim. Proverbs uses similar
metaphor, appealing for the “young man” to be wise and to resist her. The
Judaist false teachers are described with the same word for “enticed” (2
Pet. 2:14,18). The essence of the enticement was an appeal to the flesh,
to the internal mechanism of temptation within each person.
1:15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, carries sin; and the sin,
when it is fully grown, brings death- The lusts inside our mind are
being likened to an attractive woman enticing us. Thus the instinct to
illicit sexual attraction within us is seen as a type of all wrong
attraction to sins of any kind. It is a repeated New Testament theme that
the punishment for sin is some kind of burning by fire. To the Old
Testament mind, this image of being burnt at judgment day would have
connected with the command to burn a whore (Lev. 21:9); thus all types of
sin are to be seen as prostitution against God. The same process in sexual
attraction of a wrong thought taking root, constantly preying on the
spiritual mind, resulting in our allowing it to grow under the excuse that
we are still in control, eventually bringing forth gross sin, is repeated
time and again as we are faced with the spiritual temptations of life
every hour. The same figure occurs in Num. 15:39 speaking of 'going a
whoring' "after your own heart and your own eyes", as if our natural mind
is a whore.
Our carnal mind being likened to a whore or glamorous woman is a strong
theme of Proverbs. The important thing to note is that Proverbs emphasizes
that it is obedience to the word which will keep us from the lusts which
the woman represents. "The lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb,
and her mouth is smoother than oil... hear me now therefore (says the
wisdom / word), O you children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Remove your way far from her" (by listening to wisdom's words); Prov.
5:3,7,8. "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light... to keep
you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange
woman" (Prov. 6:23,24). Prov. 7:1-5 is an even stronger emphasis: "Keep my
words, and lay up my commandments... keep my commandments... My Law...
that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the stranger which
flatters with her words". The woman was "subtle of heart" (v.10),
recalling the serpent, and had a guise of spirituality: "I have peace
offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows" (v.14). She reasons that
"the good man is not at home, he is gone on a long journey: he has taken a
bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed" (v.19,20).
This is almost certainly the basis of the Lord's parable of the talents,
revealing that the reasoning of the one talent man was that since the Lord
was not physically around, he need not develop. Thus that man does not
represent just the lethargic Christian; but the man who consciously
indulges in sin because he cannot feel the Lord's presence. "The Goodman"
is further equated with the Lord in Mt. 20:11. Notice the emphasis in the
three Proverbs passages mentioned on the words of the woman being her
means of attraction. Prov. 7:21 is explicit: "With her much fair speech
(cp. the serpent again, and 2 Cor. 11:3; Rom. 16:18, which connect the
fair speaking, the whore, the serpent and the Judaizers) she caused him to
yield". Words are a reflection of the mind (Mt. 12:34), again indicating
that the woman represented an epitome of fleshly thinking. The parable of
the prodigal son is clearly meant to show the path which we all take
whenever we sin. The women upon whom he wasted his (spiritual) substance
represent our giving way to sin in its various forms (Lk. 15:13).
1:16 Be not deceived, my beloved brothers- See on :15. This
suggests there was some kind of ‘deception’ circling around which the
readership needed to be aware of. And surely it refers to the Judaist
false teaching and the “evil woman” of the temple cult plaguing the Jewish
converts to whom James is writing. The same word is used of “them that
seduce you”, again in a Judaist context (see on 1 Jn. 2:26). So often
there is the appeal by Paul and Peter to not be deceived, to resist the
seduction of the Judaists. This was a major problem in the early Jewish
churches. And James gives an interesting window onto that seduction, by
portraying it was actually appealing to the flesh. The idea of ritualistic
obedience, thereby freeing us up to act how we like in other areas, is
terribly appealing. It explains why religion
per se is so popular. But true
Jesus-based spirituality is not like that.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor shifting
shadow- Again, James warns us not to err in thinking that God is
leading us into sin by stressing that "every good gift and every perfect
gift (gift of perfection) is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights" (v.17). The gift that leads to perfection is that of the Holy
Spirit working in our hearts to bring us towards the maturity of Christ.
This coming down of the "good gift" (cp. "the good word of God", Heb. 6:5)
is parallel with the gift of wisdom in v.5, which gift is further expanded
in 3:15-17: "The wisdom that is from above is first pure (cp. "the words
of the Lord are pure"; "Your word is very pure", Ps. 12:6; 119:140), then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good
fruits". Thus the effect of asking for wisdom (1:5) is to be liberally
given the gift of responding to the word so that it cultivates a fullness
of spiritual fruit in us (1:17; 3:17). The gift of wisdom produces a
fullness ("full of...") of characteristics which recall the moral
characteristics of God's Name as declared to Moses: "Merciful and
gracious, longsuffering and abundant (cp. "full of good fruits") in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy..." (Ex. 34:6,7). The R.V. describes
Yahweh as a God "full of" these things. Thus the Spirit through developing
those characteristics in us leads to God's Name being upon us and God
being manifested to us.
The gift of the Spirit "comes down from the Father". 'Coming down' is the
language of God manifestation- e.g. God "came down" upon Mount Sinai in a
mighty theophany; Jesus "came down from Heaven"; God "came down" to
destroy Sodom and Babel. It is through the word 'coming down' into our
hearts that we are able to manifest God. Thus Jn. 3:5 speaks of being born
again (lit. 'from above') by the Spirit.
"The Father of lights" means that the light within us is from God, by His
direct gift. Another connection in this context starts in 1 Jn.1:5: "This
then is the message (word) which we have heard of Him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all". The prologue of
John's Gospel is closely linked to that of his epistles. The parallel to 1
Jn. 1:5 is Jn. 1:4 "In him (the word) was life, and the life was the light
of men". Thus the Father of lights is the source of the logos-word, which
is the gift that can be given to us in our hearts.
James again puts his finger on the feelings we have in those moments of
weakness- there is "no variableness, nor shifting shadow" in the amount of
spiritual strength He gives. It is tempting to think that the power of the
Spirit does vary, and therefore God’s involvement somehow waxes and wanes
in our lives, and this affects the likelihood of us overcoming sin. But
this is not the case. There is no variableness from His side; any such
sensation is solely our fault. There is a subconscious element of doubt
within us as to the stability of God; and we need to recognize that and
realize that we are wrong and it is we who move from Him and not He from
us:
- In Num. 23:19 Balaam assures Balak that God will not suddenly give him a
different prophetic word after the one he had just given, and that the
prophecy he had just given would be surely fulfilled: "God is not a man,
that He should lie; neither the Son of man, that He should repent: has He
said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it
good?".
- Later Saul thought that the word of God was variable, in that he doubted
whether the command to totally destroy the Amalekites still stood. Samuel
rebuked him for not "obeying the voice of the Lord... the Strength of
Israel will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that He should
repent" (1 Sam.15:22,29).
- Mal. 3:6 "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are
not consumed"- because of the eternal covenant of grace which God made
with Israel.
- Titus 1:2,3: "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised... in... His word through preaching".
1:18
Of His own will He gave us birth by the word of truth-
God took the initiative. It is not that we chose Him, but rather He chose
us; not that we know Him, but rather that we were known of Him. Whilst we
were yet sinners, Christ died for the unGodly. Always the intiative is
His. Just as a person is the result of the initiative of their parents. See
on Job 22:27,28.
"Being born again, not of corruptible (human) seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23). Jn. 3:3 says that the new birth comes
from above- James 1:17 describes the good and perfect gift of the word as
being "from above". Notice that the word of God is connected with the will
of God. Perhaps our faith in our prayers is militated against by our
resigned 'If it be Your will' being so liberally sprinkled in them.
Generally the Biblical examples of prayer- which presumably guide our
approach- are conspicuous by their omitting of 'If it be Your will...'.
They seem to request things in total faith- and normally receive them.
Even Paul in recounting his experience of having three prayers go
unanswered (2 Cor. 12:8) does not make any specific comment about the will
of God. If we have the word of God in our minds and guiding our prayers,
then we will be praying according to the will of God, "in the Holy
Spirit". John 15:7 is explicit: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in
you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you".
Jesus doesn't say that our prayers will be answered according to God's
will, but according to our own will. This is because the word guiding
our thoughts results in our will becoming identical with that of God, in
so far as it is guided by the word. Again, an ideal is being suggested to
us- a wholly spiritual mind filled with the word will result in a far more
powerful prayer life. It is by birth of the word, therefore, that we
become a son of God, part of the Divine family; and Jesus said "Whosoever
shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister, and mother" (Mt.12:50)- thus equating the will of God and the
word. Similarly Jn.7:17 "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the
doctrine" (in the word). Even more fundamentally, the covenant name of God
is 'I will be who I will be' (Ex. 3:14 R.V.mg)- and God executes the will
that is intrinsic in His very Name through His word.
That we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creations- We are living the
eternal life, the Kingdom life, right now- if we have the Spirit living
within us. We are already part of a new creation by the Spirit, which is a
foretaste of the new order / creation which is to come. We can have the
firstfruits of that state now in our minds, which if they are spiritual
are the only part of our bodies which are experiencing the Kingdom life
now, albeit in a limited form. An alternative approach to this verse is to
view the "creatures" as the whole multitude of the redeemed, of which the
present believers are only "the firstfruits". In this case, all the
faithful who have been influenced acceptably by "the word of truth" are
only a small foretaste of the many who will be so converted at the Lord’s
coming.
1:19 You know this, my beloved brothers! But let every man be quick to
hear, slow to speak, slow to anger- If we are truly born by the word
then we will swift to hear it, as Jesus was of quick understanding in the
word (Is. 11:3). We will share His aptitude for it, and we will be slow to
speak anything else. The great danger is to be hearers and not doers of
the word (James 1:22), but James implies that the antidote to this is to
reflect upon the very nature of the word which gave us spiritual birth.
Because of the glorious power of the word of the Gospel as outlined in the
previous verses, we should be quick to hear that powerful word. The idea
of running swiftly in eager response to the word is quite a common
Biblical idiom (2 Thess. 3:1; Ps. 119:32,60; Hab. 2:2; Amos 8:11,12; Dan.
12:4). Inevitably some practical examination of our eagerness of response
to the word has to be made. How frequently do we rise up from our readings
with an eager resolve to do something practical, to make some subtle
change in our character? How often do our minds burn and race within us as
we chase connections and themes through Scripture (cp. Lk. 24:32) and
God's word falls open to us? Or are we content to dash through our Bible
readings on the way to work, or leave them to the dog end of the day? God
and the Angels no doubt look eagerly to those parts of the day when we
read the word as their opportunity to guide and teach us, to strengthen us
against the flesh. What a despite to them if our minds are somewhere else
as we read- if we bother doing any Bible readings at all that day. The
practical effects of swiftly hearing this powerful word are to make us
"slow to speak, slow to wrath". Along with many other examples in James,
this definitely alludes to the Proverbs- in this case 10:19 and 17:27 for
"slow to speak", and 14:29 for "slow to wrath". The context in these
passages is that "instruction... reproof (10:17)... knowledge...
understanding (17:27) ...understanding" (14:29) lead to the control of
speech and wrath. All these things are true concerning the word- the
ultimate source of reproof (2 Tim. 3:16,17) and understanding. This is
exactly the context of James 1- by being "swift to hear" the spiritual
strength which is in the word, we find the strength in practical terms to
be "slow to speak, slow to wrath". It may be that James is alluding to
Moses being "slow of speech, and of a slow tongue"- i.e. rather quiet,
unsure of his words. Hence God reassured him: "I will teach thee what thou
shalt say" (Ex.4:10-12). This would be specially relevant to James'
persecuted Jewish readership; telling them to 'be like Moses' in his quiet
speaking. And remember that James is writing to Jews, for whom Moses was
an unattainable saint. But they are asked here to actually be like him.
1:20 For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God- The Jerusalem Jews baptized were Peter were likely wealthy. But now they were scattered in dispersion, as refugees fleeing persecution. It's unsurprising that they would have anger issues. But this anger would retard the work of God, which is intended to elicit righteousness, leading to the ultimate perfection of the changed nature we receive at the Lord's return. The Lord is working towards our perfection at the last day (:4). But that work is precluded by those who cannot get over their own anger.
The implication is that the word making us "slow to anger" does
work the righteousness of God- i.e. the word works or develops the
righteous attributes of God within us, e.g. being "slow to anger". This is
a specific characteristic of God's Name (Ps. 103:8; 145:8); thus the word
gives us God's Name. In a similar way, the spiritual trial of our faith "works
patience" (1:3)- another aspect of "the righteousness of God". In this
case, we see that the word has the same effect upon us as trials. Our
present tribulation "works for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). 1 Jn. 2:29 is also relevant- "every one
that does righteousness is born of God", which James and John say is by
the Spirit. Thus the word and Spirit of God acting on a man "works... the
righteousness of God". There are so many allusions in James to the Sermon
on the mount that the mention of the righteousness of God probably links
with the only time Jesus mentioned this, in Mt. 6:31-33: "Take no thought,
saying, What shall we eat... but seek first
the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness". Thus seeking God's
righteousness is contrasted with over-concern about food. In the
wilderness Jesus made the contrast between not living by bread alone, but
by every word of God. Thus living by the word of God is associated with
seeking the righteousness of God. It is also stressed that we only receive
('work') the righteousness of God by faith (Rom. 3:22; 10:3-6; Phil. 3:9)-
which comes from the word (Rom. 10:17- which is in the context of a whole
chapter showing that righteousness comes by faith).
1:21- see on Lk. 8:11.
Wherefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, and receive
with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls- The
letter of 1 Peter is intended for the same audience- the Jerusalem Jews
whom Peter had baptized and James had pastored, who were now in dispersion
as refugees, having lost their previous wealth and status. They were
tempted to be angry, and also, as is apparent here and in 1 Peter, to
simply indulge the flesh. They had originally asked 'What must we do to be
saved?' and Peter had urged them to 'Save yourselves [save your souls]'
from the surrounding Jewish generation that was to perish. Now they are
urged to continue to receive with humility the word of the Gospel, and be
saved. The word of the Gospel must be progressively heard by us, and
responded to. The basic Gospel is not something we forget or move on from
as we mature; it is something we progressively respond to.
The
word of the gospel is “implanted”. It’s not that we come to it by a
process of correct intellectual study. Again, the initiative is with God,
just as it is the sower who takes the initiative to plant a seed, and not
the seed or ground itself. As Paul points out in Romans, our
calling is a matter of grace and even predestination. The call operates
through the word, but that word is implanted in human hearts. God operates
directly on human hearts. But it all depends how we “receive” that
implanted word. Receiving the word so that it makes us "slow to speak,
slow to wrath" is helped by laying apart "filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness". The Greek phrase translated "lay apart" is elsewhere used
always concerning forsaking the practical, specific characteristics of the
flesh (Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:1; Eph. 4:25; Rom. 13:12). We have seen so far
that James is emphasizing that it is through the new birth from the word
that this can be achieved. 1 Pet. 2:1 also tells us to lay aside fleshly
characteristics by being "newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word" (v.2). Similarly Eph. 4:23-25: "Be renewed in the spirit of your
mind... put on the new man (created by the word)... putting away lying"
(etc.). Rom. 13:12,13 gives us the greatest motivation to make this effort
to so apply the word: "The night is far spent, the day (of the Kingdom) is
at hand; let us therefore cast off (same word "lay apart") the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as
(if we are) in the day" of the Kingdom. Thus we can therefore live now to
some degree as we will in the Kingdom- by using the word to cast off the
flesh and put on spiritual attributes, resulting in us walking (living in
our day to day lives) as if we are in "the day" of the Kingdom.
The word acting on our minds should help us lay apart all "superfluity of
naughtiness". "Superfluity" is from the same word translated "abundance"
in Mt. 12:34 "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh". It
must have occurred to us all at some time that the command to bring "into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5)
seems impossible to achieve. There are so many thoughts which are
necessary in our secular lives, they cannot all be brought around to
Christ. However, the word "abundance" means 'that which is over and above
the necessary'. The point of bringing our thoughts to Christ is so that
our words will be Christ-like, and as our thoughts lead to our words, we
must control them. The context of 2 Cor. 10:5 is Paul justifying the
apparently hard words he was having to use to the Corinthians- he assured
them that in practice he was bringing all his thoughts captive to Christ,
therefore his words were not the outpouring of unspiritual bitterness.
Thus only those thoughts which are "of the abundance" of the heart
(the mind) control our words; those thoughts which are over and above our
necessary ones. James is saying that this "abundance" or "superfluity" of
wrong thinking ("naughtiness") can be displaced by the word.
The Greek for 'implanted' means more literally 'something placed inside
you which springs up'. This must have some reference to the sower parable-
"The seed is the word", and if we are to receive the word meekly, James
must be likening us to the ground of the parable- in this case, 'meek'
ground. Are we meek to the word- 'quiet, mild', as 'meek' implies? It is
so true that a settled, quiet mind is vital if we are to let the word
really act on us. There may also be a reference back to Romans 11, where
Paul reasons that the Gentiles had been grafted into the Israelitish olive
tree. Having a Jewish readership, James is maybe gently hinting that
all men, including Jews, need the word grafted into them.
We have spoken in general terms about "the word" being the power of
righteousness, which comes down from above and germinates spiritual life
within us. This verse 21 gives us some hints as to a more precise
definition. We have noted the clear allusion to the parable of the sower-
the "engrafted"/ implanted word-seed. "The word of truth" of v.18 "begat"
us, which the almost parallel passage in 1 Pet. 1:23 says is the seed-word
of God. The word in the parable of the sower is defined as "the word of
the Kingdom" (Mt.13:19)- i.e. the Gospel of the Kingdom. The sower parable
shows the response of various people to the Gospel which they initially
hear. James 1:21 continues by saying that this word is "able to save
your souls". This recalls a number of passages which say that it is the
message of the basic Gospel which saves our souls:
"To you is the word of this salvation sent" (Acts 13:26).
"The Gospel of Christ... is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom.1:16)
"I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received (cp. "receive with meekness the engrafted word")... by which
also ye are saved; if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you" (1
Cor.15:1,2); this Gospel which would save them was centred around the
basic truths of the resurrection and second coming of Christ which Paul
goes on to reiterate in 1 Cor.15. There really is power in them, to
save our souls.
1:22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding your
selves- This plainly states how easy it is to hear the word, and
deceive ourselves into thinking that this very process justifies us.
But if we are not doers of the word, we only “seem to be religious... (deceiving
our) own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26). We are
invited to see a parallel between the process of hearing God’s word, and
seeming to be religious.
The subsequent warning "Be doers of the word" in the sense of bridling the
tongue and visiting the sick (:22,26,27) implies that "the word" of the
Gospel included practical matters- something hinted at in many other
passages. The believers to whom James was writing had already received the
implanted word-seed of the Gospel at their conversion- but James implies
that they needed to keep on receiving it. 1 Pet.1:22,23 connects loving
"one another with a pure heart fervently" with "being born again... by the
word of God". Thus again the new birth is not just a question of accepting
doctrine in the sense of 'first principles', but also the doctrine of
practical Christian living. Thus it needs continued intercourse with the
word to create a stream of new life. On a practical note, let us remember
that we should get this power of new life entering us from re-hearing the
basic Gospel as much as from the deeper parts of our Bible study. Notice
that the word can "save your souls", showing that the soul does not always
just refer to the life or body/creature, but can also refer to our
spiritual selves, which the word is able to save or preserve.
One of the easiest forms of self deceit is to hear the correct exposition
of the word and feel that therefore we are on the right track towards the
Kingdom. Yet a comparison with :27 indicates that it is quite possible to
be "spotted by the world" as well as being a hearer of the word. This must
be something we are especially liable to, hearing as many of us do up to
three times a week the correct exposition of the word at church meetings.
There must be a reference back to Rom. 2:13: "for not the hearers of the
Law are justified before God, but the doers of the Law shall be
justified". Thus again James is thinking of the Jewish nature of his
readership, and leading them to redirect their zeal for keeping the Law to
zeal for receiving and doing "the engrafted word" of Christ's Gospel.
"Deceiving" implies 'reasoning'- and again, James has his finger on the
pulse of human nature. If we ask ourselves, 'Do I reason with myself that
I am doing the word when actually I'm only hearing it' the instinctive
answer is, 'No, I'm not aware I do anyway'. The reasoning or "deceiving"
goes on in our deep subconscious. "Doer" is also translated "poet", in the
sense of a performer of a written script. Thus Paul speaks of "how to
perform that which is good (i.e. the law/word of God, :16) I find not"
(Rom. 7:18). This theme of self-deception is continued in v.26- if a man
"seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue (he) deceives his own
heart". Words are a product of the mind (Lk. 6:45), and thus to bridle the
tongue is to bridle the mind, which can only be done through the
application of the word. If this is not done, then we deceive ourselves-
which v.21 says we do by hearing and not doing the word. Thus to be a doer
of the word in this case is to apply the word to our minds, to consciously
make the mental effort to let the word control our thinking and words when
in a provocative situation. Therefore being a doer of the word does not
necessarily involve any physical work. There are other examples of 'works'
not being physical actions but mental effort to apply the word to our
minds, allowing the operation of the Spirit:
- "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent" (Jn.
6:29- cp. Rom. 10:17 "Faith comes by hearing... the word of God"). Prov.
12:22 (Septuagint) speaks of the man that "works faith".
- "The work of the Law written in their hearts" (Rom. 2:15)
- Sin "did work in our members" (Rom. 7:5)
- God "has begun a good work in you" (Phil.1:6)- i.e. in your spiritual
development
- "Fruitful in every good work... patience... longsuffering... joyfulness"
(Col. 1:10,11)
- A man carefully examining himself by the word, "the perfect law of
liberty", is "a doer of the work" (James 1:25).
- We will be judged according to our works (Rev. 22:12)- and our spiritual
development rather than physical achievements will be of paramount
interest to our Judge.
- Those who believe false doctrine about Christ's nature should be shunned
because "He that bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds", i.e.
his beliefs (2 Jn. 11,7). A like example is in Rev. 2:6,15: "The deeds
of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate... the doctrine of the
Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate".
- Similarly the Lord worked "the works of Him that sent me" (Jn. 9:4;
17:4) not just in miracles and good deeds, but in developing that perfect
character until He "finished the work (of saving man) which you gave me to
do".
- "The works of Abraham" (Jn. 8:39) in the context were to believe in
Christ.
All this is part of the great Bible theme that our thoughts really are
reckoned as works by God. In the light of this housebound housewives and
hard working bread winners can take courage that their lack of 'works'
physically achieved is totally appreciated by the Father. With this
definition of works it is no longer necessary to feel we can only work for
God at weekends or in the evenings- or after the children are asleep. Our
whole life can be one of active, working service. But to inspire those
works, constant contact with the word must be made. The odd glances at the
pocket Bible during the day, or the Commandments of Christ on the wall,
will be worth their weight in golden faith in the great day.
1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like
to a man seeing his natural face in a mirror- Hearing the word but not
doing it is a sermon on the mount allusion- those who heard those
sayings but did not do them were likened to the man building his
house on the sand (Mt. 7:26). In the same way as he thought that he
was building and was doubtless quite pleased at his progress, so the man
who glanced in the mirror thought all was well with his spiritual
development. The acquiring of knowledge ('hearing') can give the
impression that we are progressing; but practice ('doing') is the real
foundation. It is sad that the ever deepening level of the church’s Bible
scholarship is not always matched by such 'doing'. Hearing the word is
likened to glancing in a mirror and then going on with life, immediately
forgetting that vision. Like the quick glance at the mirror, straighten
the tie, brush the hair, off to the office. Maybe this equates with the
sleepy, half awake doing of the readings in the morning and then off into
the day with not a further thought about our real spiritual figure.
"Beholding" means 'observing fully'- the man's mistake was in his
immediate forgetting of the image he saw. Thus he was a very careful
hearer- because it is not always that we apply ourselves so much to the
word that it is as if we are staring into our own face, observing fully
our real spiritual self. In the previous analogy, here is someone who got
up, washed, dressed and did his readings at the table with a concordance,
and was really helped in those minutes to examine himself. But Bible study
was only part of his life- he "immediately forgot". Surely none of us can
feel complacent at this challenge of James?
Notice how the word is likened to a mirror- our study of it should always
lead to some form of self-examination and assessment as we compare
ourselves against the deep things of the Spirit. Thus our studies should
revolve around the application of the word to our moment by moment
spiritual lives, rather than the mental gymnastics with Scripture at one
extreme and empty platitudes at the other, which seem to characterize so
much of our communal Bible study. The idea of the word being represented
by a mirror occurs again in 1 Cor. 13:8-12. Verse 8 describes the
withdrawal of the miraculous spirit gifts, and their replacement by the
completed word- "that which is perfect", v.10 (cp. 2 Tim. 3:16,17). Paul
then contrasts the dispensation of the Spirit gifts and the word: "Now we
see through (look into) a glass, darkly; but then face to face". Thus the
dispensation of the word would enable him to see a clear reflection of
himself- "Then shall I know (myself) even as also I am known" (1 Cor.
13:12). The implication of these few words are tremendous- through using
the completed word to examine ourselves, it is possible for us to see
ourselves as God sees us- to know ourselves even as God knows us. Paul
expresses his lack of full knowledge in 1 Cor. 4:4: "I know nothing by
myself (therefore) am I not hereby justified". The context is Paul's
countering of the Corinthians who claimed to have examined and judged him.
Paul is saying that he is not qualified to fully examine and judge
himself, so therefore cannot comment. But now, with the completed
revelation compared with the partial understanding of only some facets of
God's revelation to man given by the ministry of the miraculous gifts (1
Cor. 13:9), we are able to achieve a fuller self-examination. James'
description of the word as the "perfect law" (1:25) strengthens the
impression that he is consciously alluding to 1 Cor. 13 (cp. "that which
is perfect" concerning the completed word); as if he is preparing his
readers for how they should use the completed word which he, like Paul,
knew in advance would soon be available.
The word enables us to 'behold' ('Observe fully') our "natural face".
"Natural" is from the Greek gennas-
to regenerate, conceive, gender, beget. This must connect with the concept
of v.17,18 and the parallel 1 Peter 1:23- we are conceived by the word
entering us, through God’s initiative through the Spirit. The man James is
speaking of looked at his "natural face". This could imply at least two
things- he examines the state of spiritual regeneration he has reached
from the word; or he looks back to his initial spiritual birth, how he was
at his first 'genesis' by the word of the Kingdom when it developed within
him for the first time. The same idea is picked up in 3:6; the tongue
"defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is
set on fire of hell". Our thoughts lead to the words of the tongue. Thus
ultimately an undisciplined mind "sets on fire the course of nature"-
unless our thoughts are restrained by the word, our 'genesis' ("nature")
so far developed by the word, and our initial spiritual strength developed
by the word of the Gospel, will be destroyed, "set on fire". Strong
interprets "course" as meaning 'A circuit of effects'- the circuit of
effects due to our 'genesis' ("nature") will be destroyed or broken unless
we make a conscious effort to control the mind. We have seen that the
'genesis' is a result of the action of the word on a man's heart. This
creates a 'circuit of effects'- hence 3:6 AVmg. speaks of the "wheel of
nature" (the 'genesis') in the sense of something continuous. Surely the
implication is that once the word starts to take effect, it initiates a
circular, upwards spiral of spirituality- spiritual strength leading to
spiritual strength, a certain level of appreciation of the word steadily
leading to a higher level. However, this "course of nature" can be broken
by not making a conscious effort to control the mind and the words which
follow from it (in the context of James 3:6), and of not making the effort
to continue beholding our "natural face" in the mirror of the word,
and letting the word act on the results of our self-examination.
That the word should lead to an ever-increasing level of self-examination
and recognition of the urgency of our need to spiritually improve is also
hinted at in 1 Jn.1:10: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a
liar, and His word is not in us"- implying that the more the word is in
us, the more we recognize the degree to which we have sinned. But notice
it is not just a reading of the word that results in this- seeing that the
Jews to whom Paul partly wrote Romans, for all their Bible knowledge and
ability to assimilate the detailed Old Testament allusions Paul makes in
Romans, were of the opinion they could "continue in sin that grace may
abound" (Rom. 6:1)- i.e. they reasoned that whatever they did was
automatically blotted out by reason of being in Christ (and Jewish?). "We
make Him (God) a liar" must refer back to the serpent in Eden, who also
lacked the word of God in him, thus effectively leading him to the
conclusion that Adam and Eve could not sin, even if they consciously
disobeyed the commandments. Saying we have not sinned is equivalent to
saying that we do not need Christ- both statements make God a liar (1 Jn.
1:10 cp. 5:10); which again was the implication of the serpent reasoning.
Paul picks this point up in 2 Cor. 11:3, where he connects the reasoning
of the serpent with that of the Judaizers, who also argued that Christ was
not vital for salvation. Eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge made
Adam and Eve aware of their sin- as does eating of the word of knowledge
in our day. Jn. 15:22; Lk. 12:47,48 and many other passages clearly teach
that the more knowledge of the word a man has, the more aware he is of his
sins, and therefore the more answerable to judgement.
1:24 For he sees himself and goes away and immediately forgets what
manner of man he was- James 1:24,25 parallel looking at ourselves, and
looking into the perfect law of liberty. To read Scripture as God really
intended, not as mere words on paper, is to find ourselves engaged in an
inevitable self-examination. Reflect a while on two consecutive verses in
Ez. 8:18; 9:1: “Though they [Israel] cry in my ears with a loud voice
[when they are under judgment for their actions, which I now ask them to
repent of], yet will I not hear them. He [God] cried also in my
[Ezekiel’s] ears with a loud voice, saying…”. Do you see the
connection? As we read and hear God’s word today, He is passionately
crying in our ears with a loud voice. Just imagine someone literally doing
this to you! If we refuse to hear it, then we will cry in His ears
with a loud voice in the last and final day of condemnation. The intensity
of His appeal to us now will be the intensity with which the
rejected plead for Him to change His verdict upon them; and God, like them
in this life, will refuse to hear. What arises from this is a simple fact:
as we read and hear the pages of Scripture, as we turn the leaves in our
Bibles, God is crying in our ears with a loud voice. Our response to Him
is a foretaste of our acceptance or rejection at the day of judgment.
1:25 But he that looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues,
being not a hearer that forgets, but a doer that works, this man shall be
blessed in what he does- The very nature of life in this present world
appears to make it impossible to permanently "continue therein"
("continue"= 'to stand beside'). Thus looking at the word and hearing the
word are paralleled. The only access to the word by the average believers
was probably by hearing it read publicly. The ability to read would not
have been widespread, and copies of the scrolls not widely available
(hence the ministry of the miraculous spirit gifts to provide the word of
prophecy and its interpretation). Other passages refer to this hearing of
the word through public reading of it in the ecclesia: Acts 13:27; 15:21
(cp. James 2:2 AVmg.); 2 Cor. 3:15; Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27; Rev. 1:3;
2:7,11. The believers should hear the word spoken or read and look into it
continually- i.e. keep it in mind, meditate upon it. Thus 1:19 encourages
them to be "swift to hear" the word of God- not to mentally doze through
those all-important meetings of the ecclesia when the word was read. Thus
James never intended these words to be read as meaning 'You must walk
around with your head in a Bible all day'- he was too practical to
advocate that. But he was offering an even greater challenge- to live each
day continually looking into the things of the word in one's mind, with
"the eyes of your understanding being (open)", Eph. 1:18. We who can read
and have convenient access to the written word have so much more
opportunity- but we seem to lack the degree of mental spiritual alertness
to the word that James is speaking of. Surely every Christian who can
afford one should have a pocket Bible close at hand during the day and
frequently refer to it- even for a few brief seconds in the hour. But
above all, we must strive to achieve that continual mental looking into
the things of the word. But he who continues looking into "the perfect
law", "this man shall be blessed in his deed"- and that in itself means
that James is not setting an impossible standard. It is realistic for a
man to achieve it. Note how the continual looking into and application of
the word is "his deed". We have earlier commented how 'deeds' and 'works'
can refer to the mental effort made in daily life, rather than specific
physical actions.
The language of looking into a mirror, the idea of hearing and also doing, the image of "liberty"... all this is surely developed by Paul in 2 Cor. 3:17. He says that we look at the face of the Lord Jesus, and the glory of His character shines from His face. We look at Him as if looking at a mirror. Instead of seeing our own image in that mirror, we gradually come to see Him. Because the glory of His character rubs off on our faces; we reflect it, just as the glory of the Angel's face was reflected from Moses' face. This transformation is achieved, Paul says, by the spirit of Jesus; "and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17). James uses the same ideas, but writes of "the law of liberty". God's law is not a chain, nor a leash; for man is not a dog. It is God's intention to lead us to the glorious liberty of His dear children (Rom. 8:28). Through the process effected by God's law, man can come to ultimate freedom, radical personal self determination. The law of liberty is therefore the law or word which leads to ultimate liberty or freedom. We are either under the law of Christ, or the law of the flesh. It is mythical to imagine that 'freedom' means being free from law. But the law of liberty, the law of Christ, leads us to the ultimate, perfect freedom which is part of the Divine nature.
Notice the reference to "the law of liberty"- another gentle dig at his
Jewish readers, reminding them of "the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
us free...be not entangled again with the yoke of (Mosaic) bondage" (Gal.
5:1). Other references to "liberty" are clearly in the context of liberty
from the Mosaic Law, and they also have indirect hints at our liberty
being because of a word ("law") of liberty:
- "We are not children of the bondwoman (the Law) but of the free" (Gal.
4:31). We are children by being born of the word of God (James 1:18; 1
Pet. 1:23). Thus "the free" is the free word of the liberty of the Spirit.
- "You have been called unto liberty... (to) walk in the spirit" (Gal.
5:13,16)- i.e. in a way of life guided by the Spirit (Jn. 6:63 etc.)
- "As free... (doing) the will of God" (1 Pet. 2:16,15)- which is in the
word (James 1:18; Jn. 1:13)
- "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17)- the
Lord's Spirit is in the hearts of His people who are influenced by the
word of the gospel.
- "The truth (the word- Jn.17:17) shall make you free... the servant
abides not in the house for ever (alluding to Hagar being cast out,
representing the casting out of the law, Gal. 4:30). If the Son therefore
(i.e. because the law was being cast out) shall make you free, you shall
be free indeed" (Jn.8:32,35,36). That freedom comes from the Truth
(Jn.8:32), which is the Spirit.
Now it may be argued that if "the law of liberty" is the words of Jesus
and the New Testament, then that part of Scripture is far more spiritually
powerful than the Old Testament, particularly the Law. Why not just
concentrate our Bible reading on the New Testament? Two comments present
themselves:
- "The spirit of Christ was in (the prophets)" (1 Pet. 1:11). The Spirit
of Christ was in them, but it was only there for our benefit who came
after Christ (1 Pet. 1:12). Thus the prophets "searched diligently" for
the meaning of their prophecies (1 Pet. 1:10)- the implication being that
they were unsuccessful because the purpose of the prophecies was for our
benefit not for theirs- "not unto themselves... they did minister the
things, which are now reported (explained) unto you" (1 Pet.
1:12). We have shown that the Spirit-word is the law of liberty, which is
contrasted to the Mosaic law or word of bondage. The contrast is not
specifically made between the word and the Mosaic law, but between the
Spirit word and the Mosaic Law. Thus it may be that the Spirit in the
sense of a power of righteousness that can change a man's mind was only
released fully from the Old Testament word when it was read by believers
after Christ. Notice how the parallel with us looking into the law of
liberty in 1 Peter is in 1:12 concerning the Angels desiring to look into
the word. This is a parallel with 1:10, describing how the prophets
desired to look into the word. Thus seeing that prophets and Angels have
unsuccessfully tried to look into the word, we should grasp the
opportunity we have. This parallel show that the "law of liberty" was also
the prophetic word of the Old Testament which the prophets tried to "look
into".
- There is considerable evidence that the power of the Old Testament word
was opened by the death and resurrection of Christ, when He became "the
Lord the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:17,18 RV), thus enabling us to be changed from
the Mosaic glory to the Christian glory- "From glory to glory... by the
Spirit of the (risen) Lord" (cp. Jn. 1:16,17). In passing, it is worth
considering whether Paul's other reference to contrasting types of glory
also has reference to the Mosaic/ Christian system comparison- "the glory
of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another... so
also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is
raised in incorruption" (1 Cor. 15:40,42). Thus Paul would be likening the
present mortal state of our bodies to the earthy (terrestrial) Jewish
system, compared to the glory of the spiritual heavenlies in Christ.
The man who keeps mental hold of the Spirit of the word in his daily life
"Shall be blessed in his deed". This must be alluding to Lk. 11:28
"Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it". Again, the
hearing of the word was a literal hearing, as Jesus had been speaking
orally to the people. Thus James' interpretation of keeping the word was
to continually look into it in one's mind and let it have the effect of
self-examination upon us. The preceding verse records the comment "Blessed
is the womb that bare you, and the breasts which you
sucked" (Lk. 11:27). Jesus is saying that the more important
spiritual equivalent of this is to "hear the word of God". Thus being
breast fed is likened by Jesus to hearing and keeping the word. In Peter's
language: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word" (1 Pet.
2:2). It is only the spiritually young who should feed on the milk of the
word (1 Cor.3:2; Heb. 5:12,13). Those to whom Jesus spoke about the
sucking of breasts being like hearing and keeping the word were also
spiritually young, having only just heard the word. James 1:24,25 is
saying that the man who continually looks at his natural face in the
mirror of hearing and keeping the word will be blessed for his effort. Lk.
11:27,28 is saying that the spiritually young who as newborn babes keep
hearing and keeping the word will be blessed. Remember that it was
suggested that the "natural" (Genesis-ed) face of the man could refer to
his recently spiritually born self. This would fit the connections with
Lk. 11:27 nicely. Thus James implies that there is an especial temptation
for those newly converted or spiritually conceived by the word to soon
give up their zeal for the word and to stop carefully examining their own
position in the light of the word. The parable of the sower puts this in
black and white.
"If (we) know these things, happy (blessed) are (we) if (we) do them" (Jn.
13:17). Also worth mentioning is Lk. 8:21: "My mother and my brethren are
these which hear the word of God and do it". By being born again of the
Spirit by hearing, doing, keeping and continually looking at the word, we
take on the family likeness- Jesus can feel to us as to a mother or
brother. These things help us appreciate the real spirit of the frequent
commands to "Keep my commandments, and do them" (Lev. 22:31). This implies
that keeping and doing the word are different. God is not so much looking
for individual cases of us 'doing' the word in the sense of occasionally
obeying a highly specific command- but for us to "keep" the word in the
sense of continually keeping it in mind in our lives, so that as a
consequence we 'do' the specific commands when necessary. The copious
parallels between James 1 and 1 Peter 1 further illuminate the looking
into the word of this v.25; the parallel is Peter's description of the
Cherubim Angels earnestly looking down into the mercy seat in 1 Pet. 1:12,
as if paralleling that supreme place of God manifestation with the Word.
1:26- see on 1 Pet. 1:18.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious while he does not hold his tongue but rather just deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain- The parallel is between 'hearing the word' and 'thinking oneself to be religious'. Here we see the contrast between religion and spirituality. Hearing the word of the Gospel and intellectually assenting to it... this is our great temptation. This is self deceit. It is religion in vain. Control of the tongue is rightly presented as the epitome of personal spirituality. Judaism, just like some sects of Protestant Christianity today, thought that "pure religion" (:27) was a case of hearing God's word in truth. But unless that word was allowed to work in a man's deeply personal life, it was not "pure" but in fact "in vain". The huge emphasis upon 'having the truth' can lead to the same error. If that is all it remains at, a pursuit of intellectual purity of interpretation, then it is all a case of deceiving our own heart. The parallel in 1 Pet. 1:18 tells those one time religious Jews that the traditional religion of their fathers [which was Judaism] was "vain" (s.w.). Yet the Hebrew idea of 'vanity' suggests idolatry, and the same Greek word is used of the "vanities" of idols in Acts 14:15. Judaism was no better than paganism, that's the idea. Indeed, no matter how much intellectual, theoretical 'truth' we may have in terms of correctly understanding God's word, it is likewise idolatry- unless it takes a deep personal hold upon our thinking, our speech, our hearts. The problem with being "religious", of hearing but not doing God's word, is that we as it were see ourselves in the mirror, and think we are so handsome or beautiful (:23,24). We are self deceiving. We see our "natural face" (:23), our porsopon, our outward appearance, and think that this is all that matters. Without looking inside, to the things of the Spirit, like control of the mind and the tongue. And in this lies the danger in any approach to the Gospel which tends to emphasize intellectual purity of understanding of itself.
The Greek word
translated "religious" is elsewhere always used in the context of the
Mosaic law; James is implying that they were not properly keeping the
spirit of the Mosaic law if they "bridled not (their) tongue". This idea
of bridling the tongue is picked up again in 3:2-4, where James says that
we put bits in the horses' mouths to control them, "but the tongue can no
man tame", i.e. bridle (3:8). "No man" here must mean 'no ordinary man of
the flesh', since James 1:26 says that the believer must bridle his
tongue. In the preceding verses in James 1, James has been talking about
'doing' the word in practice rather than just theoretically receiving it.
The prime example of this, he continues, is whether you can bridle your
tongue. This is because our thoughts lead to our words, and therefore to
bridle the tongue is to control the mind- and this can only be done
through the conscious application of the word. This is the main 'doing' of
the word. Again there is the warning against semi-spirituality; seeming to
be religious.
Ps. 32:8,9 provides the basis for James 1:26: "I will instruct you and
teach you in the way which you should go: I will guide (mg. 'Counsel')
you... be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding:
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto
you". Thus having the instruction, teaching and understanding of God
should replace having a bridle or bit. God does not want to force our
tongues and bodies to obey Him by steel will- but for us to effect this by our
application of His word to our minds. Allowing the word of the Gospel to
produce its fruit, this is what will lead to controlled words. The context
of Psalm 32 is David's rflections after his sin with Bathsheba; he
realizes that it is the experience of grace, rather than steel willed
obedience, which results in self control. Thus the word is the means of
bridling our tongues and therefore our minds- our whole lives. Note too
that a bridle is a two-way thing. It stops the horse approaching the rider
in an ungainly and painful way. The action of the word on our minds should
lead to us similarly being helped in our approach to God. The man who
thinks he has his mind bridled but whose words belie this "Deceives his
own heart, this man's religion is vain" (v.26- cp. Jer. 17:9). To be
"Double minded" (1:8; 4:8) is thus to have what we think is our
'spiritual' heart or mind deceiving our real heart- that of the flesh,
"his own heart".
1:27- see on Acts 6:3.
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: To visit
orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unstained by the
world- Visiting (in the
Hebrew sense of coming near to) the fatherless and widow in the ecclesia
is associated with being unspotted from the world; our closeness to the
world of the ecclesia in itself will keep us separate from the pull of the
kingdoms of this world (James 1:27). Visiting the fatherless and widows
will result in the believer keeping himself unspotted from the world
(James 1:27 Gk.).
"Pure ('clean') religion" may refer to the system of religion that comes
as a result of "the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26). This
religion is also "undefiled"- possibly implying that to not let the word
totally affect our lives is to allow ourselves to be defiled by our
fleshly mind and desires. The sexual connotations of the word for
"Undefiled" would suggest that passive laziness to apply the word is
equivalent to active unfaithfulness against Christ. This pure and
undefiled religion "Before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction" (v.27). The reference to God as
the Father is in the context of v.17- "the Father of (the) light" of the
word which came down to us. We may well ask 'Why is God so especially
concerned for "the fatherless and widows"'? Maybe because He had witnessed
the emotional agony of His humanly fatherless Son, Jesus, and the broken
heart of Mary on the Lord's death? There is a possible connection between
this verse and John 14:18 where Jesus promises that he "Will not leave you
orphans (fatherless- A.V. 'comfortless'): I will come to you" through the
Holy Spirit Comforter.
The ideas of God 'coming down' and 'visiting' people are common Old
Testament idioms for God manifestation. Thus it may be that James is
implying that in the same way as Jesus has visited us through the
Spirit-word, so we should share the spiritual Comfort of the word with the
fatherless and widows. We have noted the association between 'coming down'
and the gift of the Spirit-word already in v.17, which provides the
background for this v.27. This pure religion is also to keep ourselves
"Unspotted from the world". The words "pure", "undefiled... unspotted" are
all the language of marriage. Because the notion of us being the bride of
Christ, engaged to Him, seems so far above our feeble spirituality, it is
tempting to think that the relationship between a man and his bride is
just being used as a vague likeness of our relationship with Christ. But
the glorious fact is that we are in absolute reality the typical bride of
Christ! Intercourse with the world and fleshly mind is as bad as being
unfaithful to our bridegroom- and almost on the night of our marriage,
too. The comment is sometimes made that Christians are too dreary and
weighed down by our sins. But bearing in mind the nature of our
relationship to Jesus and His faithfulness unto death for us, it is not
surprising that we are seriously worried about the continual failures
which we have to admit to; these are equivalent to being unfaithful to
Him. To balance this, there is the joy of receiving "every good and
perfect gift" from our loving, truly merciful Father, the knowledge that
He is delighted by our strivings to truly develop spiritually; and the
happiness ("blessedness") of the man who does try to keep the word in his
heart. Whilst we need to be careful that we are not giving way to
spiritual pride, there can be a sense of deep joy and peace at the little
victories we slowly win against the flesh.
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