James 1

1 Salutation

• From James – servant of God and Christ
• To twelve tribes of the Dispersion (Jewish Christians, then?)

2-8 Faith and Wisdom

• Be joyful when you go through trials, because they test your faith, leading to endurance and to your maturity and perfection.
• Ask our generous God for wisdom, believing he will give it to you, because he who doubts cannot expect to receive.

9-11 Poverty and Riches

• The lowly believer can rejoice in being lifted up.
• The rich believer can rejoice in being humbled, for as a flower in the field withers in the sun, so do the rich who trust in their riches.

12-18 Trial and Temptation

• Those who endure temptation will receive the Lord’s promised crown of life.
• Be aware, though, that temptation (to sin) does not come from God; it comes when we give in to our desires, giving birth to sin, which leads to death.
• The never-changing Father of lights, who casts no shadow, is the source of all gifts and all acts of giving.
• He makes us the best of his creatures, giving us birth through the word of truth.

Note: Sin comes from giving in to our baser natures; generosity comes from giving in to God’s word of truth.

19-27 Hearing and Doing the Word

• Listen before speaking, don’t become quickly angry, letting wickedness grow in you;
• Rather let the word be implanted in your souls.
• And this is how: Do what you read. Otherwise, you’ll read it and forget it, like looking in a mirror then forgetting what you look like.
• If you can’t bridle your tongue, you’re fooling yourself about being religious.
• This is pure and undefiled religion:
  • Caring for distressed orphans and widows
  • Keeping yourself unstained by the world (which goes back to 1:14 – not letting ourselves be drawn in by our own desires)

Note: After reading so much of Paul’s writing – and Hebrews – where it seems to be an argument, I come to James, and because it’s not written like a debate, it seems to be disjointed, much like we view Proverbs. But in this reading, I’ve seen more continuity. The first few verses introduce us to faith and wisdom. The remainder of the chapter tell us what they are: wisdom is appreciating our spiritual state, recognizing the source of generosity, the nature of sin and the dangers of unbridled anger, and how to build our faith by acting on what we read.