The Book of James

Among the hallmarks from this letter by James is that faith produces a change in the person you
become. While this book has 60 imperatives in 108 verses - which is more than any other NT book
- a list of do's and do not's should not be the conclusion for any reader. The lesson is perspective.
There is a change in the person on a spiritual level and there needs to be a dynamic change that
takes place in your spiritual life; i.e. the hidden man in the heart (1Pet 3.4).
Once you become a kingdom citizen, the devil will not allow you to become a satisfied
saint and the Lord will not allow you to become a satisfied sinner. The purpose of the book
of James is not to maintain the caterpillar and hope for the butterfly; rather, this is the book about
how to take a caterpillar and transform it into a butterfly.

Two
The Sin of Favoritism
1 My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith
in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For example, a man comes into
your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a
poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you look with
favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, Sit here in a
good place, and yet you say to the poor man, Stand over there,
or, Sit here on the floor by my footstool, 4 havent you
discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil
thoughts.
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Didnt God choose the poor in this
world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has
promised to those who love Him? 6 Yet you dishonored that poor
man. Dont the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7
Dont they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over
you at your baptism?
8 Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love
your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. Lev 19.18 9 But if you
show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one
point, is guilty of breaking it all. 11 For He who said, Do not
commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit
adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker

12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of

freedom. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasnt
shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but
does not have works? Can his faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food
16 and one of you says to them, Go in peace, keep warm, and
eat well, but you dont give them what the body needs, what
good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it doesnt have works, is
dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show
me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my
works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons
also believeand they shudder.
20 Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is
useless? 21 Wasnt Abraham our father justified by works when he
offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active
together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. 23 So
the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called Gods
friend. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith
alone. 25 And in the same way, wasnt Rahab the prostitute also
justified by works when she received the messengers and sent
them out by a different route? 26 For just as the body without the
spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
1- favoritism Lev 19.15; Deut 1.17; Acts 10.34; Rom 2.11; Eph 6.9; Col 3.25
4- evil thoughts Gr dialogismos the thinking of a man deliberating with himself; cf Matt 15.1819. #heartcheck here. What you desire tells you about the person you are!
6- poor man cf Job 34.19; Acts 2.21; 1Cor 1.27; 11.22 (Why the fellowship meal from Second
Chance is honorable among all [IMHO]). The mission statement of Second Chance [IMHO] -

Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither
the feet of the ox and the ass. Is 32.20
7- baptism cf Is 65.11; Acts 15.17 10- guilty i.e. you do not get to 'cherry pick' your sins!
13- judgment is without mercy cf Job 22.5-7; Prov 21.13; Matt 5.7; 18.23-35

Now if some of the branches

were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted
in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the
13- Mercy triumphs over judgment cf Rom 11.17-18:

cultivated olive tree, do not brag that you are better than those
branches. But if you do bragyou do not sustain the root, but the
root sustains you.
If we show mercy, because Christ has been merciful to us, then mercy will come back to us (Luke
16.113; James 2.13; Prov 11.17). We cannot earn mercy, but we must have hearts prepared to
receive it. This beatitude is so misunderstood in our day because it makes our obtaining mercy
conditional on our being merciful. This is not the condition on which we obtain mercy; cf Titus 3.5;
1Pet 2.9,10.
Mercy is the challenge of the Christian life! Mercy does not imply giving mercy only to those
convenient for you. Mercy given to those who have a lifestyle similar to your lifestyle is called a
comrade, a crony, or a fraternity member. Further, it isn't mercy given as much as acceptance. This
is found in a lot of counseling group settings: this is comrades understanding a similar struggle.
This is great for therapy, but useless as a demonstration of mercy. It is easy to be merciful to those
whom suffer your rapport; those with addictions tend to associate with the addicted with mercy, but
not for the murderer, the sex offender, the philanderer.
Mercy is being given the benefit of the doubt when the situation indicates there is doubt.
It can be put this way: the merciful attract the merciful; the judgmental attract the judgmental;
and the gossipers and talebearers attract the gossipers and talebearers. (Of course, the last group
assemble to exchange and update their information in order to make sure their lies are accurate.) If
you feel you haven't been shown any mercy nor have you shown any mercy: look at YOUR circle.
Are you among the merciful? (Birds of a feather really do flock together).
The issue is too many Christians define mercy as cronyism; mercy is there for those like you, but
denied to those unlike you. Should you not be thankful the Lord does not use this definition for how
He gives you mercy?
We should be thankful and merciful because Christ's' mercy were to all those He was unlike. If
Christ based His mercy on the idea of cronyism then no one could meet His standard of
righteousness. He is merciful to the sinner and; yet, never sinned. Where do you find an example of
Christ's mercy? Luke 18!
*Matthew Chapter 5 study
It
was
NOT
convenient
for
a
sinless
God
to
enter
Hisfaith
creation
and take
on Himself
the 19-20),
image of a
14- faith this letter explains three kinds of faith: dead
(vs 14-18),
demonic
faith (vs
man
and
die
on
your
behalf
in
order
for
you
to
accept
a
relationship
with
Him
and
then
live
as if you
and dynamic faith (vs 21-24).
are
unable
to
show
the
same
mercy
He
has
given
you!
cf
Matt
18.33;
Luke
6.36;
1Tim
1.16
14- save - There are those who claimed they had saving faith, yet did not possess salvation! cf
Matt 7.16-23. The question being asked is simple: you say you have (saving) faith then there
should be a (saving) change!
15- lacks cf Matt 25.40; Gal 6.10; as a believer YOU have an personal obligation to help meet
the basic needs of people.
15- says - people with dead faith substitute words for authentic deeds. They know the correct
vocabulary for prayer, testimony, etc. Read 1Jn 3.16-17 then justify yourself! cf Matt 25.35-36;
Luke 3.11.
16- what good is it cf v14; without God, you can't and without you God won't. Nowhere does
Scripture justify the excuse of 'trusting God' to take care of the needs of others as you ignore
those in need.
Contrast the priest & the Levite with the Samaritan in Luke 10.25-37. Each would have defended
his faith, yet neither demonstrated that faith in living works. Any declaration of faith that does not
result in a changed life and practical works is a false declaration.
The idea being presented here is that faith & works are not contradictory; rather each is
complimentary of the other. One may know the doctrines of salvation, but has not yet submitted
himself to God.
19- demons - the demons have faith! There is not a demon in the universe who is an atheist!
Some demons have better theology than we do!
They believe in the existence of God; they are neither atheists or agnostics! They believe in the
deity of Christ. They even witnessed of Him: Whenever they met Christ when He was on the

earth, they bore witness to His Sonship (Matt 8.29-34; Mark 3.11-12; Luke 8.26-37). They knew,
and acknowledged, the existence of a place of punishment (Matt 8.29; Luke 8.31); They
recognized Jesus Christ as the Judge (Mark 5.1-13). They submit to the power of His Word. They
were not just touched in their intellect, they were touched in their emotions: they believe and
tremble.
A person can be enlightened in his mind and stirred in his heart and still be lost forever. True
saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life.
(v.18) Hell will have its share of monotheists, Trinitarians, orthodox, and the lost!
19- shudder = tremble; at least they are aware trembling is a possibility!
21- justified Gr dikaioo = Justification (in the declarative sense) is not a process: it is an act. It is
not something that the sinner does; it is something God does for the sinner.
But how can you tell if a person is justified (in a demonstrative sense) by faith? By a changed life
and obedience to Gods will. Gen 22 demonstrated that Abraham was already saved. (More than 30
years after Gen 15.6) Abraham was confident that he would return along with Isaac together: (v4,
5; Heb 11.19; cf v17, 18)
21- altar cf Gen 22 {akedah}
22- perfected - Jesus taught that one recognizes trees by their fruit. [Matt 7.15-20; 12.33-37]. In
Abraham's life: Gen 22.9; 1Thess 1.3; Heb 11.17
25- Rahab Faith may require a call for action which are painful and sacrificial (like Abrahams) or
risky and frightening (like Rahabs), or uncomfortable and inconvenient (like getting to know the
poor and homeless), or even getting to know a felon (Second Chance).

26- Just as the spirit animates the body; works animate your faith. When the spirit leaves the body;
the body is dead. Faith separated from the works coming from it leave faith dead.