James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
James 1:1 Introduction
It can be easy to gloss over the first verses of a new testament epistle, but when we do that, we lose so much information on the purpose and audience of the letter. This letter is short and sweet, moving from topic to topic based on the needs of the church.
In the context of the entire book of James, it is clear that James is writing to encourage Christians to live a life of faith and obedience, even in the midst of trials and tribulations. In this first verse, James is introducing himself as a bondservant of God and Jesus Christ, and he is greeting his readers as the twelve tribes which are scattered among the nations. By doing this, James is establishing his authority and credibility, and he is also setting the stage for the rest of his letter.
James,
Here, the author identifies himself as James. Our modern English translation will almost always provide them as “James” even though the word in Greek is iakob/ which is more closely related to the name “Jacob.”
Some argue this name can only be applied to one person in the early church, James the Just, the brother of Jesus.
a servant of God
While “servant” of God is used throughout most translations (ESV, NIV, KJV) other translations use “slave” (NLT, HCSB, NET) or bond-servant (NKJV, NASB, Amplified)
The word in Greek doulos, is a common usage among disciples and other believer’s (Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Phil. 1:1) and is tied to Jewish thought and literature Gn. 32:10; Jdg. 2:8; Ps. 89:3 [88:4]; Is. 41:8; Je. 26:7; Am. 3:7)
Using this term, James assumes a subservient role in relation to Jesus. The history of this typically relates to old testament leaders (Deut. 34:5, Dan. 9:11) and David (Jer. 33:21, Ezek. 37:25) along with New Testament readers like Paul (Rom. 1:1, Gal 1:10) and Peter (2 Peter. 1:1).
and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
The use of Jesus Christ here is used as a name as opposed to a title and we would assume this is from Hellenistic Christians. The word Christ is the equivalent to Messiah, and we see the use of “Jesus, the Messiah” elsewhere in scripture. The use of Christ for Jesus gives us a view of the early understanding of Jesus as seen in Acts 2:36.
To the twelve tribes
The 12 tribes of Israel are the people that God chose. That is the view here. The questions that arise are if these 12 tribes are associated with the actual people of Israel or if this is seen as those who now profess faith in Christ and are seen as the new tribe of God.
in the Dispersion:
The word for the dispersion (diaspora/διασπορά) was typically used back then to describe the section of Jews living outside of Israel at the time. Other translations use dispersion (ESV, HCSB, ASV) scattered (KJV, NIV, NLT). I personally like the term diaspora, meaning those scattered among the nations” where we must ask what “nations” is meant here.
One view of the diaspora is the people of Israel who lived outside of Israel across the world after the Babylonian exile. We see this in John 7:35. The second view is that those people who are scattered among the nations are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, that is, other Christians.
James 1:1 Application:
First, we should remember that we are all servants or slaves of God and Jesus Christ. This means that we should completely submit to their will and authority.
Second, we should rejoice in the Lord, even when we are facing challenges.
Finally, we should remember that we are part of the body of Christ, and we should encourage and support one another in our faith journey.
James 1:2-3
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Introduction
This is the start of the first part that covers both positive and negative impacts of trials. We should all, as believers, view trials as an opportunity to strengthen and grow in our faith. Trials function as a maturing of believers into more Godly individuals.
Count it all joy,
Other translations will use “consider it all joy” or “pure joy” instead. The idea is that our mindset should be focused on the outcome of the trial and find joy in that. Our joy should not be focused on the trials themselves. Our proper response to trials should be joy as the trials shift our perspective.
This is the first imperative, or command, in James. The idea to consider everything joyful is not an option for the Christian. Also, when “all” is used, we are not stating we are to see joy in everything, but here, the primary focus is viewing the outcome of the trial as something to partake of with joy. We are told to view trials in a new light, to see them as opportunities for growth.
The joy we are to have is not a fleeting emotion or passing feeling but a state of being or existence in the knowledge of God.
my brothers,
That is, again, other brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow believers. This letter is not written to the world, or non-believers. The word for brothers and sisters is used of someone who has shared the same womb. This is true for those who are born of God.
I challenge you to read through James and just focus on the word brothers. If you pay attention, you will see that this is used as a transition where the writer is switching the topic.
when you meet trials of various kinds,
Literally, when you face trials. The image described here is gazing or looking at trials face to face. If you notice, the word used is when you meet trials; not if you meet trials. Going through trials is a guarantee and not an if situation. We are not to go out and look for trials.
The word for “trials” is also the same root word used for “temptations.”
The imagery of facing the trials is used as something that falls upon you. Almost like you are walking along a path and then something falls down on top of you.
The use of “various” is literally “rainbowed” and means to have a variety of trials, similar to a variety of colors on the rainbow. (I always think of Baskin Robbins when I read this verse. 31 flavors of ice cream! Not that there are just 31 flavors of suffering, but there are many types of suffering we all go through.
The word for trials (πειρασμός/peirasmos) is used throughout James (1:2, 12-14) and other parts of the New Testament (Luke 22:40-46, 1 Tim. 6:9). The word can mean external or outward trials, or it can mean an internal desire to sin. There are several verses that are not very clear on which one is described. Even here, it is debated if the trials are external or internal.
The context, especially of the trials falling upon you, would seem to assume these are external trials we are to face. I don’t see why we can’t accept the trials as both internal and external. James is referring to both external trials, such as persecution and illness, and internal trials, such as doubts and temptations to sin.
The other question raised is, what kind of trials? Yes, there are many or various trials but are these persecutions or can they be the difficulty of everyday life? I think yes. Try to be joyful in persecution but also try to be joyful in the mundane and busyness of life. Not getting enough sleep, spilling coffee on yourself as you try to leave and getting to work late with co-workers upset and giving you attitude as you try to complete the previous day’s work. Try to be joyful in those moments. These continual trials may be the most challenging for us.
for you know that
Knowing is more than just cognitive agreement or acceptance. It is obvious to those James is writing to and something they have all experienced. It is a duh moment because on the simplest level, they know what the outcome of the trials will be.
the testing of your faith
Trials and testing may seem the same but here they are different. The word only is used in one other place in the Bible where it is perceived about bringing out the genuine faith of the believer. 1 Peter 1:6-7 concentrates on the result of pure testing, that you may come out clean and rid of every impurity.
The notion that we face trials head on and come out not just still believing in our God, but we come out stronger, with more faith.
produces steadfastness.
This faith we maintain through the trials provides us something else on top of our increased faith. It brings about, develops or works in us to accomplish a steadfast.
I prefer translations that have steadfastness or endurance. I believe that grasps the meaning here pretty well.
Other translations contain perseverance or patience. Both seem to me to be more passive than what is happening and accomplished here.
We are not to be passive, like we can be patient with co-workers or people who may yell at us and we are to take it. Not saying that can be rough but the image is more active. We are not to just endure what we are going through but to push on. If we think of climbing a hill, we are just trudging on but if we have an extra 30 pound backpack on, we have to actively be more aware and try to hold ourselves up under the added pressure.
It is the ability to keep going even when things are tough.
James 1:2-3 Application
We should remember that trials are a normal part of the Christian life. Jesus Himself told His disciples that they would have trouble in the world (John 16:33).
We should view trials as an opportunity to grow in our faith. When we face trials, we should ask God to help us to see them as opportunities to develop endurance, perseverance, and steadfastness.
We should also ask God to help us to grow in our trust in Him and in our understanding of His love for us.
James 1:4
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
And let steadfastness have its full effect
I know when we read or hear the word “let” in english, we normally think of it as more passive.
“Let the kids play by themselves” or “Let them have fun on their own.” Where we are not actively enrolled in the activity.
Here, however, let is not passive but is an imperative. This is not passive, you can have perseverance to finish its work, but rather you better let steadfastness/perseverance have its full effect.
What is this full effect? Since it is mentioned here, we would assume we will be or are about to be told what this is. We do not see this, however. We can make assumptions and many have done so. Love is also at the forefront and a case can be made for that here. Even our lives can be good placement for the work we must do.
that you may be perfect and complete
Whatever the work or full effect we are to experience, the expectation is that we are to be perfect and complete. What does it mean to be perfect and complete?
Most translations will use either perfect or mature. The idea is that you have grown or achieved a level with which you can no longer progress. With the idea of maturing, we can understand it as someone who is in their prime. Their body is at a point that they can no longer progress forward beyond their current abilities. In our life, there will come a time where our body fades and begins to fail us. Where we cannot do the things we used to do. We may realize that a certain time in our life was our prime, that we had matured to a point where we could not go higher. This is the understanding here. Spiritual maturity though, is something we can always continue to grow in.
James loves the use of perfection and we see it used in this book so many times. It is used here more than any other new testament book.
The opposing view of what perfect means here is literally that; perfect. Since Teleion means perfect in the philosophical sense for the Greek people of the time, it could be what is intended here. Jesus does say in Matthew 5:48 that we are to be (teleion) perfect because our heavenly father is (teleion) perfect.
If we take the maturity use and apply it to Matthew 5:48, it may raise some questions because God cannot be made more mature than he already is and we can add nothing to God himself. He is fully mature/perfect already. Of course, we can side with the philosophical sense that God has always been fully mature/perfect and is unable to be more mature, and that, thus, is the purpose behind the word here.
On top of that, we are called to be complete, used in almost all translations. It can mean whole, with no pieces missing. An image of someone who is well rounded in all areas of life.
lacking in nothing.
After promoting positive enforcement of the effects of steadfastness, we see a negative description used to clarify, we will lack nothing. What is it exactly that we won’t be lacking in?
If we are perfect, we will be lacking sin. What is probably meant here by not lacking anything is we will have everything attained or needed to be complete, well rounded and mature believers in Christ.
Another view of what we will not lack is wisdom, which is used next in verse 5, “if any of you lacks wisdom”.
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
The next set of verses from 5-8 focus primarily on wisdom and double mindedness, with double mindedness brought up later in James (4:8).
If any of you lacks wisdom,
A pinnacle of this letter, wisdom is used throughout James (3:13, 15, 17).
The use of the word wisdom here, may cause some to see the audience as Jewish, since there is such a focus on it and they do have a heavily vested concentration on wisdom literature. In Greek the word mainly is concerned with “knowledge” but in biblical understanding and the Old Testament, is concerned with pragmatic or moral insight provided by God.
If we are to be perfect and complete, is wisdom necessary or is wisdom what is needed for the believer to become perfect and complete?
That is the tension we have here.
Believers may have knowledge of God and the saving faith of Jesus, but wisdom is more than knowledge.
let him ask God,
Let, when used in most English translations, is used as a command or imperative. It is a requirement for Christians to ask God for Wisdom, or if they need anything.
Wisdom is not something that is automatically given to us but is something we must pursue, or in this case, ask for.
who gives generously to all
You see echoes of the sermon on the mount here (Matthew 7:7) with God providing wisdom generously to everyone who simply asks. Other translations use “liberally” in it’s place. The connotation behind the original Greek is to be straightforward, above board, sincerely, openly or simply. The idea seems to be a singular sense of focus, one that is not divided but focused on one thing.
The “all” referred to here is most likely “all” of those who ask God for wisdom.
God will give all of those who ask for wisdom without waiting, not contingent from one’s actions or with reservations of those who ask. God will provide wisdom to those who ask for it without any questions or conditions. Like when we would ask our parents for $5 at the store and they would ask what we wanted the money for. Here is an image where we are not asked what we will do with the gifts but the gift is offered freely.
without reproach,
I connect this to the generously or freely given gift of wisdom. God will give you wisdom without reproach, that is, without making you feel guilty for asking. He is glad you are asking and will not scold or lecture you for asking for such things.
and it will be given him.
James 1:6
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
But let him ask in faith,
In verse 5, it says God will give wisdom to all generously and without reservation or conditions, BUT includes a condition here. That if we are to ask, God will give us the wisdom we ask for but we are to ask in faith.
When the Bible uses “let” combined with an action, it is almost always an imperative or command. Other translations convey this by using “he must ask in faith.”
Here, we are told to ask in faith. The question we can ask is, how else do we ask if not in faith? James 3:16 and 4:3 go into our motives when asking God.
Faith here is introduced as a basic biblical belief with which we all have and believing God will answer our request.
Are we to ask for wisdom specifically since that is what the previous verse was about or is James talking about prayer in general?
Verses 6-8 do not mention wisdom again and the general use of receiving later in these verses could indicate James is shifting the focus to prayer in the broader sense.
James uses faith or believing fourteen times throughout this book and is heavily emphasized throughout. We are to have faith.
Faith is an active part in the believers life and one that shows fruit, that is, a result which comes from faith.
You will receive what you ask for because you ask in faith and faith trusts.
with no doubting,
Doubting is the exact opposite of faith or believing.
That when we ask in faith, we must have full confidence in God with no doubting. Essentially, no doubt at all, and the prerequisite is to have full faith in God answering your prayer.
The conflict used here puts faith or belief completely opposed to doubt where they are shown as polar opposites.
The question here is if the no doubting is contingent fully on asking for wisdom only or if not doubting is conditionally on any and all requests or prayers from the Christian.
The word used here means to be divided against yourself. Basically, to go back and forth between two different options.
When we doubt, we are moving from faith or dedication to God and moving closer to distrust and faithlessness in God.
These images depict other scripture which says we cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13) and Jesus himself tells us to ask in faith without doubting (matthew 12:21 and Mark 11:23).
The unfulfilled request is not because of God, the father, but because of us in our asking.
The question raised here are those who doubt believers or not?
Some take the position that if you doubt, you are not truly a believer and thus your “faith” if you can call it that, is tossed to and fro.
Others see this as a Christian’s faith being tested and they are torn or wrestling with their faith as they are trying to persevere through the struggle or hardship.
This is my struggle and conviction.
The double minded standard can be more vital if this is more than just doubting your prayers or when you pray, but may impact your salvation if you do not have faith to ask God.
The word here can be translated as “disputing with oneself” that brings a strong separation within the believer where they are internally divided among themselves. The imagery of a house divided by itself cannot stand comes to my mind from Mark 3:25.
Romans 4:20 contains the same word when describing Abraham’s faith in Genesis 17:15-18. The argument could be made that Abraham had some level of doubt, since he feel to the ground and laughed when he was told he would be given a son. His faith may have had doubts, but the underlying picture could be painted that Abraham consistently grew and strengthened in his faith.
for the one who doubts
Again, it is debatable on if this is a believer who struggles or not.
The one who doubts is not anchored to Christ (Hebrews 6:19) or on solid ground (Matthew 7:24-27). Whether this is a temporary doubt or an eternal state of the individual’s salvation is debatable. The fact is the one who doubts does not have his mind on things above (Matthew 6:19-20, Colossians 3:2)
is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
The word for wave here is also used in Luke 8:24 and depicts waves raging against the boat as Jesus slept. There is an intensity described here of the waters pushing or driving the boat or object where it does not or should not go.
James 1:7-8
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
For that person
Connected to the previous verse, the person mentioned is the one who doubts when he asks God for wisdom.
must not suppose that he will receive anything
The person who thinks they will receive wisdom or his request fulfilled by God is deluded and will receive nothing.
What is the object which they will not receive? Does this simply imply that the person will not receive the exact thing they were expecting and asked God? Or will they literally receive nothing from God in terms of the wisdom asked for in the previous verses?
A similar situation is brought up again in James 2 by those professing to have faith but do not have works. They are integral and tied to one another. If you have faith, you will have works.
The same logic can be applied here. If you have faith, you will not doubt. This is a disloyalty or misunderstanding of the relationship between asking and faith. If we call God our lord but do not do what he says, we are saying we have not trust in Him.
from the Lord;
The word for Lord is normally attributed to Jesus in the New Testament but here refers God instead.
he is a double-minded man,
The word translated “man” is different for the typical use for man and woman and usually means man or husband. Here appears to be one of the few general places where it means any person.
Being double-minded is the opposite of the Jewish understanding of following God.
The word for double-minded means double-souled and the first time this exact word is used in the Greek culture. We will see this again in James 4:8.
The call is to follow Jesus’ commands and when he reiterates Deuteronomy 6:5 to “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
As stated with my previous commentary on doubting, one asks if this double-minded person is a believer or not.
Comparing scripture, it would seem that those who doubt do not believe.
Doubting Christians have been called an oxymoron within the community of believers because everything they believe is based on faith.
There is also other scripture which illustrates believers who have been brought back from doubting and saved their faith. Peter not having faith and sinking below the waves come to mind.
It is fairly obvious that if this is a believer, they are not living the way they were called. (Eph. 4). Is the doubting that which they, on some level, refuse to submit to God’s will? The object of the doubting is not clear and left vague for the reader. Maybe because we all, may have different doubts we face in life that cause us to question our faith in asking God.
Matthew 7:13-14 illustrates two paths that people take with one leading to eternal life and the other leading to eternal damnation.
The question each person is asked, “which path will you follow?”
unstable in all his ways.
This word only appears in James and the Septuagint, a popular translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, where it depicts the use of a violent storm. That imagery can be applied here in the sense of being unstable along with the previous verse about being tossed in the waves.
The question raised here is what “all” means here. Does everything the person does who is double-minded be unstable? Or does it refer to everything the person asks for is unstable in his spiritual life?
It could be said that the basic belief we are called to is not characterized by this individual and thus every single thing they do is inconsistent with the Christian faith they profess.
The other take is the person may be going through a phase or moment of doubting and that being unstable is a temporary uneasiness that may reside after the doubting has passed and that person arrives on solid ground, that is faith.
James 1:9-10
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
Description:
James will be showing a contrast between peoples and positions in these next two verses. Those who are low/poor will be raised up/be high and those who are rich/raised up will be humiliated or brought low. There will be a reversal among people in this present state of things.
Let the lowly brother boast
Here, the word for “let” is a command and is not an option. James is commanding, or providing an imperative, for the believer.
The word for lowly is also used to mean humble, poor or low in a social sense where they are not considered important (Psalms 18:27, 138:6). The question is if the lowly or poor brother is financially poor. Arguments for this can be seen throughout James with their focus on the rich and the injustice or evil done by them.
The brother (or sister) mentioned here is a believer in Christ, that is, a Christian.
The low or poor brother or sister is to boast. The use of boasting in scripture is normally seen in a negative light but it is a positive action here. Paul uses the term 35 times in the New Testament where it focuses on pride and boasting in a pessimistic or unholy way. (Galatians 6:13, Eph. 2:9, Romans 2:23, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 2 Corinthians 5:12).
The Old Testament use of boasting is seen more in a positive understanding. (Psalm 32:11, 149:5). These are further uses of James Jewish understanding and the lens of reading and interpreting scripture.
in his exaltation,
The question is raised on when will this exaltation take place? Some see this as an eschatological, or end times, understanding of exaltation. That the poor or lowly will be lifted up or exalted on the last day. (John 6:40)
Another view is the poor person is the one who is truly rich in this world, and not the rich person who is puffed up on his possessions. We see echoes of this later in James 2:5. Other references include Matthew 5:3.
and the rich in his humiliation,
I enjoy how the NLT reads that the “rich should boast that God has humbled them.” I believe this encompasses the purpose behind the rich and the shift in their mindset. The rich should take pride in their humiliation and boast what God has done in their life.
Boasting in such a way does not make sense to those in the world. We typically take pride in how hard we work and what we have and our financial possessions. Here, believer’s are called to the opposite of that.
We should be asking by what way or process the rich will be humbled. Are these believers following the commands from the Lord (1 Timothy 6:17-18) and that obedience is the cause of their humiliation or is it some other, external or forced situation?
Also, is this humiliation a future expectation or reality or will it be a present one happening now?
There is ambiguity in this verse to be clear for sure but there does appear to be some future elements which will take place later.
Because of the use of brother’s at the beginning of verse 9, we can assume the continuation here also refers to a believer in Christ. This does cause some controversy considering the persons supposed attitude and the use of those who are “rich” throughout James in a negative light.
because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
We see similar illustrations of humans being living a frail, finite life, throughout the Old Testament. Job 14:2, Psalm 103:15, and more famously, Isaiah 40:7 all draw comparisons to our frailty.
Will both the lowly and rich brother pass away or will just the rich brother pass away?
In a sense, yes, they will both fade away. We will all die someday. Like the grass of the field which turns yellow and withers.
But, those who have faith in Jesus, even if they are to pass, will never fade away.
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