Humility

James 1 Commentary

Ken

Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James

A Letter of Practical Christian Wisdom

Introduction (1:1)

Verse 1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings” (James 1:1 NIV). 

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1 NIV) tells us that the writer of this letter was James, a younger half-brother of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 13:55). Once a bonafide skeptic (Mark 3:21) of the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14) of his Older Brother, James had now been transformed to become His ardent supporter, humbling himself not only as a “servant [Greek, doulos, slave] of God” (1:1 NIV), but equally, a bond servant by choice of Jesus, who he now admits to be the Jewish Messiah and his master. James’ choice of calling himself a “servant of God” (1:1 NIV) is consistent with the teachings of Christ. “Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me” (John 12:26 NIV). We are servants of the Lord with the benefit of God directing our choices in life. Remember, we are not here to figure out how to use God, but how He can use us. This epistle or letter was addressed to the “twelve tribes scattered among the nations”  (1:1 NIV), since the Early Church was originally Jewish converts returning to their homes from the Acts 2 Pentecost, as well as, to the converted Jewish brothers and sisters “scattered among the nations” (1:1 NIV) by the persecutions of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8:1). NT scholars date this epistle as sometime before 62 AD, when James was martyred by King Herod (Acts 12:2). The Romans did not destroy Jerusalem and the Temple until 70 AD. “Greetings” (1:1 NIV) is the expected salutation, since this is a letter. 

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James 4 Commentary

Ken

Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James

Warning Against Worldliness (James 4:1-12) 

Verse 1: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1 NIV). 

The Epistle of James was simply a letter from a first century apostle, yet it is a profound statement of divine truth concerning the very nature of ALL human conflict. James reasonably addresses “fights and quarrels” (James 4:1 NIV) within the church. James asks the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” (4:1 NIV), then he gives the answer, “Don’t they come from your desires [Greek, hēdonē, pleasures] that battle within you?” (4:1 NIV). Notice that James places the blame for war on “desires that battle within you” (4:1 NIV). The same Greek word for “desires” (4:1 NIV), Jesus used to explain why some respond to the Word of God and others don’t. “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures [Greek, hēdonē], and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14 NIV). Again, neither James nor Jesus claimed sin to be the reason for war, conflict, or not receiving the truth of the Word of God. Instead, the simple “desires that battle within you” (James 4:1 NIV) are sufficient to cause us to go to war or neglect God’s truth. In other words, we do not sin because we are sinners, but we commit sin because we allow the desires that battle within us to master and control us. “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24 NIV). Observation: The solution to not sinning is not merely possessing the Holy Spirit, but allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us, i.e., walking in the Spirit (Romans 8). 

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