1:21 lay aside. Lit. “having put off,” as one would do with dirty clothes (see notes on Rom. 13:12–14; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:8; Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:1, 2). The tense of this Gr. verb stresses the importance of putting off sin prior to receiving God’s Word. filthiness…wickedness. The first term was used of moral vice as well as dirty garments. Sometimes it was even used of ear wax—here, of sin that would impede the believer’s spiritual hearing. “Wickedness” refers to evil desire or intent. implanted word. See note on v. 18.
1:22 be doers. The fact that James calls professing believers to be “doers,” rather than simply to do, emphasizes that their entire personality should be characterized in that way. See notes on Matt. 7:21–28. deceiving. Lit. “reasoning beside or alongside” (as in “beside oneself”). This word was used in mathematics to refer to a miscalculation. Professing Christians who are content with only hearing the Word have made a serious spiritual miscalculation.
1:23 observing. A forceful Gr. word meaning to look carefully and cautiously, as opposed to taking a casual glance. mirror. First century mirrors were not glass but metallic, made of bronze, silver—or for the wealthy—gold. The metals were beaten flat and polished to a high gloss, and the image they reflected was adequate but not perfect (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12).
1:24 forgets what kind of man he was. Unless professing Christians act promptly after they hear the Word, they will forget the changes and improvements that their reflection showed them they need to make.
1:25 perfect law. In both the OT and NT, God’s revealed, inerrant, sufficient, and comprehensive Word is called “law” (cf. Ps. 19:7). The presence of His grace does not mean there is no moral law or code of conduct for believers to obey. Believers are enabled by the Spirit to keep it (see note on Rom. 8:4). liberty. Genuine freedom from sin. As the Holy Spirit applies the principles of Scripture to believers’ hearts, they are freed from sin’s bondage and enabled to obey God (John 8:34–36).
1:26 religious. This refers to ceremonial public worship (cf. Acts 26:5). James chose this term, instead of one referring to internal godliness, to emphasize the external trappings, rituals, routines, and forms that were not followed sincerely. bridle his tongue. “Bridle” means “control,” or as another translation renders it, “keep a tight rein.” Purity of heart is often revealed by controlled and proper speech (see note on Matt. 12:36).
1:27 Pure and undefiled religion. James picks two synonymous adjectives to define the most spotless kind of religious faith—that which is measured by compassionate love (cf. John 13:35). orphans and widows. Those without parents or husbands were and are an especially needy segment of the church (see notes on 1 Tim. 5:3; cf. Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:28, 29; Ps. 68:5; Jer. 7:6, 7; 22:16; Acts 6:1–6). Since they are usually unable to reciprocate in any way, caring for them clearly demonstrates true, sacrificial, Christian love. world. The evil world system (see notes on 4:4; 1 John 2:15).
James 2
2:1 the faith. This refers not to the act of believing, but to the entire Christian faith (cf. Jude 3), which has as its central focus Jesus Christ. the Lord of glory. Christ is the One who reveals the glory of God (cf. John 1:14; 2 Cor. 4:4–6; Heb. 1:1–3). In His incarnation, He showed only impartiality (cf. Matt. 22:16)—for example, consider the non-elite people included in His genealogy (see notes on Matt. 1:1–16), His choice of the humble village of Nazareth as His residence for 30 years, and His willingness to minister in Galilee and Samaria, both regions held in contempt by Israel’s leaders. partiality. Originally, this word referred to raising someone’s face or elevating the person, but it came to refer to exalting someone strictly on a superficial, external basis, such as appearance, race, wealth, rank, or social status (Lev. 19:15; Job 34:19; cf. Deut. 10:17; 15:7–10; 2 Chr. 19:7; Prov. 24:23; 28:21; Matt. 22:8–10; Acts 10:34, 35; Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25; 4:1; 1 Pet. 1:17).
2:2 assembly. Lit. “a gathering together” or “synagogue.” Since James was writing early in the church’s history (see Introduction: Author and Date) to Jewish believers (1:1), he used both this general word and the normal Gr. word for “church” (5:14) to describe the church’s corporate meetings during that period of transition. gold rings. While Jews commonly wore rings (cf. Luke 15:22), few could afford gold ones. However, there are some reports that in the ancient world the most ostentatious people wore rings on every finger but the middle one to show off their economic status (some ancient sources indicate that there were even ring rental businesses). fine apparel. This word refers to bright, shining garments and is used of the gorgeous garment Herod’s soldiers put on Jesus to mock Him (Luke 23:11) and of the apparel of an angel (Acts 10:30). It can also refer to bright, flashy color and to brilliant, glittering, sparkling ornamentation. James is not condemning this unbeliever for his distracting dress, but the church’s flattering reaction to it. a poor man. Although there were people of means in the early church (Matt. 27:57–60; John 19:38, 39; Acts 4:36, 37; 8:27; 10:1, 2; 16:14; 17:4; 1 Tim. 6:17–19), it consisted mostly of common, poor people (cf. v. 5; Acts 2:45; 4:35–37; 6:1–6; 1 Cor. 1:26; 2 Cor. 8:2, 14). Throughout Scripture the poor are objects of God’s special concern (1:27; Lev. 25:25, 35–37, 39; Pss. 41:1; 68:10; 72:4, 12; 113:7; Prov. 17:5; 21:13; 28:27; 29:7; 31:9, 20; Is. 3:14, 15; 10:1, 2; 25:4; Gal. 2:10).
2:3 sit…in a good place. A more comfortable, prominent place of honor. The synagogues and assembly halls of the first century sometimes had benches around the outside wall and a couple of benches in front. Most of the congregation either sat cross-legged on the floor or stood. There were a limited number of good seats; they were the ones the Pharisees always wanted (Mark 12:38, 39).
2:4 shown partiality. See note on v. 1. The true nature of the sin in this passage, not the lavish apparel or rings of the rich man or that he was given a good seat. judges with evil thoughts. This is better translated “judges with vicious intentions.” James feared that his readers would behave just like the sinful world by catering to the rich and prominent while shunning the poor and common.
2:5 Has God not chosen. See note on Rom. 8:29; cf. 1 Cor. 1:26–29. the kingdom. See note on Matt. 3:2. Here James intends the kingdom in its present sense of the sphere of salvation—those over whom Christ rules—as well as its future millennial and eternal glory.
2:6 oppress. Lit. “to tyrannize.” drag you into the courts. A reference to civil court.
2:7 blaspheme that noble name. Probably a reference to religious courts. Wealthy Jewish opponents of Christ were harassing these poor Christians. Cf. John 16:2–4.
2:8 royal law. This is better translated “sovereign law.” The idea is that this law is supreme or binding. love your neighbor as yourself. This sovereign law (quoted from Lev. 19:18), when combined with the command to love God (Deut. 6:4, 5), summarizes all the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:36–40; Rom. 13:8–10). James is not advocating some kind of emotional affection for oneself—self-love is clearly a sin (2 Tim. 3:2). Rather, the command is to pursue meeting the physical health and spiritual well-being of one’s neighbors (all within the sphere of our influence; Luke 10:30–37) with the same intensity and concern as one does naturally for one’s self (cf. Phil. 2:3, 4).
2:9 if. Better translated as “since,” the Gr. construction of this conditional statement indicates that this practice was in fact happening among James’ readers. show partiality. See note on v. 1. The form of this Gr. verb indicates that their behavior was not an occasional slip but a continual practice. convicted by the law. Specifically by the commands in Deut. 1:17 and 16:19. transgressors. This refers to one who goes beyond the law of God. Respect of persons makes one a violator of God’s law.
2:10 whole law…one point. See notes on Gal. 3:10–13. The law of God is not a series of detached injunctions but a basic unity that requires perfect love of Him and our neighbors (Matt. 22:36–40). Although all sins are not equally damaging or heinous, they all shatter that unity and render men transgressors, much like hitting a window with a hammer at only one point will shatter and
destroy the whole window. guilty of all. Not in the sense of having violated every command, but in the sense of having violated the law’s unity. One transgression makes fulfilling the law’s most basic commands—to love God perfectly and to love one’s neighbor as oneself—impossible.
2:11 These quotations are taken from Ex. 20:13, 14 and Deut. 5:17, 18.
2:12 judged. Cf. Rom. 2:6–16. law of liberty. See note on 1:25.
2:13 A person who shows no mercy and compassion for people in need demonstrates that he has never responded to the great mercy of God, and as an unredeemed person will receive only strict, unrelieved judgment in eternal hell (cf. Matt. 5:7). Mercy triumphs over judgment. The person whose life is characterized by mercy is ready for the day of judgment, and will escape all the charges that strict justice might bring against him because by showing mercy to others he gives genuine evidence of having received God’s mercy.
2:14–26 James continues his series of tests by which his readers can evaluate whether their faith is living or dead (see Introduction: Background and Setting). This passage contains the composite test—the one test that pulls the others together: the test of works, or righteous behavior that obeys God’s Word and manifests a godly nature (cf. 1:22–25). James’ point is not that a person is saved by works (he has already strongly and clearly asserted that salvation is a gracious gift from God; 1:17, 18; cf. Eph. 2:8, 9), but that there is a kind of apparent faith that is dead and does not save (vv. 14, 17, 20, 24, 26; cf. Matt. 3:7, 8; 5:16; 7:21; 13:18–23; John 8:30, 31; 15:6). It is possible James was writing to Jews (cf. 1:1) who had jettisoned the works righteousness of Judaism but, instead, had embraced the mistaken notion that since righteous works and obedience to God’s will were not efficacious for salvation, they were not necessary at all. Thus, they reduced faith to a mere mental assent to the facts about Christ.
2:14 if someone says. This important phrase governs the interpretation of the entire passage. James does not say that this person actually has faith, but that he claims to have it. faith. This is best understood in a broad sense, speaking of any degree of acceptance of the truths of the gospel. does not have. Again, the verb’s form describes someone who continually lacks any external evidence of the faith he routinely claims. works. This refers to all righteous behavior that conforms to God’s revealed Word, but specifically, in the context, to acts of compassion (v. 15). Can faith save him? Better translated, “Can that kind of faith save?” James is not disputing the importance of faith. Rather, he is opposing the notion that saving faith can be a mere intellectual exercise void of a commitment to active obedience (cf. Matt. 7:16–18). The grammatical form of the question demands a negative answer. See note on Rom. 2:6–10.
2:15, 16 James illustrates his point by comparing faith without works to words of compassion without acts of compassion (cf. Matt. 25:31–46).
2:17 faith by itself…is dead. Just as professed compassion without action is phony, the kind of faith that is without works is mere empty profession, not genuine saving faith.
2:18 someone. Interpreters disagree on whether 1) “someone” is James’ humble way of referring to himself or whether it refers to one of James’ antagonists who objected to his teaching; and 2) how much of the following passage should be attributed to this antagonist as opposed to James himself. Regardless, James’ main point is the same: the only possible evidence of true faith is works (cf. 2 Pet. 1:3–11).
2:19 You believe that there is one God. A clear reference to the passage most familiar to his Jewish readers: the Shema (Deut. 6:4, 5), the most basic doctrine of the OT. demons believe. Even fallen angels affirm the oneness of God and tremble at its implications. Demons are essentially orthodox in their doctrine (cf. Matt. 8:29, 30; Mark 5:7; Luke 4:41; Acts 19:15). But orthodox doctrine by itself is no proof of saving faith. They know the truth about God, Christ, and the Spirit, but hate it and them.
2:20 foolish. Lit. “empty, defective.” The objector’s claim of belief is fraudulent, and his faith is a sham. faith without works is dead? Lit. “the faith without the works.” James is not contrasting two methods of salvation (faith versus works). Instead, he contrasts two kinds of faith: living faith that saves and dead faith that does not (cf. 1 John 3:7–10).
2:21–26 James cites 3 illustrations of living faith: 1) Abraham (vv. 21–24); 2) Rahab (v. 25); and 3) the human body and spirit (v. 26).
2:21 justified by works. This does not contradict Paul’s clear teaching that Abraham was justified before God by grace alone through faith alone (Rom. 3:20; 4:1–25; Gal. 3:6, 11). For several reasons, James cannot mean that Abraham was constituted righteous before God because of his own good works: 1) James already stressed that salvation is a gracious gift (1:17, 18); 2) in the middle of this disputed passage (v. 23), James quoted Gen. 15:6, which forcefully claims that God credited righteousness to Abraham solely on the basis of his faith (see notes on Rom. 1:17; 3:24; 4:1–25); and 3) the work that James said justified Abraham was his offering up of Isaac (Gen. 22:9, 12), an event that occurred many years after he first exercised faith and was declared righteous before God (Gen. 12:1–7; 15:6). Instead, Abraham’s offering of Isaac demonstrated the genuineness of his faith and the reality of his justification before God. James is emphasizing the vindication before others of a man’s claim to salvation. James’ teaching perfectly complements Paul’s writings; salvation is determined by faith alone (Eph. 2:8, 9) and demonstrated by faithfulness to obey God’s will alone (Eph. 2:10).
2:22 was made perfect. This refers to bringing something to its end, or to its fullness. Just as a fruit tree has not arrived at its goal until it bears fruit, faith has not reached its end until it demonstrates itself in a righteous life.
2:23 the Scripture…says. Quoted from Gen. 15:6; see notes on Rom. 4:1–5. friend of God. Abraham is so called in 2 Chr. 20:7 and Is. 41:8 because of his obedience (John 15:14, 15).
2:24 justified by works, and not by faith only. See note on v. 21.
2:25 Rahab the harlot. The OT records the content of her faith, which was the basis of her justification before God (see note on Josh. 2:11). She demonstrated the reality of her saving faith when, at great personal risk she protected the messengers of God (Josh. 2:4, 15; 6:17; cf. Heb. 11:31). James did not intend, however, for those words to be a commendation of her occupation or her lying. justified by works. See note on v. 21.
James 3
3:1–12 In this passage, James used the common Jewish literary device of attributing blame to a specific bodily member (cf. Rom. 3:15; 2 Pet. 2:14). He personified the tongue as being representative of human depravity and wretchedness. In this way, he echoed the scriptural truth that the mouth is a focal point and vivid indicator of man’s fallenness and sinful heart condition (cf. Is. 6:5; Matt. 15:11, 16–19; Mark 7:20–23; Rom. 3:13, 14).
3:1 teachers. This word refers to a person who functions in an official teaching or preaching capacity (cf. Luke 4:16–27; John 3:10; Acts 13:14, 15; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11). stricter judgment. The word translated “judgment” usually expresses a negative verdict in the NT, and here refers to a future judgment: 1) for the unbelieving false teacher, at the second coming (Jude 14, 15); and 2) for the believer, when he is rewarded before Christ (1 Cor. 4:3–5). This is not meant to discourage true teachers, but to warn the prospective teacher of the role’s seriousness (cf. Ezek. 3:17, 18; 33:7–9; Acts 20:26, 27; Heb. 13:17).
3:2 Scripture contains much about all the evil which the tongue can cause (cf. Pss. 5:9; 34:13; 39:1; 52:4; Prov. 6:17; 17:20; 26:28; 28:23; Is. 59:3; Rom. 3:13). The tongue has immense power to speak sinfully, erroneously, and inappropriately—human speech is a graphic representation of human depravity (see notes on vv. 1–12). stumble. This refers to sinning, or offending God’s Person. The form of the Gr. verb emphasizes that everyone continually fails to do what is right. perfect man. “Perfect” may refer to true perfection, in which case James is saying that, hypothetically, if a human being were able to perfectly control his tongue, he would be a
perfect man. But, of course, no one is actually immune from sinning with his tongue. More likely, “perfect” is describing those who are spiritually mature and thus able to control their tongues.
3:3–5 James provided several analogies that show how the tongue, even though small, has the power to control one’s whole person and influence everything in his life.
3:6 tongue is a fire. Like fire, the tongue’s sinful words can spread destruction rapidly, or as its accompanying smoke, those words can permeate and ruin everything around it. defiles. This means “to pollute or contaminate” (cf. Mark 7:20; Jude 23). the course of nature. Better translated “the circle of life,” this underscores that the tongue’s evil can extend beyond the individual to affect everything in his sphere of influence. hell. See note on Matt. 25:46. A translation of the Gr. word gehenna (or valley of Hinnom). In Christ’s time this valley that lay SW of Jerusalem’s walls served as the city dump and was known for its constantly burning fire. Jesus used that place to symbolize the eternal place of punishment and torment (cf. Mark 9:43, 45). To James “hell” conjures up not just the place but the satanic host that will some day inherit it—they use the tongue as a tool for evil.
3:8 no man can tame the tongue. Only God, by His power, can do this (cf. Acts 2:1–11).
3:9 bless…curse. It was traditional for Jews to add “blessed be He” to a mention of God’s name (cf. Ps. 68:19, 35). However, the tongue also wishes evil on people made in God’s image. This points out the hypocritical inconsistency of the tongue’s activities. made in the similitude of God. Man was made in God’s image (see notes on Gen. 1:26).
3:11, 12 Three illustrations from nature demonstrate the sinfulness of cursing. The genuine believer will not contradict his profession of faith by the regular use of unwholesome words.
3:13–18 In v. 13, James makes a transition from discussing teachers and the tongue to dealing with wisdom’s impact on everyone’s life. He supports the truth of OT wisdom literature (Job to Song of Solomon), that wisdom is divided into two realms—man’s and God’s.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 648
