Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: JAMES #3 - 2:1-26)
II. JAMES 2:1-4:12 THE MANIFESTATION OF WISDOM
A. 2:1-26 WISDOM IN THE CHURCH
1. 2:1-13 IMPARTIALITY AND COMPLETE OBEDIENCE
a. 2:1 DO NOT BE A RESPECTER OF PERSONS
A-delPHOI mou, meen pro-so-po-lemPSIais [4382]Eche-te ten PIStin
My brothers, are you holding the faith of Jesus Christ
tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU ChrisTOU tes DOxes?
our :Lord of the glory with respect of persons?
b. 2:2-4 PROOF OF EVIL JUDGMENT: RESPECT OF THE RICH
eAN gar eiSELtheeis su-naGOgen [4864]huMON aNER chru-so-dakTUli-os [5554],
For if a man come into your :synagogue with a gold ring,
en esTHEti lamPRA [2986], eiSELthede kai ptoCHOS [4434]en ‘ru-paRA [4508]esTHEti;
in brilliant clothing, and a poor man also come in mean clothing;
e-piBLEpse-te de ePI ton phoROUNta [5409]ten esTHEteten lamPRAN,
3 and you have regard to him that wears the brilliant :clothing,
kai Eire-te, Su KAthou HOdekaLOS;kai toptoCHOEIpete,
and say, You sit here in a good place; and you say to the poor man,
Su STEthi eKAthou eKEI hoPO to hu-poPOdiON [5286]mou;
YOU stand or sit there under my :footstool;
ou di-eKRIthe-te [1252]en he-auTOIS, kai eGEnes-the kriTAI di-a-lo-gisMON po-neRON?
4 did you not discriminate among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
c. 2:5 GOD’S JUDGMENT: RICH AND POOR ARE EQUAL
A-KOUsa-te, a-delPHOI mou a-ga-peTOI; Ouch ho TheOS e-xeLExa-to tous ptoCHOUS [4434]toKOSmo
Hearken, my beloved brothers; did not :God choose the poor as to the world
plouSIous en PIStei, kai kle-roNOmous [2918]tes ba-siLEIas hes e-pegGEIla-to tois a-gaPOsin auTON?
to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?
d. 2:6a But YOU have dishonored the poor man.
huMEIS de e-teMAsa-te [818]ton ptoCHON.
e. 2:6b Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before judgment-seats?
ouch hoi PLOUsi-oi ka-ta-du-naSTEUou-sin huMON, kai auTOI ELkou-sin huMAS eis kriTEri-a [2922]?
f. 2:7 Do not THEY blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
ouk auTOI blas-pheMOUsin [907]to kaLON Ono-ma to e-pi-kleTHEN eph’ huMAS?
g. 2:8-9 JUDGMENT FOR ACCEPTNCE OF PERONS: SIN!
ei MENtoi NOmon teLEIte [5055]ba-si-liKON kaTA ten graPHEN [1124],
Howbeit if you fulfil theroyal law according to the scripture,
A-gaPEseis ton pleSIon [4139]sou hos se-auTON, kaLOS poiEIte:
You shall love your :neighbor as yourself, you do well:
ei de pro-so-po-lempTEIte [4380], ha-marTIan erGAzes-the,
9but if you have respect of persons, you commit sin,
e-legCHOme-noi huPO tou NOmou hos pa-raBAtai [3848].
being convicted by the law as transgressors.
h. 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and stumble in one point, is become guilty of all.
HOStis gar HOlon ton NOmon teREse, PTAIse[4417]de en heNI, GEgo-nen PANton Eno-chos
i. 2:11a For who said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.
ho gar eiPON, MemoiCHEUses [3431], EIpen kai, MephoNEUses [5407].
j. 11b Now if you do not commit adultery, but kill, you are become transgressor of the law.
ei de ou moiCHEUeis, phoNEUeis de, GEgo-nas pa-raBAtes [3848]NOmou.
k. 2:12 So speak, and so do, as those to be judged by a law of liberty.
HOUtos laLEIte, kai HOUtos poiEIte, hos diA NOmou e-leu-theRIas [1657]MELlon-tes KRInes-thai [2919].
l. 2:13 ONLY MERCY CAN OVERRIDE JUDGMENT.
hegar KRIsis aNEle-os [448]to me poiEsan-ti Ele-os [1656]: mepoiEsan-ti Ele-os [1656]:
For the judgment iswithout mercy to him that has shown no mercy:
ka-ta-kauCHAtai [2620]Ele-os KRIse-os.
mercy glories against judgment.
2. 2:14-26 GOD’S LAW DEMANDS FAITH AND WORKS
a. 2:14 FAITH WITHOUT WORKS CANNOT SAVE
Ti Ophe-los [3786], a-delPHOI mou, eAN PIStin LEgetis Echein,
What profits it, my brothers, if one say he has faith,
ERga [2041]de meEche? meDUna-tai hePIStis SOsai auTON?
but have not works? can the faith save him?
b. 2:15-16 NO PROFIT TO WISH WELL – WITHOUT DEEDS
eAN a-delPHOS ea-delPHEgumNOI [1131]huPARcho-sin,
If a brother or sister be naked,
Kai leiPOme-noi [3007]tes e-pheMErou [2184]troPHES [5160], EIpede tis auTOIS ex huMON,
and lacking daily :food, 16 and one of you say to them,
HuPAge-te en eiREne, therMAInes-the [2328]kai chorTAzes-the [5526];
Go in peace, be warmed and filled;
meDOte de auTOIS ta e-piTEdei-a [2006]tou SOma-tos; ti Ophe-los?
and you give them not the thingsneedful to the body; what profits it?
c. 2:17 Even so the faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
HOUtos kai hePIStis, eAN meEcheERga, neKRA [3498]es-tin kath’ he-auTEN.
d. 2:18 WORKS SHOW FORTH TRUE FAITH
all’ eREI tis, Su PIStin Echeis, ka’ ’GOERga Echo: DEI-XON moi ten PIStin sou choRIS ton ERgon,
But one will say, YOU have faith, and I have works: show me your :faith apart from the works,
ka’ ’GOsoi DEIxoek ton ERgon mou ten PIStin.
and I by my :works will show you the faith.
e. 2:19 YOU believe that God is one: you do well: the demons also believe, and shudder.
su pisTEUeis HOti heis TheOS es-tin:kaLOS poiEIS: kai ta daiMOni-a pisTEUou-sin, kai PHRISsou-sin.
f. 2:20 But will you know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is barren?
THEleis de GNOnai, OANthro-pe keNE [2756], HOti hePIStis choRIS ton ERgon arGEes-tin?
g. 2:21 ABRAHAM: JUSTIFICATION PROVEN BY WORKS
Ab-raAM ho paTER heMON ouk ex ERgon e-di-kaiOthe[1344],
Was not Abraham our :father justified by works,
a-neNEGkas [399]I-saAK ton huiON auTOU ePI to thu-si-asTEri-on [2379]?
in that he offered up Isaac his :son upon the altar?
h. 2:22-23 WORKS PERFECT FAITH AND BRING GOD’S FAVOR
BLEpeis HOti hePIStis suNERgei [4903]tois ERgois auTOU, kai ek ton ERgon hePIStis e-te-leiOthe[5048];
You see that the faith wrought with the works, and by the works was the faith perfected;
kai ep-leROthehegraPHEheLEgous-sa, E-PIsteu-sen de – A-braAM – toTheO,
23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says, And he – Abraham – believed :God,
kai e-loGISthe[3049]auTOeis di-kai-oSUnen; kai PHIlos [5384]TheOU ekLEthe.
and it was reckoned to him for righteousness; and he was called God’s friend.
i. 2:24 You see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.
hoRA-te HOti ex ERgon di-kaiOUtai ANthro-pos, kai ouk ek PISte-os MOnon.
j. 2:25 RAHAB’S WORKS BROUGHT JUSTIFICATION
hoMOIos de kai ‘RaAB hePORne[4204]ouk ex ERgon e-di-kaiOthe,
And likewise was not also Raab the harlot justified by works,
hu-po-de-xaMEne[5264]tous agGElous [32], kai heTEra hoDOek-baLOUsa?
in that she received the messengers, and sent themout another way?
k. 2:26 AS SPIRIT GIVES LIFE TO BODY, SO WORKS GIVE LIFE TO FAITH
HOSper to SOma [4983]choRIS PNEUma-tos neKRON [3498]es-tin,
Just as the body apart from spirit is dead,
HOUtos kai hePIStis choRIS ERgon neKRA es-tin.
even so :faith apart from works is dead.
NOTE: There are two distinct aspects of truth made clear in this passage. They came to the fore through the Numeric Phenomenon revealed in the sentence and paragraphing structure. Chapter 2:1-13 clearly reveals God’s absolute requirement for believers to treat poor people equally with the rich. H.A. Baker did this with the Orphan and Beggar children of Kunming, China (Visions Beyond the Veil), and again through the Ka Dos of S.W. China. Then his grandson and his wife, Rolland and Heidi Baker, are just as diligently showing forth this Gospel Principle in Mozambique, and the neighboring nations in Africa.
Next – God is equally adamant in requiring “works” to accompany “faith”. One Scottish preacher from Mississippi (Dr. D.A. "Scotchie" McCall) loved to say, “Talk is cheap – Jesus demands action!” The way we see and handle the poor is an accurate illustration of the validity of our faith in the eyes of God.
And let us remember – one day we will allstand before the Judgment Seat of Christ as believers, and answer for the deeds done on earth in our bodies! This is why demons tremble – while we are often careless and negligent in this area. Remember also Jesus’ parable as to whois my neighbor? The oneperson in need!
One of my daily prayers that I sing is: “Love, Hug, Pray and Bless – Don’t judge or criticize.”
If one wants to major on faith alone and forget the balance of works– then I can see why Luther thought the book of James to be an epistle of straw. - J.A.W.