It can be used as a term of endearment like we call someone with whom we enjoy a close personal relationship, brother. When used for those who are kin, it is very doubtful that it means cousin or anything other than ones flesh and blood sibling. If James was the cousin of Jesus, it is extremely unlikely that he would be called the "adelphos" in relation to Jesus. The Church knew nothing of this theory until A.D. 383 when Jerome produced it; it is certain that it was produced for no other reason than to conserve the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary which had recently become a NEW church teaching and doctrine. Jesus brothers were his brothers – not his cousins… A.D. Doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church 310 Prayers for the dead were introduced 320 The lighting of candles 375 The worship of saints, about 365 394 The Mass was adopted 432 The worship of Mary began to develop 500 Priests began to assume distinctive robes 593 The doctrine of purgatory was introduced 600 Worship in Latin was mandated (since repealed) 606 Claims to Papal Supremacy took root 607 Boniface III made first Pope 650 Feasts in honor of the Virgin Mary began 709 Kissing the Pope’s foot 786 Worshipping images and relics 850 Use of "holy water" begun 995 Canonization of dead saints 998 Fasting on Fridays and during Lent 1003 Feasts for the dead were introduced 1074 Celibacy of the priesthood 1076 The dogma of Papal infallibility was announced 1090 Prayer beads 1140 The doctrine that there are seven sacraments was introduced 1184 The Inquisition 1190 Sale of Indulgences 1200 The wafer was substituted for the loaf
If it was written much later - during the time of Paul’s imprisonment at Caesarea - it would explain why James does not mention the name of his friend. That would have endangered Paul even more. GREETINGS James 1:1 "James, the slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes who are scattered throughout the world." James and Jude are the only New Testament writers to describe himself by the term ("doulos") without any other qualification. Paul describes himself as the slave of Jesus Christ and his apostle (Rom.1:1; Php.1:1). 1 Being a “Doulos” implies absolute obedience. knows no law but his master's word; has no rights of his own; is the absolute possession of his master; and is bound to give his master unquestioning obedience. 2 Being a “Doulos” implies absolute humility. does not think of his privileges but his duties, not of his rights but of his obligations. Is one who has lost his self in the service of God. 3 Being a “Doulos” implies absolute loyalty. a man who has no interests of his own, what he does, he does for God. personal profit and preference do not enter into his decisions or actions 4 Being a “Doulos” implies a certain pride. It is not a title of dishonour it was the title by which the greatest men of the Old Testament were known. Moses was the "doulos" of God (1Kgs.8:53; Dn.9:11; Mal.4:4); Joshua and Caleb (Josh.24:29; Num.14:24); Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut.9:27); Job (Jb.1:8); Isaiah (Isa.20:3);
We never call murder or robbery a vice; but every act of intemperance, all falsehood, duplicity, deception, lewdness and the like, is a vice. The excessive indulgence of passions and appetites which in themselves are innocent, is a vice. The smoking of tobacco and the taking of snuff, may in certain cases be innocent and even useful, but these practices may be carried to such an excess as to become vices. This word is also used to denote a habit of transgressing; as a life of vice. Vice is rarely a solitary invader; it usually brings with it a frightful train of followers. 3. Depravity or corruption of manners; as an age of vice. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway. 4. A fault or bad trick in a horse. 5. The fool or punchinello of old shows. His face made of brass, like a vice in a game. 6. An iron press. [This should be written vise.] 7. A gripe or grasp. [Not in use.] VICE, v.t. To draw by a kind of violence. [Not in use. See Vise.] VICE, L. vice, in the turn or place, is used in composition to denote one qui vicem gerit, who acts in the place of another, or is second in authority. James bids them receive the inborn word in gentleness. The word for inborn is "emphutos," and is capable of two general meanings. (i) It can mean inborn in the sense of innate as opposed to acquired. If James uses it in that way he is thinking of much the same thing as Paul was thinking of when he spoke of the Gentiles doing the works of the law by nature because they have a kind of law in their hearts (Rom.2:14-15); it is the same picture as the Old Testament picture of the law "very near you; it is in your mouth, and in your heart" (Deut.30:14). It is practically equal to our word conscience.
Isa 53:1-3. Job 5:15; 36:15; Psalm 9:18; 68:10; 69:33; 72:12-13; 102:17; Isaiah 11:4. (James is also a bit hard on the rich in Chapter 5.) 6] But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Isa 5:18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! We pluck our candidates from the flies of the political marketplace. We allow a corrupt press to manufacture political correctness to replace truth; fabricating views of convenience to match their hidden agendas. Our politicians review the polls each day to determine what they now believe. Anger replaces patriotism. Frustration is tearing at every fabric of our divisive society. We have now become a nation without shared values. We have lawyers without justice; Management leaders without accountability; Elected representatives who ignore their commitment to our Constitution. We have legislators who vote without even reading the proposals before them. Our security forces have become the mercenaries of the globalists and pawns to the egos of our politicians. Our media presents a perspective that masks the deterioration of our national security and the inevitable financial upheaval on our horizon.
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. KJV 1 Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. KJV BACK TO JAMES Have consistent faith… Control your tongue… Act wisely…use true Wisdom… James 3:13 - 18 What is the first thing that God created? [Hint: It isn’t in Genesis 1.] Answer: Proverbs 8 (especially 23-29). WISDOM Proverbs 8:23-29 I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. [24] When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; [25] before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, [26] before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. [27] I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, [28] when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, [29] when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. THE WHO OUGHT NEVER TO BE A TEACHER James 3:13-14 "Who among you is a man of wisdom and of understanding? Let him show by the loveliness of his behaviour that all he does is done with
It will not be abandoned because it does not see itself as wrong or needful of any help, therefore it does not repent, ask for grace nor allow itself to be replaced At most it will externally ‘share’ its possession of a man but will not surrender itself nor allow itself to be replaced, renewed or transformed Three instructions, each with 3 parts: Instruction #1 three parts [1] Submit yourselves therefore to God. [2] Resist the devil, and [3] the devil will flee from you. 7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. “Submit” = military term: get in line; line up into your proper rank. “Fall in” “Dress right, Dress” “Ready, Front” You are then lined up at attention, ready to receive orders… The humility James describes is no timid, cringing thing. It knows that if a man takes a resolute stand against the devil, he will prove the Devil to be a coward. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: [9] Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Jesus, in His own temptations, showed that the devil is not invincible; When Satan is confronted with the word of God, he can be put to flight. The strong Christian has a humility which knows that he must fight his battles with the tempter, not in his own power, but in the power of God. It knows that it has the greatest privilege of all, access to God. Under the Old Testament order of things the right to approach God belonged only to the priests (Exo.19:22).
citizenship was offered freely to the Jews, for where the Jews came money and trade followed. The picture is of a man looking at a map. He points at a certain spot on it, and says, "Here is a new city where there are great trade chances. I'll go there; I'll get in on the ground floor; I'll trade for a year or so; I'll make my fortune and come back rich." James' answer is that no man has a right to make confident plans for the future, for he does not know what even a day may bring forth. Thomas à Kempis, “Man proposes but God disposes.” The Brevity of life 14] Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. The foolishness of ignoring the will of God: [1] The Brevity of life. Job 7:6 - My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.” Job 7:9 - “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.” Job 8:9 - “(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)” Job 9:25 - “Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.” [Their “post” was probably faster than ours!] We count our years at each birthday but God tells us to number our days Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. How many weekends do YOU have left? For an actuarial estimate, take 70 (“threescore and ten”), subtract your age, and multiply by 52. If you are 30, you have about 2,080 weekends left... If you are 40, you have about 1,560 weekends left...
It may be that James is not specially thinking of Jesus when he speaks about the righteous man but of the evil man's instinctive hatred of the good man. WAITING FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD The Power of Patience James 5:7-9 "Brothers, have patience until the coming of the Lord. Look you, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, patiently waiting for it until it receives the early and the late rains. So do you too be patient. Make firm your hearts for the coming of the Lord is near. Brothers, do not complain against each other, that you may not be condemned. Look you, the judge stands at the door." The Epistle of “Yakov to the Twelve Tribes of Israel” is about spiritual maturity. And that is, essentially, about patience (1:1-5). CONSNISTENCY 7] Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. The secret of strategic patience is to keep focused on the imminence of His Second Coming. The early church lived in expectation of the immediate Second Coming of Jesus Christ; and James exhorts his people to wait with patience for the few years which remain. Some Greek scholars believe that “long-suffering” refers to patience with respect to persons; and “endurance” refers to patience with respect to circumstances. David was troubled by the prosperity of the wicked: Psalm 37:35-36. In this same Psalm, he also gave the same advice that James gave: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass” (Ps 37:7). The Christian can be likened to a “Spiritual farmer,” sensitive to the seasons, sowing the seed and watering, sensitive to the soil, etc.
Spence, H.D.M. and Joseph S. Exell (editors), The Pulpit Commentary, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1961. Stulac, George M., James, Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England, 1993. Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Mature (James), Chariot Victor Publishing, Cook Communications, Colorado Springs, CO, 1978. Wiersbe, Warren, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, 1989.