Chronological Life Application Study Bible 2nd Edition - Flipbook - Page 12
IN THE BEGINNING
undated–2100 BC
GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE
2100–1800 BC
BIRTH OF ISRAEL
1800–1406 BC
THE PROMISED LAND
1406–1050 BC
f JAMES 1:19-27 (cont.)
A Warning against Prejudice
to get angry. 20 Human anger* does not produce the
righteousness* God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth
and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word
God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power
to save your souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do
what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey,
it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see
yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that
sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget
what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your
tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is
worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of
God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world
corrupt you.
JAMES 2:1-13
Jas 1:20a Greek A man’s anger. Jas 1:20b Or the justice.
noble name.
Jas 1:21 James advises us to get rid of all
that is wrong in our lives and humbly accept
the salvation message we have received,
because it alone can save us.
Jas 1:22-25 It is important to listen to what
God’s Word says, but it is much more important to obey it and to do what it says. We can
measure the effectiveness of our Bible study
time by the effect it has on our behavior and
attitudes. Do you put into action what you
have studied?
Jas 1:25 How does a law give us freedom?
God’s Law offers us a true reflection of our
sinful condition, along with the opportunity
to ask for his forgiveness (see Rom 7:7-8)
and guidance in obeying him in daily life. As
believers, we are saved by God’s grace, and
this salvation frees us from sin’s control. We
are then free to live as God created us to live.
This does not mean that we are free to do as
we please (see 1 Pet 2:16); rather, we are
now free to obey God.
Jas 1:26 See the notes on James 3,
pp. 1584–1585, for more on controlling
the tongue. No matter how spiritual we
may think we are, we all could control our
speech more effectively.
Jas 1:27 In the first century, orphans and
widows had very little means of economic
support. Unless a family member was willing
to care for them, they were reduced to begging, selling themselves as slaves, or starving. By caring for these people, God’s people
put God’s Word into practice. When we give
with no thought of receiving, we show what
it means to truly serve others.
Jas 1:27 To keep ourselves from letting
the world corrupt us, we need to commit
ourselves to Jesus’ ethical and moral system, not the world’s. We are not to adapt
to the world’s value system, which is based
1582
UNITED KINGDOM
1050–930 BC
My dear brothers and sisters,* how can you claim to
have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor
some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your
meeting* dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in
dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good
seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one,
“You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—
well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t
God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?
Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he
promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor
the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag
you into court? 7Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus
Christ, whose noble name* you bear?
Jas 2:1 Greek brothers; also in 2:5, 14. Jas 2:2 Greek your synagogue. Jas 2:7 Greek slander the
SHOWING FAVORITISM
Why it is wrong to show favoritism to the wealthy:
1. It is inconsistent with the Messiah’s teachings.
2. It results from evil thoughts.
3. It insults people made in God’s image.
4. It is a by-product of selfish motives.
5. It goes against the biblical definition of love.
6. It shows a lack of mercy to those less fortunate.
7. It is hypocritical.
8. It is a sin.
on money, power, and pleasure. True faith
means nothing if we are contaminated with
such values.
Jas 2:1ff In this chapter James argues
against favoritism and for the necessity of
good deeds. He presents three principles of
faith: (1) Commitment is an essential part
of faith. You cannot be a believer simply by
affirming the right doctrines or agreeing with
biblical facts (Jas 2:19). You must commit
your mind and heart to Jesus. (2) Right
actions are the natural by-products of true
faith. A genuine believer will have a changed
life (Jas 2:18). (3) Faith without good deeds
doesn’t do anybody any good—it is useless
(Jas 2:14-17). James’s teachings are consistent with Paul’s teaching that we receive
salvation by faith alone. Paul emphasizes
the purpose of faith: to bring salvation.
James emphasizes the results of faith:
a changed life.
Jas 2:1-7 James condemns acts of
favoritism. Often we treat a well-dressed,
impressive-looking person better than
someone who looks shabby. We do this
because we would rather identify with successful people than with apparent failures.
The irony, as James reminds us, is that
the supposed winners may have gained
their impressive lifestyle at our expense. In
addition, the rich find it difficult to identify
with the Lord Jesus, who came as a humble
servant. Are you easily impressed by status,
wealth, or fame? Are you partial to the
“haves” while ignoring the “have nots”?
This attitude is sinful. God views all people
as equals, and if he favors anyone, it is the
poor and the powerless. We should follow
his example.
Jas 2:2-4 Why is it wrong to judge a
person based on economic status? Wealth
may indicate intelligence, wise decisions,
and hard work. On the other hand, it may
only mean that a person had the good
fortune of being born into a wealthy family.
Or it may be the sign of greed, dishonesty,
or selfishness. By honoring someone who
dresses well, we are making appearance
