Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• F. The flying scroll 5:1-4
  The priests and the kings in Israel were responsible for justice in the nation (cf. Deut. 17:9; 2 Sam. 15:2-3), though neither group could prevent wickedness from proliferating. The sixth and seventh visions deal with the rem...
• The curse of works 3:10-14
  "In vv. 6-9 Paul set forth a positive argument for justification by faith. In vv. 10-14 he turned the tables and argued negatively against the possibility of justification by works."933:10 Living under the Mosaic Law did not ...
• Message13
  The Book of James teaches us that faith in God should result in behavior that is in harmony with God's will. The theme of the book is "living by faith"or "spiritual maturity."James' concern was Christian behavior (ethics) as ...
• Outline
  I. Introduction 1:1II. Trials and true religion 1:2-27A. The value of trials 1:2-111. The proper attitude toward trials 1:22. The end product of trials 1:3-43. Help in adopting this attitude 1:5-84. The larger view of circums...
• 4. The goodness of God 1:16-18
  James now defended God before those who doubted His goodness or reliability or who had given up hope in a time of testing and had concluded that this was their "fate."551:16 James wanted his readers to have no doubt about God...
• 4. The external behavior 1:26-27
  James proceeded to explain in 1:26-2:13 what a doer of works (1:25) does.1:26 "Religious"(Gr. threskos, used here only in the New Testament) describes someone who fears or worships God. In particular, it refers to the outward...
• III. Partiality and Vital Faith 2:1-26
  "In the epistle of James, the Holy Spirit has given the church a commentary on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and Sermon on the Plain, a commentary that is rich in applications for daily life."79The similarities appear both in su...
• 4. The Christian's duty 2:8-9
  2:8 James did not mean Christians should avoid honoring the rich but that we should love everyone and treat every individual as we would treat ourselves (Matt. 7:12; cf. Lev. 19:18). The "royal"(Gr. basilikos) law is royal in...
• 5. The importance of partiality 2:10-11
  2:10 James anticipated that some of his readers might feel that preferential treatment was not very important. Consequently he pointed out that the practice of preferring certain individuals makes one a violator of God's law....
• B. The Importance of Vital Faith 2:14-26
  Some have seen this section as dealing with a new subject, the relationship of faith and works, whereas the previous one dealt with partiality (vv. 1-13). It seems to me, however, that this section relates to the preceding on...
• VI. MONEY AND PATIENT ENDURANCE 5:1-20
  The final practical problem James addressed involves money. He wrote these instructions to appraise his readers of a danger, to inform them of the ramifications of the problem, and to exhort them to deal with the situation ap...
• A. Warnings for the Rich 5:1-6
  It is characteristic of James' well-balanced style that he opened and closed his exhortations (in 2:1-5:6) with references to the rich. There is also a return in this chapter to encouragement to persevere in the will of God w...
• 3. The consequences of the error vv. 14-16
  vv. 14-15 Jude quoted loosely from a prophecy Enoch gave recorded in the Book of 1 Enoch.62Though God had not inspired that book, He led Jude to quote Enoch's prophecy.63This was a prophecy of God's judgment as it will take p...