Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 5. Jesus' appearance before Herod 23:8-12
  Luke alone recorded this aspect of Jesus' Roman trial. He probably did so because Herod Antipas found no basis for condemning Jesus either. Thus Luke cited two official witnesses to Jesus' innocence for his readers' benefit (...
• Historical background
  The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:19) and the brother of Jude, the writer of the epistle that bears his name (cf. Matt. 13:55). This was the opinion of many of the earl...
• 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...
• 2. The present improper practice 2:2-4
  The hypothetical84or familiar85situation James constructed in verses 2 and 3 presents what some have called the case of the nearsighted usher.2:2-3 "Assembly"is literally "synagogue."In the early history of the church Jewish ...
• 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...
• 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...
• 2. James' illustration 2:15-16
  As he did before (vv. 2-4), James provided a hypothetical though not uncommon situation to illustrate his point (vv. 15-16).James envisioned a situation that may very well have taken place in his church in Jerusalem where the...
• 2. The importance of graciousness 3:14-16
  3:14 "Bitter jealousy"and "selfish ambition"are motives that must not inhabit the heart of a teacher or he will find himself saying things he should not. These are attitudes toward others and self that are the antithesis of g...
• 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...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• I. Now, Most Misconceptions Of A Writer's Meaning Are Due To Imperfect Definition Of Terms.
  James was no metaphysician, and he does not stop to put precisely what he means by' faith.' Clearly he meant by it the full evangelical meaning of trust when he used it in the earlier part of the letter (Jas. 1:3, 6; 2:1-5). ...