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Text -- James 2:10 (NET)

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Context
2:10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Dictionary Themes and Topics: Works | Sin | Religion | Obedience | OFFENCE; OFFEND | GUILTY | Faith | Commandments | more
Table of Contents

Word/Phrase Notes
Robertson , Vincent , Wesley , JFB , Clarke , Calvin , Defender , TSK

Word/Phrase Notes
Barnes , Poole , Haydock , Gill

Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes , Geneva Bible

Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Barclay , Constable , College

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Evidence

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Jam 2:10 - -- Whosoever shall keep ( hostis tērēsēi ). Indefinite relative clause with hostis and aorist active subjunctive of tēreō , old verb, to gua...

Whosoever shall keep ( hostis tērēsēi ).

Indefinite relative clause with hostis and aorist active subjunctive of tēreō , old verb, to guard (from tēros guarding), as in Mat 27:36, without an (though often used, but only one example of modal ean =an in James, viz., Jam 4:4). This modal an (ean ) merely interprets the sentence as either more indefinite or more definite (Robertson, Grammar , p. 957f.).

Robertson: Jam 2:10 - -- And yet stumble in one point ( ptaisēi de en heni ). First aorist active subjunctive also of ptaiō , old verb, to trip, as in Jam 3:2; Rom 11:11....

And yet stumble in one point ( ptaisēi de en heni ).

First aorist active subjunctive also of ptaiō , old verb, to trip, as in Jam 3:2; Rom 11:11. "It is incipient falling"(Hort).

Robertson: Jam 2:10 - -- He is become ( gegonen ). Second perfect indicative of ginomai , "he has become"by that one stumble.

He is become ( gegonen ).

Second perfect indicative of ginomai , "he has become"by that one stumble.

Robertson: Jam 2:10 - -- Guilty of all ( pantōn enochos ). Genitive of the crime with enochos , old adjective from enechō (to hold on or in), held in, as in Mar 3:29. T...

Guilty of all ( pantōn enochos ).

Genitive of the crime with enochos , old adjective from enechō (to hold on or in), held in, as in Mar 3:29. This is law. To be a lawbreaker one does not have to violate all the laws, but he must keep all the law (holon ton nomon ) to be a law-abiding citizen, even laws that one does not like. See Mat 5:18. for this same principle. There is Talmudic parallel: "If a man do all, but omit one, he is guilty for all and each."This is a pertinent principle also for those who try to save themselves. But James is urging obedience to all God’ s laws.

Vincent: Jam 2:10 - -- Keep ( τηρήσῃ ) See on Jam 2:8.

Keep ( τηρήσῃ )

See on Jam 2:8.

Vincent: Jam 2:10 - -- Offend ( πταίσῃ ) Lit., as Rev., stumble.

Offend ( πταίσῃ )

Lit., as Rev., stumble.

Vincent: Jam 2:10 - -- He is guilty ( γέγονεν ἔνοχος ) Lit., he is become guilty. Ἔνοχος , guilty, is, strictly, holden; within the con...

He is guilty ( γέγονεν ἔνοχος )

Lit., he is become guilty. Ἔνοχος , guilty, is, strictly, holden; within the condemning power of. Compare Mat 26:66; Mar 3:29; 1Co 11:27. Huther cites a Talmudic parallel: " But if he perform all, but omit one, he is guilty of every single one."

Wesley: Jam 2:10 - -- Is as liable to condemnation as if he had offended in every point.

Is as liable to condemnation as if he had offended in every point.

JFB: Jam 2:10 - -- The best manuscripts read, "Whosoever shall have kept the whole law, and yet shall have offended (literally, 'stumbled'; not so strong as 'fall,' Rom ...

The best manuscripts read, "Whosoever shall have kept the whole law, and yet shall have offended (literally, 'stumbled'; not so strong as 'fall,' Rom 11:11) in one (point; here, the respecting of persons), is (hereby) become guilty of all." The law is one seamless garment which is rent if you but rend a part; or a musical harmony which is spoiled if there be one discordant note [TIRINUS]; or a golden chain whose completeness is broken if you break one link [GATAKER]. You thus break the whole law, though not the whole of the law, because you offend against love, which is the fulfilling of the law. If any part of a man be leprous, the whole man is judged to be a leper. God requires perfect, not partial, obedience. We are not to choose out parts of the law to keep, which suit our whim, while we neglect others.

Clarke: Jam 2:10 - -- For whosoever shall keep the whole law, etc. - This is a rabbinical form of speech. In the tract Shabbath, fol. 70, where they dispute concerning th...

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, etc. - This is a rabbinical form of speech. In the tract Shabbath, fol. 70, where they dispute concerning the thirty-nine works commanded by Moses, Rabbi Yochanan says: But if a man do the whole, with the omission of one, he is guilty of the whole, and of every one. In Bammidar rabba, sec. 9, fol. 200, and in Tanchum, fol. 60, there is a copious example given, how an adulteress, by that one crime, breaks all the ten commandments, and by the same mode of proof any one sin may be shown to be a breach of the whole decalogue. The truth is, any sin is against the Divine authority; and he who has committed one transgression is guilty of death; and by his one deliberate act dissolves, as far as he can, the sacred connection that subsists between all the Divine precepts and the obligation which he is under to obey, and thus casts off in effect his allegiance to God. For, if God should be obeyed in any one instance, he should be obeyed in all, as the authority and reason of obedience are the same in every case; he therefore who breaks one of these laws is, in effect, if not in fact, guilty of the whole. But there is scarcely a more common form of speech among the rabbins than this, for they consider that any one sin has the seeds of all others in it. See a multitude of examples in Schoettgen.

Calvin: Jam 2:10 - -- 10.For whosoever shall keep the whole law. What alone he means is, that God will not be honored with exceptions, nor will he allow us to cut off from...

10.For whosoever shall keep the whole law. What alone he means is, that God will not be honored with exceptions, nor will he allow us to cut off from his law what is less pleasing to us. At the first view, this sentence seems hard to some, as though the apostle countenanced the paradox of the Stoics, which makes all sins equal, and as though he asserted that he who offends in one thing ought to be punished equally with him whose whole life has been sinful and wicked. But it is evident from the context that no such thing entered into his mind.

For we must always observe the reason anything is said. He denies that our neighbors are loved when a part only of them is through ambition chosen, and the rest neglected. This he proves, because it is no obedience to God, when it is not rendered equally according to his command. Then as the rule of God is plain and complete or perfect, so we ought to regard completeness; so that none of us should presumptuously separate what he has joined together. Let there be, therefore, a uniformity, if we desire rightly to obey God. As, for instance, were a judge to punish ten thefts, and leave one man unpunished, he would betray the obliquity of his mind, for he would thus shew himself indignant against men rather than against crimes; because what he condemns in one he absolves in another.

We now, then, understand the design of James, that is, that if we cut off from God’s law what is less agreeable to us, though in other parts we may be obedient, yet we be come guilty of all, because in one particular thing we violate the whole law. And though he accommodates what is said to the subject in hand, it is yet taken from a general principle, — that God has prescribed to us a rule of life, which it is not lawful for us to mutilate. For it is not said of a part of the law, “This is the way, walk ye in it;” nor does the law promise a reward except to universal obedience.

Foolish, then, are the schoolmen, who deem partial righteousness, as they call it, to be meritorious; for this passage and many others, clearly shew that there is no righteousness except in a perfect obedience to the law.

Defender: Jam 2:10 - -- James, no doubt, realized that his Jewish readers, accustomed as they had been to trusting in the law for salvation, needed to realize fully that they...

James, no doubt, realized that his Jewish readers, accustomed as they had been to trusting in the law for salvation, needed to realize fully that they could never be justified before God by keeping the law, since no one could ever keep it perfectly. Not only Jews but all men need to realize that they can never be saved by their good works (Eph 2:8, Eph 2:9; Rom 4:5; Gal 2:16). One unforgiven sin is enough for condemnation."

TSK: Jam 2:10 - -- For : While the Jews taught that ""he who transgresses all the precepts of the law has broken the yoke, dissolved the covenant, and exposed the law to...

For : While the Jews taught that ""he who transgresses all the precepts of the law has broken the yoke, dissolved the covenant, and exposed the law to contempt; and so has he done who has only broken one precept;""they also taught, ""that he who observed any principal command was equal to him who kept the whole law,""and gave for an example the forsaking of idolatry. To correct this false doctrine was the object James had in view.

whosoever : Deu 27:26; Mat 5:18, Mat 5:19; Gal 3:10

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Jam 2:10 - -- For whosoever shall keep the whole law - All except the single point referred to. The apostle does not say that this in fact ever did occur, bu...

For whosoever shall keep the whole law - All except the single point referred to. The apostle does not say that this in fact ever did occur, but he says that if it should, and yet a man should have failed in only one particular, he must be judged to be guilty. The case supposed seems to be that of one who claimed that he had kept the whole law. The apostle says that even if this should be admitted for the time to be true in all other respects, yet, if he had failed in any one particular - in showing respect to persons, or in anything else - he could not but be held to be a transgressor, The design of this is to show the importance of yielding universal obedience, and to impress upon the mind a sense of the enormity of sin from the fact that the violation of any one precept is in fact an offence against the whole law of God. The whole law here means all the law of God; all that he has required; all that he has given to regulate us in our lives.

And yet offend in one point - In one respect; or shall violate any one of the commands included in the general word law. The word offend here means, properly, to stumble, to fall; then to err, or fail in duty. See the notes at Mat 5:29; Mat 26:31.

He is guilty of all - He is guilty of violating the law as a whole, or of violating the law of God as such; he has rendered it impossible that he should be justified and saved by the law. This does not affirm that he is as guilty as if he had violated every law of God; or that all sinners are of equal grade because all have violated some one or more of the laws of God; but the meaning is, that he is guilty of violating the law of God as such; he shows that be has not the true spirit of obedience; he has exposed himself to the penalty of the law, and made it impossible now to be saved by it. His acts of obedience in other respects, no matter how many, will not screen him from the charge of being a violator of the law, or from its penalty. He must be held and treated as a transgressor for that offence, however upright he may be in other respects, and must meet the penalty of the law as certainly as though he had violated every commandment.

One portion of the law is as much binding as another, and if a man violates any one plain commandment, he sets at nought the authority of God. This is a simple principle which is everywhere recognised, and the apostle means no more by it than occurs every day. A man who has stolen a horse is held to be a violator of the law, no matter in how many other respects he has kept it, and the law condemns him for it. He cannot plead his obedience to the law in other things as a reason why he should not be punished for this sin; but however upright he may have been in general, even though it may have been through a long life, the law holds him to be a transgressor, and condemns him. He is as really condemned, and as much thrown from the protection of law, as though he had violated every command. So of murder, arson, treason, or any other crime. The law judges a man for what he has done in this specific case, and he cannot plead in justification of it that he has been obedient in other things.

It follows, therefore, that if a man has been guilty of violating the law of God in any one instance, or is not perfectly holy, he cannot be justified and saved by it, though he should have obeyed it in every other respect, any more than a man who has been guilty of murder can be saved from the gallows because he has, in other respects, been a good citizen, a kind father, an honest neighbor, or has been compassionate to the poor and the needy. He cannot plead his act of truth in one case as an offset to the sin of falsehood in another; he cannot defend himself from the charge of dishonesty in one instance by the plea that he has been honest in another; he cannot urge the fact that he has done a good thing as a reason why he should not be punished for a bad one. He must answer for the specific charge against him, and none of these other things can be an offset against this one act of wrong. Let it be remarked, also, in respect to our being justified by obedience to the law, that no man can plead before God that he has kept all his law except in one point. Who is there that has not, in spirit at least, broken each one of the ten commandments? The sentiment here expressed by James was not new with him. It was often expressed by the Jewish writers, and seems to have been an admitted principle among the Jews. See Wetstein, in loc., for examples.

Poole: Jam 2:10 - -- For whosoever shall keep: this is not an assertion, that any man doth keep the whole law so as to offend but in one point, but a supposition that if,...

For whosoever shall keep: this is not an assertion, that any man doth keep the whole law so as to offend but in one point, but a supposition that if, or admitting, such a one were.

The whole law all the rest of the law, that one point only of the whole being excepted.

And yet offend in one point slip, or trip, or stumble at; it seems to signify the least failing in any point of the law.

He is guilty of all guilty of the breach, and obnoxious to the punishment, of all; not distributively, or separately, as if he transgressed every precept distinctly; but:

1. Conjunctively or copulatively; he is guilty of not keeping the whole law, though not of breaking each particular command; he breaks the whole law, though not the whole of the law: as he that wounds a man’ s arm wounds the whole man, though not the whole of the man; he that breaks one link breaks the whole chain, and he that fails in one musical note spoils the whole harmony.

2. He sins against charity, which is the sum of the law, and upon which all the commands depend; and so though he keep most of them, as to the substance, yet he keeps none of them in a right manner, because none out of love, which should be the principle out of which he observes all of them.

3. He sins against the authority of the whole law, which is the same in every command.

4. He is liable to the same punishment, though not the same degree of it, as if he had broken all the commandments, Gal 3:1 ; and his keeping most, cannot exempt him from the punishment due for the breach of that one. This he speaks either in opposition to the Pharisees among the Jews, who thought themselves righteous if they kept most of the law, though in some things they came short; or rather, against hypocrites among Christians, who would pick and choose duties, obey some commands and neglect others; whereas no obedience to God is right, but that which is impartial, and respects all the commands, Psa 119:6 Mat 5:19 .

Haydock: Jam 2:10 - -- Is become guilty of all. It is certain these words are not to be taken merely according to the letter, nor in the sense which at first they seem to ...

Is become guilty of all. It is certain these words are not to be taken merely according to the letter, nor in the sense which at first they seem to represent, as if a man by transgressing one precept of the law transgressed and broke all the rest: this appears by the very next verse, that a man may commit murder by killing another, and not commit adultery. And it is certain, as St. Augustine observes, that all sins are not equal, as the Stoic philosophers pretended. See St. Augustine, Epist. clxvii, (nov. ed. tom. 2, p. 595) where he consults St. Jerome on this very place out of St. James, and tells us that such a man may be said to be guilty of all, because by one deadly sin he acts against charity,[3] (which is the love of God and of our neighbour) upon which depends the whole law and all its precepts; so that by breaking one precept, he loseth the habit of charity, and maketh the keeping, or not breaking of all the rest, unprofitable to him. Secondly, it may be added, that all the precepts of the law are to be considered as one total and entire law, and as it were a chain of precepts, where by breaking one link of this chain the whole chain is broken, or the integrity of the law, consisting of a collection of precepts. Thirdly, it may be said, that he who breaks any one precept, contemns the authority of the lawgiver, who enjoined them all, and under pain of being for ever excluded from his sight and enjoyment. A sinner, therefore, by a grievous offence against any one precept, forfeits his heavenly inheritance, becomes liable to eternal punishments, as if he had transgressed all the rest: not but that the punishments in hell shall be greater against those who have been greater sinners, as greater shall be the reward in heaven for those who have lived with greater sanctity and perfection. (Witham) ---

Guilty, &c. That is, he becomes a transgressor of the law in such a manner, that the observing of all other points will not avail him to salvation; for he despises the lawgiver, and breaks through the great and general commandment of charity, even by one mortal sin. (Challoner)

Haydock: Jam 2:10-11 - -- [BIBLIOGRAPHY] St. Augustine, Ep. lxvii. num. 16. p. 600. An forte quia plenitudo legis charitas est, qua Deus, proximusque diligitur, in quibus p...

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

St. Augustine, Ep. lxvii. num. 16. p. 600. An forte quia plenitudo legis charitas est, qua Deus, proximusque diligitur, in quibus præceptis charitatis tota lex pendet et prophetæ, merito fit reus omnium, qui contra illam facit ex qua pendent omnia.

====================

Gill: Jam 2:10 - -- For whosoever shall keep the whole law,.... Or the greatest part of it, excepting only in one point, as follows: Adam, in a state of innocence, was ab...

For whosoever shall keep the whole law,.... Or the greatest part of it, excepting only in one point, as follows: Adam, in a state of innocence, was able to keep the whole law, but by sin he lost that power, nor can any of his posterity now keep it perfectly: they are all transgressors of it, and liable to its penalty; unregenerate men are not obedient to it, and have an aversion to it, and despise it, and cast it behind their backs; regenerate persons, who love it, and delight in it, after the inner man, do not keep it perfectly; the several parts of the law may be indeed kept by a believer, and that sincerely, but not to a perfect degree, for in many things they all offend; Christ only has perfectly kept it, and is the fulfilling end of it for righteousness; men of a pharisaical disposition may fancy they have kept it wholly, as the young man in the Gospel, and Saul, before his conversion; but this is but a fancy, and a sad mistake: the case in the text is only a supposed one, and, as it is here put, implies perfection; for it follows,

and yet offend in one point; sin, which is a transgression of the law, is an offense to God the Father, who is of purer eyes than to behold it; to Jesus Christ, who loves righteousness, and hates iniquity; and to the blessed Spirit who is grieved and vexed by it; and to the justice of God, which being injured by it, demands satisfaction; and to the law of God, which accuses, convinces, reproves, and condemns for it. The word used signifies to "fall", and designs more than stumbling, even an open breach and violation of the law; and which being made, by any, in a single instance,

he is guilty of all: this seems to agree with some common sayings of the Jews, that he that is suspected in one thing, is suspected in the whole law y; and he that keeps this or the other command, keeps the whole law; and he that breaks this, or the other command, breaks the whole law; as whether it respects the sabbath, or adultery, or that command. Thou shall not covet, or any other z: and this must be understood, not of every particular command in the law, as if he that is guilty of murder is in that instance also guilty of adultery; or he that is guilty of adultery is in that instance guilty of murder; but the sense is, that he is guilty of the breach of the whole law, though not of the whole of the law; as he that breaks anyone condition of a covenant, which may consist of many, though he does not violate every condition, yet breaks the whole covenant; so he that transgresses in anyone point of the law, breaks the whole, commits sin, and is deserving of death, and is treated by the law as a transgressor of it, let it be in what instance it will. But it does not follow from hence, that all sins are equal, as the Stoics say a, for there are greater and lesser sins, Joh 19:11 though not some venial, and others mortal, for the wages of every sin is death; nor that the punishment of sin will be alike, as all sins were punishable alike by Draco's laws, but not by the law of God, Mat 11:22 but this may be fairly concluded from hence, that there can be no justification in the sight of God, by an imperfect obedience to, the law, or by a partial righteousness: the law requires perfect obedience, and in failure of that, though but in one point, curses and condemns; and likewise it may be inferred from hence, that a man is not at liberty to obey and neglect what commandments of the law he pleases, but should have respect to them all; which seems greatly the design of the apostle, as appears by what follows.

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jam 2:10 Grk “guilty of all.”

Geneva Bible: Jam 2:10 ( 5 ) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of ( g ) all. ( 5 ) A new argument to prove the same conclu...

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Jam 2:1-26 - --1 It is not agreeable to Christian profession to regard the rich, and to despise the poor brethren;13 rather we are to be loving and merciful;14 and n...

MHCC: Jam 2:1-13 - --Those who profess faith in Christ as the Lord of glory, must not respect persons on account of mere outward circumstances and appearances, in a manner...

Matthew Henry: Jam 2:8-13 - -- The apostle, having condemned the sin of those who had an undue respect of persons, and having urged what was sufficient to convict them of the grea...

Barclay: Jam 2:8-11 - --The connection of thought with the previous passage is this. James has been condemning those who pay special attention to the rich man who enters the...

Constable: Jam 2:1-26 - --III. Partiality and Vital Faith 2:1-26 "In the epistle of James, the Holy Spirit has given the church a commenta...

Constable: Jam 2:1-13 - --A. The Problem of Favoritism 2:1-13 James' previous reference to hypocritical religiosity (1:26-27) seem...

Constable: Jam 2:10-11 - --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....

College: Jam 2:1-26 - --JAMES 2 VII. JUDGING BY APPEARANCE (2:1-13) A. FAVORITISM (2:1-7) 1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favorit...

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Commentary -- Other

Evidence: Jam 2:10 THE FUNCTION OF THE LAW "It is of great importance that the sinner should be made to feel his guilt, and not to the impression that he is unfortunate...

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Introduction / Outline

Robertson: James (Book Introduction) THE EPISTLE OF JAMES BEFORE a.d. 50 By Way of Introduction The Author He claims to be James, and so the book is not anonymous. It is either ge...

JFB: James (Book Introduction) THIS is called by EUSEBIUS ([Ecclesiastical History, 2.23], about the year 330 A.D.) the first of the Catholic Epistles, that is, the Epistles intende...

JFB: James (Outline) INSCRIPTION: EXHORTATION ON HEARING, SPEAKING, AND WRATH. (Jam. 1:1-27) THE SIN OF RESPECT OF PERSONS: DEAD, UNWORKING FAITH SAVES NO MAN. (Jam. 2:1-...

TSK: James (Book Introduction) James, the son of Alphaeus, the brother of Jacob, and the near relation of our Lord, called also James the Less, probably because he was of lower stat...

TSK: James 2 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Jam 2:1, It is not agreeable to Christian profession to regard the rich, and to despise the poor brethren; Jam 2:13, rather we are to be ...

Poole: James 2 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 2

MHCC: James (Book Introduction) This epistle of James is one of the most instructive writings in the New Testament. Being chiefly directed against particular errors at that time brou...

MHCC: James 2 (Chapter Introduction) (Jam 2:1-13) All professions of faith are vain, if not producing love and justice to others. (Jam 2:14-26) The necessity of good works to prove the s...

Matthew Henry: James (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The General Epistle of James The writer of this epistle was not James the son of Zebedee; for he was pu...

Matthew Henry: James 2 (Chapter Introduction) In this chapter the apostle condemns a sinful regarding of the rich, and despising the poor, which he imputes to partiality and injustice, and show...

Barclay: James (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER OF JAMES James is one of the books which bad a very hard fight to get into the New Testament. Even when it did come to ...

Barclay: James 2 (Chapter Introduction) Respect Of Persons (Jam_2:1) The Peril Of Snobbery Within The Church (Jam_2:2-4) The Riches Of Poverty And The Poverty Of Riches (Jam_2:5-7) The R...

Constable: James (Book Introduction) Introduction Historical background The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-b...

Constable: James (Outline) Outline I. Introduction 1:1 II. Trials and true religion 1:2-27 A. The v...

Constable: James James Bibliography Adamson, James B. The Epistle of James. New International Commentary on the New Testament se...

Haydock: James (Book Introduction) THE CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES, THE APOSTLE. __________ ON THE CATHOLIC EPISTLES. INTRODUCTION. The seven following Epistles have bee...

Gill: James (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO JAMES This epistle is called "general", because not written to any particular person, as the epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philem...

Gill: James 2 (Chapter Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO JAMES 2 In this chapter the apostle dissuades from a respect of persons, on account of outward circumstances; shows that the law is...

College: James (Book Introduction) FOREWORD I owe a debt of gratitude to many for assistance with this volume. John York and John Hunter are responsible for making me a part of the Co...

College: James (Outline) OUTLINE I. GREETING - 1:1 II. ENDURING TRIALS - 1:2-4 III. ASK FOR WISDOM - 1:5-8 IV. RICHES TEMPORARY - 1:9-11 V. TEMPTATION NOT FROM ...

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