1 Corinthians 3:18

3:18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. ¹  If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.

1 Corinthians 3:2

3:2 I fed you milk, ²  not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready,

1 Corinthians 3:13

3:13 each builder’s ³  work will be plainly seen, for the Day ⁴  will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire ⁵  will test what kind of work each has done.

James 1:22

1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.

James 1:26

1:26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ⁶  a slave ⁷  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁸  Greetings!

James 1:8

1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ⁹  unstable in all his ways.

[3:18]  ¹ tn Grk “let no one deceive himself.”

[3:2]  ² sn Milk refers figuratively to basic or elementary Christian teaching. Paul’s point was that the Corinthian believers he was writing to here were not mature enough to receive more advanced teaching. This was not a problem at the time, when they were recent converts, but the problem now is that they are still not ready.

[3:13]  ³ tn Grk “each one’s.” Here “builder’s” is employed in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ⁴ tn In an attempt to clarify the referent, some translations add “of Christ” after “Day” (so TEV); others specify this as “judgment day” (NLT) or “the day of judgment” (CEV).

[3:13]  ⁵ tc ‡ αὐτό (auto) is found at this point in v. 13 in a number of significant witnesses, including A B C P 33 1739 al. But Ì⁴⁶ א D Ψ 0289 1881 Ï latt lack it. The pronoun could be a motivated reading, designed to intensify Paul’s statement. On the other hand, it could have been deleted because the article alone made the reference already clear. In this instance, the possibility of scribal addition seems more likely than scribal deletion, although a decision is difficult. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[1:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[1:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).