Bible Truth Daily DevotionBible Commentary for Christians

James 5:12.  Swearing is for emphasis.  It increases trustworthiness of the speaker.  Does it have to be an oath for the speaker to be trustworthy?  A positive answer points to the corrupt nature of the person.  James echoes the teaching of Jesus (Matt 5:33-37).  Christians need to practice truth telling at all times, so that we represent our Lord faithfully. 

James 5:12-18.  Christian walk is not alone.  Our life is connected to and dependent on other Christians.  Elders of the church possess power, authority endowed by God.  We should seek their help in times of sickness.  Verse 16 refers that sins must be confessed to them and to others as well.  That is the accountability we voluntarily subject ourselves to other Christians.

The power of prayer is limitless on what it can do but is limited by what a person do.  (威力無邊的禱告毫無功效) God does not hear the prayer of a sinner (Is 59:2).  If we want God to hear us, we should confess our sins first.

James 5:19-20.  Apostle Peter mentions that love can cover a multitude of sins (1Pe 4:8).  Many conjecture that is the sins of others.  That concept does not need to be spoken.  People who go out to save others know that they are doing it to save the others from death and from sins.  The scripture here speaks to the sins of the ones who save.  By virtue of their love, God will forgive their sins and save them from death. 

Meditation:

What should we do for God?  God puts Christians together as a body.  When we do things to build up one another, we do it unto the Lord.  Honesty is vital to genuine relationship.  Prayer is our support to one another.  Confession gives accountability to our Christian walk.  Redemption of others is love in action.   Let’s practice these Christian actions in our life.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the church in Christ we have.  We pray that we would be strengthened to walk in Jesus’ way.  We ask that our sins be forgiven.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

James 5:1-6.  God is not against rich people.  Specifically, God is against four types of rich people listed here.  The first type is the ones seeking fame and influence.  They are described as someone laying up treasure for the last days in verse 3.  The last days can be understood as the end time and certainly means the end of the world.  Since they are condemned as the others, they cannot be saving up eternal treasures.  What they are saving are glory and fame that lasts generations and generations.  They are the philanthropists who have no God in their mind.  They contribute to charitable works purely for the love of extending their fame and influence beyond their own generation.  Their eternity is without God.  Because of their influence, they would lead others astray. 

The second type is the fraudulent rich people.  They cheated others of the fair wages (v. 4).  God will judge these ones.  The third type is self-seeking rich.  They amass wealth to indulge themselves on (v. 5).  They have fancy cars, their own airplanes, yachts, and even trains.  They have themselves in focus for the money they make.  The last type of the rich God is against is the “God-hating” rich.  They cannot stand people representing righteousness.  They would use their wealth, influence, and authority to condemn and even to murder the righteous persons (v. 6). 

James 5:7-9. Patience is made up of the word long-suffering in Greek.  James admonishes us to have the heart of a farmer.  Through labor and toil, the farmer still needs to depend on God to send rain.  That patient or long-suffering is the character for us to learn.   Christians should know that we can put in work but result is dependent on the Lord.  That faith that God awaits at the door to send in his reward and judgment will carry us to the last days.

James 5:10-11.  Job is the example of long-suffering.  At the end of his suffering, God repaid him twice of what he had. 

Meditation:

God has called Christians not to be rich, despite many preachers say that what Christianity is about.  Instead God has called us to be farmers.  We need to bare fruits in our life.  James teaches us long-suffering— another aspect of farmers. 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, teach us patience.  Help us be complete in you.  Make us farmers to bear fruits.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

James 4:1-3.  Fights and quarrels are disturbing for Christians.  The natural man may not see anything wrong with them. The regenerated man knows better.  What do we know?  Our Lord Jesus Christ is meek and gentle; we should take up his yoke and model after him (Matthew 11:29). We should have peace in our soul.  So what causes the fights among brothers and sisters in Christ?  The root cause is the word passion, which appears at the beginning and at the end of this passage.  The word “passion” is hedones in Greek; it is the root word of hedonism in English and carries the same meaning.  The seeking of pleasure or happiness is the source of problem. 

What is pleasure?  Luke reframes it as the pleasures of life.  Pleasures of life are something that chokes out our spiritual life (Luke 8:14).  The pleasures of life can be as simple as a cup of coffee and as complex as some preconceived notion of traditional, common practice.  Are we saying that coffee or a traditional practice is wrong?  No, but when that cup of coffee or that practice stops us from meeting a spiritual challenge that God puts in front of us, it becomes the pleasure of life that chokes the spiritual life out of us. 

James 4:4.  Christians are in a war.  The war is between the darkness of this world and the kingdom of light (Eph 5:8; 6:12).  When we asked God to save us, we were changed from being enslaved by sin to becoming soldiers of Christ.  Hence, if we befriend our old master, the world, who is the enemy of God, we will effectively be betraying our Lord.  The act is treason, and we are enemy of God.  Do we do that?  Of course, we all have done it. 

James 4:5.  Addressing sinning Christians is why James wrote the book.  Verse 5 is not a direct quote of the Bible.  It is a reminder of the tenet of faith.  God has sent Holy Spirit to indwell in believers; the Holy Spirit is telling us right and wrong.  James says that the Holy Spirit yearns with envy.   The word envy here can also be understood as pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of happiness.  In other words, the Spirit was grieved when we sin and speak out against it (Eph 4:30). 

James 4:6.  Even as we sin, God still give more grace.  The key to receive grace is to be humble.  Following is a list of five things Christians do to stay humble and to receive grace.  First is to submit to God; second to resist the devil; third to draw near to God; fourth to cleanse our hands; fifth to be wretched and mourn.   

James 4:11-12.  Jesus commands that we do not judge.  The real meaning of His command is explored in Judging According to Jesus.  James is concerned about the quarrel and fight in church (4:1).  The spirit of loving the world remains and takes the form of judging or slandering.  The phrase “speak evil” is katalaleo; the word is translated as slander in Rom 1:30 and 2Cor 12:20. Slandering is to speak something inherently false to defame against someone.  In this case, it is slandering within the church.  Such persons are slandering the law and judge the law.  That is what pagans do to Christians (1Pe 4:4).  Christians should be aware that God is our judge.  

James 4:13-16.  Our tongue can violate God by speaking presumably.  We fail to honor God when we speak as if we control our future.  James teaches us to speak in a way that acknowledges Jesus as the Lord of our lives. 

James 4:17.  This verse echoes what the verse about it is better not to be a teacher in 3:1.  It also tells all Christians the definition of sins.

Meditation:

Now that James told us what to do with our tongue, Christians have no excuse of not knowing right and wrong.  The hard thing for Christians is not about inability to know what the Scripture teaches because difficult passages make up a small part of the Bible. The hard thing for Christians is to follow the self-explanatory directives in the Word of God.  What excuse do we have but to admit that we sin against God?  May God give us grace again. 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask that you have mercy on us because we sin against you.  We pray for your Spirit in us once again calls out our sin and lead us on.  We ask that  obedience to be restored in us.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

James 3:1.  Teachers are not held to a higher standard.  They are held by the standard of their position and what they teach.  Teachers are workers of God; they better handle the word rightly (2Tim 2:15).  If they fail to teach according to the word, they would be judged severely.  Moreover, teachers mostly educate through by verbal instruction.  They should substantiate their teaching with their actions.  Any actions that are contrary to their teaching would be held against them. 

James 3:2-4.  There are three things to say about the tongue.  The first is that the tongue has great power.  Like the rudder to a ship and bits in the mouth of a horse, the tongue can direct the path of a man.  Kind words would lead to caring actions.   Cursing would lead to hostility.  The tongue bridles the body. 

James 3:5-8.  The second is that the tongue can be a great destructive force, like the hell fire.  This powerful force is also untamable, more so than any wild animals.  James warns us to treat it like a restless evil and poison. 

James 3:9-12.  Finally, the tongue can be illogical.  On the one hand, it is used to praise God; on the other hand, it is used to curse people.  How can the same instrument be so polar opposite?  James points out the illogical but factual nature of the tongue. 

James 3:13-18.  The secret in controlling the tongue rests in the heart and mind.  Wisdom and understanding in the mind and mercy and gentleness in the heart will make peace. 

Meditation:

What is in our tongue?  Is our tongue tamed?   Read verses 13 to 18 again and let it washes us over.  Let it rinses the dirt out of our soul and our spirit.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, please put out the great hell in our tongue.  Help us be a gentle spirit and blesses you and others.   In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

James 2:14-17.  There are two ways to expound on the passage of vv. 14-26.  One is the traditional track in focusing the major argument of faith is always accompanied by work. Following that track, the author appears to argue that faith without work is no benefit to anyone (vv. 14-17), is no different from the faith of Satan (vv. 18-19), and is not consistent with historical accounts (vv. 20-26).  That is a good track with one lone problem.  Verse 18 argues for work alone saves.   This track does not explain how that argument fits into the overall argument. 

Another track is to see James attacking the issue of faith and work with a complete examination of all possibilities.  James treats the issue at hand not as theological but as ontological.  In other words, James wants a born-again Christian to understand what makes him a Christian. 

This issue of faith and work is often debated, and it has come to the forefront with Tim Tebow.  The opinion out there often falls into two camps.  One camp agrees that a Christian should make public profession of their faith.  The other camp says that a Christian should quietly do their work and affect the people around them.  What does the book of James teach us the truth here?  There are three possible combinations of this issues faith and work faced by all Christians.  The first possible combination is to have faith without work.  The second is to have work and no faith.  The last is to have both.  Can a Christian just have faith and no work to back him up?  This applies to Christian who wears their faith on their sleeve but their behavior is not consistent with their profession of faith.  Some celebrity that came to mind is like Oprah and President Obama.  Can they have genuine faith?  James gives an illustration to show how ludicrous the notion is.   His example bets the question, “Can you just bless someone and meet his physical needs through the blessings alone?”  Of course not!  That Christian and his profession would be ineffective to another person who needs his help.  In short, faith without work has no effect on other people.  Unspoken is this deduction:  If faith without work cannot touch or change another person, it will also have no effect on oneself. James concludes that faith by itself is dead. 

James 2:18-19.  The second possible combination is to have work and no faith.  The issue here is often misunderstood.  The issue is not so much about someone having work that is exemplarily of a Christian, i.e. going on a mission to tell others about Jesus.  It is about someone who has done much charitable work but is silent or refutes to profess about their faith.  People can say this, “Don’t question my faith.  My work says it all.”  This is a similar argument that is said in verse 18.  Is their work really showing their faith?  Bear in mind that a great person does not make a good Christian, or someone who is great to the society is not necessary a saint.  This is especially true in the society of America.  People who have good moral character or have done much charitable work can be mistaken as good Christians.  But unless they profess Jesus is their Lord and Savior, they are not believers.  

James does not bring this out to judge others but for Christians to inquire within.  Again the issue is ontological for all Christians.  What is driving you to do the good work? 

Work cannot be apart from faith.  James strongly warns all Christians to contemplate about their faith beside their works.  He uses a highly negative example.  Satan does the work of God on the surface.  He goes about to check on the faith of the world and reports it back to God (Job 1).  He believes that there is a God, but he does not trust in God.   Satan is a strong negative example of work is not necessary equal to faith in God.  Satan’s faith is not to trust in God but to replace God. Today people can do work for the wrong reasons.  We can do it because it is a good tradition or we believe in good karma. Even within the church wall, people can be doing things for the wrong reason. The cause of the work can be mistaken as a result of believing in Jesus Christ.  Never mind about the faith of someone else.  It is important to inquire ourselves if we have the eternal hope of glory in Christ Jesus when we do work.  If we do, we need to profess our faith as a basis of our work to others.

James 2:20-23.  James affirms that the natural outcome of faith is work.  The word useless is argos in Greek; it literally means “not at work.”  It can also mean inactive.  The point is that faith that has no work is not working.  James goes on to list the example of Abraham offering up his son because his faith was active. 

James 2:24-26.  Another example of work backed by faith is Rahab.  She was different from Abraham in that she had faith that was not obvious to anyone but herself.  When she was given a chance to show her belief, she did not hesitate.  Her work shows forth her faith.  Conclusion is that justification is both faith and work.  In summary, faith that works is an active faith; faith that has no work is faith that does not work. 

Meditation:

There are three types of Christians based on faith and work.  Ask ourselves this question, “What type of Christian am I?” If we not the faith and work type, we will need to move toward the one championed by James.  

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace.  Help us to have faith and help us to live out our faith.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

James 2:1-9. Partiality is differential treatment based on certain traits or economic class.  The passage here addressed partiality in showing favoritism to the rich and in ignoring the poor.  James went on to explain in three ways why this kind of partiality is wrong.   The first was to understand God’s will.  The gospel has drawn mostly the underprivileged proportionally. This result is because God has favored the poor.  Favoritism of rich over poor is wrong because it diametrically opposes the will of God.  The second reason is that the church has suffered at the hand of rich people.  The rich has even blasphemed the name of God.  Just because the rich comes through the church door does not mean we should let down our guard.  Finally, God expects His children to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Financial status, rather rich or poor, should not change the degree of that love. 

James 2:10-13.  God’s demand for entry into heaven is to be without sin.  The author breaks it down to one specific commandment.  If we commit adultery by lusting after another person, we are no better than the one who commit murder by hating another person.  In fact, everyone have sinned one way or another against the most basic of the law—the Ten Commandment.  That is why Paul affirmatively says we all have sinned.  Since none can enter the heaven based on our own merit, we all have to rely on the mercy of God provided through the death of Jesus on the cross.   If that is the case, there are two implications for Christians.  The first is obvious in the passage.  We have to recognize what saves people is the grace of God.  Mercy is the main point of our message.

We recognize that no one can enter heaven on their own.  We should try to save people. 

Meditation:

There are two main points about how we treat others in this passage.  One is to treat others without partiality.  The other is to keep mercy first. The two are vital in spreading the gospel.

James 1:19.  The word “this” refers to the fact that we have a new birth in Christ, who is the word of truth.  This new birth brings on a new being, who often struggles with the old being in us.  The author James tells us that we have to make some decisions regarding our old and new beings.  The first is that the new being is able to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We have foster the growth of the new being by practicing that. 

James 1:21.  Then the old being that favors filthiness and rampant wickedness needs to be put away.   

James 1:22-25.  Here the word of God is likened to a mirror.  In this analogy, it brings out an important discipline of the new life.  Christians should read the word of God daily, just like we all check our face daily in the mirror.  The word of God contains the laws, which is like a plumb line.  When we read the word of God, it would reflect our spiritual condition and tells us what is right and wrong in our thoughts and actions. In shunning the wrong and enforcing the right, we foster the growth of the new being and deny the feeding of the old self.   

James 1:26-27.  Religious is not the Greek word “eusebes” but is “threskos.”  The word eusebes is translated as pious and points to an inner godliness.  The word threskos is an outward ceremonial service.  James wants to define what outward godliness looks like.  There are two facets of this ceremonial service.  One is to find the disadvantaged brothers and sisters among us and to help them out.  The other is to abstain from any physical activities that lead us to sin.    

Meditation:

A new born cannot survive on his own.  It needs others to feed and to care for him.  Spiritual newborn also craves for the spiritual milk and care.  James tells us that we have to make some important decisions and take actions to take care of our new being in Christ.  There are four things that James mentions.  They are to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, to put away filthiness and wickedness, to read the word of God daily and to take action to correct the wrongs, and to practice godliness in outward actions, i.e. caring for the poor and sick and to abstain from sins. 

Christians certainly would agree in their heart and mind what James commands us.  The spirit of James’ epistle is the word “work.”  We need to work out what are in our hearts. 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for providing for our needs as a new born babe in Christ.  We pray that we take actions to take what you give and feed our new beings.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Jude 3.  Original reason to write was about our common salvation, and the new reason was to contend for the faith.  What did Jude contend about?  He was concerned about the object of our faith or the effect of that faith.  The remainder of the epistle revolved around that concern. 

Jude 4.  What is the faith unto salvation for? It is for good work (Eph 2:10).  But that is not how our world perceives salvation.  Easily people would take that grace of God and universalize it.  God becomes a benevolent and nonjudgmental deity and receives all persons because they all have a “good” heart.  The only people not able to enter into heaven are death row inmates, rapist, and tyrants, i.e. Hitler and Chairman Mao.  Since all people basically can go to heaven, why not enjoy life?  They then indulge in sensual activities, i.e. sex, pornography, drugs, alcohol, games, movies, and entertainment.  In the end, they deny that Jesus is the only way because that is too restricted.  These people are erroneous in their understanding of salvation.  They do not understand who God is and do not honor Him.  There are three accounts in the Bible that shows how God would judge the beings that did not honor God.

Jude 5.  Was it not Moses who led people out of Egypt?  The author was not thinking human but deity here.  God gave Moses the authority and power to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, so it was God who led the people out.  It was also God who destroyed all the unbelieving people when they thought they could not overcome the obstacles in taking Canaan.    

Jude 6. The Bible does not record the event that the angels left their positions of authority.  The Bible tells us about the fate of these angels.  The book of Peter mentions the same fate for sinning angels (2Pe 2:4).   The book of Revelation talks about four angels bound to be released on events leading to the judgment day (Rev 9:14-15).

Jude 7. This verse spelled out why homosexuality was wrong and that God was against it. 

Jude: 9-11.  Michael was a positive example of how to act in faith.  In this account, Michael tried to handle the body of Moses in a dignified way.  He obeyed the command of the authority and did not blaspheme. 

Cain was driven by his covetousness.  When he saw that God liked Abel’s offering and not his, he became angry.  Later he killed Abel (Gen 4).  Balaam was a tragic figure in the Old Testament.  He was the priest of the most high God.  But he wanted to find ways around God’s wishes, so he could make money (Num 22-24).  Korah’s rebellion was to assume that he got it right and misled people to rebel against Moses.  The earth opened and swallowed up him, his family, and his followers (Num 16). 

Wayward leaders in the church mutate in similar ways.  They covet what others have.  They then figure that they can partially obey God and still get what they want.  Finally, they come out against God’s wishes. 

Jude 12-16.  Shepherds should be caring for their sheep.  Clouds should give rain, i.e. water. Waves should be powerful.  Stars should course through the night sky.  When these do not fulfill their purpose in life, they become utterly useless.  When human beings fail to live up to God’s blueprint for us, God will hold us accountable one day. 

Jude 17-23.  Jude reminds us the essence of other apostles had said about events leading up to the end time.  They are recorded  in Acts 20:29-30; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2; Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3-4 and 2 Peter 2:1-3; and 3:3-4.

Meditation:

I find what Jude was concerned about is very relevant today.  Many people walk around believing that they have salvation.  Then they make up a God according to their desire.  They will go on to teach and lead others astray.  

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us what our faith and the action of our faith should be.  Help us follow and save others from the error of their ways.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

James 1:1.  The intended audience of the book of James was the twelve tribes of the Jews. They knew the commandments of God before they became saved by grace.  They could not use the alibi of not knowing the will of God; they knew that they were saved to do the will of God.  In that sense, the book of James is for this generation of Americans.  People kind of know some of the commandments of God that are applicable to believers.  They need to remove that grace-based faith and embrace the work verifying faith in grace.  

James 1:2-4.  Understanding trials is paramount for Christians in this life.  First concept to grasp is the nature of trials.  The key word in v. 3 is “when.”  The question is not if trials would come but when trials come.  Trials are a certainty in life.  God sends trials, so we would become perfect and complete. 

The second concept to grasp about trials is how to deal with it.  The scriptures teach us to be steadfast.  What is steadfastness?  The Greek word hupomone means endurance, patience, perseverance under suffering in faith and duty.  Hebrew 12:1 encourages believers to hold fast the same character in running the race that is set before us.    

James 1:5-8. Trials bring out the new life in us.  Trials are difficulties that we cannot handle with our old self.  We need heavenly wisdom to see our circumstance.  Not only wisdom but the new life in us would become stronger in us and defeat the old self.  We learn to trust God in asking.  The new self born in Christ would be strengthened.   

James 1:9-12.  Both the exaltation and humiliation speak of one common event of life—death.  While the lowly brother can pass from the poverty to eternal riches, the rich meet the same fate no different from any other.  In fact, the rich would just be unprepared and alone like all others.   If the end is the same for all, living to gain wealth is a hopeless pursuit.  The focus should be the heavenly award.  The way to get this eternal award is to persevere during trial.  God would give a crown to those who withstand the test.  Verse 12 points out the important reward in a trial—the heavenly award.    

James 1:13-16.  Trials cannot be confused with temptation.  Temptation comes from within and is characterized with lust and leads to sinning.   

James 1:17-18.  We are all joy when we receive a perfect gift.  Trials are gifts from above. That is why we count it joy when we encounter trials.    

Meditation:

How does understanding trials help us embrace them?   

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, give us strength to endure trials.  Help us to forgive others who hurt us.  Help us focus on the award in heaven.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Song of Solomon 8:1-4.  The Shulammite wished that Solomon were her brother, so she could kiss him without reservation.  She expressed her strong desire for him. 

Song of Solomon 8:5-7.  The wilderness was a metaphor for the past struggles the couple had.  Just like the Israelites struggled in the wilderness when they did not follow God’s command, Solomon and the Shulammite found themselves struggled when they did not follow God’s command in marriage.  The estrangement in the dream was a reflection of real life problems.  Finding wanting of each other, they came out together from their separation.  The Shulammite referred her as someone who awakened Solomon as a new born.  As a baby, he was crying for love, which the apple tree symbolized.   That love of wanting was strong and fierce, as compared to death, which was something inevitable in everyone’s life.  True love was pure; it could not be brought with money. 

Song of Solomon 8:8-9.  These two verses recalled what the brothers of the Shulammite thought of her before the wedding day.  While she was young, i.e. no breasts, her brothers were planning for her wedding, which was what the phrase “when she is spoken for” meant.  They also planned to reward her if she behaved like a wall, which carried the meaning to uphold her virginity. 

Song of Solomon 8:10.  The Shulammite confirmed that she upheld her virginity throughout her youth.  When she became mature, Solomon was attracted to her because she helped him find peace.  

Song of Solomon 8:11-12.  Solomon leased out his vineyards to caretakers.  They were to pay him a thousand pieces of silver for the lease.  The caretakers would give workers two hundred pieces of silver for their work.  The Shulammite was in love with Solomon.  She belonged to him, so Solomon could have his thousand and her two hundred as well. 

Song of Solomon 8:13.  Solomon interjected here.  He expressed his desire to hear her voice.

Song of Solomon 8:14.  The Shulammite invited Solomon to approach her to have physical intimacy. 

Meditation:

Love must be pure.  If it is not, it will bring a lot of struggle to the relationship.  There were some items pointed out as impure.  Money should not be a motivation or a cause to get love and should not be a stumbling block in marriage.  Another one was about keeping one’s purity before marriage.  If their marriage was done, why was there a problem?  Solomon’s marriage had problem because of his many wives.  Emotionally, Solomon could not be pure to the Shulammite.

Are we emotional pure to our spouse?  Do we have other things that come in between us and our spouse?  

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us our mate.  Help us see what we put in between us and our spouse.  Help us remove those things that made our love impure.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.