JAMES CHAPTER 3
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Jm 3,1-18
(92e) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
You cannot walk two trails
(239l) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Let not many of you become teachers >> Teachers
incur a stricter judgment – Earlier, in Jm 1-26, he rebuked
our speech, and now he is set to deliver a short dissertation
regarding the same subject. Since he already wrote about this, why is he
reiterating it? He's not. He writes again about our speech in a different context.
A teacher of Scripture is the
primary context of this chapter, though it is not the only one.
He strongly cautions us to be careful about even wanting to be a teacher of
God’s word, as Paul said in 1Tim 4-16, “Take heed to yourself
and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both
yourself and those who hear you.” The adage, “Actions speak louder than
words,” seems untrue standing against James chapter three, but there is a
difference in what this adage says and what James says. The adage
refers to the moment a person crosses our path and notices that our words do not
match what we do, whereas James is speaking over the course of our lives: the words we say do more than what we do with our hands to
determine the direction of our lives. Our words both restrict us and allow us to accomplish goals.
Jm 3,1-14
(85c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Your words can lead to your own demise >> Your
mouth defiles the rest of your body –
The rudder is the tongue and the ship is our body. If we are able to control the detrimental verbiage that leaks from our facial orifice,
then there is potential to build healthy relationships with both God and man,
but if we can’t control what we say, our own words will tear down what we
try to build.
Jm 3,1-12
(96o) Thy kingdom come
>>
Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having
an abusive attitude –
We forget we don’t know everything about people and speak course words that
hurt them in ways we don’t understand, which is why it is better not to say
anything in most cases. We constantly struggle with something, and there
are things people could say that would hurt us in ways they don't understand. We
try to please God; we try to
understand Him and ourselves. We always have four or five goals we are
striving
to achieve. We have problems coming against us from every
direction, and we try to deal with them at the same time. We are called to tolerate our fellow brother, because he is going
through many of own experiences. God tolerates us, and that to our salvation
(2Pet 3-15). God is patient with us because He knows we are but dust (Psalm 103-14). He knows our
struggles and our heart, how hard we try to please Him and usually fail, and we take it worse than He
does. He is a God of the heart; He is not like our employer who cares only
about results, though results matter to Him too.
Jm 3,1-4
(92c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
Practice walking a straight line
(99a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >>
Enduring the word of God
>> Endure obeying the word of God
(233i) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering
>>
Seek His glory through obedience
(249g) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of
wealth >> Our hope in this life -- These verses go with verse 13
Jm 3-1
(4c) Responsibility
>> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable
to the word of God
(45h) Judgment
>> Judged believer’s sin >> God will judge us if we
don’t heed His word
(238g)
Teachers (Key verse)
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Jm 3,2-8
(188a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Dying to self takes discipline
Jm 3,2-4
(119f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Being a slave to freedom
(134a) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Your body >>
Mediator between the natural and the spiritual realms >>
Manifesting the Kingdom of God through obedience
(151a) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word >>
Speak the logos
(156j) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> You will know them by their words --
These verses go with verse 13
Jm 3-2
(43h) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Perfect (mature)
(137i) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >>
Maturing in Jesus is hard work >> Maturity is a
training process
Jm 3,3-6
(22h)
Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Boasting in the
flesh – The fact that James used the word “boast”
in verse 5 is significant. He could have used any word to describe the evils of
our fleshly nature, but he chose to elucidate pride as the main proponent
of our undoing. We don’t understand the truth primarily because of pride. The
truth of God’s word, which revolves around the fruits of the Spirit, love,
joy, peace, patience, etc., is humiliating to the fleshly ego; we have no interest in it. We want the truth to be about us, thus
we are unwilling to submit to it, instead devise doctrines based on our
narcissistic interests, bending God's word to suit our purposes to avoid serving the
truth. All false doctrine leads back to self and is
created by the flesh for the flesh.
(173c)
Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism
>> Scripture that contradicts the catholic faith >> Catholic
doctrine versus the Bible – “How great a forest is set aflame by such a
small fire.” Some of the ways we tweak the meaning of Scripture seem innocent,
but our amendments often have huge consequences. For example, as we look at the Church
throughout the ages, how Catholicism came to have inquisitions after Jesus taught us to
turn the other cheek, the papistry had people tortured and killed, whom they
presumed were dangerous to their Christian faith. How did they drift so far from
the truth? These inquisitions, burning heretics at the stake and so many
other abuses came after much Christian persecution. Leaders of the Church finally decided they
couldn't take any more abuse and capitulated to the pagan forces of Rome, who
made the Church an entity of the state, calling their new religion Catholicism
and became
one of the great influences of the world. Once it gained strength and affluence
over its adversaries, it turned against itself and persecuted the saints, who
defied church authority, who criticized the religious establishment for
integrating pagan practices into Christianity. These changes came about by
miniscule changes in biblical doctrine that they introduced to the minds of the
people, such as the belief that God wanted them to establish a physical kingdom
on the earth instead of a spiritual one, now called Post-Millennial Dominion
theology, which is still strong today and is gaining influence among so-called
believers. See also: History of Catholicism;
Rev 17,1-5; 21m
(177b)
Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine
>> Distorting Scripture to avoid the truth – There is a duel context
here: stumbling over our doctrines, and stumbling over our tongues. If we do
not stumble in our understanding of the Scriptures, we will have the potential
to become perfect in all other areas of life, able to bridle the whole body as
well. This implies that if our doctrines are wrong, we will forfeit any
potential to perfect a vital relationship with God or line up our bodies with
His will.
Jm 3-4
(76i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Desires of your heart >> Your interests
(240g) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> The sinful
flesh -- This verse goes with verses 7&8
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Jm 3,5-18
(178e) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >>
Hypocrisy of the Church is rebuked >> The Church is rebuked for rebellion
Jm 3,5-16
(160e) Works of the devil
>>
Led by the devil into sin – If man were
suddenly unable to speak, James says that
the world of iniquity would cease to exist. Our tongue leads us astray and
defiles our entire body. Demons are also involved, in that our lives are set on fire by the forces of hell. The
demon
world is involved in our lives to the degree that we give them power, and we
empower them by the words we speak and by submitting to their
temptations.
Jm 3,5-12
(16d) Sin
>> Man’s nature is instinctively evil >> Disobedient to the will
of God – One of the main reasons people don’t become
Christians is that they know there is an evil in them that can’t be
contained, and they don’t want God holding them accountable in this
life, but would rather defer the problem until final judgment, but this
is a bad choice. The question every believer must ask himself is, ‘Am I
ready to make a commitment to Christ with my tongue?’ Making the rest of our
body
serve the Lord is easy, compared to the tongue (though there are other
challenging body parts).
(20k) Sin
>>
Disobedience >> Rejecting the word
(26g) Sin
>> Consequences of sin
>>
Death is Satan’s nature
(26l) Sin
>> Consequences of sin
>>
Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >>
Words of your mouth – We love to control things; it’s what we
do.
We have found a way to control every animal known to man; they become our
subjects and they serve us. That’s all well and good, but since we like to
control things so much, why don’t we try harder to control what we say?
James says it is not even
possible! The tongue is absolutely untamable. It is like the proverbial acid
so strong that it eats through anything we use to contain it. There is no
prison cell or counsel designed to improve our speech habits, suggesting not even James tamed his own tongue.
Nevertheless, God holds us all accountable for the words we say, though it is impossible to become perfect in
speech, meaning no one will pass through the judgment unscathed.
(166j) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >>
The carnal mind agrees with the devil
(167j) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to
the world >> The world of sin
(180j) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Rebellion >>
Rebelling against God’s narrow way >>
Rebelling against the ways of God
(181g) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Lawlessness >>
Having no regard for the law >> Being without
law
Jm 3,5-10
(163g) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Used
by Satan to destroy the word of God >> Used to
Suppress the truth
Jm 3-5,6
(134b) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Mediator
between the natural and the spiritual realms >>
Manifesting the kingdom of darkness through disobedience
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Jm 3,6-16
(185e) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Mystery of
lawlessness >> The mystery of sin – There is a wild beast on the loose and no one
can put a leash on it. All we can do is corner it and keep it from
ransacking the neighborhood. We wave our finger at it saying, ‘naughty,
naughty,’ but when we attempt to incarcerate it, it overpowers us and trots
away, looking over its shoulder, smiling and laughing at us. Here is the mystery of the
tongue: how can it be more powerful than us? It is powered by the mind; how could the tongue be more powerful than the mind?
Isn’t the problem that we really can’t control the mind? The mystery
of lawlessness is at work; demons get involved in what we say; the
rebellion shared between them and us is uncanny, like rats and mice that have
followed mankind since the beginning of time, forming the underworld below us. The tongue
can explain why the world will continue being evil, but it cannot explain why
it will never be harnessed or corralled, because it is a mystery.
Jm 3,6-12
(163k) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Entertaining demons >> Disciplined by the devil
as a son –
The tongue is not like any creature. Name just
about any animal and man has tamed it. The method of taming an animal is
befriending it. This is why dogs are so easy to train; they are
our friends; they love us and want to please us and we love them. When we train them to do
something, they consider it attention and are happy to oblige us, but the tongue is not like
that. Although it is part
of the body, is an entity by itself. For example, we say things we don’t mean;
that is, the tongue speaks for itself. We say things to people we don’t mean to tell
them. The tongue is not our friend, and it regularly gets us in trouble. Although we discipline
our body to obey us, the tongue does not receive discipline. The tongue is free to say what it wants, gets us in trouble, and
then skips away consequences-free, making us pay for the crimes it has
committed. For this reason we make
some effort to corral it or bridle it or somehow keep it in restraint, but James
says hard as we try, no one can tame the tongue.
(164c) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >>
Satan rules the world >> The world is his
kingdom –
We can’t talk to the tongue and tell it to behave; we can’t explain to it
the kind of trouble it can make for us, any more than we can talk to the devil
and make him understand. In fact, that is one of James’ points: the tongue
is much like the devil, part of us yet separate. Our bodies are made from the
dust of the ground that is cursed, making our flesh related to the
devil. Our flesh understands things that the devil understands, and it agrees
with him; consequently, the tongue often acts as his spokesman for our flesh. The tongue makes
decrees and sets wars in motion and whole events, though we were created in
the image of God. The tongue stands at the crossroads between the cursed natural
realm and the blessed spiritual realm and chooses to identify with one or the
other, and often tries to identify with both realms. God is working to turn
our voice box into an instrument of righteousness so we can be a blessing
instead of a curse. The devil cannot do anything apart from man’s flesh, and
God will not do anything apart from man’s will; these work for and
against us on opposite sides, and we are in the middle deciding
which side gets its way, and the tongue is the deciding factor in the battle. See also: Spiritual warfare (God is at war with the devil and man is in
the middle);
2Jn-7; 136e
Jm 3,6-9
(163i) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Used
by Satan to destroy the Church
Jm 3-6
(45j) Judgment
>>
Of believer’s sin >> God will judge us for the
words we speak –
Heinrich Himmler was the coordinator of all the concentration camps and was
most directly responsible for the holocaust during World War II. All the
wickedness and evil that occurred in those places will be charged against him in
the judgment, yet Jesus could condemn him to hell based on his words
alone. Once his words condemned Him, God will look at all the things he did
and make a final judgment as to what level of hell he should occupy. A person can do great evil with the appendages of his body, but the
tongue can do more damage than all of them combined. Jesus said, “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will
be condemned” (Mat 12-37).
(47c) Judgment
>>
Hell is a place of sorrow >> Hell is to be
avoided at any cost
(145f) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear
witness of Himself >> Deliverance from demon
possession >> Human state >>
Filthiness >> Being defiled
(191c) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Extract the
leaven of hypocrisy -- This verse goes with verses 13-17
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Jm 3,7-9
(55c) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Blessing God and cursing men who
are made in His image –
James said it ought not to be this way, but he did not give any solution,
meaning that he too was a victim of his own tongue. James, the writer of this
epistle, the brother of Jesus struggled with the words of his mouth, hurting
people with his tongue, using it like a dagger, saying things that are not true,
speaking the truth with an evil motive. It ought not to be this way but these
are our present circumstances, and the best we can do is minimize the damage,
but the problem of the tongue is not in our power to solve. We can keep our
mouth from speaking evil to a point, but hard as we try we will continue to
sin.
Jm 3-7,8
(240g) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> The sinful
flesh -- These verses go with verse 12
Jm 3,8-12
(174i) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >>
Form of a servant but denying God your loyalty
(195e) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >>
Serving two masters >> Being double minded – This whole chapter is about the words we
speak, and it started with verse one, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter
judgment." This sets the tone
for the rest of the chapter. Verse 9 says, “With [the
tongue] we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse men who have been
made in the likeness of God.” If we do not
bless men, neither do they bless God. James is saying that we should not be heterogeneous,
rather make
up our mind to be either a blessing or a curse. There is no solution to the problem with the tongue beyond walking in the
Spirit. No other method is effective, but James never mentioned the Holy Spirit. He was a results oriented teacher, whereas Paul taught the
process of victory, "by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live"
(Rom 8-13). We can take water
from the salt by evaporation,
but we cannot take salt from the water. In the same way, we cannot take the
tongue from the body, but we can die to the sinful passions and desires of
the flesh. Evaporation represents the resurrection that results from dying to
self.
Jm 3,9-12
(158e) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Bitterness
Jm 3-9,10
(172e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the
wheat >> Communion between the world and the Church >> The Church in the world
Jm 3-11
(225n) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >>
Parables about water
Jm 3-12
(76h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Motives >> Living by a double standard
(128n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >>
Evidence of your fruit >> Bad fruit is proof
that God is not working in you
(240g) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> The sinful
flesh -- This verse goes with verse 4
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Jm 3,13-18
(36f) Gift of God
>>
Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> The gift of wisdom
(57d) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> World’s wisdom versus God’s
wisdom
(69h) Authority
>> Righteous judgment >>
Meditate on discernment >> Judging what is pure
(87a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> God blesses us for doing His word, not for
knowing it –
James
is talking about people who claim to be wise. That is a scary claim. Those of
us who love God bypass the claim of wisdom and simply live according to His
will.
Anybody who seeks the wisdom of God in this age is asking for
hardship, difficulties and rejection, but the alternative is to
be a fool. “Who among you is wise and
understanding…” This statement is continuing to draw from the context of
verse one that says, “Let not many of you become teachers.” Who is wise?
Hopefully our teachers are wise, yet James says to them, “Let him show,” not just
espouse but demonstrate, “by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness
of wisdom.”
(89f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Deeds
of wisdom
(106n) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >>
God gives us instruction
(154f) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> God bears witness
against the world >> Witness that the world is
godless >> Witness that the world is of the
devil – These are earthly and natural problems,
and who controls the world but demons, and what comes naturally to our flesh but
sin? James is calling us from our hypocrisy, which is the subject of the entire
epistle of James, who wanted to see people living out their faith. Obviously jealousy and selfish ambition are common ways of the world,
but they also originate from demons. It doesn’t matter how things look on the outside,
once we delve into the internal workings of a person’s life and discover
what they really think and believe, we realize their hypocrisy wreaks havoc in
their lives.
(158f) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Division (Cliques) >> Jealously seeking
prominence in the body – In 2The 2-10 Paul coined the phrase “love
of the truth.” Determining whether a pastor is in love with the truth is an
accurate indicator of his motives for being a pastor. Does he really
love Jesus, or did he become a pastor as a mere career choice? God deals
differently with each person, but there are some things that remain constant
among all the saints, and one of them is that God zealously desires His people
to love the truth. Therefore, show me a pastor who is not driven to
know God, and I will show you a charlatan with
ulterior motives. He will jealously defend his position as spiritual leader of
the congregation, so when those join the Church who love the truth, who are more
learned in the Scriptures, more committed to faith and love, the pastor will
consider them a threat and persecute them until they leave the church. The pastor with selfish ambitions will become hostile
with those who actually love the Lord with all their hearts, for such people
can
potentially expose his wolf-like motivations. He will find a way to make them leave, and his first arm of defense is
turning the congregation against them and driving them from the assembly. People with bitter jealousy and
selfish ambitions are devious, and they know how to get their way. A pastor of
this caliber cannot speak the word of God in truth,
because his teaching does not “come down from above,” but its origins are
“earthly, natural, demonic.” Earthly and natural are
“worldly,” but demonic refers to the spirit behind those who are driven by bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.
See also: Spiritual abuse;
2Cor 11-4;
177e
(191c) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Extract the
leaven of hypocrisy -- These verses go with verse 6. James
advises that if we want to be a teacher of
God’s word, but our life does not correspond with the Scriptures,
then we are not to lie about it. He said that the wisdom of
hypocrisy, whose life is amiss while teaching others to live
under restraint (Rom 2,17-24), should resign from the ministry. We need to keep our eye on our
teachers, including our pastors (Rom 16-17,18), making
sure their lives match their teaching, and if they don't, we can know for
certain that they are teaching doctrines of demons (1Tim 4-1,2).
(198g) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained
by man >> Having evil motives for seeking
leadership positions >> In the ministry for personal gain – There is no jealousy or selfish ambition on
the path of truth, and the truth will never lead us in this way, yet many use the
Scriptures for selfish purposes, turning
their faith into a career, who start with selfish
ambition and decide that being a pastor would be a comfortable life, but there
are many others who really do love God and believe in Jesus and have all expenses paid
so they can devote themselves to the ministry of the word of God and prayer to help others believe in Jesus.
(234f) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God
>> Seeking the fruit of the ministry
(244i) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm is imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation
of God’s word >> Manifesting the righteousness
of His kingdom
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Jm 3,13-16
(19b) Sin
>>
Twisted thinking >> Evil is good >>
Darkness of man’s thinking – There is a massive difference between
what is from God and what isn't. Like a set of railroad tracks, when the train is on the tracks everything
is well, but the moment
the train jumps the tracks it crashes. In the same way, the moment we leave
the truth and start seeking other sources of knowledge in the world, we
crash. Knowledge apart from God leads to dark places; therefore, if we cannot detect a
driving zeal behind our pastor’s love for God, we should run fast as we can from his ministry. There are many
churches today that teach earthly,
natural and demonic doctrines. Darkness cloaks itself in religious rhetoric to make
its hidden motives palatable to the inattentive Christian, though week
to week nobody is growing and nobody is benefiting from the ministry.
(23e) Sin
>>
Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are
rich in their own minds
(24k) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anger >>
Unforgiveness
(164d) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world
system >> Satan rules the world >>
Satan is a tyrant over the world
(166e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the
world >> Nature Of Man’s Wisdom >>
Man’s wisdom is fixed on gaining personal advantage –
If we don't get our wisdom from God and from His people and from the Scriptures,
then we will get it from the world, and Satan is god of this world (2Cor
4-3), and to the extent that we accept the world is the extent that
we submit to its elementary principles. What complicates Christianity is that we are
forced into the world to make a living, yet we are to be separate from the
world. The fact that we have rejected the world and its ways is offensive to
people, resulting in our persecution. The world often tells us that we feel superior to
those who don't believe in Jesus; probably every Christian has heard this at
some point. Our answer to them is that God has commanded us to
be separate from the world, because it does not accept the
blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ as propitiation for their sins. The more Christians set
themselves apart from the world, the more the world persecutes them, yet the
more the Church grows. The
Church became an entity of the state in the third century for
the very reason to avoid persecution, and the more the
Church expresses the world's values, the more it agrees with its wisdom, which is
of the devil.
(167d) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Bound
to the earth –
When the Church seeks separation from the world, it returns to God, who made
the initial separation from man after sin entered the world (Genesis 3-23).
Adam and Eve sought separation from God after they sinned, when they ran and hid from the presence of
the Lord (Genesis 3-8); then, after God had a talk with Adam and Eve, He removed them from the Garden
and introduced them to their new environment of the earth that was already
under Satan’s curse before man sinned, which is why the Garden
of Eden was necessary. They were introduced to the laws and principles that are
at work in the earth, the law of the jungle that comprises the wisdom of
Satan, known as the wisdom of the world. In other words, Satan now
thinks in terms of the curse that God imposed on him after he sinned. At Satan’s
rebellion God stepped away from him and and away from everything that
belonged to him, which was the entire universe, and
now the creation is at war with itself and with its creator. Satan has adopted the
mindset of the curse, and the world lives by its principles: man, the earth,
the world and Satan are all one. Jesus bought back man from the curse
through His own blood, but only those who receive Him benefit from His
sacrifice; they comprise the true Church; unbelievers are still under the
eternal consequence of sin. See also:
Eve sinned before
she conceived her first child; 2The 2,3-12; 185g
(168g)
Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the
devil >> The world listens to itself >> The world speaks it’s own language
(170a) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Seeking the
glory of man >> Stepping on people to get to
the bottom >> Those who seek glory from men
discard others
(183e) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Nursery
for the spirit of error >> Selfish
ambition >> Seeking to control the truth
(184f) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace
of God >> Spending His grace on your pleasures >> Trying to take advantage of God’s
kindness
Jm 3-13,14
(22c) Sin
>>
Greed takes without consideration for others >>
Serving self
(22k) Sin
>>
Pride glorifies self >> Being wise in your own
eyes
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Jm 3-13
(127i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good teaches you
about the truth -- This verse goes with verse 18.
The
reward of doing good is that it teaches us about the truth. For example,
Corrie ten Boom and her family were kind to the Jews during World War II, but
were eventually caught hiding Jews in a small compartment in their house,
which led them to concentration camps, where they suffered unimaginable living
conditions and ill treatment by the Nazi guards. Through it all she rose above
her trials by an anointing that God bestowed on her for the kindness she
showed to the Jews. If an unbeliever were kind to Christians in a similar way, it
probably wouldn’t be long before they too became Christians. Once we become
Christians and the Holy Spirit dwells in our heart, when we do good, the Holy
Spirit will reveal His truth to us about what we are doing. This is similar to
the account of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet (Jn 13,5-20); afterward, He
revealed to them the significance of what He did. Doing good teaches us about
the truth, and the opposite is also true; when we sin, it makes learning the
truth that much harder. Those who have not dedicated their lives to
righteousness, holiness and truth are estranged from the wisdom of God. James
says that if we have wisdom, he doesn’t just want to hear our
pontifications; he also wants to see us demonstrating that wisdom. Sin builds a wall between God and us, and at
salvation we find the door that Jesus made through the sacrifice of His flesh,
so we can walk through it to the other side where God is waiting for us.
(128e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >>
Be gentle in all your ways >> Put gentleness in
your character -- This verse goes with verse 17.
Wisdom
has a certain look, and the words “good” and “gentle” are the face of
it. These are two less mentioned of the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians
chapter 5), suggesting that this may be the reason
wisdom is so rare, further suggesting that if the Spirit must produce
goodness and gentleness in us, then He must also be responsible for
understanding the wisdom of God (Eph 3-10). Of course the greatest fruit and the one most mentioned is love, which
acts like a suitcase for the others, since love itself is so elusive by
definition, meaning that the other eight fruits come from the one “love”. When we look at these tertiary fruits producing wisdom, a possession more
prized than silver and gold (according to Proverbs 3,14-16), imagine what the
more popular fruits do. For a complete description of wisdom, refer to the beginning
chapters of Proverbs, a book that is devoted to the subject of wisdom.
Although the book of Proverbs details an Old Testament version of wisdom, it
is the basis upon which God builds His new covenant wisdom in our lives
through the Holy Spirit. (Also see: 1Cor 1,18-25;2,6-8.)
(156j) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> You will know them by their words --
This verse goes with verses 17&18. Wisdom
is one of the attributes that all Christians should have as an identifying
mark as a way of discerning each other as the true children of
God. Rev 9-4 says that God will place His seal (mark) on the foreheads
of His people, and that seal is a countenance, and that countenance will
reflect their Master's wisdom, reflecting closeness with the Holy
Spirit from the hearing ear they have developed over a lifetime of faith and
love that has led them to the truth. There is no greater wisdom than God’s Truth.
The wisdom of the world, in contrast, has people spewing
“truth” in every direction, but God has His Truth, and He will dominate
all other forms of truth and wisdom. We Christians can identify an unbeliever by
his brand of so-called wisdom he promotes that contradicts the wisdom of the
Scriptures, suggesting that wisdom (or the lack of it) is one of the
greatest identifying marks of both saint and sinner alike.
We can tell if a person knows God by their wisdom alone, which literally
defines them; we also use wisdom to discern snakes
in the grass. Worldly wisdom does not require goodness and gentleness, but the
wisdom of God is built on these things. If we cannot demonstrate that we have
a firm foundation established for wisdom to grow, James' big brother tells us
that our wisdom is based on sinking sand, and at the first stiff breeze our
wisdom will collapse, and or lives will collapse with it in a heap (Mat
7,24-29).
(249g) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of
wealth >> Our hope in this life -- This verse goes with verses 17&18
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Jm 3,14-16
(76a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Hidden motives >> Based on selfish ambition
Jm 3-14
(75a)
Motives (Key
verse)
(186c) Works of the devil
>>
The result of lawlessness >> Blasphemy >>
Cursing the Holy Spirit >> Lying to the Holy
Spirit
Jm 3-15
(212d) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> He is the creator >>
Evolution (Defaming God) >> The philosophy of
evolution
(240c) Natural
Disadvantage
(Key verse)
(240h) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering
the kingdom >>
Natural disadvantage of the world –
Note that James did not say “worldly” but earthly; the connotation of “earthly” refers to the physical
planet, which is under a curse, whereas the “world” is indicative
of human civilizations that live under the principles of the curse. In essence,
the world lives under Satan’s power,
based on the curse that originated from the earth. If the “world” pertained
only to people, it wouldn’t be such a negative term, but according to
Scripture Satan rules the world, according to Jesus' words in Jn 14-30, "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is
coming [Satan], and he has nothing in Me." Satan does his work incognito; everything is
subliminal, information we don’t
process but just accept, becoming the pathways and inroads of satanic influence
in our lives. People don’t have the time or energy to monitor everything they accept as reality. They don’t realize
that what they presume
true is a potential avenue for the devil to sow his seed of deception into their
minds. They say, ‘I don’t believe in the Bible.’ That is part of the
deception! It is a thought that Satan has sown into the unbeliever's heart.
Jm 3-17,18
(98b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
Plant the word deeply in your heart
(105b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart >> A pure heart is an unleavened
heart
(126c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Peace >>
Peacemakers >> Peacemakers are a blessing
(126f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Peace >>
Terms of peace
(128m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >>
Evidence of your fruit >> Good fruit is proof
that God is working in you – The kind of people in our pulpits teaching
the good word of God have pure Christian motives, whose life parallels
the Scriptures, whose behavior is under control of the Holy Spirit. The way
they live teaches us to incorporate love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control, into our lives, as stated in Gal 5-22,23. Our teachers
walk in this way; they set an example and are the standard for the
rest of us to follow, making it safe to say that a person who will not submit
to such a person is neither a brother nor a friend of our spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can
give us the power to rise above the forces of evil that writhe in our flesh,
and the number one body part that drives us to the edge of the abyss is our tongue. Good teachers instruct their disciples
that mercy and peace should be unwavering and without hypocrisy, and these are the
very attributes we should seek in them, and if they do not showcase them, then
we should not submit to their tutelage, for they have nothing to offer.
(156j) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> You will know them by their words --
These verses go with verses 2-4
(249g) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of
wealth >> Our hope in this life -- These verses go with verses 1-4.
James’ description of wisdom mentioned two spiritual fruits: peace and
gentleness, and commenting on these two referred to them all. Therefore, the wisdom of
God is based on the
fruits of the Spirit, meaning that anyone who
walks by the Spirit is wise. These are the things that
pertain to the true wealth of God. James’ epistle had an Old Testament flare
to it in that almost everything he said pertained to this life. He was trying
to teach us how to live, and one of James’ biggest sticklers was hypocrisy.
He hated hypocrisy in those who called themselves Christians, and he no doubt
tried to avoid hypocrisy in his own life, and no doubt his contempt for
hypocrisy came from his brother, Jesus Christ, who had no hypocrisy in Him at
all. There are three things we should all incorporate into our faith; we
should walk in the Spirit, avoid hypocrisy and make peace whenever possible in
every situation. That would be a good start in realizing the hope that God has given us in this life,
and much
more in the life to come.
(250k) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Lists >>
Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of
spiritual traits in descending order
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Jm 3-17
(89b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom
corresponds with logical reasoning – Solomon in the books of Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes was one to turn a phrase. His proverbs told that it was
important to well-structure a sentence for the purpose of attracting readers,
and then we have Ecclesiastes that turned the book of Proverbs on its head. In
it he confessed to have pursued every imaginable pleasure, making the excuse
that it was an experiment sort-a-speak to see if seeking fleshly pleasure would
actually satisfy him, and in
the end he concluded that it didn’t. He said it was all "futility and striving after
wind" in Ecclesiastes 2-17, and at the end of the book it said that we
would do better to seek God. Yes, Mr. Solomon, alleged wisest man who ever lived,
we know that. He talked about hard work being honorable and useful, and at the end of his
book he said that the only meaning we will ever get from this life is to serve
God, though he personally did not do that. Solomon was one of those “Do as
I say and not as I do” sort of teachers. Contrast that with the new covenant wisdom that James says is without hypocrisy. We are not called to
perform pretentious experiments to see how much pleasure we can consume. James said that real wisdom
wouldn't do
this. The vast majority of Solomon’s Proverbs suggested that if we live sensibly, we are heading in the right direction,
but if we fill our lives with nonsense, then we are just fooling ourselves, and what we consider the will of God
is just phantoms of a wild imagination. Most of our so-called wisdom is meant
to profit us in this life; Solomon’s wisdom was geared toward that end too,
but the wisdom of the new covenant calls us to store up treasure in heaven, as
Jesus advised in Mat 6,19-21. The Old Testament
as a whole cared only for this life showing no concern at all for the life to come.
Even the mindset of Old Testament prophets focused on this life with few
exceptions. The wisdom that James suggested was for this life too; the
difference, though, was that James meant his wisdom as evidence of possessing
eternal life.
See also: Solomon;
1Cor 3-18; 57i
(116a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through Good Works >>
Works That God put in your heart
(128e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >>
Be gentle in all your ways >> Put gentleness in
your character -- This verse goes with verse 13
Jm 3-18
(127i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good teaches you
about the truth -- This verse goes with verse 13
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