James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.            Though it seems odd that James would bring up swearing in v. 12, profane language is not what he has in mind. What is in his mind is man’s feeble attempt to assert authority and control over the fut...

James 5:10-11 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.            Returning to the topic of patience in the midst of persecution, turmoil, or other difficu...

James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.            In vv. 7-8 James exhorts his audience to be patient in light of the certainty of Christ’s imminent return. Their patience was needed in light of the fact that many things were upsetting them. Keeping in mind that these Christians had been s...

James 5:8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.            Like the farmer who is longsuffering to wait for nature and God to bring His crops up from the ground in due time in v. 7, in v. 8 James exhorts Christians to be patient in their sufferings in light of Christ’s imminent return. In v. 7, James speaks of the fact of Christ’s coming; in v. 8 he speaks...

James 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.The “therefore” in v. 7 draws a conclusion from the previous context in 5:1-6, for James’ context moves from the stingy “rich”...

James 5:6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.Having accused the stingy rich of hoarding wealth in 5:2-3, cheating workers in v. 4, and living self-indulgently in v. 5, James now condemns them for their own condemnation and murder of the righteous in v. 6—those who do “not resist you” but are unjustly scorned.Though some have surmised that the “righteous m...

James 5:5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.            The rich in James’ crosshairs had “lived luxuriously” while engaging in “wanton pleasure.” The former phrase is one word in Greek (estruphasate), used in the Septuagint (LXX) for an ease of life afforded to Israel (Neh. 9:25; cf. Isa 66:11). It thus h...

James 5:4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.In v. 4 James has wealthy landowners in mind, specifically those who failed to pay their employees. Wealthy landowners were known then (as now) for employing day laborers who hired them...

James 5:2-3 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!Since the term “riches” is a general term that entails material wealth—abundance of crops, grain, cattle, or money, James is referring t...

James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.            Though the term “rich” (Gr. plousios) is a relative term, generally speaking it pertains to having an abundance of earthly possessions that exceeds actual needs. So, we are rich if we have more than we need. Of course the Bible never condemns riches, for being rich is not a sin. All things are given...

James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.            In v. 16 James is clear that Christians are not to arrogantly chart their own course for the future, for they have no power over anything and must rely on God for all things. This truth is one that every true Christian knows, for no one coming to Christ for salvation believes they are in c...

James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it i...

James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren.             If misinterpreted, James’s words will contradict other NT teachers, including Jesus Himself. Contextually, James teaches against Christian brothers speaking ill of one another and slandering each other based upon their jealous and selfish ambitions. But to conclude that James was against all forms of judgment would be to negate the...

James 4:11-12 He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?            Since many in James’ audience were in conflict with each other, full of jealo...

James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren.            The verb “speak against” (Gr. katalaleō) refers to slander—a malicious tongue (cf. 3:1-12) driven by jealousy and selfish ambition (3:14; cf. Pss. 41:7-8; 109:3). In James’ context, such slander was occurring among Christians—James specifically addressing Christians in the church, referring to them in v. 11 as “one another,” “brethr...