James by James Rochford (2019)

James encourages the church to consider it joy when we face suffering. Not that we should be happy about our suffering, but rather times of suffering serve to test and refine our faith and can grow our character in ways not possible otherwise. However, in order to experience God's comfort and growth during suffering, we must have a mind to stand firm in faith during suffering and trust that God is at work.

James warns believers not to be deceived and fall to temptation, which often promises freedom and happiness, but instead often leads to addiction, shame, and alienated relationships. In order to break the cycle of temptation, we must be open with other believers, stop blame-shifting, change our mind about the goodness of God, and admit that our thoughts and feelings are not as trustworthy as the Word of God.

James writes that there should be no favoritism or preferential treatment within the Church. Racism, Sexism, Ageism, or any other form of discrimination have no place among God's people, since we all stand before God as His image bearers, all sinful and redeemed by His grace. We should never use superficial traits to make judgments about a person's character or value.

In this challenging passage, James urges the church to have a faith that is accompanied by good works. Contrary to some interpretations, a close reading of the passage and other related scripture shows that James is not talking about earning salvation through works, but rather that genuine faith should lead to good works so that others may see our faith.

James expresses the importance of taming the tongue--of using our words not in destructive ways that damage relationships and tear others down, but rather using our speech to love others and build them up. This is not only an outward discipline, but a result of a changed heart before God. Practical ways of taming our tongue include developing a respect for the power of our words, speaking less and listening more, regularly hearing from God through reading the Bible, and prayerfully planning ahead when entering into conversations.

James argues that true wisdom can be seen by a person's deeds. Wisdom is more than just intelligence, information, or integrity, and there are two kinds of wisdom: worldly and Godly. James describes worldly wisdom as selfish ambition, while he says that Godly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, without hypocrisy, and the like. Such wisdom comes from God and can only come from a heart changed by a relationship with Jesus Christ.

James warns the church not to love the world-system--a paradigm that values pride, temporary pleasures, achievement and possessions in order to distract us from God's eternal values. He uses the strong language of spiritual adultery to describe a person trying to follow both Christ and the world-system, which the Bible is clear is impossible. Rather than being double-minded, we should flee evil desires and in humility align our values the God's.

James criticizes a group of believers for making major plans for the future without taking God's will into consideration. James points out that we cannot know the future and it is foolish to make big life decisions without consulting the Lord. Some practical ways to bring God into big decisions are to consult the Bible, pray, seek mature counsel, and be willing to follow His will.

James emphasizes to his readers the importance of prayer in a Christian's life. We should pray at all times, when things are going well and during suffering and trials. Prayer can bring rest and healing and can unleash God's power, but we must pray according to God's will and not come to Him with conditions or an expectation that God will give us everything we want.