James by Scott Risley (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 identify what part of our desire is legitimate and where we may be deceived, turning to the Word of God to shed light, and recognizing that every temptation is an opportunity to trust and glorify God.

James urges his readers to not just listen to the Word, but to act on it. Regularly reading and actively responding to God's word is a critical part of spiritual growth. In order to maintain a habit of effective time in scripture, Christians should talk to God about what they are reading, let Him know they want to hear from Him, and ask what they can do that day. Other helpful tips are to have a plan for reading, setting aside a time and quiet place each day, and ignoring the lie that it's hopeless.

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. In particular, Christians should prioritize caring for the poor and marginalized.

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 writes that there are two kinds of wisdom: worldly and Godly. He describes worldly wisdom as selfish ambition, while he says that Godly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, without hypocrisy, and the like. Concerned that his readers are still operating under the world's wisdom, he urges them to instead embrace God's wisdom, which will manifest in the way they live their lives. 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. Christians need to be aware of the subtle pull of the world system and invest in their relationship with God to protect against spiritual adultery.

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.