Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
“WISDOM IN THE CHURCH” – James 2:1-26
II. 2:1-4:12 THE MANIFESTATION OF WISDOM
1. 2:1-13 IMPARTIALITY AND COMPLETE OBEDIENCE
a. 2:1 DO NOT BE A RESPECTER OF PERSONS
A-delPHOI mou, me en pro-so-po-lemPSIais [4382] Eche-te ten PIStin
My brothers, are you holding the faith of Jesus Christ
tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU ChrisTOU tes DOxes?
our :Lord of the glory with respect of persons?
b. 2:2-4 PROOF OF EVIL JUDGMENT: RESPECT OF THE RICH
eAN gar eiSELthe eis su-naGOgen [4864] huMON aNER chru-so-dakTUli-os [5554],
For if a man come into your :synagogue with a gold ring,
en esTHEti lamPRA [2986],
in brilliant clothing,
kai Eire-te, Su KAthou HOce kaLOS;
and say, You sit here in a good place;
eiSELthe de kai ptoCHOS [4434] en ‘ru-paRA [4508] esTHEti;
and a poor man also come in mean clothing;
e-piBLEpse-te de ePI ton phoROUNta [5409] ten esthete ten lamPRAN,
3 and you have regard to him that wears the brilliant :clothing,
kai to ptoCHO EIpete,
and you say to the poor man,
Su STEthi e KAthou eKEI hoPO to hu-poPOdiON [5286] mou;
YOU stand or sit there under my :footstool;
ou di-eKRIthe-te [1252] en he-auTOIS,
4 did you not discriminate among yourselves,
kai eGEnes-the kriTAI [2923] di-a-lo-gisMON [1261] po-neRON?
and become judges with evil thoughts?
c. 2:5 GOD’S JUDGMENT: RICH AND POOR ARE EQUAL
A-KOUsa-te, a-delPHOI mou a-ga-peTOI;
Hearken, my beloved brothers;
Ouch ho TheOS e-xeLExa-to tous ptoCHOUS [4434] to KOSmo
did not :God choose the poor as to the world
plouSIous en PIStei, kai kle-roNOmous [2918] tes ba-siLEIas [932]
to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom
hes e-pegGEIla-to tois a-gaPOsin auTON?
which he promised to them that love him?
d. 2:6a TO COURT THE RICH IS TO DESPISE THE POOR
huMEIS de e-teMAsa-te [818] ton ptoCHON.
But YOU have dishonored the poor man.
e. 2:6b ACTIONS OF RICH: PERSECUTION OF THE POOR
ouch hoi PLOUsi-oi ka-ta-du-naSTEUou-sin [2616] huMON,
Do not the rich oppress you,
kai auTOI ELkou-sin huMAS eis kriTEri-a [2922]?
and themselves drag you before judgment-seats?
f. 2:7 ACTIONS OF RICH: BLASPHEMY OF CHRIST’S NAME
ouk auTOI blas-pheMOUsin [907] to kaLON Ono-ma
Do not THEY blaspheme the honorable name
to e-pi-kleTHEN eph’ huMAS?
by which you are called?
g. 2:8-9 JUDGMENT FOR ACCEPTNCE OF PERONS: SIN!
ei MENtoi NOmon teLEIte [5055] ba-si-liKON kaTA ten graPHEN [1124],
Howbeit if you fulfil the royal law according to the scripture,
A-gaPEseis ton pleSIon [4139] sou hos se-auTON, kaLOS poiEIte:
You shall love your :neighbor as yourself, you do well:
ei de pro-so-po-lempTEIte [4380], ha-marTIan erGAzes-the,
9 but if you have respect of persons, you commit sin,
e-legCHOme-noi huPO tou NOmou hos pa-raBAtai [3848].
being convicted by the law as transgressors.
h. 2:10 PENALTY FOR BREAKING PART OF LAW: GUILT FOR THE WHOLE
HOStis gar HOlon ton NOmon teREse,
For whoever shall keep the whole law,
PTAIse [4417] de en heNI, GEgo-nen PANton Eno-chos [1777].
and stumble in one point, is become guilty of all.
i. 2:11a GOD: AUTHOR OF WHOLE LAW
ho gar eiPON, Me moiCHEUses [3431],
For who said, Do not commit adultery,
EIpen kai, Me phoNEUses [5407].
said also, Do not kill.
j 11b LAW BROKEN WHEN ANY PART BROKEN
ei de ou moiCHEUeis, phoNEUeis de,
Now if you do not commit adultery, but kill,
GEgo-nas pa-raBAtes [3848] NOmou.
you are become transgressor of the law.
k. 2:12 SPEAK AND ACT AS THOSE BEING JUDGED BY WHOLE LAW
HOUtos laLEIte, kai HOUtos poiEIte,
So speak, and so do,
hos diA NOmou e-leu-theRIas [1657] MELlon-tes KRInes-thai [2919].
as those to be judged by a law of liberty.
l. 2:13 ONLY MERCY CAN OVERRIDE JUDGMENT.
he gar KRIsis aNEle-os [448] to
For the judgment is without mercy to him
me poiEsan-ti Ele-os [1656]:
that has shown no mercy:
ka-ta-kauCHAtai [2620] Ele-os KRIse-os.
mercy glories against judgment.
2. 2:14-26 GOD’S LAW DEMANDS FAITH AND WORKS
a. 2:14 FAITH WITHOUT WORKS CANNOT SAVE
Ti Ophe-los [3786], a-delPHOI mou, eAN PIStin LEge tis Echein,
What profits it, my brothers, if one say he has faith,
ERga [2041] de me Eche? me DUna-tai he PIStis SOsai auTON?
but have not works? can the faith save him?
b. 2:15-16 NO PROFIT TO WISH WELL – WITHOUT DEEDS
eAN a-delPHOS e a-delPHE gunNOI [1131] huPARcho-sin,
If a brother or sister be naked,
Kai leiPOme-noi [3007] tes e-pheMErou [2184] troPHES [5160],
and lacking daily :food,
EIpe de tis auTOIS ex huMON,
16 and one of you say to them,
HuPAge-te en eiREne, therMAInes-the [2328] kai chorTAzes-the [5526];
Go in peace, be warmed and filled;
me DOte de auTOIS ta e-piTEdei-a [2006] tou SOma-tos;
and you give them not the things needful to the body;
ti Ophe-los?
what profits it?
c. 2:17 FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
HOUtos kai he PIStis, eAN me Eche ERga,
Even so the faith, if it have not works,
neKRA [3498] es-tin kath’ he-auTEN.
is dead in itself.
d. 2:18 WORKS SHOW FORTH TRUE FAITH
all’ eREI tis, Su PIStin Echeis, ka’ ’GO ERga Echo:
But one will say, YOU have faith, and I have works:
DEI-XON moi ten PIStin sou choRIS ton ERgon,
show me your :faith apart from the works,
ka’ ’GO soi DEIxo ek ton ERgon mou ten PIStin.
and I by my :works will show you the faith.
e. 2:19 FAITH OF DEMONS PRODUCE NO GOOD WORKS
su pisTEUeis HOti heis TheOS es-tin: kaLOS poiEIS:
YOU believe that God is one: you do well:
kai ta daiMOni-a [2240] pisTEUou-sin, kai PHRISsou-sin [5425].
the demons also believe, and shudder.
f. 2:20 FAITH APART FROM WORKS IS BARREN
THEleis de GNOnai, O ANthro-pe keNE [2756],
But will you know, O vain man,
HOti he PIStis choRIS ton ERgon arGE es-tin?
that the faith apart from the works is barren?
g. 2:21 ABRAHAM: JUSTIFICATION PROVEN BY WORKS
Ab-raAM ho paTER heMON ouk ex ERgon e-di-kaiOthe [1344],
Was not Abraham our :father justified by works,
a-neNEGkas [399] I-saAK ton huiON auTOU ePI to thu-si-asTEri-on [2379]?
in that he offered up Isaac his :son upon the altar?
h. 2:22-23 WORKS PERFECT FAITH AND BRINGS GOD’S FAVOR
BLEpeis HOti he PIStis suNERgei [4903] tois ERgois auTOU,
You see that the faith wrought with the works,
kai ek ton ERgon he PIStis e-te-leiOthe [5048];
and by the works was the faith perfected;
kai ep-leROthe he graPHE he LEgous-sa,
23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says,
E-PIsteu-sen de – Ab-raAM – to TheO,
And he – Abraham – believed :God,
kai e-lo GISthe [3049] auTO eis di-kai-oSUnen;
and it was reckoned to him for righteousness;
kai PHIlos [5384] TheOU ekLEthe.
and he was called God’s friend.
i. 2:24 CONCLUSION: WORKS JUSTIFY AS WELL AS FAITH
hoRA-te HOti ex ERgon di-kaiOUtai ANthro-pos,
You see that by works a man is justified,
kai ouk ek PISte-os MOnon.
and not by faith alone.
j. 2:25 RAHAB’S WORKS BROUGHT JUSTIFICATION
hoMOIos de kai ‘RaAB he PORne [4204] ouk ex ERgon e-di-kaiOthe,
And likewise was not also Raab the harlot justified by works,
hu-po-de-xaMEne [5264] tous agGElous [32],
in that she received the messengers,
kai heTEra hoDO ek-baLOUsa?
and sent them out another way?
k. 2:26 AS SPIRIT GIVES LIFE TO BODY, SO WORKS GIVE LIFE TO FAITH
HOSper to SOma [4983] choRIS PNEUma-tos neKRON [3498] es-tin,
Just as the body apart from spirit is dead,
HOUtos kai he PIStis choRIS ERgon neKRA es-tin.
even so :faith apart from works is dead.
NOTE: There are two distinct aspects of truth made clear in this passage. They came to the fore through the Numeric Phenomenon revealed in the sentence and paragraphing structure. Chapter 2:1-13 clearly reveals God’s absolute requirement for believers to treat poor people equally with the rich. H.A. Baker did this with the Orphan and Beggar children of Kunming, China (Visions Beyond the Veil), and again through the Ka Dos of S.W. China. Then his grandson and his wife, Rolland and Heidi Baker, are just as diligently showing forth this Gospel Principle in Mozambique, and the neighboring nations in Africa.
Next – God is equally adamant in requiring “works” to accompany “faith”. One Scottish preacher from Mississippi (Dr. D.A. "Scotchie" McCall) loved to say, “Talk is cheap – Jesus demands action!” The way we see and handle the poor is an accurate illustration of the validity of our faith in the eyes of God.
And let us remember – one day we will ALL stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ as believers, and answer for the deeds done on earth in our bodies! THIS is why demons tremble – while we are often careless and negligent in this area. Remember also Jesus’ parable as to WHO is my neighbor? The ONE person in need!
One of my daily prayers that I sing is: “Love, Pray and Bless – Don’t judge or criticize.”
If one wants to major on faith alone and forget the balance of WORKS – then I can see why Luther thought the book of James to be an epistle of straw.