The five individual chapter commentaries on the Epistle of James that I have written have been incorporated into one text of the entire epistle. The first two chapter commentaries were written in 1998 and have been greatly modified for this text. An effort has also been made to convert previously used first person language with more formal third person language. That having been said and in looking at the first chapter of the Epistle of James, it considers authorship, the date that the epistle was written, and the basis for its acceptance into the biblical canon. With a strong focus on the Greek language, the goal has been to perform good exegesis on the original text. Among the topics examined are enduring temptation, receiving a crown of life, living one's faith every day, and recognizing pure and undefiled religion.
In considering the second chapter of the Epistle of James, one should note that it focuses on not being a respecter of persons, on everyone's guilt by the law, on faith without works, and on justification by works. People often struggle with the contrast between Paul's writings of faith and James' writings of works. So the below discussions will show the relationship between the two and how they work together in a Christian's life. In the first part of the third chapter of the Epistle of James, the author warned spiritual leaders within the Church about being God-called and God-prepared for their respective ministries. In the second part of the third chapter, James wrote about the wisdom that comes from the Lord. He began by asking who was wise and had knowledge. His implied answer was that wisdom and knowledge rest with the godly simply because they are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
In the first part of the fourth chapter of the Epistle of James, the author had written about the unanswered selfish prayers of those people who primarily pray for what they want. The obvious conclusion is that truly godly people should always pray for what the Lord wants of them rather than for what they might hope to get for themselves from Him. In the second part of the fourth chapter, he had written about the importance of putting the Lord first in all things. After that, he gave his recipe for holy living. It is to submit oneself to the Lord and resist the devil. Finally, he wrote about the importance of the saints of God not speaking inappropriately or harshly about one another or to one another. In chapter five of his epistle, James had concluded his writing to his brethren by encouraging them to not be troubled by their poverty or mistreatment by others. He concluded by saying that the most important thing in this life is to be saved and in a personal eternal relationship with the Lord.
There is one note, however, to be made with respect to the organization of this text. Something that the reader of this text might find useful is boxes that show the different passages that are being referenced at the times and in the places where they are being referenced. That way, he or she will not have to jump all over the place or get into or out of the scriptures to locate a particular reference. Hopefully that inclusion will help the reader in trying to understand the various events and to also put them into the right context. So it is hoped that that will make this book easier to read and that the Lord will receive the praise, honor, and glory that He rightfully deserves.
