The first chapter of the book of James might be one of the most challenging portions of the New Testament. Here is a simple outline of the chapter with a few (my wife says I don’t have the ability to keep it short) comments!

1. Greetings and trials. Vs 1-4 James the. brother of Jesus is the author. He was not a believer in Jesus until after the resurrected Jesus appeared to him. He was a pillar in the church in Jerusalem. His letter is full of condemning a lot of the sins that Christians commit. He was writing to Jewish Christians scattered over the Roman Empire. His first topic was trials that many of them were suffering through at the hands of their non Christian Jewish brethren and the Roman pagan society. Eventually Rome started severely persecuting Christians under Nero in the 60’s. James tell them to consider it joy when they have these trials. How so? He says that trials can produce patience and tested, prove spiritual completeness and maturity. You might go through a lot of pain as you undergo a very serious surgery and recovery, but you can actually rejoice that you are having the surgery b/c it will make you whole and well again. It’s the same with trials. You have to be able to look at the light at the end of the tunnel.
2. Wisdom and doubt. Vs 5-8 James says that God will give us wisdom to handle difficult trials and persecution. “Understanding why the trial is happening (growth, testing, discipline) and its source (God, self, enemy). Believing God is in control and good, even when things are difficult, and asking Him for help without doubting. Staying steadfast and not giving up, recognizing that growth comes through hardship. Choosing courses of action that remain honorable and pleasing to God, even when it’s hard. Using God’s wisdom to make wise choices, speak wisely, and serve others better. Find wise, godly advice to help navigate difficult decisions.” (AI) But we must ask God in faith, believing that He will give us that wisdom. Look for answers to your prayer for wisdom.
3. Humility and riches. Vs 9-11 James tells the poor Christians to glory in their exalted spiritual position as the children of God, rich spiritually even if destitute physically. No doubt many had lost property as a result of persectution as Hebrews 10:34 says (“you accepted joyfully the seizure of your property”). He tells the rich Christians to glory in that he should realize that there are no social classes among believers and that he should not trust in his riches but instead share them, especially with persecuted brethren. It is humbling for a rich Christian to realize that his riches will not last.
4. Temptation and God’s goodness. Vs 12-18 James tells them that they will receive the crown of life if they persevere under their trials and not give up their faith. But he warns them to accept accountability for failing to persevere. Some might blame God when they give in to their trials and sin when tempted. But God does not “tempt” us. That is actually the same Greek word that can simply mean “test”. peirázō (from peíra, “test, trial”) – “originally to test, to try which was its usual meaning in the ancient Greek and in the LXX” (WP, 1, 30). “The word means either test or tempt” (WP, 1, 348). Context alone determines which sense is intended, or if both apply simultaneously.” (Biblehub.com) God does test us. He tested Abraham when he told him to offer his son. Abraham could have been tempted to disobey God and fail the test, but he didn’t. James’ point is that, while God does test us with trials, God does not create the inner temptation to sin when we are tested. James says that comes from our lusts, so don’t blame God if you sin when under trials. God doesn’t force anyone to make wrong, sinful decisions. He may allow us to have a trial, or even give us a trial or testing, but how we handle it is up to us. God only gives good things or gifts, even if that is disguised in a difficult trial, since a trial can make us better.
5. Hearing and doing. Vs 19-25 James gives great but harsh advice: Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. There might be times for “righteous anger” but most of our anger is just when we lose our patience with our circumstances or when we just don’t get our way. Selfish anger will not bring about God’s righteousness. We must clear our hearts of the weeds (sinful thoughts and desires) before we plant the word of God in our hearts. We must be “not just hearers of the word but doers of the word”. The “hearer only” Christian is like a person who gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and sees his hair all tangled up, but then goes off to work without combing his hair. It is the same when we read or hear the word read to us that exposes our faults but then we do nothing to correct those faults. But when we look into the “law of freedom” we not only see our spiritual faults but the grace of God that covers our faults. That encourages us to try to correct those faults and be “an active doer and not a forgetful hearer” and we will be blessed.
6. Pure and undefiled religion. Vs 26-27 James says that one’s “religion” is worthless if he can’t bridle his tongue. Apparently James considers the tongue to be the main source of many sins. Chapter 3 is totally devoted to sins of the tongue and bridling the tongue. The one who doesn’t bridle his tongue might be “religious” but God does not accept his religion, it is worthless in the eyes of God (thréskeia: Religion, Worship). He is deceiving himself if he thinks that external religious acts or rituals make his religion acceptable to God. “Thrēskos was used in Hellenistic Greek for a person devoted to cultic practice, emphasizing outward religious observance—rituals, ceremonies, and visible acts of worship. Classical writers applied it to followers who scrupulously fulfilled the requirements of their gods, while Hellenistic Jews employed it for those meticulous about temple or synagogue duties.” (Biblehub.com) Most religions do come from worship fales gods or the one true God, and “pure religion” might involved rituals like taking the Lord’s Supper or baptism. But James says that “pure religious worship” of God must go a lot further than that and must involve two things: 1) taking care of widows and orphans in their distress. God has always had a special place in his heart for the widows, fatherless, and strangers. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy dwelling. ⁶ God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.” Isaiah 1:17: God commands Israel to “learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”. Deuteronomy 10:18: States God “defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner”. Many widows have good income in the U.S. (my mom did not need money donations in her old age) but they still need Christians to visit and show love to them. Many Christians foster or even adopt children (my daughter adopted 3 children and my son adopted 2 children). The greatest needs for widows and orphans might be in foreign lands. Many charitable organizations provide medical, food, and education for children in 3rd world poverty stricken areas and could use any contributions. They also take care of the elderly and widows who are often neglected, just as they were in the Roman society in the first century when James wrote his letter. Of course, Paul goes into much greater detail about the church caring for widows “indeed” in 1 Timothy 5. 2) The other thing James says we must have for pure and undefiled religion is to keep oneself unstained by the sinful world around us. The Greek for “pure” is katharos: Clean, pure, clear: “clean” (pure) because unmixed (without undesirable elements); (figuratively) spiritually clean because purged (purified by God), i.e. free from the contaminating (soiling) influences of sin.” Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8). Many religious people have sinful hearts and insincere motives in their religious pursuit. The Greek for “undefiled” is amiantos: Unstained, undefiled, pure. Jesus gives us new white suits and dresses (spiritually) and getting too close and involved with the worldly sins stains our Christian garment. Too many religious church going Christians’ lives are dominated by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this world. Many church members watch porn. Too many churches spend almost all of their money collected on themselves (buildings and staff, about 75% of the budget) and very little on taking care of the poor, the widows, the orphans, persecuted Christians, etc. Even our assemblies become more about attracting new members with bands and great speakers rather than focusing on repentance and pure, undefiled lives in the members.

That’s a lot but I thought it was a neat way to study James 1.