James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
The greeting is directed to believers scattered abroad as servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The verses that follow teach that trials test faith and work patience, and patience must be allowed to have its perfect work so that believers may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. That maturing through tested faith and completed patience is an experience still to be gained in the religious life.
The verse opens a chapter that students are urged to read carefully and prayerfully in order to understand individual and personal responsibility. Its counsel is for gaining the victory by overcoming self, temper, and inclinations. The will is to be brought into harmony and conformity with the will of God, and the believer is to continue steadily forward under God's discipline.
The verse begins a chapter of instruction for one long in God's work and bearing grave responsibilities, opening a call to take heed to self and to doctrine. That call is to read the whole chapter carefully and prayerfully and to make personal application of it. Applied to life, its instruction reveals a work to be done to clear the King's highway. Heeding it keeps one from being weighed in the balances and found wanting.
When studied carefully, the chapter begun by this verse brings light and encouragement to experienced church members and pillars of the church with long experience. It teaches them to move wisely so as to retain the high esteem that their knowledge brings. It teaches them to walk carefully and prayerfully before God, with trust and assurance that He will direct their ways.
The greeting is directed to believers scattered abroad as servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The verses that follow teach that trials test faith and work patience, and patience must be allowed to have its perfect work so that believers may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. That maturing through tested faith and completed patience is an experience still to be gained in the religious life.
The verse opens a chapter that students are urged to read carefully and prayerfully in order to understand individual and personal responsibility. Its counsel is for gaining the victory by overcoming self, temper, and inclinations. The will is to be brought into harmony and conformity with the will of God, and the believer is to continue steadily forward under God's discipline.
The verse begins a chapter of instruction for one long in God's work and bearing grave responsibilities, opening a call to take heed to self and to doctrine. That call is to read the whole chapter carefully and prayerfully and to make personal application of it. Applied to life, its instruction reveals a work to be done to clear the King's highway. Heeding it keeps one from being weighed in the balances and found wanting.
When studied carefully, the chapter begun by this verse brings light and encouragement to experienced church members and pillars of the church with long experience. It teaches them to move wisely so as to retain the high esteem that their knowledge brings. It teaches them to walk carefully and prayerfully before God, with trust and assurance that He will direct their ways.