James Chapter 1 Breakdown

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

James addresses his letter to the twelve tribes of Israel who have been scattered across the nations. It is quite interesting to make note of this fact, especially considering this is one book that is rarely quoted within churches today.

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

James considers these scattered tribes as brothers and says they should be joyful when tribulations fall upon them.

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

When the tribulations fall upon them, it is testing their faith, and creates patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Let patience have perfect deeds, in order you can be perfect, not wanting anything that can be found in man. This looks a bit different from what is written because the Greek seems to indicate a few things different than the English.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

YHWH will grant wisdom for anyone who asks. If you truly desire wisdom, all you have to do is ask and then put in the work within the Bible and it is given to you.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Asking with the faith it will be given to you, but not doubting YHWH’s Word that if you ask He will overflow you with wisdom, is what you should do. Doubting YHWH’s Word to you will not result in your receiving wisdom. Remember, this is written to those who had once been a part of Israel, but were scattered to the surrounding nations. They had lost their faith in YHWH because they were divorced and the Southern Kingdom excluded them.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

If a man doubts YHWH, he should not expect to receive any gift from YHWH.

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The doubter of YHWH is insecure in his ways, believing both YHWH and man. These men are unstable considering YHWH’s law contradicts men’s traditions, ways, and desires. This is why those who doubt YHWH’s Word are double-minded.

9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

The poor brother should be joyful in the fact he will be exalted unto YHWH.

10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

The rich should stay humble, be made low because otherwise he will pass away. James is simply restating all the simple rules the twelve tribes used to abide by.

11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

James simply states if a rich man does not make himself low, he will perish. Just as soon as his pursuits overtake his faith in YHWH. The rich man is more easily tempted by sin due to the rich man placing themselves above other men.

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Bearing temptation and not falling to it will result in gaining the crown of life, which has been promised by YHWH. We must remember giving in to temptation is giving in to sin. Temptation comes from desires of the flesh, and desires of the flesh are sinful desires.  

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

YHWH does not cause anyone to desire to sin. Therefore, when a man is surrounded by temptation, it is not the doing of YHWH, but of man or Satan.

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Here James reiterates it is man who tempts men, sometimes it is the individual man himself falling for his own desires of the flesh.

15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Once a man’s desire is produced, it brings forth sin and sin brings death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

Do not allow anyone to deceive you, my brothers from the twelve tribes of Israel.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

YHWH brought us out with His Truth as the firstfruits.

19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

We should be fast listening, slow speaking and slow to get angry.

20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Man’s anger does not result in the righteousness of YHWH.

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Get rid of your sin and humbly receive YHWH’s Word which is rotted in truth, and can save your soul.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Now, something which is very important, James says outright, all these members of the twelve tribes should be doers of the Word and not only hearers, because this would cause you to deceive yourself. Basically, just hearing the Word is not enough to prove you have faith in it. Keeping the Word out of love for YHWH is how we show faith. This Word is Yeshua, and Yeshua is the Torah made flesh.

John 1:1, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Yeshua is the Word who became flesh. The Word is the Torah, we know this due to this being the Word from the beginning. Therefore we can conclude, Yeshua is the living, breathing embodiment of the Torah. If this is the case, then to be doers of the Word means to be doers of the Torah.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

If you only hear the Word, but do not follow what it says is like learning who you are through the Word, then setting the book down and immediately losing sight of that person.

25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Here James says it is the man who keeps and follows the perfect law of liberty who will be blessed in what he does. We know the perfect law of liberty is the Torah. Couple the fact that Yeshua is the Torah with what the book of Psalm has to say about YHWH’s law.

Psalm 19:7; 119:45

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your laws.

26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

Religion is useless if you say one thing but practice another.

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

To be considered pure to YHWH, one must visit orphans and widows to help them, and to keep yourself set apart from the world. Be separate from the world. In order to be separate from the world one must avoid sin, and live in the Spirit. Living in the Spirit is contrary to living in the flesh. Living in the flesh is to partake in the sins of the world. The only way to be set apart is by having faith in YHWH’s Word, and His commands for us. Those commands define sin for us, which indicates how to avoid sin. James is on the side of keeping YHWH’s law and is telling the scattered sheep from the twelves tribes of Israel to turn back to the ways YHWH had given to their fathers.