John Piper comments on James 4: So what was wrong with what these people said in verse 13: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit’”? What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong is … More If the Lord Wills…
4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you … More James is really all about grace.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:17-18 Steven Cole comments: Settling arguments peacefully in English pubs has often been a difficult task. So, in … More Settling arguments vs sowing wisdom
Pastor Steven Cole: On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. The faint etchings read: Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young, Who, on the twenty-fourth of May, began to hold her tongue. Let’s hope that we learn what that woman never did, to tame the tongue! … More Needed: Makeover of the Mouth
From the conclusion of John Piper’s sermon, “Does James Contradict Paul?” When Paul teaches in Romans 4:5 that we are justified by faith alone, he means that the only thing that unites us to Christ for righteousness is dependence on Christ. When James says in James 2:24 that we are not justified by faith alone he … More Does James Contradict Paul?
Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Show Partiality The rest of the text is argument. I see seven reasons that James gives for why we should not show partiality. We don’t have time to deal with all of them. So let me just name them and then close by looking at the last, and the … More Mercy, Not Racial Prejudice
James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. John Piper, in a sermon, “Receive With Meekness the Implanted Word” Receive it—this implanted word. In other words, if you treat the word of God like your kidneys, you are making … More Receive like oxygen, not like kidneys!
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger comments on James 1:13-17 Now, it is absolutely vital that we are clear about the fact that while God allows us to go through trials so as to strengthen our faith, God never tempts us to sin. In verses 13-17, James writes, “Let no one say.” when he is tempted, `I am … More Don’t Blame God
Pain and suffering are the gifts that keep on giving | Marvin Olasky, writing in World Magazine: This has been a hard year, but James at the beginning of his epistle tells us to welcome hardship: “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing … More Hello hardship, my old friend
Pastor Kim Riddlebarger on James 1: Joy is simply the knowledge that it is well with our souls, despite our present circumstances. It may not be well with our bodies. It may not be well with our job, or with our particular circumstances. But because Jesus died for our sins, and because he was raised … More James and Joy
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 