(A couple of quick apologies here--first, I'm days later getting these notes posted than I meant to be. It's been a rough week here! Second, this week's notes are even rougher than usual. Instead of doing them in one or two longer sessions, it's been 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. Add that to my general struggles with brain clarity these days, and you have very rough notes. I'm sorry for that, and hope you can make sense of them! Feel free to contact me with questions. 😊)
1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
The Greek word here for "deceived" means "to lead astray, to cause to wander, to roam." It's the word planao--to go astray, to get off-course, to deviate from the correct path, roaming into error, wandering to be misled. (HELPS Word Studies) Planao is the root word of our word planet, "wandering body". In Scripture, it nearly always conveys the sin of wandering. It's linked to the Greek word in the Gospels for sheep that go (or are led) astray.
There is so much deception going on in our world right now (always has been, but we see it so rampantly right now!) He reminds us he is writing to believers here, and warning them not to be led astray. We need that reminder as much now as they did then for sure!
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
"Every" means "all, the whole, every kind of"; it doesn't leave anything out!
"Good"-- means "gift" or "a giving"
And "perfect"--Complete, having reached its end, full grown, "especially of the completeness of Christian character". "Developed into a consummating completion by fulfilling the necessary process (spiritual journey)" (HELPS Word Studies) The illustration here is of an old pirates telescope, unfolding one stage at a time to function at full strength.
Same Greek word used in Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, as I am perfect,", Romans 12:2, "that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God," and 1 John 4:18, "perfect love casts out fear".
"Gift"-- Greek word dorema, meaning bounty or bestowment.
"From above"--from Heaven, from a higher place, from the beginning, from their origin/source. According to Strongs, the Greek word here is often used for things from God. The same word is used in Matthew 27:51, when the curtain is torn from top to bottom, and also used for born "again" in John 3.
"Coming down"--to descend from on high, from the sky or higher land. Same word is used in Matthew 3:16, where the Spirit of God descends like a dove at Jesus's baptism, and in Matthew 28, when the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven when the women came to the tomb.
from the "Father"--Heavenly Father. According to HELPS Word Studies, "Father" here means one who imparts life and is committed to it. The Greek pater here is used to refer to our Heavenly Father, who imparts life to us, from physical birth to the gift of eternal life/being born again. This is not one who simply contributes to a life entering the world, but One Who cares about that life and is intimately involved with it.
"of lights"-- "Phos" is the Greek word here, meaning source of light, radiance, "the manifestation of God's self-existent life, divine illumination, to reveal and impart life through Christ." (HELPS Word Studies)
With Whom there is "no"-- No here is an absolute negative, leaves no room for dispute.
"Change"--variation, mutation, fickleness, variableness. The only occurrence of this Greek word in the NT is in this verse.
Or "shifting"-- Turning, change, mutation (again, the only occurrence of this word in the NT)
"Shadow"--shading off or obscuration. I love the word picture in this verse! The HELPS Word Studies says of this "properly, a shadow created by turning. Typically shadows change according to the changing position of the sun (being short at midday and lengthy at nightfall). But God doesn't change (shorten or lengthen) because He Himself is the only absolute reference point."
God is unchanging, immutable. He possesses all life in Himself, all power in Himself. There is nothing big enough to cast shade on God!
We can't always trust other people. People change. They are imperfect, they are not all-powerful, and they can be fickle. We can't even trust ourselves, as much as the world tells us to! There are all kinds of messages in the world today about trusting in ourselves, listening to our hearts, that we can do anything if we work hard enough and want it badly enough. But we are fickle, weak, and undependable at our best. One day I can feel competent and sure of myself, and the next day feel completely worthless and inadequate. I definitely can't trust in myself! But our God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can trust Him because of that. We can be sure of Him and His Word when we can't be sure of anything else. What a wonderful promise.
And how incredibly wonderful that this perfect, all-powerful, immutable (unchanging!) God Who is so great nothing in the universe is big enough to cast shade on Him is our pater, our Father Who not only gives us life and salvation, but Who is committed to our lives and intimately involved with them.
1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
He "chose"--to will, intend, desire. HELPS Word Studies says, "to plan with full resolve, resolutely plan--a strong term that underlines the predeerined and determind intention driving the planning."
"Bouloumai" is the Greek word here. It means that God always works out His purpose, "especially in conjunction with presetting the physical scenes of history" (HELPS)
There is nothing that can thwart His purpose. With all that is going on in our world today, God isn't sitting in Heaven wringing His hands, caught by surprise, trying to figure out how to regain control. He is orchestrating every event and issue to bring about His divine plan. And with all that power and greatness, He cares enough personally about us to choose us, to bring us forth, and to save us. What a thought!
to give us "birth"--to bring forth, to generate, to give birth to.
through the "Word"-- Greek logos--speech, divine utterance, HELPS says, "Pre-eminently used of Christ, expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit."
of "truth"--truth of idea, reality, divine truth revealed to man. HELPS says reality as opposed to illusion. Strongs says, "what is true in any matter under consideration, as opposed to what is feigned, fictitious, or false."
There is so much out there today being held up as truth that is not truth. We must measure everything that claims to be truth against God's Word.
That we would be a kind of "firstfruits"--firstfruits= beginnings of a sacrifice, earliest crop of the year, earliest converts in a district. The firstfruits were the best, given in sacrifice.
Of His "creation"--created things, creatures.
1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
"Know" this--The Greek here means to be aware, behold, consider, perceive. HELPS says "a seeing that becomes knowing, a gateway to grasp spiritual truth (reality) from a physical plane.. Comprehension.
"My beloved brothers"--again, a reminder that he is speaking to believers here, and that they are beloved, with agapeo love. Divinely loved ones.
Everyone should be...
"quick" --Greek here means swift, speedy, prompt, ready.
to "listen"--hear, listen, comprehension
"Slow"--HELPS says here "slow as in taking time to deliberate, unhurried, while still moving forward after considering all the facts"
to "speak"--Greek word lalos, which means talkative or to chatter.
Slow to "anger"--The Greek word here means "violent passion" , and implies punishment/vengeance. HELPS describes it as to teem, swelling up to constitutionally oppose...it proceeds from an internal disposition which steadfastly opposes something or someone based on extended personal experience.
It's that feeling we get when we can feel the indignation and desire to make things right welling up from the pit of our stomach.
The word here isn't referring to a sudden outburst, but is the same word used to refer to God's fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin. For God, this is just and righteous, as vengeance belongs to Him.
The Benson Commentary says,
Wherefore — As if he had said, Since you are regenerated, and that by the word of God, therefore let every man be swift to hear — That word; let him be willing and desirous to receive instruction from it, and therefore diligent in embracing all opportunities of hearing it; slow to speak — To deliver his opinion in matters of faith, that he does not yet well understand. Persons half instructed frequently have a high opinion of their own knowledge in religious matters, are very fond of teaching others, and zealous to bring them over to their opinions. That the converted Jews were fond of being teachers, we learn from James 3:1; 1 Timothy 1:7. Slow to wrath — Against those that differ from him. Intemperate religious zeal is often accompanied by a train of bad passions, and particularly with anger against those who differ from us in opinion. The Jews, even the Jewish Christians to whom this letter was chiefly written, were very faulty in this respect. The apostle, however, may be understood as cautioning his readers against easily yielding to provocation in any respect whatever, and especially when injuriously treated by their persecutors.
1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
For the anger of man-- Greek word orge--same word used in v. 19.
"does not" --absolute negative--leaves no room for any other option
bring about the "righteousness"--Greek word here means justification, justice, divine righteousness, the approval of God. HELPS Word Studies says "what is deemed right by the Lord after His examination", a condition acceptable to God.
The anger of man cannot bring about the righteousness of God. Our anger does not bring about the approval of God.
I found it interesting that one of the meanings of "righteousness" in the Greek here is "justice". Justice is such a huge topic in our culture today. As Christians we are definitely to act justly and to seek justice for the oppressed. (Isa. 1:17, Micah 6:8, etc.) However, James is saying here that our human anger cannot bring about justice. If we truly want justice, true, Biblical, godly justice, we cannot achieve it through anger. We cannot use the world's ways to accomplish the righteousness of God.
1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
"Therefore"--On which account, consequently
"get rid" --lay off or aside, put away, renounce, cast off. It's the same Greek word used for "lay aside the old nature" in Ephesians 4:22.
"of all"-- All means all, as more than one of our pastors says. All, every, every kind of. Don't keep any of it!
"moral filth"--pollution, defilement, dirtiness.
and expression of evil (or in ESV, "rampant wickedness"--abundant badness, depravity, wicked disposition.
"and humbly"--Humble here means meekness with divine origin, according to HELPS Word Studies, "expressing power with reserve and gentleness":
For the believer, meekness (/praýtēs, "gentle-force") begins with the Lord's inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It is a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith (cf. 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22-25).
I love that--meekness as "gentle-force"!!
So when we cast off that moral filth and rampant wickedness, we aren't to be prideful or puffed up about it, but instead to be humble and meek, "expressing power with reserve and gentleness". When we receive His Word correctly, we will receive it with meekness and humility. If we are proud and puffed up about it, something is wrong! Because we are again reminded that it is all the Lord's work in us, and only by faith, which He also gives.
That just keeps coming up--that it all comes from Him. It's all His work.
So we are to humbly "receive"--take, accept, welcome
The "Word"--again, logos, used specifically to mean the expression of the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit--the Word of God
"Planted in you"--inborn, rooted, implanted. It's the picture of a plant shoot being engrafted into a plant. It is established in us and allows fruit to develop.
Which can "save"--heal, rescue--to deliver out of danger into safety--God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin.
"Your souls"--Soul meaning vital breath, breath of life, a person who has had a sould breathed in by God.
1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
"doer" -- carrier out, one who obeys or fulfills the law.
Ellicott's Commentary says, "Acting up to thier full knowledge.There is a force in the original phrase that English doesn't provide. "
Of the Word, and not "hearers only" --not merely listners to
Otherwise you are "deceiving"--deceive= reason falsely, mislead, to misreckon or delude.
Ellicott's Commentary says,
Acting up to the full of their knowledge, whether gained by the spoken or the written Word of God. There is a force in the original sentence, which our own language cannot supply. The term “deceiving” is the contrary of that rendered “word,” and means its corruption; the Word which is the source of knowledge and life may be so handled as to cause error and death. No acquaintance with the Bible, apart from the practice of its precepts, will avail the Christian any more than it did the Jew. “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). Those who deceive themselves may not altogether be hypocrites; there is a subtler danger of being blind, and nevertheless exclaiming “We see.”
1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For anyone who hears but does not carry it out--Word for carry it out is the same word for "doers" above
Is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after 'observing" --perceiving, taking not of, observing fully
Himself, foes away and "immediately"--soon, at once
"Forgets"--to lost out of mind or to neglect
what he looks like
1:25 the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
But the one who"looks intently"--Greek means to stoop to look, to peer in. It's an intentional studying
"into the perfect"--complete, full-grown, consummated goal
"Law" --Scripture, the Gospel
of "liberty" --freedom from slavery
and continues to do so, not being a "forgetful"--negligent, oblivious, failing to notice
Hearer, but an effective doer, he will be "blessed"--same word from earlier in James, "makarios"--supremely blessed--in what he does.
I warned you these notes were rough! But these verses--so much great truth packed in them!
If you have things to share or questions, I'd love to hear them in the comments here or by message on FB or IG. (Don't message me through the contact box here on the blog right now--it's set up with an old email address--it's on my list to get changed but I haven't made it that far yet! 😳)
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