What the
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2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...
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James
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Chapter 1
James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. It should be noted here that such men as Westcot and Hort were very double minded. They studied theology to become ministers in the Church of England, yet they chased ghosts and spiritism, and wanted to worship the Mary of the Roman Church. There are many like them today. They will say their favorite hymn is "The Bible Stands" and then get in the pulpit and tear it to shreds with their doubt and unbelief. They will claim that the Bible is our final authority, and then cast doubt on passage after passage. It should be no shock to us that these men are so unstable and unable to get God's wisdom. The Bible tells us plainly this will be so for such people. They are Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame... Jude 1:13
We must come to the Book in faith, looking for God's wisdom, or we most assuredly will not find it and will be ...tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Eph 4:14
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. The Bible is certainly a good and perfect gift, so we can be sure that it came down from the Father in heaven. Praise God!
James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. We are begotten with the word of truth. If the word is not pure, how can we be sure we are thoroughly born again? Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Also see: 1 Cor. 4:15, Luke 8:11, 1 Peter 1:23, Jn. 17:17.
James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Westcott and Hort hated the King James Bible and the Received Text. Many of the people that so forcefully defend the Alexandrian Bibles also are full of wrath against the King James and those who use and believe it. How can we trust their judgment on the word of God when we know that man's wrath cannot work God's righteousness? How can their so called "Bibles" possibly be "better" than the A.V.?
James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. The engrafted word is able to save our souls! Again, our salvation is tied up inseparably with the word of God. If we don't have the word, we cannot have salvation.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. When we only hear the word but do not do it, we deceive ourselves. Others can often see clearly when we do not obey the word even when we deceive ourselves into thinking we are. Hearing is good, but it profits nothing if we don't do it.
It is sad that in many churches that profess to be King James Only, the word is not taught and people are not encouraged any more to study it for themselves. Too often the pastor decides what the people should be doing instead of encouraging them to learn the word and do it.
James 1:23-24 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. The Bible is a mirror and shows us what is wrong with us. We must look into it with the desire to do the word and change what is wrong in order for it to do us any good. Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. The only way we can have this testimony now is to spend time in God's word. Then we will be able to do the word and be a credit to the Lord Jesus Christ.
A mirror that has big black spots in it, or is cracked, broken or full of distortions is no good for seeing what we need to correct. So, a Bible that is corrupted and distorted is no good for seeing what we need to correct spiritually. We must have a perfect mirror.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
A. We need to look into the word ourselves, and continue in it in order to be a faithful doer of the work. It is easy to forget what you heard when you only listen to God's word. Read God's word for yourself and study it, don't just listen to it on tapes. It is too easy to just listen and not do what you hear. John 14:21
B. The law of liberty, the Bible, is perfect. (This is not to perfect - an action. This is to be so.) To be perfect is to be entire, wanting nothing (Js 1:4). The Bible claims for itself to be perfect. Any so-called "Bible" that is not perfect, is not God's word. Anyone that claims the true Bible is not perfect is a liar. Rom. 3:4
C. It is the law of liberty. When someone says "We aren't under law now," this is a good verse to show them. We are under law, but it is the law of liberty. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Also see: Rom. 6:15-16, Php. 3:15-16 John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
CLICK HERE for notes on the other verses in James 1.
graphics by mary vannattan