Faith That Works
We will discover a series of themes. They will include everything from how to stand up under both trials and temptations an explanation and a description of what constitutes true religion or to put it in terms that we are most comfortable with authentic spirituality.
When James speaks of joy in Jewish tradition, joy is what theologians like to call “eschatological joy.” That means a joy in what God will bring about in the end of history.
Those who fix their eyes on the eternal rewards and never stop dreaming of what God has in store for those who love him. James is speaking about persistent endurance.
God only brings things that serve our long-term good. Start with that. Whatever you are going through be confident in what God allows to come into your life.
God ’s Word, that He speaks and is recorded in the Bible, is required to bring forth faith.
One of the worst things that can happen to you is that you become an expert in scripture and theology but you never apply it to yourself.
Stop judging by the face or by external appearances. Start seeing things the way God sees them. Make no distinctions between people based on wealth.
If your faith “is genuine” says James, it loves genuinely. It loves your neighbour. It takes an interest in his or her good or his or her welfare.
The heart of the book of James, is the relationship between faith and works and between believing and obedience.