I have expanded the lectures a good deal and have added some introductory discussion about James himself. I have in mind ministers, social workers, students of the Bible, Sunday school teachers, and all lovers of the Word of God and of rightness of life. Technical matters are placed in parentheses or in footnotes so that the reader may go on without these if he cares to do so. There is a freshness in the Greek text not possible in the English, but those who do not know Greek may still read this book with entire ease.
I do not claim that these addresses are a detailed commentary on the Epistle of James. They are expository talks based, I trust, on sober, up-to-date scholarship and applied to modern life. It is the old gospel in the new age that we need and must know how to use. There is a wondrous charm in these words of the long ago from one who walked so close by the side of the Son of man, who misunderstood him at first but who came at last to rejoice in his Brother in the flesh as the Lord Jesus Christ. It is immensely worthwhile to listen to what James has to say about Christianity and the problems of everyday life. His words throb with power today and strike a peculiarly modern note in the emphasis upon social problems and reality in religion. They have the breath of heaven and the warmth of human sympathy and love. Except for a few quotations from the King James Version, Scripture quotations follow the American Standard Version.
Preface to Second Edition
The welcome accorded this interpretation of the Epistle of James makes a new edition necessary. Opportunity is thus afforded for weeding out misprints. Prof. S. L. Watson, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has kindly verified all the references in the book. The words of James strike a peculiarly modern note during these days of war.
A. T. R.
Contents
[I. James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ] 1 [II. To the Twelve Tribes Which Are of the Dispersion] 28 [III. Joy in Trial] 33 [IV. The Way of Temptation] 48 [V. The Practice of the Word of God] 60 [VI. Class Prejudice] 75 [VII. The Appeal to Life] 91 [VIII. The Tongues of Teachers] 104 [IX. The True Wise Man] 124 [X. The Outer and the Inner Life] 140 [XI. God and Business] 158 [XII. Perseverance and Prayer] 177
I
James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Brother of the Lord
It will be well to put together the bits of information about James, or Jacob,[1] as he is called in the Greek. They are not very numerous, and yet it is possible to form a reasonably clear picture of his personality.