The writer uses many vivid figures of speech to present instructions regarding practical wisdom and guidance for Christian attitudes and conduct.
From the Christian perspective he deals with a variety of topics such as riches and poverty, temptation, good conduct, prejudice, faith and actions, the use of the tongue, wisdom, quarreling, pride and humility, judging others, boasting, patience, and prayer.
The letter emphasizes the importance of actions along with faith, in the practice of the Christian religion.
-Faith and Wisdom 1: 2-8 "Consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your Faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure."
"Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should pray to God, who will give it to him; because God gives generously and graciously to all."
"Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown by the wind. A person like that, unable to make up his mind and undecided in all he does, must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord."
-Poverty and Wealth 1: 9-11 "The Christian who is poor must be glad when God lifts him up, and the rich Christian must be glad when God brings him down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich man will be destroyed while he goes about his business."
-Testing and Tempting 1: 12-15 "Happy is the person who remains faithful under trials, because when he succeeds in passing such a test, he will receive as his reward the life which God has promised to those who love him."
"If a person is tempted by such trials, he must not say, 'This temptation comes from God.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one."
"But a person is tempted when he is drawn away and trapped by his own evil desire. Then his evil desire conceives and gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
-Hearing and Doing 1: 19-25 "Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. Man's anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose ... "Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to His Word; instead, put it into practice. Whoever listens to the Word but does not put it into practice is like a man who looks in a mirror and sees himself as he is. He takes a good look at himself and then goes away and at once forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks closely into the Perfect Law that sets people free, who keeps on paying attention to it and does not simply listen and then forget it, but puts it into practice -that person will be blessed by God in what he does."
-Warning against Discrimination 2: 1-11 "You must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. .. If you show more respect to the well-dressed man .. then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives. .. You will be doing the right thing if you obey the Law of the Kingdom which is found in the Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker."
-Faith and Actions 2: 14-26 "What good is it for someone to say that he has faith if his actions do not prove it? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, 'God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!'-if you don't give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. .."
-The Tongue 1:26 "Does anyone think he is religious? If he does not control his tongue, his religion is worthless and he deceives himself."3:1-18 ".. It is a World of Wrong occupying its place in our bodies and spreading evil through our whole being. It sets on fire the entire course of our existence with the fire that comes to it from hell itself. .. No one has ever been able to tame the tongue. It is evil and uncontrollable, full of deadly poison. .."
-The World 4-5 "Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you. .. Don't you know that to be the World's friend means to be God's enemy? .. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. .."
No comments:
Post a Comment