no man = no one. Greek. medeis. of = from. App-104 . cannot be, &c . = is incapable of being tempted. Greek. apeirastos. Only here. evil . App-128 . neither tempteth he any man = and He Himself tempteth no one (Greek. oudeis) . read more
every man = each one. when, &c . = being drawn away. Greek. exelkomai. Only here. of . App-104 . lust . See John 8:44 , and compare Romans 7:7 . enticed . Greek. deleazo. Only here and 2 Peter 2:14 , 2 Peter 2:18 . read more
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:The purpose of this verse is to take away from men any excuse for their yielding to sin. There is not any need for the commentators to dig up references in the Talmud, or in Wisdom, or in Sirach, or in mythology for something which might have led to James' inclusion of this admonition. The book of Genesis records the fact of Adam's blaming Eve for his sin, with the implied... read more
... but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.The seat of all wrong-doing lies in human selfishness. As long as men seek only what pleases them, what they desire, what they crave, what gratifies them, that lust, which seeks the fulfillment of such desires, motivates all the sin on earth. Herein lies the basic conflict involved in spiritual living. Man's ego must be suppressed, denied, and brought under subjection to the will of God. In instances where this is... read more
James 1:13. St. James had said so much about the benefit of temptations, or trials, that he thought it necessary to guard his readers against so dangerous a mistake, as that of making God the author of sin, or ascribing temptations to him, as they signify "a seducing men to what is evil:" In that sense they proceed not from God, but from the lusts of men, which, if complied with, end in death, instead of bringing men to a crown of life. Though, therefore, trials may be ascribed to God, yet... read more
James 1:14. When he is drawn away of his own lust, &c.— "Drawn out of the water, and taken with the bait;" εξελκομενος και δελεαζομενος : in both these words there is an allusion to the catching a fish with a bait; and lusts, or sensual pleasures, are here represented as the bait with which wicked men are caught. Grotius observes, that the best Greek authors have used this phrase, "To be ensnared by the belly, and by fair words." Plato said, "That pleasure is the bait of evil;" to which... read more
13. when . . . tempted—tried by solicitation to evil. Heretofore the "temptation" meant was that of probation by afflictions. Let no one fancy that God lays upon him an inevitable necessity of sinning. God does not send trials on you in order to make you worse, but to make you better (James 1:16; James 1:17). Therefore do not sink under the pressure of evils (James 1:17- :). of God—by agency proceeding from God. The Greek is not "tempted by," but, "from," implying indirect agency. cannot be... read more
14. Every man, when tempted, is so through being drawn away of (again here, as in :-, the Greek for "of" expresses the actual source, rather than the agent of temptation) his own lust. The cause of sin is in ourselves. Even Satan's suggestions do not endanger us before they are made our own. Each one has his own peculiar (so the Greek) lust, arising from his own temperament and habit. Lust flows from the original birth-sin in man, inherited from Adam. drawn away—the beginning step in... read more
II. TRIALS AND TRUE RELIGION 1:2-27James began his letter, which is in many ways a lecture, by dealing with the problem of trials that all believers encounter. Jews who became Christians in the early history of the church experienced much antagonism and persecution from their unbelieving fellow Jews, as is clear in the Book of Acts. All Christians who take a stand for the Lord continue to have to deal with such trials. Thus James’ inspired advice is perennially relevant. read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Bridgeway Bible Commentary - James 1:1-18
1:1-18 LIFE’S TRIALS AND DIFFICULTIESJames’ readers are scattered over the area of the early church’s expansion (1:1), but no matter where they live, they share the same responsibilities as Christians everywhere. One of these responsibilities requires them to do something that by nature is very difficult, namely, face the trials of life with joy. This joy comes through the knowledge that trials help believers to develop endurance and so strengthen their Christian character (2-4).When faced with... read more