james-3:2

Religious (2357) (threskos which some say derives from threomai = to tremble, whereas more modern scholars link it with therap- = to serve) is used only in this verse and describes the individual who is preoccupied with religious observances. Rogers has this note on threskos, used only here in Scrip... Read More

Stumble (4417) (ptaio) means literally to loose one's footing and so to fall, stumble or “to be tripped up”. To lose one’s footing. Wuest notes that ptaio was used in secular Greek writings to refer to a “sure-footed as a horse that does not stumble” (Xenophon), and thus of a good man (Epictetus, Ma... Read More

Wisdom (4678) (sophia) is the ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding. Sophia is used 6x in Colossians (clearly it is a key word) Sophia - 51x in 49v - Matt 11:19; 12:42; 13:54; Mark 6:2; Luke 2:40, 52; 7:35; 11:31, 49; 21:15; Acts 6:3... Read More

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.” Phil. 3:12. 1. There is scarce any expression in Holy Writ which has given more offence than this. The word perfect is what many cannot bear. The very sound of it is an abomination to them. And whosoever preaches perfection (as the... Read More

James 3:1-6 Consider four parallels that a fire has with words spoken by the tongue: It hurts, it spreads, it consumes, but it can have a good use under control. It only takes one false or bitter word to hurt deeply. In fact, the hurt may be so deep that recovery is impossible. Just as fire spreads,... Read More

Fellowship is something we should highly prize because God prizes it highly. If there is life in me, and not merely pretence, and if the same is true of my fellow believers, then however simple they may be, when I meet them I should encounter life in them, and encountering it I should appreciate it.... Read More

"And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by u... Read More

The New Testament places great emphasis on the discipline of our bodily members-especially of the ear, the eye and the tongue. In Romans 8:13, Paul says that we cannot enjoy spiritual life if we do not mortify the deeds of the body through the power of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, he tells us ... Read More

"Why do the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" (Matthew 9:14). Pharisees forced people to fast and pray. They emphasised bodily disciplines like fasting as a means of becoming spiritual and they boasted about it. Jesus fasted even more than the Pharisees. But He did not fast in order t... Read More

We have already seen in previous chapters what Jesus and Paul and Peter seemed to think of the importance of the Pentecostal experience. The evidence is ample, yea, superabundant. They undeniably regarded the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace subsequent to regeneration. T... Read More