Someone has suggested that there are three questions we should answer before indulging in criticism of others—What good does it do your brother? What good does it do yourself? What glory for God is in it?

James reminds his readers that the attitudes of lust and coveting will never be satisfied. Even after obtaining you still want more. This leads to war and fights among you.

Knowledge enables us to take things apart, but wisdom enables us to put things together and relate God’s truth to daily life.

What we say and what we don’t say are both important. Proper speech is not only saying the right words at the right time, it is also controlling our desire to say what we shouldn’t.

Today there is a lot of confusion in the Christian community concerning faith and works. That confusion is addressed here in our text.

James wanted to help us practice God’s Word, so he gave us a simple test. He sent two visitors to a church service, a rich man and a poor man; and he watched to see how they were treated.

It is not enough to hear the Word; we must do it. Many people have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or Bible study is what makes them grow and get God’s blessing. It is not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. Too many...

Trials may be tests sent by God, or they may be temptations sent by Satan and encouraged by our own fallen nature. It is this second aspect of trials—temptations on the inside—that James dealt with in this section.

One of the best tests of Christian maturity is tribulation. When God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess. Trials not only reveal our faith; they also develop our faith and Christian character.

What kind of a man was James? He must have been a deeply spiritual man to gain the leadership of the Jerusalem church in so short a time.