ACC ~ James 1 v16 - 27

OVERVIEW:

Above all else, believers in Christ must be careful not to fall into the trap of deception in spiritual matters. Every spiritual gift comes from God and reflects his character as the Father of lights. Every good endowment is an undeserved, a free gift of God for which we pray every day (AUGUSTINE). What God gives is without defect (DIDYMUS). The soul is progressively enlightened in its ascent after the resurrection (ORIGEN), cleansed from wickedness (OECUMENIUS). The procession of Light spreads itself generously toward us in a unitive way (PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS). Nothing can add or subtract from God’s glory (NOVATIAN), who is unchanging in his divine essence (SEVERUS). No shadow can cut off God’s light (GREGORY THE GREAT). Anyone who stands in this light wishes to share it with others (SYMEON). We must, however, distinguish our begottenness as children of light from the eternal begottenness of the Son (ANDREAS, BEDE, OECUMENIUS).

Therefore, those who possess God’s Spirit will be self-controlled in their behavior and will avoid every form of wickedness. Above all, truly spiritual persons will do their utmost to put their faith into practice, since that is the ultimate test of what it means to be born again in Christ. The truth heard is less prone to corruption than the truth spoken (AUGUSTINE). The tongue must be disciplined (BEDE). To be quick to hear implies eagerness to put into practice what has been heard (OECUMENIUS). Two things in particular are indicative of spiritual maturity: the ability to hold one’s tongue and a willingness to be generous toward those who are in need. A charitable disposition and charitable behavior must go hand in hand in the life of someone who wants to imitate God’s perfect charity. Widows and orphans are especially to be looked after (HERMAS, HILARY OF ARLES). We become more like God in showing acts of mercy (CHRYSOSTOM). Illusions about one’s own correctness arise out of the lack of self-control (GREGORY THE GREAT, OECUMENIUS). Imitate God’s justice, which is without anger (BEDE). Avoid uncontrollable fury, which leads to a habituation to wickedness (ANDREAS, BEDE, OECUMENIUS). One single uniting Word is addressed to us through many scriptures (AUGUSTINE). We are called to enact in behavior what we hear (AUGUSTINE, OECUMENIUS). We best view our deeper selves in the mirror of the gospel (HILARY OF ARLES). Yet if we behold ourselves in this mirror and then forget it or fail to confirm it in deeds, what we have learned will slip out of our hands (ANDREAS, OECUMENIUS). The doer of the Word delights in the perfect law that liberates from sin and death (AUGUSTINE, OECUMENIUS).

1:16 | Do Not Be Deceived

THE DECEPTION. HILARY OF ARLES: This refers to the deception of the heretics who think that because God rules the physical world in darkness and in light, in drought and in rain, in cold and in heat, so he also rules over human wills with the same determinateness—in good and in bad, in sadness and in joy, in death and in life. Because of this error, James goes on to add that it is “every good endowment and every perfect gift” which comes from the Father of lights. INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES.

GOD TEMPTS NO ONE. ANDREAS: “Do not be deceived” into thinking that temptations come from God. CATENA.

1:17a | Every Perfect Gift Is from Above

GIFTS WITHOUT DEFECT. DIDYMUS: James calls God the Father of intelligent lights, that is to say, the illuminator of all rational beings, from whom, as the giver of these things, the divine gifts come to human beings. These gifts, James says, are the very best, complete and without defect, undoubtedly perfect. But as there are some people who argue from this that only the good things in life come from God, and not things which are regarded as bad or harmful, we have to recall such passages as “he brought evil on them,” “Evil came down from God onto the gates of Jerusalem” and so on. From these and other similar examples it is clear that bad things as well as good may come about through God’s judgment. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

A WORK OF GOD. AUGUSTINE: If doing something ourselves means that it is not also a work of God, then casting mountains into the sea would not be a work of God, since Matthew [17:20] and Luke [17:6] both say that this can be done by the power of faith. ON THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER 63.

ASKING FOR PERSEVERANCE. AUGUSTINE: You should hope for this perseverance in obedience to the Father of lights, from whom descends every good and perfect gift, and ask for it every day in your prayers, and in so doing have confidence that you are not strangers to the predestination of God’s people, for he allows you to do even this. ON THE GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE 22.62.

UNDESERVED GIFT. AUGUSTINE: Man’s merit is a free gift, and no one deserves to receive anything from the Father of lights, from whom every good gift comes down, except by receiving what he does not deserve. LETTERS 186.

1:17b | Coming Down from the Father of Lights

THE SOUL PROGRESSIVELY ENLIGHTENED. ORIGEN: The soul gradually ascends to the heavens after the resurrection. It does not reach the highest point immediately but goes through many stages during which it is progressively enlightened by the light of Wisdom, until it arrives at the Father of lights himself. HOMILY 27 ON NUMBERS 6.

THE PROCESSION OF LIGHT. PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS: Inspired by the Father, each procession of the Light spreads itself generously towards us, and in its power to unify, it stirs us by lifting us up. It returns us back to the oneness and deifying simplicity of the Father who gathers us in. For as the sacred Word says, “from him and to him are all things.” ON THE CELESTIAL HIERARCHY 1.1.

THE LIGHTS. ANDREAS: The lights are either the rational powers or else those who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. CATENA.

1:17c | No Variation or Shadow of Change

NO ADDITION OR DIMINUTION TO GOD’S GLORY. NOVATIAN: God never changes or transforms himself into other forms, lest by changing he should somehow appear to be mortal. For the modification implied in change from one thing to another involves a share in death of some sort. Therefore there is never any addition of parts or of glory in him, lest anything should seem to have been wanting to the perfect one in the first place. Nor can there be any diminution in him, for that would imply some degree of mortality in him. ON THE TRINITY 4.4.

GOD UNCHANGING IN HIS BEING. SEVERUS OF ANTIOCH: Hear what God says: “I am, I am and I do not change.” He remains always firm and unchanging in his being, and those who have been formed by the gospel and who have been transformed by his commands through the gift and transformation which comes from above, are called to persevere in these precepts as much as their strength permits and not to be swept away by the times in which we live. Therefore Paul also warned people, saying: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may prove what the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is.” CATENA.

GOD’S LIGHT. GREGORY THE GREAT: This changing is a shadow which conceals the divine light if it goes through certain ups and downs in this life, but because God is un-changing, no shadow can cut off his light. LESSONS IN JOB 2.38.

CLEANSED FROM WICKEDNESS. OECUMENIUS: Since what comes from us lacks perfection and indeed is very imperfect, nor does it enlighten the soul, think what perfection they will have who acquire it after a happy pilgrimage through life, who with great effort have cleansed their souls from the wickedness they inherited at birth, and who have finally reached the divine splendor. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

THE ROYAL WAY EXPERIENCED AND SHARED. SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN: Suppose we had told you that we had freely received grace from the Father of lights, from whom comes every good and perfect gift, but that we do not care for you to receive it also. If so, we would then have deserved to become an object of abhorrence on the part of God and of yourselves. But instead we present to you the truth from Holy Scripture and from experience and show you the royal way. DISCOURSES 34.6.

1:18 | The First Fruits of God’s Creatures

THE HIERARCHY OF CREATURES. HILARY OF ARLES: Just as the heavenly powers rule over the angelic creatures, so we human beings rule over the lower creation. INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES.

FIRST FRUITS. ANDREAS: The birth here applies in the first instance to the Son and then by extension to the creatures. For to him belong truth and consubstantiality with God, whereas to the creatures belong honor and inheritance. The fact that the same name is used does not mean that the same honor is given, nor should things which are said by extension be taken to mean that they apply in the first instance as well. By “first fruits” James means that we are the first and most highly honored. For by “creatures” he means the visible creation, of which humanity is the most highly honored part. CATENA.

CHANGED TO CHILDREN OF LIGHT. BEDE: God has changed us from being children of darkness into being children of light, not because of any merits of ours but by his own will, through the water of regeneration. But lest we should think that by “begetting” us in this way God has made us somehow a part of his own nature, James goes on to add that the result of the divine activity is that we have become “the first fruits of his creatures,” which means that we have been exalted over the rest of creation. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

OUR BEGOTTENNESS DISTINGUISHED FROM THAT OF THE SON. OECUMENIUS: Here James reminds us that God is immutable, which is not true of us. For if we have been born it is clear that we have also been changed. How can something be immutable if it has gone from nonbeing to being? Furthermore he adds that God has given us birth by the Word of Life, lest we might be tempted to think that his Son was also born in the same way as we are. But according to John, all things were made by the Son, which means that he was not born along with us who have been made by him. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:19 | Be Quick to Hear but Slow to Speak

THE TRUTH SPOKEN AND HEARD. AUGUSTINE: Truth is more safely heard than preached. For when it is heard, lowliness is preserved, but when it is preached some bit of boastfulness may steal in almost unawares, and this brings corruption. TRACTATES 57.2.3.

THE DISCIPLINE OF THE TONGUE. BEDE: James is right to say this, for it is stupid to think that someone who is not prepared to learn from others will somehow be well-equipped to preach to them. Someone who wants to become wise must first of all ask for this gift from God, as James has already said. Then he must find himself a good teacher and in the meantime discipline his tongue so that he says nothing useless but restricts himself to preaching the truth which he has recently learned from others. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

EAGERNESS TO PRACTICE THE TRUTH. OECUMENIUS: When James says “quick to hear” he is not talking about simple listening but about eagerness to put into practice what has been heard. For he distinguishes quite clearly between the person who is ready to act on what he has heard and the one who is weighed down by laziness and procrastination, sometimes even to the point of never attempting to do anything at all. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:20 | Human Anger, God’s Righteousness

LACKING SELF-CONTROL. GREGORY THE GREAT: Because a diseased mind has no control over its own judgment, it thinks that whatever anger suggests must be right. LESSONS IN JOB 5.78.

GOD JUDGES WITH TRANQUILITY. BEDE: Even if anger seems justified in human terms, it can never be right in God’s eyes. A human judge who loses his temper, even if his decision is the right one, cannot imitate the justice of God, who always judges in perfect tranquility of mind. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

AVOID UNCONTROLLABLE FURY. OECUMENIUS: Unconsidered speech and unguarded wrath do no good at all. David said: “Be angry but do not sin.” This means that we must be careful when we get angry not to let it develop into an uncontrollable fury. This is where those who are slow come into their own. It may be wrong to be slow in other things, but when it comes to anger, tardiness is the right policy, because by the time we get round to it the reasons for it may have dissipated. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:21 | Turn from Evil and Accept God’s Word

CONSEQUENCES OF ANGER. HILARY OF ARLES: Filthiness and wickedness arise out of anger. Introductory Tractate on the Letter of James.

FILTHINESS AND WICKEDNESS. BEDE: You cannot do good unless you have cleansed yourself from evil first. Filthiness refers primarily to external things which corrupt our hands, whereas wickedness refers primarily to internal things which corrupt our souls. Both must be overcome if we are to do good. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

CORRUPTION FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT. ANDREAS: This refers to the sin which corrupts a man, which dwells in us as the cause of evil. But outside us there is another kind of evil which creeps up on us unawares and is the work of demons who are opposed to us. CATENA.

AVOID HABITUATION TO WICKEDNESS. OECUMENIUS: What James wants to say is this. Although a person may often fall into uncleanness, the faster he gets out of it the better. Otherwise, if he remains in it and carries on, he will make the evil stronger by force of habit and have a harder time washing it away. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:22 | Doers of the Word

ONE WORD. AUGUSTINE: James did not say “of the words” but “of the Word,” in spite of the fact that there are so many words from the Holy Scriptures which are venerated in the church. SERMONS 71.22.

DOING THE WORD. AUGUSTINE: Neither I nor any other preacher can see into your hearts … but God is looking, for nothing can be hidden from him. … Do not deceive yourselves by coming eagerly to hear the Word and then failing to do it. If it is a good thing to hear, it is a much better thing to do. If you do not hear, you cannot do, and therefore you will build nothing. But if you hear and do not do, then what you are building will be a ruin. SERMONS 179.7-8.

BE MINDFUL. ANDREAS: In other words, be mindful of your own salvation! CATENA.

GIVING EFFECT TO WHAT IS HEARD. OECUMENIUS: James knows that some people can get all exited by what they hear, but even in the course of listening their enthusiasm may start to cool off. Therefore he adds these words, so that they may give effect to what they hear. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:23 | Hearers of the Word

THE NEW TESTAMENT MIRRORS PERFECTION. HILARY OF ARLES: There are two kinds of mirrors—large and small. In a small mirror you see small things—this is the Old Testament, which leads no one to perfection. But in a big mirror you see great things—this is the New Testament, because in it the fullness of perfection is seen. INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES.

CONFIRM THE WORD. ANDREAS: If someone is a hearer of the word only and does not confirm it by his deeds, he will lose the word as well, for it will slip through his fingers and disappear. CATENA.

FORGETTING THE WORD. OECUMENIUS: James here uses the common mirror as a metaphor for the intellectual mirror, but without going into details. Think of him as saying that someone who hears a sermon but does not put any of it into practice is like a man who having seen himself in the mirror immediately forgets what he looked like. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:24 | The Person in the Mirror

REMEMBERING OUR REGENERATION. ANDREAS: We learn what God has made us like, having given us new birth by the washing of regeneration. But if we do not remember what we have seen and apply it in our deeds, then we shall lose the grace which has been given to us. But the one who remembers that he has been born again from on high, that he has been justified, and sanctified and counted among the children of God, will not give himself over to works which reject that grace. CATENA.

FORGETTING THE DIVINE IMAGE IN US. OECUMENIUS: This is like the person who has used the law of Moses to contemplate what he was made like, that is, the image and likeness of God the Creator, but afterwards draws no conclusions about his own behavior from what he has looked at and instead goes back to being just what he was before. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:25 | The Perfect Law of Liberty

DELIGHT IN THE LAW OF LIBERTY. AUGUSTINE: The law of liberty is one of love, not fear. Paul too was no longer terrified by the law of God as a slave would be but was delighted with it, even though he saw another law in his members which was at war against the law of his mind. ON NATURE AND GRACE 57 (67).

GOOD INTENTIONS. BEDE: Spiritual happiness is gained not by empty words but by putting our good intentions into practice. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

THE PERFECT LAW LIBERATES. OECUMENIUS: The spiritual law contains something magnificent and altogether desirable, which is able to draw people away even from following it corruptly, and able to make them perfect. The perfect law is liberating because it is the law of Christ, which sets us free from all slavery to the flesh, whether that means observance of the sabbath, circumcision, ritual purifications or whatever. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:26 | Bridling the Tongue

THE UNBRIDLED TONGUE. BASIL THE GREAT: Anger causes tongues to become unbridled and speech unguarded. Physical violence, acts of contempt, reviling, accusations, blows and other bad effects too numerous to recount are born of anger and indignation. SERMONS 10.

THE TONGUE CAN UNDO GOOD ACTIONS. BEDE: James says here that even if someone appears to be doing the good works of faith which he has learned he ought to do, none of this matters unless he restrains his tongue from slanders, lies, blasphemies, nonsense, verbosity and other things which lead to sin. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

TRUE RELIGION. ANDREAS: This rule is the bottom line of true religion. CATENA.

THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION. OECUMENIUS: If you want to be truly religious, do not demonstrate this by your knowledge of the law but by the way you put it into practice. Religion appears to mean something more than “faith,” in that it offers the knowledge of hidden things and confirmation of what is grasped by faith. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

1:27 | Pure and Undefiled Religion

WHICH FIELDS ARE TO BE BOUGHT. HERMAS: Instead of fields, buy souls that are in trouble, according to your ability. Look after widows and orphans. Do not neglect them. Spend your riches on these kinds of fields and houses. PARABLES 1.8.

BECOME MORE LIKE GOD. CHRYSOSTOM: We can become more like God if we are merciful and compassionate. If we do not do these things, we have nothing at all to our credit. God does not say that if we fast we shall be like him. Rather he wants us to be merciful, as he himself is. “I desire mercy,” he says, “and not sacrifice.” CATENA.

THE VULNERABILITY OF WIDOWS. HILARY OF ARLES: James calls God the Father because as far as he is concerned there is no other god who made the world (as the Marcionites and other heretics claim). What he says about widows has to be understood in the light of the fact that there were many who tried to rob them of their possessions, as it says in the Gospel. INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES.

THE PRETENSE OF RELIGIOSITY. BEDE: It is good to see that James has added the words “before God, the Father,” because there are plenty of people who appear to be religious in the sight of men but who are wicked as far as God is concerned. CONCERNING THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES.

A GRADUAL WEANING FROM THE LAW. OECUMENIUS: Here someone might say: If James is a teacher of the covenant established by Christ, why does he not just abolish everything connected with the law, instead of exalting it by supporting those who are experienced in keeping it? Why does he not rebuke them and turn them away from it? To this we answer that James accommodates himself to them and starts where they are. Rather than attack the law head on, he draws them away from it gradually, aware that they are suspicious of new ideas and inclined toward skepticism about them. By doing this he increasingly prepares them to hear what he has to say and then weans them away from observance of the law little by little. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.

THE UNGODLY LED ASTRAY. THEOPHYLACT: In this verse the “world” refers to the common and ungodly people who are led astray by their lusts and errors. COMMENTARY ON JAMES.