<< James 1 >>
The Mirror Translation | |
JAMES
the brother of Jesus
Man’s lost and found identity
From the first and the last verse of chapter one it appears that James sets this teaching up against the sense of a lost identity: the twelve scattered tribes, the widows and the orphans.
This would be the greatest and most challenging test or temptation anyone can face: "to forget what manner of man you are." (1:24, Deut.32:18.)
As a flesh and blood brother of Jesus, James had to discover a greater identity to that of his physical conception. Beyond the desire of a natural parent, mankind shares a common origin, the boulomai, the affectionate desire and deliberate resolve of God, the Father of lights, with whom there is no distortion or hidden agenda, He conceived us by the unveiled logic of God, (truth, alethea, from a + lanthano, not hidden) “He brought us forth by the Word of truth.”
Man began in God.
The truth about man's genesis is that he is God's personal invention. We are anouthen, from above. We are perfect and complete and lacking in nothing. (1:4) God’s Sabbath is the celebration of our perfection, both by design and redemption. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness, and no shadow due to change, He brought us forth by the Word of truth."
Born from above
“No one ascended into heaven, who did not also descend from heaven, even the son of man.” John 3:13. John sees the same genesis.
When he writes his gospel he is already more than 90 years old. Unlike Luke and Matthew he skips the genealogies of Joseph and returns to the Logos/Word that was from the beginning, before Adam was. The original blueprint thought of God. The Word that was always directed towards God, (The Word was with God, pros, a Greek preposition of direction, its predicted destiny is always to return to where it comes from, (Is.55:10,11,) “Like the rain and the snow that comes down from heaven and returns not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, so shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth (the eye of the fountain) it shall not return to me void, it shall accomplish my purpose and prosper in my resolve!” Jesus returned with the full harvest, the salvation of the human race.)
The Word is God; the Word equals God in essence, that same Word incarnated; the Word became flesh and dwelt within us; God finding accurate expression of Himself, His image and likeness revealed in human form. Genesis 1:26 lives again, man standing tall in the stature of the invisible God, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father!” Christ in whom all the fullness of Deity dwells; and man realizing and returning to his own completeness only in Him. (Col.2:9,10.)
“Unless a man is born from above, ‘anouthen’, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God (the reign of God’s image and likeness, His character) is made visible again on earth as it is in heaven; tangible in human form. John 3:3. Nicodemus discovers that his attraction to Jesus was founded upon the fact that man is more than the fruit of his mother’s womb. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Man’s natural features and identity reveals a glimpse of his parents’, but there is another womb that man comes from, the womb of the spirit; man’s birth is not merely by the desire of an earthly parent, (John 1:13) but by the desire of God. Man comes from above. “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” (Jer.1:5.) If man did not come from above, then the heavenly realm would offer no appeal or attraction to him. In our make-up we are the god-kind with an appetite for more than what bread and the senses could satisfy us with. We are designed to hunger for the Logos that comes from above. From a dimension where the original thought remains preserved and intact without contamination, the Logos that comes from His mouth, the unveiled mirror reflection of our authentic design.
Paul celebrates the same theme in Galatians 1:15, “God separated me from my mother’s womb and revealed His son in me in order that I may declare Him in the nations! He understood what Jesus said to Peter, “flesh and blood cannot reveal to you who the son of man is, but my Father who is in heaven, blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, I give you a new name that reveals your original identity, you are rock, (petros, hewn out of the rock, petra, Is.51:1, Deut.32:3,4,18.) This revelation is the rock foundation that I will build my identity upon, (my image and likeness) and the strong gates of hades, (Greek, ha + ideis, not to see) that trapped man into the walled city of the senses will not prevail against the voice that surnames and summons man again. (Mat.16:13,17.) (Church, eklesia, from ek, denoting source or origin and klesia from kaleo, to surname or identify by name.) Therefore Paul did not immediately consult with flesh and blood. He deliberately avoided the opportunity to get to know Jesus from a human point of view by visiting the eleven disciples who were still alive and living in Jerusalem. They could have informed him first hand about the life, ministry, parables and miracles of Jesus. (2Cor.5:16.) But Paul does not make mention in any of his writings even of a single parable Jesus told or miracle He performed, because his mandate and revelation was not to reveal Christ in history, but Christ in man. Three years later only he returned briefly to Jerusalem specifically to visit Peter and James, the Lord’s brother. (Gal.1:18,19.) One is not surprised to discover that the first believers ever to be called Christians were the Greeks in Antioch who sat under Paul’s ministry.
What James, John and Paul had in common was an understanding that Jesus came to reveal and redeem man’s original authentic spirit identity.
Chapter 1
1:1 My name is James, I am bonded to God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in this capacity that I am writing to you, wherever you are. You might even be part of the twelve tribes which are scattered like seed all over the world. I greet you with joyful encouragement!
1:2 Temptations come in different shapes, sizes and intervals, their intention is always to suck you into their energy field. However my brothers, your joy leads you out triumphantly.
1:3 Here is the secret: joy is not something you have to fake, it is the fruit of what your faith knows to be true about you! Knowing that the proof of your faith results in persuasion that remains constant in contradiction.
1:4 (Just like a mother hen patiently broods over her eggs,) steadfastness provides you with a consistent environment, and so patience prevails and proves your perfection; how entirely whole you are and without any shortfall.
1:5 The only thing you could possibly lack is wisdom. (One might sometimes feel challenged beyond the point of sanity;) however, make your request in such a way that you draw directly from the source, (not filtered through other opinions) God is the origin and author of wisdom, He intertwines your thoughts with good judgment. His gifts are available to all, without regret.
1:6 Faith must prompt your requests, (not your needs.) Faith is the stabilizing factor, otherwise you become driven by emotions (inconsistent judgments) that get out of control like rough seas tossed by tempest winds.
1:7 A haphazard request makes it impossible to interpret God’s wisdom accurately; (faith is the grace that reveals one’s capacity to receive from God.)
1:8 Someone of two opinions remains jittery in all his judgments and seems always lost for direction.
1:9 (Adverse circumstances can make or break you, depending on how you respond under pressure and allow these conditions to influence your judgment.) Let the down and out brother boast in his elevation in the Lord. (God's wisdom makes you see things differently.)
1:10 The rich should boast with confidence when things seem to threaten their position of financial strength. Flowers fade; so does fame when wealth is lost. (Poverty or wealth is not the measure of your life, faith is.)
1:11 A severe sun combined with scorching eastern winds can completely destroy a harvest before it ripens, something that looked so beautiful and promising the one day, can be gone the next day; even so a wealthy man can suddenly perish in his pursuits. (Man must have a reference that is more stable than changing conditions.)
1:12 Blessed is the man who does not lose his footing when temptation strikes; he is crowned the victor; his life proves the currency and character of his design (Greek, birth.) This is the Lord’s pledge for those who love Him. (Love inspires faith.)
1:13 Do not say, “I am scrutinized by God” when you feel enticed, He is not in the teasing business; evil offers no attraction to God for God to be tempted by it, neither is He experimenting with your design! (God cannot be both the source of light and darkness. Every temptation is an attempt of darkness to intercept light.)
1:14 Temptation employs lust to lure someone into a trap, (just like in hunting or fishing) one is deceived by the attraction of the bait. Your own private desires can snare you.
1:15. When passion conceives, it becomes the parent of sin. Sin’s mission is to murder you.
1:16 My dear brothers, do not go wandering off into deception. (By giving credit to temptation, thinking that it could be God’s way of speaking to you!)
1:17 Without exception God’s gifts are only good, its perfection cannot be improved upon, they come from above, (where we originate from, Jn.3:13) proceeding like light rays from its source, the Father of lights. With whom there is no distortion, or even a shadow of shifting to obstruct or intercept the light; no hint of a hidden agenda.
1:18 It was His delightful resolve to give birth to us; we were conceived by the unveiled logic of God. (The Word of truth.) We lead the exhibition of His handiwork, like first fruits introducing the rest of the harvest He anticipates.
1:19 Consequently my beloved brethren, (when you are faced with temptation and contradiction) ponder the Word that reveals your true origin, do not ponder the problem; that is how frustration is conceived. Rather remain silent than to give anger your voice. (Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.)
1:20 Anger distorts the picture and brings no credit to compliment God’s righteousness.
1:21 Get rid of any remaining residue of evil that polluted your life before, (if a quick temper was your problem then, don’t make it your problem again.) Welcome with sensitive embrace the word that powerfully conceives salvation in your soul. (The inner man, your mind and emotion.)
1:22 By being a mere spectator in the audience you underestimate yourself (you come to an inferior conclusion about who you really are) You are God’s poem, let His voice make poetry of your life!
1:23 The difference between a mere spectator and a performer is that both of them hear the same voice and perceive in its message the face of their own genesis reflected as in a mirror;
1:24 they realize that they are looking at themselves, but for the one it seems just too good to be true, he departs (back to his old way of seeing himself) never giving another thought to the man he saw there in the mirror.
1:25 The other one is mesmerized by what he sees, he is captivated by the effect of a law that frees man from the obligation to the old written code that restricted him to his own efforts and willpower. No distraction or contradiction can dim the impact of what he sees in that mirror concerning the law of perfect liberty (the law of faith) that now frees him to get on with the act of living the life (of his original design.) He finds a new spontaneous lifestyle; the poetry of practical living. (Understanding the mirror identity of man perfects the law of liberty; look deep enough into the law of liberty that you may see there in its perfection a portrait that so resembles the original that He becomes distinctly visible in the face of every man you behold)
1:26 Meaningless conversation is often disguised in religious eloquence. Just because it sounds sincere, doesn't make it true. If your tongue is not bridled by what your heart knows to be true about you, you cheat yourself.
1:27 The purest and most uncompromised form of religious expression, is found at its source. God is the Father of mankind, He inspires one to take a genuine interest in helping the fatherless and the widows in their plight, and to make sure that one’s own life does not become blemished in the process.
NOTES
1:2 “Temptations come in different shapes, sizes and intervals, their intention is always to suck you into their energy field. However my brothers, your joy leads you out triumphantly.” hegeomai, strengthened form of ago, to lead, thus, to officially appoint in a position of authority, to lead with distinguished authority.
"Count it all joy" make a calculation to which joy can be the only logical conclusion.
1:5 “The only thing you could possibly lack is wisdom. (One might sometimes feel challenged beyond the point of sanity;) however, make your request in such a way that you draw directly from the source, (not filtered through other opinions) God is the origin and author of wisdom, He intertwines your thoughts with good judgment. His gifts are available to all, without regret.”
Gr. haplous, from ha, particle of union (hama, together with) + pleko to plait, braid, weave together. See Math.6:22, “if your eye is haplous your whole body will be full of light.” Wisdom that comes from above remains unaffected by the contradictions of the senses. Gr. didomi, to give, to be the author or source of a thing, Wesley J. Perschbacher.
1:7 “A haphazard request makes it impossible to interpret God’s wisdom accurately; (faith is the grace that reveals one’s capacity to receive from God.) para, with the genitive, indicating source or origin, ‘coming from’ Wesley J. Perschbacher,
lambano, to receive, comprehend.
1:12 “Blessed is the man who does not lose his footing when temptation strikes; he is crowned the victor; his life proves the currency and character of his design (Greek, birth.) This is the Lord’s pledge for those who love Him. (Love inspires faith.)”stephanos, which means amark of royal rank, or a wreath or garland, which was given as a prize to victors in public games. Yet life as God sees it is a gift, not a reward. Jm.1:17. Thus even our reward is a gift, because our enduring and steadfastness is not something we engage in with our diligence and willpower, but the energy ignited within us by the revelation of the Word of truth.
Gr. dokimos, accepted, particularly of coins and money, thus, currency.
1:14 “Temptation employs lust to lure someone into a trap, (just like in hunting or fishing) one is deceived by the attraction of the bait. Your own private desires can snare you.”
Gr.exelko, to lure as in hunting or fishing, and deleatzo from the word dolos, to deceive by bait.
1:18 “It was His delightful resolve to give birth to us; we were conceived by the unveiled logic of God. (The Word of truth.)”
boulomai, the affectionate desire and deliberate resolve of God. Truth, alethea, from a, negative + lanthano, not hidden.
1:22 “By being a mere spectator in the audience you underestimate yourself (you come to an inferior conclusion about who you really are) You are God’s poem, let His voice make poetry of your life!”
A hearer only, remains a mere spectator.
A doer of the Word, poetes, poet.
To deceive yourself, paralogizomai underestimate.
Thayer Definition: 1) to reckon wrong, miscount
2) to cheat by false reckoning
to deceive by false reasoning
3) to deceive, delude, circumvent.
1:25 “The other one is mesmerized by what he sees, he is captivated by the effect of a law that frees man from the obligation to the old written code that restricted him to his own efforts and willpower. No distraction or contradiction can dim the impact of what he sees in that mirror concerning the law of perfect liberty (the law of faith) that now frees him to get on with the act of living the life (of his original design.) He finds a new spontaneous lifestyle; the poetry of practical living. (Understanding the mirror identity of man perfects the law of liberty; look deep enough into the law of liberty that you may see there in its perfection a portrait that so resembles the original that He becomes distinctly visible in the face of every man you behold)” Mesmerized, parakupto, to bend, stoop down to view at close scrutiny, parameno, to remain under the influence. Freedom, eleutheria, without obligation.
1 v 27 “The purest and most uncompromised form of religious expression, is found at its source. God is the Father of mankind”
para, a preposition indicating close proximity, a thing proceeding from a sphere of influence, with a suggestion of union of place of residence, to sprung from its author and giver, originating from, denoting the point from which an action originates, intimate connection.
