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James (Draft)

James: An informal exegetical sentence outline (Draft)​

James exhorts the twelve-tribes dispersed-abroad to be wise in the face of their poverty and under the oppression of the rich.

  1. (1:1) The introduction is that James greets the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.
  2. (1:2-18) The exhortation is that while the trials inherent in being poor produce in the faithful endurance, wisdom for those trials is freely given by God (attainable) and yields the crown of life (desirable).
    1. (1:2-8) The exhortation is that while trials produce in the faithful endurance, the faithful should ask God for wisdom (concerning how to think and act in the midst of those trials).
    2. (1:9-11) The contextualization of the exhortation and the instantiation of this wisdom is that the poor will be exhalted, and the rich will be humbled.
    3. (1:12-18) The elaboration on the exhortation is that the result of endurance is the crown of life that is given by he that does not tempt to evil (as one might say in the midst of trials) but who gives every perfect gift.
  3. (1:19-1:27) The introduction to wisdom is that the twelve tribes should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, putting away filth and evil excess and putting to practice the message that was implanted within them, whose ideal practice is to care for widows and orphans in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
    1. (1:19-20) The introduction to wisdom is to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
    2. (1:21-25) The resulting exhortation is to put away filth and evil excess and not only welcome the message-that-was-implanted-within-them but to put it into practice.
    3. (1:26-27) The example is that a person that is of pure and undefiled religion will not only bridle her tongue, she will care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and remain unstained by the world.
  4. (2:1-26) The elaboration on the wisdom of putting to practice the message is that they should show no prejudice for the rich over the poor.
    1. (2:1) The exhortation is that they should not show prejudice for the rich over the poor.
    2. (2:2-13) The reason is that the one that shows prejudice for the rich over the poor has become a judge with evil motives.
      1. (2:2-4) The reason is that someone showing prejudice for the rich over the poor has become a judge with evil motives.
      2. (2:5-6a) The first part of the explanaton of judges with evil motives is that God honors/exalts the poor.
      3. (2:6b-7) The second part of the explanation is that the rich dishonor both the 12 tribes and God, himself.
      4. (2:8-11) The third part of the explanation is that even if you were to love in other ways, you are judged by the royal law expressed in “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
      5. (2:12-13) The final part of the explanation is that because showing mercy saves one from judgment, the twelve tribes should speak and act as those that are judged by such a law that gives freedom.1
    3. (2:14-26) The finalization of putting to practice the message is that faith without works is dead.
      1. (2:14-17) The finalization of putting to practice the message is that someone's faith that produces no works is dead and unable to save him.
      2. (2:18-19) The counter-argument to “You have faith and I have works” is that works can demonstrate faith while even the demons, who demonstrate no works, believe that God is one.
      3. (2:20-26) The evidence for "faith without works is dead" is that both Abraham and Rahab were justified by works.2
  5. (3:1—5:19) As a result of the inevitability of stumbling and a widespread lack of wisdom and a friendship with the world, wise posture is one of humility.
    1. (3:1-2) The introduction is that on account of the inevitability of stumbling--and most of all our tongues--not many should teach.
    2. (3:3-12) The elaboration on bridling the tongue is that the tongue and its wickedness cannot be subdued, despite such being better.
      1. (3:3-6) The elaboration is that in the tongue's power, it is a wicked fire.
      2. (3:7-12) The conclusion is the contradictions inherent in man not being able to subdue the tongue should not be so.
    3. (3:13-18) The elucidation concerning claims to wisdom is that the wisdom of the world acts in jealousy and selfishness while the wisdom from above acts in gentleness and mercy and peace.
    4. (4:1-5) The explanation of the roots of unwise behavior is that it arises from the desires of the friend of the world and enemy of God.
    5. (4:6-10) The exhortation is to partake of God's greater grace by humbling oneself before him.
    6. (4:11-12) The further exhortation is to humble oneself in relation to each other by foregoing condemnation of each other and instead submitting to the law (of freedom) and the lawgiver that is over believers.
    7. (4:13-17) The still-further exhortation is to humble oneself in relation to our futures by recognizing God's authority over them.
    8. (5:1-11) The elaboration on the wisdom concerning wealth and poverty is that the rich (that are friends of the world) are doomed to humiliation while the poor (that are humbled before the Lord) should be patient.3
    9. (5:12) The elaboration on the wisdom concerning a person's word is that rather than commandeering God as oath-witness/enforcer, a person should be merely honest.
    10. (5:13-19) The final elaboration on the wisdom of handling circumstances is that a person should submit to God by way of prayer, praise, and the church.

Footnotes​

  1. It’s important to clarify this. He goes directly from here into an argument that 1) faith-that-saves produces works and 2) dead faith does not, so that and if you have faith, you will have mercy (though note the imperative to have mercy, suggesting our capacity for a lack of wisdom/action; this is not a formula as much as a general rule). Such suggests that your mercy triumphs over the judgment against you only insofar as your mercy is the product of living faith. For James, it’s a package deal. He doesn’t intend to say that faithless mercy triumphs over judgment. It’s the faith that saves us, but it’s living faith and not dead faith—it’s faith that has mercy and not so-called faith that lacks it. Furthermore, the judgment of the Law applies to us all--and in particular those in this example that have shown no mercy. It’s living faith—that is to say, it’s faith-generated mercy, which is living faith—that saves from that judgment. We are under a law that gives freedom in that through believing in it, we are freed from the judgment that we deserve (for all break the royal law at least in part!). ↩

  2. See note 1. Works are the necessary product of living faith. This is not an argument for works-salvation, so to speak. True faith will produce works. See especially 2:22. ↩

  3. Given what he has said about friendship with the world and humility before God, it's unlikely he means all the rich and all the poor. Its all of each category of a certain character. This is not a message about the changing of our circumstances but about character—and specifically endurance, wisdom, and in this pericope, humility. The prideful, world-friendly wicked—both the rich and the poor—share a fate, and those that are humble before God—both the rich and the poor—share a fate. ↩