James the Pillar of the Early Church

By Lucidus Smith

The New Testament book of James, the Lord Jesus’s brother, has always been one of my favorite books in the whole Bible, as in my opinion, it gives a clear picture of how we should function as individual Christian believers and how believers and the local church or fellowship that they are part of should interact together.

During the summer of 2016, I felt prompted to write my own paraphrase of the book of James, based on the King James Version of the Bible, and then in early December, after a conversation with a friend of mine at church, I felt the time was right to write my own commentary on James with language and examples from the modern era.

All Bible references in this book are once again my own paraphrase based on the King James Version of the Bible.

I hope you find this book challenging, stimulating, and helpful in your Christian walk and that it encourages you to get to know the Bible more deeply in the future.

Lucidus Smith

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524679231

Lucidus Smith

Lucidus Smith is British and was born in South London at the end of the Second World War. He is the youngest of four children, his father working as a wagon maker on the railways and his mother a housewife. He gave his heart to the Lord when he was eleven and was baptised with the Holy Spirit when he was thirty. He qualified as a Methodist lay-preacher in 1991 and during his years as a Christian has attended a range of churches which include Baptist, Methodist, Church of Scotland, Church of England, Christian Outreach Centre and various other evangelical house churches and fellowships. He left school at sixteen and first worked for a London Stockbroker's as a junior clerk and then joined a City financial group where he qualified as a Company Secretary. He next worked for IBM in a variety of roles for twenty years before going back to being a Company Secretary in 1991 with Lexmark International UK Ltd. He retired in 2001. He married Elizabeth in 1969 and they have three sons, all of whom are married and have children. Lucidus first started writing in 2005 on the premise that 'everyone has a book in them' and his first book, 'Blossom in Winter - Frost in Spring', was eventually published in 2010 and this book is now the twelfth that he has written and published.

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© 2017 Lucidus Smith. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Scripture quotations are the author’s paraphrase of the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Published by AuthorHouse  04/03/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7924-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7923-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

DEDICATION

To the saintly men and women of Northcote Road Baptist Church in Battersea, South London who during the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s taught me and mentored me in the things of Christ and in particular to Mr. H. Matson and Mr. Jerry Davis.

FOREWORD

Those of us who are Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, have embarked on a journey of life, intent on doing our best to exhibit the character and qualities of Jesus so that others also may come to know, love and follow Him too!

Each one of us who has come to know Christ has a story to share. It’s an individual story of how the Lord has led and guided us along the way, a story of what He has done in our lives.

I have come to know and appreciate the author of this book over several years. As I read it I read his story as it is based on the Biblical instruction and guidance of its author James.

God’s Word has been placed in our hands as a life guide and an instruction manual as to how we are to live and be as God’s committed and devoted followers.

The author of this work has taken a combination of the instructive words of James and his own life experience of those instructions to provide us with an example of how we too may live a life worthy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Lucidus does not pretend to be perfect, and in fact in places shares with us some of his failings, however, always the lessons learnt have enabled him to grow from strength to strength in his quest to be a devoted disciple of Jesus.

This book gives us a real insight as to how ‘ordinary’ Christians may live as God’s people, and I believe, offers the reader true encouragement as to how to apply God’s good principles for life to all those desirous of pleasing God.

The authors intent, I believe, is to offer the reader a sort of ‘how to’ in the hope that it will result in that person becoming more aware of how much the Lord God knows them and loves them and how much He wants the best for their lives.

I commend this Book, ‘James, The Pillar of the Early Church,’ a 21st Century Commentary by Lucidus Smith to you. I believe it will be a good help to you in your Christian journey.

Allan Harrison

Chaplain – Silver Chain Hospice Care – Mandurah WA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1     The New Testament Book of James

Chapter 2     Other Bible References for James

Chapter 3     Commentary on the Book of James

Chapter 4     Commentary on the Book of James

Chapter 5     Commentary on the Book of James

Chapter 6     Commentary on the Book of James

Chapter 7     Commentary on the Book of James

Chapter 8     Synopsis of the Book of James

Chapter 9     Prayers you may find useful

Chapter 10   A Short Study on the Ten Commandments

INTRODUCTION

The New Testament book of James, the Lord Jesus’ brother, has always been one of my favourite books in the whole bible, as in my opinion it gives a clear picture of how we should function as individual Christian believers and how believers and the local church or fellowship that they are part of, should interact together.

During the summer of 2016 I felt prompted to write my own paraphrase of the Book of James, based on the King James Version of the bible and then in early December, after a conversation with a friend of mine at church, I felt the time was right to write my own Commentary on James with language and examples from the modern era.

All bible references in this book are once again my own paraphrase, based on the King James Version of the bible.

I hope you find this book challenging, stimulating and helpful in your Christian walk and that it encourages you to get to know the bible more deeply in the future.

Lucidus Smith

CHAPTER ONE

THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOK OF JAMES

(BELIEVED TO BE THE BROTHER OF JESUS)

The King James Version of the bible as revised and paraphrased by Lucidus Smith

Chapter One

1. James, a slave (or servant) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greetings to the twelve tribes in the dispersion (or those believers not found in Jerusalem).

2. My brothers, count it as something joyful when you fall into different sorts of trials;

3. Knowing that when your faith is tested in this way and that you are able to overcome the trial, then this experience will build endurance within you.

4. And let this endurance work in you in order that you may be made perfect and complete, wanting in nothing.

5. But if any one of you wants wisdom, let him ask God for it and it will be given to him; for he is the one who gives wisdom to all men, without reservation and without reproach.

6. But let him ask in faith, without doubting that he will receive what he has asked for, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea which is driven by the wind and is tossed about.

7. For that man should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8. Because someone who is two minded about things is unsettled in all that he does.

9. But let the humble brother boast in his high position;

10. And let the rich brother boast of his humble position, because just like a flower of the grass, he will pass away.

11. For as soon as the sun rose in the sky it produced a hot wind which dried the grass and the flower withered and fell apart and its beauty perished; so also the rich man, while he is going here and there, will fade away.

12. Blessed is the man who remains faithful throughout a trial, because having become approved (by God), he will receive the crown of life which he promised to those who love him.

13. Let no man say when he is being tempted that the temptation comes from God, for God cannot be tempted with evil and neither does he tempt anyone.

14. But each man is tempted when he is drawn away from God by the lusts of his own heart which he finds enticing;

15. So lust then, having been conceived gives birth to sin and sin, having been fully formed, brings about death.

16. Do not go astray (be deceived), my beloved brothers.

17. Every act of good giving and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom there is neither variation nor shadow of turning.

18. Having resolved (what to do), he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

19. Understand this, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to get angry;

20. For the anger of a man does not work the righteousness of God (does not cause the righteousness of God to function).

21. Therefore, putting away all filthiness and the unnecessary abundance of evil, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22. And (what is more), become doers of the word and not just hearers, otherwise you would be misleading yourselves.

23. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror,

24. And having looked at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looked like.

25. But the person who having looked into the perfect law of freedom (which sets us free) and continues in doing this, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work (of what it says), this person shall be blessed in what he undertakes.

26. If anyone thinks of himself as being religious and does not have control of his own tongue then he is just deceiving himself and his religion is futile and fruitless.

27. Religion which God the Father considers to be clean and undefiled is this, to visit orphans and widows when they are distressed and to keep oneself unspotted (untainted and uncontaminated) from the world.

Chapter Two

1. My brothers, having faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ you must treat everyone equally (and not show more respect to one person than another).

2. For if a well dressed man should come into your meeting with a gold ring on his finger along with a poor man in shabby clothing,

3. And you look at the man wearing the expensive clothes and say, ‘here’s a nice seat, why don’t you sit down here’ and to the poor man say, ‘you can stand over there or sit here on the floor by me’:

4. Have you not shown discrimination among yourselves and become guilty of making judgements based on evil thoughts (wrong standards).

5. Listen to me, my beloved brothers; has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised those that love him?

6. But you dishonour the poor man. Is it not the rich men who oppress you and drag you into court?

7. Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?

8. If indeed you are fulfilling the royal law according to scripture, ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself;’ you are doing well:

9. But if you are showing discrimination with regard to people, you are committing a sin and will be convicted by the law as transgressors (lawbreakers).

10. For he who keeps the whole law, yet stumbles in just one thing, has become guilty of breaking all of it.

11. For the one who said, ‘Do not commit adultery’, also said, ‘Do not murder’, now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law (a lawbreaker).

12. So, you should speak and behave as though you were about to be judged by a law of freedom:

13. For judgement will be without mercy for the person who has not shown mercy; mercy exults (is joyfully triumphant) over judgement.

14. What profit is there my brothers, if anyone says that they have faith but does not have works (actions to demonstrate that faith)? Do you think that faith like that can save him?

15. If a brother or sister is naked, or is lacking enough food for each day,

16. And one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warm (well clothed) and well fed’; but does not give them anything to meet their bodily needs, what is the good of that?

17. In the same way, faith on its own, without works, is dead.

18. But someone will say, ‘you have faith and I have works, show me (demonstrate to me) your faith without your works and I will show you (demonstrate to you) my faith, by means of my works.’

19. Do you believe that there is one God? Good for you; the demons also believe that and shudder.

20. But are you willing to know (understand, accept), O vain man (you useless, fruitless, insignificant, empty person) that faith without works is barren (sterile, unproductive)?

21. Was not our father Abraham justified by works by offering up his son Isaac on the altar?

22. You can see that faith worked (in conjunction) with his works and by the works, the faith was made perfect;

23. And the scripture was fulfilled which said, ‘And Abraham believed God and it was reckoned (counted, considered) to him as righteousness’ and he was called the friend of God.

24. You see then that by works a man is justified and not by faith alone.

25. In the same way, was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she entertained the messengers (the spies sent out by Joshua) and sent them on their way by a different route?

26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also is faith dead without works.

Chapter Three

1. My brothers, (I advise that) not many of you should become teachers, because you know that we (who are teachers) will receive a greater judgement (will be judged more severely).

2. For in many respects