7 Important Bible Verses From The Book Of James

Here are seven very important Bible verses from the Book of James

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

They say that talk is cheap but actions speak louder than words. You can be a talker of the Word but it is the doer of the Word that walks with God. If someone hears the instructions on how to operate a lifeboat on a sinking ship but doesn’t do what they’re told, then all the occupants might drown. People are deceiving themselves if think that hearing the Word is enough. They must do what they hear or they risk being self-deceived.

James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Religion is not a building or dressing or acting in a certain way. Pure or true religion that is undefiled in God’s sight is what James wrote about and that was being a doer of the Word (1:22). By going to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction (suffering), you are being a doer of the word and not a hearer only. The second part of that may determine whether what you are doing is “true religion” or is defiled. If we are not keeping ourselves unstained or unblemished by the sinful practices of the world then what we are doing may be defiled before God. God desires obedience over sacrifice (1st Sam 15:22).

James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”

This was a good Bible verse to know when someone was trying to judge you for something out of the Old Testament. They were legalists and they were around in James day too. If someone is trying to keep the law as a way to ensure they’ll be saved, then they are trying to use the law as a means to be saved. Yes, they trust in Christ but apparently, they trust in law keeping too.

James 2:17 “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Martin Luther apparently was not fond of the Book of James. This verse must have given Luther fits. Many misunderstand this chapter and interpret James as saying that we are saved by works and that works must accompany faith but is that what James is saying? This verse says that if there is faith that stands alone and without any associated works, then that is a dead faith because it’s not genuine saving faith. We are not saved by works (Eph 2:8-9) but “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10) and so a saved person will bear good works like an olive plant bears olives but if the tree is barren, that faith is just a dead stick. False converts can only produce wax fruit.

James 3:5 “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire.”

The Navy used to have a saying during World War Two; “Loose lips sink ships” and that proved to be true. Imagine how small the tongue is and yet it can set a person’s whole world on fire until it burns out of even their control. Like a match tossed in the forest, one tiny spark can create a massive forest fire and bring great destruction and even loss of life. James knew that Solomon wrote “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). The same tongue that boasts also assassinates someone’s character by gossiping. The same tongue that praises God curses others. That really is a forked-tongue.

James 4:6 “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

God will not ever extend His grace to anyone who does not first humble themselves before Him. God is opposed or, in the Greek, “at war” with the proud of heart. To those who come to Him in a humble and contrite (Heb. “crushed”) spirit He will draw near to them (Psalm 51:15; Isaiah 66:2).

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Having trouble with temptation like the rest of us? Welcome to the club, but there’s help in these verses. If you submit yourself to God you will likely resist the Devil. When you resist the Devil, he will likely flee from you, when you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. This is contingent upon two things; you must be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb (purify your hearts) and must cleanse your hands (confess your sins since He is faithful and just to forgive you, 1st John 1:9).

Conclusion

I hope you realize how difficult this was to select only seven important Bible verse from the Book of James. That’s because the Book of James belongs with the wisdom literature because it contains so much godly wisdom and why shouldn’t it? James grew up with Jesus. Who better to know what it means to be Christ-like than like Christ’s half-brother James? The only hard part for James might have been when his mother told him, “Why can’t you be more like your older brother?”

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.