James 1 NLT

Outline

• Greetings (1:1)
• Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)
  • The Testing of Faith (1:2-12)
  • The Source of Temptation (1:13-18)
• Listening and Doing (1:19-27)
• Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)
• Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)
• Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)
• Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)
• Warning against Worldliness (ch. 4)
  • Quarrelsomeness (4:1-3)
  • Spiritual Unfaithfulness (4:4)
  • Pride (4:5-10)
  • Slander (4:11-12)
  • Boasting (4:13-17)
• Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)
• Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)
• Concerning Patience in Suffering (5:7-11)
• Concerning Oaths (5:12)
• Concerning the Prayer of Faith (5:13-18)
• Concerning Those Who Wander from the Truth (5:19-20)

James 1 NLT

1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings! 

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 

3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 

4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 

6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 

7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 

8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. 

9 Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them.

10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 

11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. 

12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 

13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 

14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 

15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. 

16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 

17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 

18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. 

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 

20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 

21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 

23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 

24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 

25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 

26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 

27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Summary of the Book of James

Summary of the Book of James

This summary of the book of James provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of James.

Author

The author identifies himself as James (1:1); he was probably the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem council (Ac 15). Four men in the NT have this name. The author of this letter could not have been the apostle James, who died too early (a.d. 44) to have written it. The other two men named James had neither the stature nor the influence that the writer of this letter had.

James was one of several brothers of Christ, probably the oldest since he heads the list in Mt 13:55. At first he did not believe in Jesus and even challenged him and misunderstood his mission (Jn 7:2-5). Later he became very prominent in the church:

1. He was one of the select individuals Christ appeared to after his resurrection (1co 15:7;).
2. Paul called him a "pillar" of the church (gal 2:9).
3. Paul, on his first post-conversion visit to Jerusalem, saw James (Gal 1:19).
4. Paul did the same on his last visit (ac 21:18).
5. When Peter was rescued from prison, he told his friends to tell James (ac 12:17).
6. James was a leader in the important council of Jerusalem (ac 15:13).
7. Jude could identify himself simply as "a brother of James" (jude 1:1), so well known was James. He was martyred c. a.d. 62.

Date

Some date the letter in the early 60s. There are indications, however, that it was written before a.d. 50:

1. Its distinctively Jewish nature suggests that it was composed when the church was still predominantly Jewish.
2. It reflects a simple church order -- officers of the church are called "elders" (5:14) and "teachers" (3:1).
3. No reference is made to the controversy over Gentile circumcision.
4. The Greek term synagoge ("synagogue" or "meeting") is used to designate the meeting or meeting place of the church (2:2).

If this early dating is correct, this letter is the earliest of all the NT writings -- with the possible exception of Galatians.

Recipients

The recipients are identified explicitly only in 1:1: "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." Some hold that this expression refers to Christians in general, but the term "twelve tribes" would more naturally apply to Jewish Christians. Furthermore, a Jewish audience would be more in keeping with the obviously Jewish nature of the letter (e.g., the use of the Hebrew title for God, kyrios sabaoth, "Lord Almighty," 5:4). That the recipients were Christians is clear from 2:1; 5:7-8. It has been plausibly suggested that these were believers from the early Jerusalem church who, after Stephen's death, were scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Syrian Antioch (see Ac 8:1; 11:19 and notes). This would account for James's references to trials and oppression, his intimate knowledge of the readers and the authoritative nature of the letter. As leader of the Jerusalem church, James wrote as pastor to instruct and encourage his dispersed people in the face of their difficulties (see essay, p. 2539).

Distinctive Characteristics

Characteristics that make the letter distinctive are: (1) its unmistakably Jewish nature; (2) its emphasis on vital Christianity, characterized by good deeds and a faith that works (genuine faith must and will be accompanied by a consistent lifestyle); (3) its simple organization; (4) its familiarity with Jesus' teachings preserved in the Sermon on the Mount (compare 2:5 with Mt 5:3; 3:10-12 with Mt 7:15-20; 3:18 with Mt 5:9; 5:2-3 with Mt 6:19-20; 5:12 with Mt 5:33-37); (5) its similarity to OT wisdom writings such as Proverbs (see essay, p. 970); (6) its excellent Greek.

Outline

• Greetings (1:1)
• Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)
  • The Testing of Faith (1:2-12)
  • The Source of Temptation (1:13-18)
• Listening and Doing (1:19-27)
• Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)
• Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)
• Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)
• Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)
• Warning against Worldliness (ch. 4)
  • Quarrelsomeness (4:1-3)
  • Spiritual Unfaithfulness (4:4)
  • Pride (4:5-10)
  • Slander (4:11-12)
  • Boasting (4:13-17)
• Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)
• Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)
  • Concerning Patience in Suffering (5:7-11)
  • Concerning Oaths (5:12)
  • Concerning the Prayer of Faith (5:13-18)
  • Concerning Those Who Wander from the Truth (5:19-20)

---

From the NIV Study Bible, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, James
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Hebrews 13 NLT

Outline

I.                  Prologue: The Superiority of God's New Revelation (1:1-4)

                         II.         The Superiority of Christ to Leading Figures under the Old Covenant (1:5;7:28)

A.    Christ Is Superior to the Angels (1:5;2:18)

1.     Scriptural proof of his superiority (1:5-14)

2.     Exhortation not to ignore the revelation of God in his Son (2:1-4)

3.     Jesus was made a little lower than the angels (2:5-9)

4.     Having been made like us, Jesus was enabled to save us (2:10-18)

B.    Christ Is Superior to Moses (3:1;4:13)

1.     Demonstration of Christ's superiority (3:1-6)

2.     Exhortation to enter salvation-rest (3:7;4:13)

C.    Christ Is Superior to the Aaronic Priests (4:14;7:28)

1.     Jesus is the great high priest (4:14-16)

2.     Qualifications of a priest (5:1-10)

3.     Exhortation to press on toward maturity (5:11;6:12)

4.     The certainty of God's promise (6:13-20)

5.     Christ's superior priestly order (ch. 7)

                                                            III.         The Superior Sacrificial Work of Our High Priest (8:1;10:18)

A.    A New Sanctuary and a New Covenant (ch. 8)

B.    The Old Sanctuary (9:1-10)

C.    The Better Sacrifice (9:11;10:18)

                                         IV.         A Call to Follow Jesus Faithfully and with Perseverance (10:19;12:29)

 .      Having Confidence to Enter the Sanctuary (10:19-25)

A.    A Warning against Persistence in Sin (10:26-31)

B.    C. Persevering in Faith under Pressure (10:32;12:3)

1.     As in the past, so in the future (10:32-39)

2.     Faith and its many outstanding examples (ch. 11)

3.     Jesus, the supreme example (12:1-3)

C.    Encouragement to Persevere in the Face of Hardship (12:4-13)

D.    Exhortation to Holy Living (12:14-17)

E.    Crowning Motivation and Warning (12:18-29)

                        V.         Conclusion (ch. 13)

 .      Rules for Christian Living (13:1-17)

A.    Request for Prayer (13:18-19)

B.    Benediction (13:20-21)

C.    Personal Remarks (13:22-23)

D.    Greetings and Final Benediction (13:24-25)

Hebrews 13 NLT

1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 

2Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. 

4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. 

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 

6 So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” 

7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. 

8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them. 

10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 

11Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 

12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 

13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore.

14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. 

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 

16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. 

17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. 

18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 

19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.

20 Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 

21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 

22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation. 

23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you. 

24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings. 

25 May God’s grace be with you all.