James 1:1-27

James was a holy-person (a sanctified-person, Christian, saint, a child of the only true God) with a Judean/Israeli background.

He was Jesus’ half-brother because Mary was his mother also, but Joseph was his father (Matthew 12:46 and 13:55; John 12:5). He was not one of the twelve whom Jesus had chosen to be his apostles. James had become a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1) through the appearance to him of the risen Christ (I Corinthians 15:7); then within a short amount of time he became a prominent figure in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17, 15:13-21, 21:18, and Galatians 1:19, 2:9 and 12).

James 1:1:

^1:1James, a slave of God and (the) Lord Jesus Christ – to the twelve tribes, the (twelve tribes) in the scattering; (may you have) joy.

James begins this letter (epistle) by first identifying himself by name: James (Jacob). Then he identifies himself by 'job-title' or 'work-function' relative-to his working/service relationship with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ: slave.

He writes that he is a slave belonging to God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He was bound to serve them. This service as a slave meant that his whole being was at-the-service-of or in-service-to God and the Lord Jesus Christ. James carried-out his service by his own freedom of will. Wherever James was and whatever he was doing he was to behave as a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, not a slave serving anybody or anything else. At the time of his writing this letter, James believed and obeyed God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and he took his instructions from them. During Biblical times, a master was obligated to take-care of his slave (bond servant) and the slave was obligated to do all his master would ask of him. It was a mutually-beneficial relationship between the master and his slave.

God is the First, Superior or Ultimate One, the One Who has power, executes judgment, and emanates what He is, His power and light; He is the only true God. The name of God refers to the fullness of everything involved with Himself, all that He is and will continue to be, all of His authoritative-power, ability, workings, etc, His distinguishing and distinctive constitution, character, and quality.

Next, let us look at what the name "Lord Jesus Christ" involves. A name is a word or phrase given to a person, etc, to be called and known-by, in order to designate and describe the distinguishing and distinctive constitution, character, quality, workings, etc. The name “Lord Jesus Christ” incorporates the fullness of everything involved with him; it includes all that:

the name of "Lord" and
the name of "Jesus" and
the name of "Christ"

…represent and stand-for – together.

1) The word "Lord" refers to a master or an owner, one who has the authority (authoritative power), the one from whom the directions and instructions are given and who is to be obeyed, the one who has the dominion over and exercises his lordship in relation to that-which his title of "Lord" or "Master" is being associated (refer to Acts 2:36).

2) The word "Jesus" is explained in Matthew 1:21 by the Angel Gabriel when he spoke to Joseph:

Matthew 1:21:

^.21She [Mary] will bring-forth a son and you [Joseph] will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

"Jesus" means "God saves / Jehovah (Yahweh) the Savior," and the Lord Jesus Christ was given that name "Jesus" because he is the one who carried-out God's will to make it available for people to be saved, to be made-safe. It is by means of Jesus, the Christ, that people are able to be saved and thereby have a true and vital spiritual relationship with the only true God. Jesus Christ is God's son – he is alive today! He is now at God's right-hand side, second-in-command to God his Father.

3) The word "Christ" means the "anointed-one" or "Messiah." In the lands and during the time-period of the writing of the Bible, holy oil was poured on the high priest of God to begin his ministry for God, and it was also used to anoint kings. Many people and things were anointed with holy oil to signify their making holy or sanctified for a specific purpose, etc, which can be read about in many scriptures in the Bible (refer to Exodus 30:22-33; Acts 2:36, 4:27, and 10:38). The resurrected Christ continues doing God's will today.

Re-reading James chapter 1, verse 1:

James 1:1:

^1:1James, a slave of God and (the) Lord Jesus Christ – to the twelve tribes, the (twelve tribes) in the scattering; (may you have) joy.

James addressed this letter to…

the twelve tribes (12 clans, referring to the descendants of the 12 sons of Israel/Jacob),
emphatically and specifically the twelve tribes in the scattering (those being the diaspora, dispersion, living in any part of the world away from Jerusalem, as a sower would scatter seed upon the earth);

…may you have joy (rejoice).

[Reference: Genesis 35:22-25, 49:1-28; Exodus 39:14; Ezekiel 48:31-35; Matthew 13:55, 19:28; John 7:35; Acts chapter 2, 7:8, 8:1 and 4, 11:19, 12:17, 15:13-29, 23:26, 26:6-8; Romans 1:1, 10:8-10, and chapter 11; Galatians 1:19, 2:9; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; Hebrews 11:21; I Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 7:4-8, 21:12.]

Verses 2-8:

^.2You must lead (your minds to regard it) all joy, my brothers, whenever you may fall-into variegated temptations ^.3knowing that the sure-proof of your belief renders patient-endurance to-work, ^.4but the patient-endurance must have a complete work in order that you may be complete-people and whole-lotted-people being-left (short) in nothing. ^.5But if someone of you is-left (short) of wisdom he must ask from the giving God (Who gives) singly to all-people and not reproaching, and it will be given to him; ^.6but he must ask in belief throughly-judging-himself (in) nothing, for the (person) throughly-judging-himself imaged² a surge of (the) sea being wind-driven and being tossed ^.7for that man must not suppose that he will receive something from the Lord. ^.8A two-souled adult-male (is) inconstant in all his ways.

You must take the initiative (cause it to be in your minds) to view it as being all/every joy (a time of rejoicing; again the word ‘joy’ is used)…

my brothers (not only were those to whom he was writing all of the Judean/Israeli background, but they were brothers in the holy spirit category; all holy-people are brothers in the spirit category because all of us have received the same gift of holy spirit and we are therefore all children of God our Father),

…at whatever time you would fall into being surrounded by variegated temptations (fall into the middle of manifold or various trials, being put to the test in the bad sense of being enticed to do wrong)…

knowing (having a personal, truly active and relative knowing)
- that
the sure-proof (dokimion – the refined indubitable essence of that-which has already been proved by testing or examination and has thereby been approved, proved to be genuine and pure)
- of your belief (pertaining-to and contained-in the faith/trust that you have, which is the information that God has made known to you to have confidence-in with assured certainty and surety)
renders patient-endurance to work (causes to effect, effectively brings-down, achieves a bearing-up, holding, enduring and remaining upright relative to God and the things of God under any obstacles),

…but the patient-endurance must have a complete work (a perfect deed by the ultimate arrival of the state of its completeness, it must reach God's intended fulfilling ending-issue to produce the correct effect) for the purpose and result that you may (would) be…

complete-people (people who are in a state of perfectness having reached God's intended fulfilling ending-issue for you, people who are perfect by the ultimate arrival of the state of completeness) and
whole-lotted-people (people who have the wholeness or entirety belonging to you of the inheritance, the assigned lot, allotment, allotted portion, that-which is assigned to you by lot)
- being left short in nothing (left with nothing undone, lacking not one thing).

But if any of you is left short of wisdom (has a shortage of the skillful or expert application of personal knowledge, what to do as the most appropriate action concerning a specific situation or circumstance even when complete knowledge of it may not be available)…

he must ask from the giving God (he must ask as an inferior to a superior for wisdom from God Who is presently and actively giving; God is the source from Whom wisdom proceeds)
- Who gives singly (plainly, in one direction, straightforwardly without any double-meanings, false motives or intentions, there is no duplicity, no conflict of interest on God’s part when He gives) to everyone, and not reproaching (defaming, insulting the one who is asking Him for something),
and wisdom will be given to the one asking;
but he must ask in belief (within the sphere of action and cause of what God has given him to believe; the noun ‘belief’ refers to that-which is given to a person originating from God to believe; what God gives a person to have faith-in, to trust; belief is the information that God makes known to a person to have confidence-in with assured certainty and surety; refer to Hebrews 11:6)
- throughly judging himself in nothing (wholly distinguishing, discerning, separating, thoroughly judging himself to be different in not one thing from what God has given him to believe).

In truth, the person who is throughly judging himself imaged and continues to be the image (icon, resemblance, representation) of a surge (a wave rising and falling) of the sea…

being wind-driven (moved by the wind) and
being tossed (blown about as a fan or bellows is used to produce an effect)

…for that man (member of mankind; this Greek word translated "man" does not specify gender) must not suppose (presume, wrongly assume) that he will receive something from the Lord (that anything will be given to him from the Lord for him to be able to take it).

A two-souled adult-male (a grown-man who behaves as though having 2 souls, evidencing his physical living, his character and disposition in two different directions regarding the same matter, between the two options of either believing God’s word or believing something else instead, double minded) is inconstant (not constant, unsteady, he does not stand in the level or position to which he is appointed, he is unstable) in all his ways (within the sphere of action of every progress, manner of action, method of proceeding, in all he does).

We should understand that James has already set the standard regarding himself and therefore also regarding those to whom he is writing – slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritually all holy-people are complete because we have as much as is available to us at this present time from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ – we all have the spirit of Christ in us. We are blessed in every spiritual blessing. And we have the hope of all that we will receive in Christ when he comes to gather us all together with him and gives us our spiritual bodies, etc (I Corinthians chapter 15). However, right now we still have our fleshy bodies and minds with the fleshly/worldly influences, and therefore in the walk (behavior, conduct) category we can fluctuate – it is up to each one of us to decide to walk with and for God and our Lord Jesus Christ during the everyday living of our lives, or not! James intended for those to whom he is writing not only to be complete in the spirit category but also in the walk/behavior category before God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

James 1:2-4 does not contradict Romans 5:3 and 4 because:

Paul writes “…we boast in the pressures, having known² that pressure renders patient-endurance to work, and patient-endurance proof”
- the external reason of “pressure”
  - renders patient-endurance to work on the part of the person being pressured,
- and then the patient-endurance
  - renders proof to work (this word “proof” dokime means: that-which has the quality and character of having already been tried, tested, and has been proven to be true, it is the evidence that proves it as fact and demands the mind to accept its validity)
James writes “…joy…whenever you may fall-into variegated temptations knowing that the sure-proof of your belief renders patient-endurance to-work, but the patient-endurance must have a complete work”
- the external reason of “variegated temptations”
  - the internal “sure-proof” which is the information that God gives a person to believe,
  - renders patient-endurance to work on the part of the person being tempted,
- and then the patient-endurance
  - must have a complete work in order to fulfill the sure-proof of the belief, and thereby bring it into evidence in a person's life, which would be the dokime proof.

[Reference: Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 27:21; Matthew 5:48, 7:7-11, 21:21 and 22; Acts 3:16; Romans 4:20-22, 14:22 and 23, 15:13; I Corinthians 1:24 and 30, 3:8-15, 10:13, 14:20; II Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 3:10, 4:14, 6:8; Philippians 2:29; Colossians 1:11; I Thessalonians 2:4, 5:23; Hebrews 10:36, 11:1 and 6; James 4:8; I Peter 1:6 and 7.]

Verses 9-11:

^.9But the brother, the humble (brother), must boast in his height; ^.10but the wealthy (brother must boast) in his humiliation because as a flower of grass he will go-by, ^.11for the sun arose together with the burning-heat and it dried the grass and its flower fell and the well-becoming of its face destroyed-itself, thus also the wealthy (brother) in his journeys will be caused-to-fade.

The brother, emphatically and specifically the one who is humble (lowly, in a state of lowliness, a position of humbleness with respect to what God says), must boast (speak justifiably loudly) in his height (the high position he is in, which is: what God has made him to be in Christ Jesus).

But the brother who is wealthy (rich relative to material possessions) must boast in his humiliation (humbling, being brought to a state of lowliness, of low degree, a lowly position relative to material wealth – the wealthy brother is exactly the same as the humble brother in the spirit category from God’s viewpoint, which is: what God has made him to be in Christ Jesus) because…

as a flower of grass (in comparison to the temporary surface displays produced by what grows in a field, an enclosed area where animals may graze, feed upon it)
he will go-by (he will pass, his days of being classified as a ‘rich’ man from the fleshy or worldly viewpoint will come to an end).

For example: the sun rose up in conjunction with the burning heat (the intense scorching heat emanating from the sun)…

and it dried (withered) the grass
and its flower fell from it (the flower fell off the grass)
and the well-becoming of its face (the goodly distinguishing, suitable, proper traits of its presence, its appearance) destroyed itself (caused itself to be destroyed, to be utterly ruined, completely lost away from the grass),

…in this manner also the wealthy brother in his journeys (his passages, travels, ways of proceeding from one place or thing to another during his lifetime) will be caused to fade (go-out, be put-out, waste away). The rich man’s material wealth is only temporary and it is not something to boast about.

[Reference: Isaiah 40:6-8; Matthew 6:24, 18:4, 23:12; Romans 12:16; I Corinthians 16:22; II Corinthians 7:6; Philippians 2:2-13, 3:21; Colossians 2:18-23; I Timothy 6:17-19; James 4:6 and 10; I Peter 1:24, 5:6.]

Verses 12-15:

^.12Happy (is the) adult-male who patiently-endures temptation because having become approved he will receive the crown of the life which He promised to the (people) loving¹ Him. ^.13Not-one-person being tempted must say that “From God I am tempted”, for God is not-a-tempter of bad-things and He tempts not-one-person (with bad-things), ^.14but each-person is tempted being drawn-out and being enticed by (his) own intense-yearning, ^.15then the intense-yearning having taken-together brings-forth sin, but the sin having been completed bears death.

The word translated "happy" means that the one spoken about is pronounced happy, felicitous; he is a happy person from God's viewpoint, not that he feels happy at that time necessarily, but because of the reason that James explains.

The grown-man who patiently-endures temptation (who holds-out, bears-up, stays or remains upright relative to God and the things of God under trial, being put to the test in the bad sense of being enticed to do wrong) is happy – why? – because after he has become approved (passed the test, the examination and thereby he became approved) he will receive the crown of the life (similar to the victory wreath or garland prize put on the head of the victor/winner of a contest or race, but this crown pertains-to and consists-of the life, referring to the definite hope of future life with God and Lord Jesus Christ, eternal life) which He promised (God proclaimed or declared the message of His intentions concerning this crown of the life) to/for the people loving¹ God.

The word "love¹" or the verb "to love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. God tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us) how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations. It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

James continues: Not one person (nobody, no-one) who is presently being tempted (put on trial, being tested or examined in the bad sense of being enticed to go against God) must say that “From God I am tempted (I am presently being tempted emphatically away-from or originating-from God)”…

- for God is not-a-tempter of bad-things (the only true God presently and actively is in the state, quality, character, essence of being NOT One Who tempts pertaining-to or consisting-of the things that are contrary to what He has spoken, His Word, or contrary to what He would want people to have, His will or intention regarding their lives) and

emphatically He (He Himself) tempts (puts on trial, puts to the test in the bad sense of enticing to do wrong) – who? – not one person (nobody, no-one, no other) with bad-things.

But each person (individually, particularly, singly, distinctly) is tempted – how? – …

being drawn-out (being dragged out from his current position in the walk/behavior category) and
being enticed (deceived, baited, caught, like a fish is caught by the one fishing, allured)
- by his own intense-yearning (by the agency of his own strong-desire attached or fixed upon a certain object, and in this context referring to something other-than God and the things of God, the person’s own lust),
- then (afterwards in sequence) the intense-yearning,
  - after it has taken-together (when it has received its desired effects with that person, when it has caught, seized, grasped, surrounded him as the sperm becomes surrounded by the egg during conception),
- brings-forth sin (produces sin, that-which is aberration from God's Word, missing the mark of what God says),
- but the sin,
  - having been completed (after sin has reached its full term, brought away from its start to its ending issue, when it has accomplished its task),
- bears death (yields death, as pregnancy giving birth away from the womb to death).

[Note: James 1:13-15 does not contradict Acts 15:10, I Corinthians 10:9, Hebrews 3:9, or 11:17 because James clearly states that the context is “bad-things”; he is not writing about tempting in the good sense of testing, making trial, trying, putting someone to the test in order for God to ascertain certain information regarding an individual. God does not tempt any person or spirit to go against His Word.]

[Reference: Psalm 7:14; Matthew 10:22, 22:37; Luke 10:28; John 3:16; Acts 12:3; Romans 3:13, 5:12 and 21, 6:12-23, 7:5-25, 8:2 and 28, 13:14; I Corinthians 2:9, 8:3, 9:24 and 25, 10:13, 13:13, 15:51-58; Galatians 5:6, 13 and 14; Colossians 3:5 and 14; I Thessalonians 1:3, 4:13-18, 5:8; I Timothy 1:5, 4:8, 6:9; II Timothy 1:1, 4:8; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:9-12; James 2:5, 5:20; I Peter 5:4; II Peter 2:14 and 18; Revelation 2:10.]

Verses 16-21:

^.16You must not be caused-to-wander, my loved¹ brothers: ^.17every good giving and every complete free-gift is from-the-top descending from the Father of the lights with Whom there is not in (Him) a change or a shadow of turning; ^.18having been deliberately-determined He bore us with (the) word of truth with-a-view-for us to be some first-fruits-offering of His creatures;

^.19you must have known², my loved¹ brothers: every man must be quick with-a-view to hear but slow with-a-view to utter-forth, slow into wrath ^.20for (the) wrath of an adult-male does not work (the) righteousness of God; ^.21on-which-account having put-away all filth and excess of badness from-yourselves, in meekness you must accept the in-sprouting word, the (word) being able to save your souls.

You must not be caused to wander (do not allow yourselves to err or not-stay in your rightful place, don’t be led-astray from the truth of God's Word, like a planet is constantly moving around when viewed from the earth unlike the stars which retain their position relative-to each other, you must retain your fellowship position with God your Father by behaving according to what God says), my Godly-loved brothers.

Again, James addresses the holy-people who are descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel/Jacob as his ‘brothers’ reminding them that they are all brothers in the holy spirit category (refer to verse 1 and 2 above) plus he loves them with God’s kind of love (refer to verse 12 above).

You must not be caused to wander, my Godly-loved brothers:

every good giving
- (the word translated “giving” is a noun referring to: the act of voluntarily giving a gift, unforced, with freedom of will yielding or presenting something with a specific quality that someone already has to someone else who does not have it yet, giving into the other’s ownership for his use – all/every action of giving which is good from God’s viewpoint, since God is the One Who issues His goodness and He sets the standard to be conformed to by others)
and
every complete free-gift
- (the word translated "free-gift" emphasizes the fact that the gift is freely given, even though the actual gift is a valuable quality item – all/every present given which is perfect by the ultimate arrival of its state of completeness, its ending-issue, there’s nothing to be added-to or subtracted-from that-which has been given)

…is from-the-top (all of them start or commence from a place that is above, upwards) descending (moving downwards, coming down) from…

the Father of the lights (the One Who has begotten or fathered lights, God is light and He is the originator and source of all true light, specifically here referring to the fact that God is the One Who made the planets and stars of heaven)
with Whom there is not in Him (at rest beside, at or with the Father of the lights there is not within His sphere of action, nowhere in His vicinity is there)
- a change (an alteration or variation passing from one side to another whereby the light intensity changes, which does occur with the planets and stars from the viewer’s perception)
- or a shadow of turning (a dark shaded area caused from the heavenly bodies such as planets periodically blocking a light-source when moving in their courses or orbits, as an eclipse).

After He purposefully willed, He bore us (yielded or gave birth to us)…

with/by the word of truth (the spoken account of the inner-thoughts of God which is truth)
for the purpose of causing us to be…
- some first-fruits-offering (all of us together as one being a certain beginning-portion which is consecrated or dedicated to God taken from the mass of people – the first-fruits offering is not the only part, but it is the first part of the whole)
- of His creatures (what God creates).

You must see to the end of perceiving and knowing with your minds, my loved¹ brothers (refer to verses, 2, 12, and 16 above):

every man must be quick (all/every member of mankind must be speedy, swift time-wise) for the purpose of
- hearing (to actively hear what is spoken to be heard, listen attentively to the end of understanding the word of truth referenced in verse 18 above)
but slow (delay time-wise) for the purpose of
- uttering-forth (to actively utter sound, voice, speak words – this word is used independently of any reason why the words are uttered or what is uttered),
slow into wrath (delay with a view to, directed to, or resulting-in wrath, which is a lasting angry vengeance, like the heat of a burning-fire which is not a spur-of-the-moment thing on the man’s part; in this context James is talking about wrath emanating from flesh and is contrary to God's will)
- for the wrath of an adult-male (a grown-man’s wrath, the wrath issuing from his body and soul parts) does not work the righteousness of God (does not cause or effect God’s justness, justice to be operative, it does not produce what is right/just from God's point of view).

On account of this, having put (placed, set) away from yourselves…

all/every filth (dirt, figuratively meaning: sordidness) and
excess of badness (abundance of all forms of being bad, over and above the number or measure already attained by you of that-which is against God, contrary to His will),

…in meekness (within the sphere of action of tender receptiveness or receptivity towards God and the things of God) you must accept (welcome, subjectively receive or willingly take to yourselves what is presented to you, which is) the in-sprouting word (the spoken-account of God’s inner thoughts which has already been planted within you and is actively generating as a growing plant, the productive word in you; refer to verse 18 above),

emphatically and specifically the word that is presently being able (capable, having the able-power, the ability) to save your souls (to make your lives/beings safe).

We should notice that James writes the Greek root-word pas many times in this passage and it can be translated into the English as "all" or "every" depending on the sentence structure.

[Reference: Genesis 1:3-19; Psalm 136:7-9; Matthew 24:32; Acts 10:35, 13:26; Romans 1:16, 5:16 and 17; I Corinthians 12:7-14, 15:1 and 2; Ephesians 1:13, 5:8; Philippians 2:12 and 13, 4:15; Colossians 1:5; I Thessalonians 5:5; I Timothy 6:16; II Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 11:33; I Peter 1:9 and 22-25; I John 1:5.]

Verses 22-25:

^.22You must become doers of (the) word and not only hearers calculating-against yourselves, ^.23because if someone is a hearer of (the) word, and not a doer, this-person imaged² an adult-male mentally-perceiving the face of his genesis in a mirror, ^.24for he mentally-perceived himself and went-away², and immediately he forgot what-kind he used-to-be; ^.25but the (person) having bent-alongside into (the) complete law, the (law) of the freedom, and having remained-alongside (it), not having become a hearer of forgetfulness but a doer of work, this-person will be happy in his doing.

It is imperative that you presently become…

doers of the word (people who do or perform the word of truth which is sprouting within you, verses 18 and 21, making or accomplishing what it says)
and not only hearers (people who purposefully hear it only, whose sole intention is only to listen to it)
- calculating against yourselves (counting, reckoning, computing against yourselves, which would be a miscounting, reasoning with false logic),

…because if someone is a hearer (listener) of the word, but he is not a doer of the word, this person imaged and continues to be the image (icon, resemblance, representation) of a grown-man mentally-perceiving (fully taking-note of, attentively noticing in his mind) the face of his genesis (of his origin, source, genealogical background of lineage, race, kind, descent, his natural physical face) in a mirror, for…

he mentally-perceived himself in the mirror
and went away and is still gone away from the mirror,
and immediately (straightaway, directly) he forgot what kind he used to be (he willingly escaped to place notice resting or based on the kind of person he was, he disregarded, ceased to pay attention to what sort he was when he was looking at himself in the mirror because he went away from it and is now looking-at and doing other things instead);

…but the person who has bent alongside (who has moved into position beside, by-the-side-of or near-by the object with his head bent forward intently peering or looking) into, with a view to, directed to the complete law (the law that is perfect by the ultimate arrival of the state of completeness, the law that has reached its ending-issue)…

emphatically and specifically the law of the freedom (the law pertaining to the liberty; this is the complete law that God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ has set-up, divided-out and administers to be customarily and rightly used among all holy-people, which is the word of truth referred to in verses 18 and 21 above; this is not referring to the old covenant law of Moses),

…and having remained alongside it (this person stayed beside, along with, continued being near the complete law of the freedom)…

but he has not become a hearer of forgetfulness (a listener with the quality and character of willingly escaping to place notice on, disregarding, ceasing to pay attention to what he hears)
but on the contrary, he has become a doer of work (a person who does work, who performs deeds, who makes or accomplishes actions that produce effects according to the law of the freedom)…

…this person will be happy (felicitous) during and within the sphere of action of his doing (his performance of the act, while he is making or producing what was communicated to him in the word of truth sprouting within him).

[Reference: Romans 2:12-16, 8:2 and 21, 10:4; I Corinthians 7:22, 13:12; II Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 2:4, 5:1, 6, 13 and 14, 6:2; I Peter 1:12 and 23.]

Verses 26 and 27:

^.26If someone considers to be religious not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, the religion of this-person (is) futile; ^.27clean and unstained religion with the God and Father is this: to look-intensely-at orphans and widows in their pressure, (and) to keep himself spotless from the world.

If anyone supposes that he is religious (religiously observant, that he renders ceremonial and external service and performs forms of worship)…

not bridling his tongue (not presently and actively leading his tongue as with a bridle, not holding it in check and making sure it goes in the correct direction)
but on the contrary, he is deceiving his heart (deluding the center or core of his being, beguiling the seat of his whole personal self and life),

…the religion of this person is futile (empty as to any results, meaningless and useless).

Clean (free from any bad foreign mixture) and
unstained (not tainted, not tinged, without being colored with something else)

…religion (religious observance, the ceremonial and external rendering of service and the performance of forms of worship) at rest beside, at or with the God and Father (in God our Father’s viewpoint) is this:

to look intensely at (look upon, inspect, observe with a view to help or relieve, visit and do what is needed in the situation regarding)…
- orphans (people who have been bereaved, rendered as orphans separated away from their fathers or parents) and
- widows (women who have been bereaved of their husbands)
- in their pressure (during time of pressure afflicting them, when compression or stress afflicts them, whatever may be pressing-upon or squeezing them, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual),
and
to keep himself spotless (to keep an eye on himself, have himself in safekeeping, and therefore not neglecting or violating but able to watch-over, take-care-of, maintain, and be observant of himself, so as to continue being in the state of being stainless) away from the world.

During the time of James’ writing of this letter, adult-males would need to take-on the responsibilities, both legally and administration-wise, concerning the finances, estates, properties, young children, etc, of the widows because in that culture a woman was not allowed to do this type of work. Widows had to rely on a male relative or friend to do these things, unless she had an adult-son whose responsibility it would have been to carry-out this duty. Religion concerns behavior (conduct) which ought to be clean and unstained with respect to other holy-people and self.

[Reference: Matthew 22:39; Acts 6:1-7, 26:5; Galatians 6:1-6; Romans 13:8-10; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 2:18 and 23; I Timothy 5:3-16, 6:14; Hebrews 6:10. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

James Chapter 2