Do not forget that the Apostle James is writing to those in the church.

Verses one through six– Wealth does not equate to sin. Ill-gained, exploited wealth does. In verses 1-6 God is addressing the rich within the church who have been corrupted by their riches, causing the people themselves to become one with the lustful, self-serving world. To gain and retain their wealth they have failed to provide a fair wage to their laborers who are dependent on them for their livlihood. Their cries to the Lord have been heard on high and retribution is sure. The Lord reminds the sinful rich that they have lived in luxury while those who work for them live in poverty. Note the curses God promises to bring upon the sinful rich WITHIN THE CHURCH: miseries will overtake them; their riches will become corrupted; their garments will become motheaten; their gold and silver will become cankered; rust and poison will testify of their sins while eating them as if they were fire. See The Church, the Gospel and the Goats for a full explanation of how and why such sinners are allowed to remain in the church throughout their lives while believing themselves to be God’s saints. As the Scriptures show, they will be rejected on the Day of Judgment along with all others who do not believe and obey the Word of the Lord which Jesus calls “Truth” (Jn. 17:17).

Verses seven through eleven– The Lord, through James, now addresses those who have suffered at the hands of the wicked within the church. These sufferers He calls His “brethren,” a term He did not use when addressing the evil rich in verses 1-6. In Matthew 12:46-50 Jesus identifies His brethren as “… whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven ….” He noted that only they are His spiritual brethren. All others–the vast majority (Mat. 7:13,14)–are SINO’s–saints in name only. In verses 7-11 the Lord counsels the suffering saints to be patient, assuring them that He knows the situation and will reverse the fortunes of the rulers and the ruled upon Christ’s return to earth. The are not to whine about their situation, but are to believe His Word. He then reminds them of the prophets who served Him faithfully and suffered greatly for doing so, knowing that a better future lay ahead.

In verse twelve we are cautioned about swearing (vowing) falsely. When we make a vow to the Lord we are required to keep it. Numerous Scriptures encourage the making of vows and keeping them. To not do so is to lie to the Lord. In verse 12 the Lord is referring to the common practice of making vows and failing to fulfill them. A great gulf can develop between what one says and what one does. To fail to keep ones vow is to cause one to “fall into condemnation.” Many, including this writer, have in the past believed that it is a sin to swear to do something, such as to tell the truth in a court of law. But when one studies according to God’s instructions found in Isaiah 28:9,10 one finds that this is not the case. As God addressed the WICKED rich in verses 1-6, He addresses the FALSE VOWERS in verse 12. LET US THOROUGHLY STUDY–NOT MERELY READ–GOD’S INSPIRED WORD IN SEARCH OF TRUTH. LET US BELIEVE AND OBEY HIS TRUTH, NOT MERELY THOSE SCRIPTURES WHICH SEEM TO CONFIRM OUR THEOLOGY. L.J.