Daily Bible Nugget #130, James 1:21

The Nugget:

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

My Comment:

This verse speaks of the Bible, and names the Bible by the term word, the first of twelve titles the Bible gives itself that I listed yesterday for the Daily Bible Nugget #129 on Romans 1:2. This passage (James 1:21) is extremely important to understand. It directly contradicts the official teaching of more than one church, some of said churches which think that they, and they alone are the one true church. Of course, if they are mistaken on such a simple fundamental truth as is spoken of plainly in this verse, they cannot be what they claim to be. Can a person be truly saved by reading and believing the message of the New Testament? Can a person believe the Gospel message by reading it themselves without the assistance of an official “teaching authority,” or God’s sole designated “teaching authority,” which is what some churches claim to be? The Bible says in this verse that to receive with meekness the engrafted word will result in your salvation. This verse says that the written Word of God found in the Bible is able to save your souls, if you receive it. No church can save your soul. But God’s Word, read and received, will save your soul. These same churches constantly harp upon another text in the book of James, the one that speaks of “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). They forget that works without faith is equally dead. They forget that the kind of faith God is talking about in His written Word is the faith that comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17) and believing it (John 5:24). I have noticed that the churches that claim to be the one true church and constantly make reference to James 2:26 give absolutely no attention to the truth spoken of in this verse, James 1:21, that receiving the engrafted word is most important for the salvation of your soul. I think that makes those “one true churches” false cults. They emphasize the wrong thing, and keep countless souls in darkness by their pernicious error, and by their implicit and often explicit discouragement of independent Bible reading and Bible study.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1447 for James 1:21.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1466 or in Logos 5 Bible software for James 1:21.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

James 1:21. lay apart. Aorist tense, middle voice, participle. Thus, lay apart once for all (see JFB). Ja 4:4, 8. Jb *11:14. Pr 4:24. Is 2:20. 30:22. Ezk 18:31. Zc 3:4. Mt 22:11. Mk 1:15. Ro +*1:29. 13:12-14. Ep 4:22, 23, 25. Col *3:5-10. He *12:1. 1 P 2:1, 11. filthiness. Gr. rhuparia (S#4507g, only here), dirtiness (morally) [Strong]. Ja 2:2. *4:8. Jb 4:4. Pr 6:12. Is **64:6. Ezk 36:25. Zc 3:3, 5. Jn *15:3. 2 C *7:1. Ep 5:4. 1 P 3:21. Re 3:4, 18. 7:14. 22:11. and superfluity. or, abundance. Gr. perisseia [(S#4050g, Ro 5:17): Rendered (1) abundance: Ro 5:17. 2 C 8:2. (2) abundantly (with S#1519g): 2 C 10:15. (3) superfluity: Ja 1:21]. Ec 7:17. Mt 5:20. Lk *6:45. Ro 15:13. 2 C 8:2. of naughtiness. or, animosity. Gr. kakia [(S#2549g, Ro 1:29), our natural evil disposition towards one another (JFB): Rendered (1) malice: 1 C 5:8. 14:20. Ep 4:31. Col 3:8. T 3:3. 1 P 2:1. (2) maliciousness: Ro 1:29. 1 P 2:16. (3) evil: Mt 6:34. (4) wickedness: Ac 8:22. (5) naughtiness: Ja 1:21]. “Naughty” and “naughtiness” had a much more forcible meaning in King James’s day than now (see Pr 6:12. 11:6. 17:4. Je 24:2.) (CB). ver. 13. Ja 3:8. 4:3. Ge 6:5. Pr 1:16. Mt 5:37. *23:15. Lk 6:45. Ro +1:29. 2:24. Ep *4:31. Col 3:8. T 3:3. 1 P 2:1, 16. and receive. Gr. dechomai (S#1209g, Mt 10:14). Aorist tense, middle voice, imperative mood verb. Pr **19:27. 23:12. Is 58:2. Mt 7:24. **+10:40. 12:50. *13:23. Mk 4:20. Lk +*8:13. 10:8-10. 11:28. 13:21. Ac *8:14, 31. 11:1. +**17:11, 12. Ro +**15:7. 1 C 2:14. 2 C +*6:1. Ga 4:14. 1 Th *1:6. +**2:13. 2 Th *2:10. with meekness. Gr. prautēs (S#4240g: Ja 3:13. 1 P 3:15), mildness, that is, (by implication) humility (Strong). T#1067. Ja 3:13. Ps +*25:9. +*37:11. 45:4. Is 29:19. 61:1. *66:2. Zp +*2:3. Mt +*5:5. 11:28-30. Lk +*8:15. Ac 8:31. 10:33. 1 C 4:21. Ga 5:23. Ep 4:2. Col 3:12. 1 Th 1:5. **2:13. 2 T 2:25. 1 P 3:4. the engrafted. or, implanted. Gr. emphutos (S#1721g, only here). It is implanted; divinely given, in contrast with something acquired by study (Vincent). Dt 6:6. 11:18. 30:14. Jb *11:13, 14. Ps +*119:11. Je 31:33. Mt 13:18-23. 15:13. Jn 6:63, 68. Ro 2:15. 6:17mg. 11:17, 19, 23, 24. 2 C 3:3. Ep 4:24. Col 3:10. He 4:2. word. ver. 18. Ps +*119:9. Lk 8:11. Jn 5:38. 17:17. Ac +*20:32. 1 Th +*2:13. 2 Th 2:17. 1 P *1:23. which is able to save. Ja 4:12. 5:15, 20. Ps +*19:7. Jn **5:24. **20:31. Ac 13:26. *20:32. Ro +*1:16. 1 C 1:18. +*15:2. 2 C 6:7. Ep 1:13. 1 Th **2:13. 2 T +**3:15-17. T *2:11. He *2:3. 8:10. 1 P 1:9. souls. Gr. psychē, FS171Q2, 2 C +12:15mg. Ja 5:20. Ps 103:1. Lk +*1:46. He 10:39.