Daily Bible Nugget #227, 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. (KJV)

James 1:21 So strip yourselves of everything impure and all the evils prevailing around you, and in humble spirit welcome the message which when rooted in your hearts is able to save your souls. (Williams)

Jas 1:21 For this reason, putting away all dirty behaviour and the overweight of evil, take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation. (Bible in Basic English)

James 1:21 Wherefore, putting away all filthiness and overflow of baseness, in meekness, welcome ye the word fitted for inward growth, which is able to save your souls: (Rotherham, Emphasized Bible)

My Comment:

The Scriptures should be received with meekness. We need to learn to respect the absolute authority of the Bible. The basic issues of right and wrong are not determined by majority vote. Morality is not determined by the decisions of the Supreme Court or any other humanly devised legal authority. God has set forth His standard of right and wrong very clearly in the Bible. His standard is above and superior to any civil authority. In order to benefit from the Bible we must read the Bible. But as we read the Bible we must be in a position to really hear what the Bible says. To hear what the Bible says, we must receive its message with meekness, in humility, without pride. With God’s help we must turn from our wicked ways and our wrong opinions. God’s Word declares that we must be teachable, and it associates that with meekness (Psalm 25:9). Without meekness, you cannot learn from Scripture. If you have already made up your mind what you believe, and therefore will not budge on any point, or even some point, no matter what the Bible teaches, you are in real trouble. We must approach the Bible with an open mind, willing to learn something new every time we read it. If we are honest, we will find it necessary to correct our thinking as the Word of God corrects us and we become better informed about what the Bible teaches. The Bible is able to save our souls if we are willing to receive what it says and make its teaching part of our lives and our own belief system.

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). James 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]. James 2:2. *James 4:8. Jb 4:4. Pr 6:12. **Is 64:6. Ezk 36:25. Zc 3:3, 5. *Jn 15:3. **2 Cor 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 Cor 8:2. (2) abundantly (with S#1519g): 2 Cor 10:15. (3) superfluity: James 1:21]. Ec 7:17. Mt 5:20. *Lk 6:45. Ro 15:13. 2 Cor 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 Cor 5:8. 14:20. Ep 4:31. Col 3:8. Titus 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: James 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. James 1:13. James 3:8. 4:3. Ge 6:5. Pr 1:16. Mt 5:37. *Mt 23:15. Lk 6:45. +Ro 1:29. 2:24. *Ep 4:31. Col 3:8. Titus 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. **+Mt 10:40. 12:50. *Mt 13:23. Mk 4:20. +*Lk 8:13. 10:8-10. 11:28. 13:21. *Ac 8:14, 31. 11:1. +**Ac 17:11, 12. +**Ro 15:7. 1 Cor 2:14. +*2 Cor 6:1. Ga 4:14. *1 Th 1:6. +**1 Th 2:13. *2 Th 2:10. with meekness. Gr. prautēs (S#4240g: James 3:13. 1 P 3:15), mildness, that is, (by implication) humility (Strong). T#1067. James 3:13. +*Ps 25:9. +*Ps 37:11. 45:4. Is 29:19. 61:1. *Is 66:2. +*Zp 2:3. +*Mt 5:5. 11:28-30. +*Lk 8:15. Ac 8:31. 10:33. 1 Cor 4:21. Ga 5:23. Ep 4:2. Col 3:12. 1 Th 1:5. **1 Th 2:13. 2 Tim 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. Ro 11:17, 19, 23, 24. 2 Cor 3:3. Ep 4:24. Phil 2:13n. Col 3:10. He 4:2. word. ver. James 1:18. +*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. James 4:12. 5:15, 20. +*Ps 19:7. **Jn 5:24. **Jn 20:31. Ac 13:26. *Ac 20:32. +*Ro 1:16. 1 Cor 1:18. +*1 Cor 15:2. 2 Cor 6:7. Ep 1:13. **1 Th 2:13. +**2 Tim 3:15-17. *Titus 2:11. *He 2:3. 8:10. 1 P 1:9. souls. Gr. psychē, FS171Q2, +2 Cor 12:15mg. James 5:20. Ps 103:1. +*Lk 1:46. He 10:39.