John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 1:2
My brethren ,.... Not only according to the flesh, he being a Jew as they were; but in a spiritual sense, they being born again of the same grace, belonging to the same family and household of faith, and having the same Father, and being all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus: count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations ; not the temptations of Satan, or temptations to sin; for these cannot be matter of joy, but grief; these are fiery darts, and give a great deal of... read more
John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 1:1
James, a servant of God ,.... That is, of God the Father; not by creation only, as every man is; nor merely by calling grace, as is every regenerate person; but by office, as a preacher of the Gospel, being one that served God in the Gospel of his Son, and was an apostle of Christ; nor is this any sufficient objection to his being one, since others of the apostles so style themselves: and of the Lord Jesus Christ ; the Ethiopic version reads this in connection with the former clause,... read more