If the content of our local churches don’t move us to do something — and if there aren’t people to do those things with and hold us accountable to do them — then we’re simply deceiving ourselves!

When James says, “count it all joy… when you face various trials,” he definitely has economic distress as one of those “various trials.” So what does it mean to be “lowly” and “boast in [our] exaltation?”

“To ask for “wisdom” is almost to ask for an ability to “endure” with the ethic of Jesus (justice (1:20), love (2:8–11), and peace (3:18)) when pressure is put on people to live otherwise.” — Scot McKnight

We can ‘count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds’ because we know that suffering proves our faith (cf. Rom 5:2-5, 1 Pet 1:6-7) and, as James will continue to build on, suffering produces Christlikeness.

Union with Christ depicts the reality of all the ways that the Bible pictures our human connectedness to Christ, in which he is indispensable for every good that we enjoy.

Not only are we guilty… Not only are we spiritually dead… We’re under the just/right wrath of God! But Christ came to redeem!!!

In Romans 8:14-17, Paul helps us see that there is an immense amount of power and intimacy in our receiving “the Spirit of adoption as sons.”

By faith, those who are in Christ are both free from their past sin by union with his death and free to live for him by union with his life.

Our affection for Christ must be greater than the things he has done for us and the work he has called us to do!