Matius 7:21

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ¹  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Yohanes 7:17

7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, ²  he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. ³ 

Yakobus 1:25

1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, ⁴  and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he ⁵  will be blessed in what he does. ⁶ 

Yakobus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ⁷  a slave ⁸  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁹  Greetings!

Yohanes 2:17

2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal ¹⁰  for your house will devour me.” ¹¹ 

Yohanes 3:22-23

Further Testimony About Jesus by John the Baptist

3:22 After this, ¹²  Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. 3:23 John ¹³  was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, ¹⁴  because water was plentiful there, and people were coming ¹⁵  to him ¹⁶  and being baptized.

[7:21]  ¹ sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[7:17]  ² tn Grk “his will.”

[7:17]  ³ tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”

[1:25]  ⁴ tn Grk “continues.”

[1:25]  ⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[1:25]  ⁶ tn Grk “in his doing.”

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

[1:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[2:17]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Fervent devotion to your house.”

[2:17]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Ps 69:9.

[3:22]  ¹² tn This section is related loosely to the preceding by μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta). This constitutes an indefinite temporal reference; the intervening time is not specified.

[3:23]  ¹³ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[3:23]  ¹⁴ tn The precise locations of Αἰνών (Ainwn) and Σαλείμ (Saleim) are unknown. Three possibilities are suggested: (1) In Perea, which is in Transjordan (cf. 1:28). Perea is just across the river from Judea. (2) In the northern Jordan Valley, on the west bank some 8 miles [13 km] south of Scythopolis. But with the Jordan River so close, the reference to abundant water (3:23) seems superfluous. (3) Thus Samaria has been suggested. 4 miles (6.6 km) east of Shechem is a town called Salim, and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Salim lies modern Ainun. In the general vicinity are many springs. Because of the meanings of the names (Αἰνών = “springs” in Aramaic and Σαλείμ = Salem, “peace”) some have attempted to allegorize here that John the Baptist is near salvation. Obviously there is no need for this. It is far more probable that the author has in mind real places, even if their locations cannot be determined with certainty.

[3:23]  ¹⁵ tn Or “people were continually coming.”

[3:23]  ¹⁶ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.