An Examination of the "Secret Book of James"
A reply to Hal Flemings
http://jehovah.to/exe/general/james.htm
SECRET BOOK OF JAMES
According to Secret Book of James 4:4, the Lord Jesus offered Peter and James this advice: "But if you are oppressed by Satan and are persecuted and you do the Father's will, I say that he will love you and will make you equal with me and will consider that you have become beloved through his providence according to your free choice.."
The notion of being made equal with Christ is a NT teaching
Col 2:9 For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily and it will also dwell within us has well:
Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.
We like Jesus are to be filled with God fullness
2Peter 1:4 Through these things he has freely given us the precious and very grand promises, that through these YOU may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.
we will share God's divine nature
2Th 2:14 He called you to this through the good news we declare, so that you may acquire the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We shall share Jesus' glory
John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
In John 17 we are told that we are to be made perfect in one Christ in us and the Father in Christ
in the Age to come we shall be one with God by sharing his divine nature and being filled with his fullness.
1john 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And, at philp 3:20 Of us for the commonwealth in heavens begins, out of which also a saviour we look for Lord Jesus Anointed, 21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.
Our position is that the Secret Book of James is in harmony with the "New Testament" on this issue.
In another place, we read: "Become seekers of death, therefore, like the dead who are seeking life, for what they seek is manifest to them. So what can be of concern to them? When you inquire into the subject of death, it will teach about election. I swear to you, none will be saved who are afraid of death; for God’s domain belongs to those who are dead. Become better than I; be like the son of the holy spirit!" --Secret Book of James 5:3-6
Here Jesus is speaking about those who are dead to sin and alive to God at the same time
Rom 6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it??
Rom 6:11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Ga 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death
dying unto self and the world which Paul shows in self-denials of his holy life: he was "crucified with Christ"
Believers must die to sin, and live to God.
True believers are dead to sin, therefore they ought not to follow it. No man can at the same time be both dead and alive. He is a fool who, desiring to be dead to sin, thinks he may live in it.
son of the holy spirit that is to be born from above born of the spirit being a son of Deity by being made consubstantial with the father
Secret Book of James 6:27 reports that Jesus said to Peter and James: "Pay attention to instruction, understand knowledge, love life. And no one will persecute you, nor will any one oppress you, other than you yourselves."
That is no one will tempt you, nor will any one beguile you, other than you yourselves. For temptation comes from within Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
We will consider one more excerpt. This one comes from Secret Book of James 9:5,6 where Jesus tells Peter and James: "Accordingly, disregard rejection when you hear [it], but when you hear about the promise, exult all the more. I swear to you, whoever receives life and believes in the domain will never leave it - not even if the Father wishes to banish him!"
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and[a] cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.
A reply to Hal Flemings
http://jehovah.to/exe/general/james.htm
SECRET BOOK OF JAMES
According to Secret Book of James 4:4, the Lord Jesus offered Peter and James this advice: "But if you are oppressed by Satan and are persecuted and you do the Father's will, I say that he will love you and will make you equal with me and will consider that you have become beloved through his providence according to your free choice.."
The notion of being made equal with Christ is a NT teaching
Col 2:9 For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily and it will also dwell within us has well:
Eph 3:19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of the Deity.
We like Jesus are to be filled with God fullness
2Peter 1:4 Through these things he has freely given us the precious and very grand promises, that through these YOU may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.
we will share God's divine nature
2Th 2:14 He called you to this through the good news we declare, so that you may acquire the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We shall share Jesus' glory
John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[a] believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
In John 17 we are told that we are to be made perfect in one Christ in us and the Father in Christ
in the Age to come we shall be one with God by sharing his divine nature and being filled with his fullness.
1john 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And, at philp 3:20 Of us for the commonwealth in heavens begins, out of which also a saviour we look for Lord Jesus Anointed, 21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.
Our position is that the Secret Book of James is in harmony with the "New Testament" on this issue.
In another place, we read: "Become seekers of death, therefore, like the dead who are seeking life, for what they seek is manifest to them. So what can be of concern to them? When you inquire into the subject of death, it will teach about election. I swear to you, none will be saved who are afraid of death; for God’s domain belongs to those who are dead. Become better than I; be like the son of the holy spirit!" --Secret Book of James 5:3-6
Here Jesus is speaking about those who are dead to sin and alive to God at the same time
Rom 6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it??
Rom 6:11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Ga 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death
dying unto self and the world which Paul shows in self-denials of his holy life: he was "crucified with Christ"
Believers must die to sin, and live to God.
True believers are dead to sin, therefore they ought not to follow it. No man can at the same time be both dead and alive. He is a fool who, desiring to be dead to sin, thinks he may live in it.
son of the holy spirit that is to be born from above born of the spirit being a son of Deity by being made consubstantial with the father
Secret Book of James 6:27 reports that Jesus said to Peter and James: "Pay attention to instruction, understand knowledge, love life. And no one will persecute you, nor will any one oppress you, other than you yourselves."
That is no one will tempt you, nor will any one beguile you, other than you yourselves. For temptation comes from within Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
We will consider one more excerpt. This one comes from Secret Book of James 9:5,6 where Jesus tells Peter and James: "Accordingly, disregard rejection when you hear [it], but when you hear about the promise, exult all the more. I swear to you, whoever receives life and believes in the domain will never leave it - not even if the Father wishes to banish him!"
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and[a] cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.
Then Peter replied, "Lo, three times you have told us, 'Become full'; but we are full."
The Savior answered and said, "For this cause I have said to you, 'Become full,' that you may not be in want. They who are in want, however, will not be saved. For it is good to be full, and bad to be in want. Hence, just as it is good that you be in want and, conversely, bad that you be full, so he who is full is in want, and he who is in want does not become full as he who is in want becomes full, and he who has been filled, in turn attains due perfection. Therefore, you must be in want while it is possible to fill you, and be full while it is possible for you to be in want, so that you may be able to fill yourselves the more. Hence, become full of the Spirit, but be in want of reason, for reason <belongs to> the soul; in turn, it is (of the nature of) soul."
And when we had heard these words, we became glad, for we had been grieved at the words we have mentioned before. But when he saw us rejoicing, he said, "Woe to you who lack an advocate! Woe to you who stand in need of grace! Blessed will they be who have spoken out and obtained grace for themselves. Liken yourselves to foreigners; of what sort are they in the eyes of your city? Why are you disturbed when you cast yourselves away of your own accord and separate yourselves from your city? Why do you abandon your dwelling place of your own accord, making it ready for those who want to dwell in it? O you outcasts and fugitives, woe to you, for you will be caught! Or do you perhaps think that the Father is a lover of mankind, or that he is won over without prayers, or that he grants remission to one on another's behalf, or that he bears with one who asks? - For he knows the desire, and also what it is that the flesh needs! - (Or do you think) that it is not this (flesh) that desires the soul? For without the soul, the body does not sin, just as the soul is not saved without the spirit. But if the soul is saved (when it is) without evil, and the spirit is also saved, then the body becomes free from sin. For it is the spirit that raises the soul, but the body that kills it; that is, it is it (the soul) which kills itself. Verily, I say unto you, he will not forgive the soul the sin by any means, nor the flesh the guilt; for none of those who have worn the flesh will be saved. For do you think that many have found the kingdom of heaven? Blessed is he who has seen himself as a fourth one in heaven!"
Ezekiel 18:4 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
There for Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong about rejecting the Secret Book of James. Perhaps they should look at it again?
The Savior answered and said, "For this cause I have said to you, 'Become full,' that you may not be in want. They who are in want, however, will not be saved. For it is good to be full, and bad to be in want. Hence, just as it is good that you be in want and, conversely, bad that you be full, so he who is full is in want, and he who is in want does not become full as he who is in want becomes full, and he who has been filled, in turn attains due perfection. Therefore, you must be in want while it is possible to fill you, and be full while it is possible for you to be in want, so that you may be able to fill yourselves the more. Hence, become full of the Spirit, but be in want of reason, for reason <belongs to> the soul; in turn, it is (of the nature of) soul."
And when we had heard these words, we became glad, for we had been grieved at the words we have mentioned before. But when he saw us rejoicing, he said, "Woe to you who lack an advocate! Woe to you who stand in need of grace! Blessed will they be who have spoken out and obtained grace for themselves. Liken yourselves to foreigners; of what sort are they in the eyes of your city? Why are you disturbed when you cast yourselves away of your own accord and separate yourselves from your city? Why do you abandon your dwelling place of your own accord, making it ready for those who want to dwell in it? O you outcasts and fugitives, woe to you, for you will be caught! Or do you perhaps think that the Father is a lover of mankind, or that he is won over without prayers, or that he grants remission to one on another's behalf, or that he bears with one who asks? - For he knows the desire, and also what it is that the flesh needs! - (Or do you think) that it is not this (flesh) that desires the soul? For without the soul, the body does not sin, just as the soul is not saved without the spirit. But if the soul is saved (when it is) without evil, and the spirit is also saved, then the body becomes free from sin. For it is the spirit that raises the soul, but the body that kills it; that is, it is it (the soul) which kills itself. Verily, I say unto you, he will not forgive the soul the sin by any means, nor the flesh the guilt; for none of those who have worn the flesh will be saved. For do you think that many have found the kingdom of heaven? Blessed is he who has seen himself as a fourth one in heaven!"
Ezekiel 18:4 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
There for Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong about rejecting the Secret Book of James. Perhaps they should look at it again?
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