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7. The Examples of the Old Testament:
Abraham, Rahab, the Prophets, Job, and Elijah

James also mentioned the examples of the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Rahab, the prophets, Job, and Elijah, as being a means for Christian perfection (2:23-25; 5:10-11, 17-18).

8. The Likeness of God
according to Which Man Was Made

James 3:9 says that with our tongue "we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made according to the likeness of God." James pointed out that although man is sinful, he still bears the likeness of God. So if we curse any man, that means that we curse a person made by God after His likeness. This becomes a kind of incentive to help us not to curse, so to James this was a means of Christian perfection.

9. Confiding in the Lord

James also spoke of our need to confide in the Lord (4:15).

10. The Lord's Coming Back

James 5:8 says, "You also be long-suffering; establish your hearts because the coming of the Lord has drawn near." When we think about the Lord's coming back, we will behave properly. His coming back is a means of carrying out Christian perfection in the book of James.

11. Prayer

James mentions prayer as a means in 5:14-15.


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Crystallization-Study of the Epistle of James   pg 11