Interpretation Helps for James and Jude

If you thought you'd catch your breath after reading Paul, one could argue that the short books of James and Jude are even more challenging in some places. I will try to clarify some of the more difficult passages here through what I found in commentaries:

• In James 1:9-10 he says, "The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position." This is referring to the fact that material things tend to smother our focus on spiritual things, so the one in low position is better off, and the rich person who realizes that things really don't matter has spiritual hope.
• James 1:18 say, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." "Firstfruits" is talking about these early Christians being the first of more to come.
• In 1:25 "perfect law" refers to the moral teachings of the Old Testament brought to completion (perfection) by Jesus. Notice James says this perfect law "gives freedom." The Concordia Self-Study Bible explains this beautifully: "In contrast to the sinner, who is a slave to sin (John 8:34), obeying the moral law gives the Christian the joyous freedom to be what he was created for."
• James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." So, in other words, faithful obedience to God shows itself in denying our self (being polluted by the world) in order to help the helpless.
• In 2:18 James says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds." Apparently some at the time claimed that faith and deeds could exist independently of each other." He goes on to say that this is impossible.
• In 2:23 it says that Abraham "was called God's friend." This is actually a reference to 2 Chronicles 20:7.
• James 4:5 is a tough verse: "Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?" There are also a couple other versions of this verse footnoted. Given that preceding verses are talking about all kinds of covetousness, it seems most likely the "spirit he caused to live in us" here refers to man's spirit. Man's spirit envies intensely. The section goes on, "But he gives us more grace." God's grace is able to overcome man's envy.
• James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." It doesn't seem true, does it? It actually seems like the devil tries harder to bring down the most faithful among us in order to shake the rest of us to our core. This passage is not so much referring to the devil fleeing permanently after we resist him once, but that each time he approaches us (again and again) we will be victorious against him when we rely on God and his Word like Jesus did when he was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11).
• Jude 4 almost sounds similar to passages talking about the elect being chosen from the beginning of time for salvation (Romans 9:23, Ephesians 1:4), but we know God did not choose some to be condemned (1 Timothy 2:3-4). If you read closely the Jude passage only says their condemnation was predicted, not predetermined.
• Jude 8 talks about the slandering of celestial beings. This is done by the unbelieving as part of blaspheming God.