Tiago 4
John Chrysostom · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Tiago 4:9
The person who repents after sinning is worthy of blessings, not of mourning, as he returns to the company of the righteous. First, confess your sins that you may be justified, for if someone is not ashamed of his sin he is miserable, not so much because he fell from grace but because he has remained in his fallen state. And if it is a wicked thing not to repent after sinning, what punishment will someone deserve who sins as a matter of course? If a person overcome with the need to repent is unclean, what forgiveness will there be for someone who suffers because he remains in his sins? — CATENA
Tiago 4:15
James is not trying to take away our freedom to decide, but he is showing us that it is not just what we want that matters. We need God's grace to complement our efforts and ought to rely not on them but on God's love for us. As it says in Proverbs: "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." — CATENA
Tiago 4:17
James does not remove the power to do good, but he shows that it is not just a matter of one's own will. To do good as we ought, we need the grace of God. — CATENA