Exalting Jesus In James

Christ-Centered Exposition

by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin (Editor), Tony Merida (Editor)

Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, this new commentary series, projected to be 48 volumes, takes a Christ-centered approach to expositing each book of the Bible. Rather than a verse-by-verse approach, the authors have crafted chapters that explain and apply key passages in their assigned Bible books. Readers will learn to see Christ in all aspects of Scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition.
 
Exalting Jesus in James is written by David Platt.

Genres: New Testament, Christian, Reference, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology, Religion

113 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2014

About the author

DAVID PLATT serves as Lead Pastor at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and chairman of Radical (Inc.), an international ministry that serves the church for the cause of Christ—to glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all nations. Resources from David Platt and Radical can be found at radical.net.

Books by David Platt include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, and Something Needs to Change, as well as the following volumes in the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series: Exalting Jesus in Matthew, Exalting Jesus in James, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, and Exalting Jesus in Galatians.

David Platt received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Along with his wife and four children, he lives in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Connect with David on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a commentary on the book of James. We used this book with my church’s ladies’ mentoring group. It was a short book with a lot of meat to it. It was broken down into bite size pieces for us to dig deeper into the passage and included applicable points for us to use to examine our own lives after reflection on The Word. It led to some great discussions with between the mentors and mentees about how we should live. My only qualm was with one chapter. For the most part the chapters were a few verses at a time, maybe up to 10 or so, but one chapter had at least double the rest of the chapter’s verses. But that’s a small issue and really something more for a leader to be aware of if they’re using the book to teach with.

[Matthew Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite accessible and convicting. Well structured.

[Kevin Bessey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like other studies by Platt and Merida, I found this study on the book of James to be just as helpful and insightful for leading a small group bible study. The chapters and topics are broken up in a way that makes the content easy to digest and discuss in a small group.

The study group questions at the end were very helpful to keep the discussion, questions, and conversations on-track and on-topic.

Pros: study questions and content was very helpful when studying the Book of James. Very thoughtful examples and illustrations were used throughout.
Cons: some chapters could have been broken into additional lessons.
Bottom line: excellent resource for anyone looking to lead a small group study or personal study through the Book of James.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this book as supplement for my exegetical preach of James! Good quality, could have been a bit deeper. Still useful and something I would recommend!

[Ali McNeely]

Series: James

[Evan Knies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you love the Bible? Do you love well written, thought provoking sermons? Do you also love David Platt?

If you said yes to all three questions above this commentary is for you!
Platt makes this commentary helpful for pastors, its a commentary based on his sermons. This book is clear and well organized. It has structured chapters, main points, outlines, and then the sermon manuscript. As the title says, Christ-Centered Exposition, that is clearly what this commentary is. Although this commentary is not a critical commentary on the scripture, it is a commentary that in every passage shows that Jesus is King. Platt also addresses many reasons why to study the book of James. This book gives personal experiences. He does not advocate a works based salvation. Salvation is only obtained by the grace and mercy that is found in Jesus Christ. Platt is a faithful shepherd relating back to his flock, trying to get them to grasp the book of James well. Even if you aren't a preacher, this commentary would be beneficial for you or a small group study. At the end of each chapter, there is reflection and discussion questions to help your application of the scripture. If your a lay person, open up your bible, have this near by, and be equipped by the Word.

[Steve Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find this commentary to be as helpful as I had hoped. It is a relatively short book, so the author really doesn't do much more than deal in generalities. I also found his outline of the text to be somewhat contrived in places. He does do a fairly good job of connecting James' thoughts to Jesus' words, but I would not characterize this commentary as explicitly Christ-centered exposition.

[Justin Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but compared to others I read while teaching through James, it felt less helpful. Too often briefer than necessary and overly focused on material issues rather than spiritual ones. Obviously James deals with helping the poor, but Platt spends more time on these issues than other, longer books on James, while spending much less on more essential points.

[Derek Slack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the insight overall. It is different from most commentary sets, which is something that I have been looking for. It was a good mix between exegetical breakdown of James, and modern day connections.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great companion to the book of James, a challenging and convicting read in and of itself. Love the way that Platt writes in a way that is both structured, applicable, reflective and thought-provoking. Highly recommend as a tool for when you read through the book of James.

[Vincent Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part I enjoyed this book like I have been for most of the commentary series, however, one thing I hoped the book would have done better with is connecting the different sections together by outlining the overall theme of James.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a commentary to a sermon series we had on James this spring at church. Easy to read and understand.

[Slawrenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was an ok read but only scratches the surface of the book. Expected more from Platt.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those most convicting books of Scripture, glad i had this resource to add some insight.

[Carlee Neumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great commentary and way to work through the book of James.

[Seth Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this brief commentary to be such a delight! I don’t tend to just read through commentaries but I enjoyed every second of it. There are of course more detailed resources out there that will get you deeper into all the details but if you are looking for a resource to encourage you while walking through Scripture, this is a great resource for you!

Platt writes from much Biblical knowledge, experience, and passion which I love! I was moved as he walked through the importance of having a faith that works. Platt cautions us to not only consider our own personal faith but to consider how our faith is meant to operate in the church as well. I would certainly recommend this to anyone looking for a resource for the book of James.

[Patricia L Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great expository on the book of James. James has always been one of my favorite books of the bible because it is so practical. This book explains all the nuances very well. Especially how the sins of omission are characterized in Jesus speech when he says you didn't clothe him, feed him, visit him, etc. Those were all sins of omission.

[Mason Frierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an extremely helpful commentary - particularly useful for preachers because it breaks down each section into excellent sub-headings; but also very easy and engaging to read so that a lay-person would also thoroughly enjoy it. David Platt manages to pack a lot of information into a relatively brief and very well-structured commentary. I highly recommend this book and this series.

[Sarah Ginnings · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars! This had really great content, but was more like a commentary/reading a mini sermon than a thought provoking study for me. Would be a great reference for teaching, but wasn’t the Bible study I was looking for. Overall, still worth reading and the Lord still very much used it to grow & convict me!

[Scott Riessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our D-Group just went through James so I pulled this off the shelve to read through alongside the text. It’s great, both applicable and approachable. Platt’s handling of faith and works from James 2 was excellent.

[Nick Roark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent commentary for studying the book of James.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Just amazing!Amazing!! Praise God for Jesus' little brother!

[Lexie Corasaniti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great commentary and deep dive into a faith that works. How to live in active obedience as the body of Christ in our world.

[Courtney | Lasting Joy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ladies bible study at my church just finished studying James. I used this book in my personal study. It’s a great, easy to read commentary. It breaks the chapters down and goes into detail. It has a main idea of each section it covers. There’s also questions at the end of each chapter. I’m looking forward to getting more of these to go deeper in my bible reading. I recommend this!