Secret Book of JamesGnostic / Alternative Early ChristianAlternative Early ChristianCoptic translation of Greek traditionsShareSecret Book of James 5Mark M. Mattison - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableMark M. MattisonLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Secret Book of James 1Secret Book of James 2Secret Book of James 3Secret Book of James 4Secret Book of James 5Secret Book of James 6Secret Book of James 7Secret Book of James 8Secret Book of James 9Secret Book of James 10Secret Book of James 11Secret Book of James 12›Secret Book of James: The Cross and DeathSecret Book of James 5ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1In response I told him, “Lord, we can obey you if you want us to, because we’ve abandoned our fathers, our mothers, and our villages, and have followed you. So help us not to be tempted by the devil, the evil one.” 2In response the Lord said, “What good is it to you if you do the will of the Father, and he doesn’t give it to you as a gift when you’re tempted by Satan? But if you’re oppressed by Satan and persecuted and do (God’s) will, I [say] that he’ll love you, make you my equal, and regard [you] as having become beloved through his forethought by your own choice. So won’t you stop loving the flesh and being afraid of sufferings? Or don’t you know that you haven’t yet been abused, unjustly accused, locked up in prison, illegally condemned, crucified by reason, nor buried in the sand as I myself was by the evil one? Do you dare to spare the flesh, you for whom the Spirit is a surrounding wall? If you consider how long the world existed <before> you, and how long it will exist after you, you’ll find that your life is a single day and your sufferings a single hour. For the good won’t come into the world. So scorn death and take thought for life! Remember my cross and my death, and you’ll live!” 3But in response I told him, “Lord, don’t teach us about the cross and death, because they’re far from you.” 4In response the Lord said, “Truly I tell you, no one will be saved unless they [believe] in my cross, [because] the kingdom of God belongs to those who’ve believed in my cross. So become those who seek death, like the dead who seek life; because what they seek is revealed to them. So what do they have to worry about? When you turn to the subject of death, it will teach you about election. Truly I tell you, no one who’s afraid of death will be saved, because the kingdom of <God> belongs to those who are put to death. Become better than I; be like the child of the Holy Spirit.” ‹Previous chapterSecret Book of James 4Next chapterSecret Book of James 6›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Translation committed to the public domain by Mark M. Mattison