Secret Book of James 1:22–32

²² “Be eager to be saved without being urged. Rather, be ready on your own and, if possible, get there before me, because the Father will love you. (SJM) ²³ “Come to hate hypocrisy and evil intention, because intention is what produces hypocrisy, and hypocrisy is far from the truth. (SJM) ²⁴ “Don’t let the kingdom of heaven wither, because it’s like a date palm shoot whose fruit has poured down around it. It sent out some leaves, and after they sprouted, they made their productivity dry up. This is also what happened with the fruit that came from this single root; when it was picked, many acquired fruit. Wouldn’t it truly be good if you could produce the new plants now? <You> would find it. (SJM) ²⁵ “Since I’ve already been glorified like this, why do you hold me back in my eagerness to go? [8] For after the [labor], you’ve made me stay with you another eighteen days because of the parables. For some people, it was enough <to listen> to the teaching and understand ‘The Shepherds,’ ‘The Seed,’ ‘The Building,’ ‘The Lamps of the Young Women,’ ‘The Wage of the Workers,’ and ‘The Silver Coins and the Woman.’ (SJM) ²⁶ “Be eager about the message! The first stage of the message is faith, the second is love, and the third is works, because from these comes life. (SJM) ²⁷ “The message is like a grain of wheat. When someone sowed it, they believed in it, and when it sprouted, they loved it, because they saw many grains in place of one. And after they worked, they were saved because they prepared it as food, then kept enough left over to be sown. This is also how you yourselves can receive the kingdom of heaven. Unless you receive it through knowledge, you won’t be able to find it. (SJM) ²⁸ “So I tell you, be sober! Don’t be deceived. And many times I told you all together – and also to you alone, James, I’ve said – ‘Be saved!’ And I’ve commanded you to follow me, and I’ve taught you what to do in the face of the rulers. (SJM) ²⁹ “See that I’ve come down, spoken, been torn, and taken my crown [9]when I saved you, because I came down to dwell with you so that you’ll dwell with me. And when I found your houses without ceilings, I lived in the houses that could receive me at the time I came down. (SJM) ³⁰ “Trust me about this, my brothers (i.e., Peter and James). Understand what the great light is. The Father doesn’t need me, because a father doesn’t need a son, but it’s the son who needs the father. I’m going to him, because the Father of the Son doesn’t need you. (SJM) ³¹ “Listen to the message, understand knowledge, love life, and no one will persecute or oppress you other than you yourselves. (SJM) ³² “You wretches! You poor devils! You hypocrites of the truth! Yo… (SJM)