James is a little letter tucked in the back of our New Testament. It isn’t discussed often; some of us have only read it when we were looking for something short!
The book of James was a controversial addition to the Bible canon for the first 300 years of the church. Some felt that it should be left out because it seemed to contradict Paul’s teachings on salvation grace, because, as was said, James taught salvation by works. It was finally adopted by the early Church Fathers, and allowed to take its place among the other portions of God’s great masterpiece, the Bible.
James is such a practical book. It takes on the maturing of the believer and presents sound advice on how a Christian should grow in his spiritual walk with the Lord. James pulls no punches, so his words hit hard, provoking thought and instigating to good and pure religion.
General Information/Background
There are four James in the New Testament
1. James the father of Judas – Luke 6:16 & Acts 1:13
2. James the son of Alphaeus – Matthew 10:3
3. James, the son of Zebedee/brother of John; Died as a martyr under Herod Agrippa – Acts 12:2
4. James, the bother of Jesus
AUTHORSHIP
The brother of Jesus, James, wrote the book of James.
Facts about James the Lord’s Brother, I have listed just a few.
Ø He was a brother of the Lord (Matthew 13:55 & Mark 6:3)
Ø He was an eyewitness of the risen Lord. In fact, the Lord appeared to him in a private conversation (I Cor. 15:7)
Ø He was among those waiting for the coming of the Spirit in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14)
Ø He became the pastor of the Jerusalem Church. He probably assumed his duties when Peter left on his missionary journeys.
Ø He was the first one told about Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:17)
Ø He was the presiding officer over the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)
Ø He was called a pillar of the church along with Peter and John.
Ø He was the one who received the offerings brought by Paul from the Gentile churches to help the Jerusalem saints (Acts 21: 18-25)
Ø He was very familiar with Jesus’ teachings. The epistle has around 20 quotes from the Sermon on the Mount alone
The book of James was written in probably A.D. 45-50
To Whom Did James Write?
“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. (James 1:1 (NASB))
a. “Twelve tribes” can only mean the people of Israel.
b. Like Peter who addressed a huge Jewish congregation of 15 different countries on Pentecost, James writes the Jews outside Palestine.
c. These Jews are Christians, for at least 19 times, he called them “brethren.” ”Scattered” means “in the scattering” and refers to the rebellious Jews whom God dispersed throughout the known world, because of their idolatry. But in this context, the idea is one of “scattering seeds,” the spreading abroad of the gospel through the planted seeds of believers. These people would need James’ encouragement, for they were not only Jews, living in a world that hated them, but they were Christian Jews, rejected by their own countrymen.
Why Did James Write?
“knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (v. 3).
As in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, James addressed the problems of the Jewish Christians. They were experiencing temptations and testings.
Among the problems addressed by James, was the matter of some using their tongues in unchristian manner. Others were physically sick because they were disobeying God’s Word.
A review of the problems encountered and answered by James, the book of James is quite practical for use today. The exact same problems are rampant in Christianity today—suffering, wrong use of the tongue, worldliness, etc.
James gets to the heart of the matter. Only one thing causes all the problems faced by the church—spiritual immaturity. The word “perfect” is used several times, and means to be “mature, grown-up, well-balanced.”
Too many Christians are still babes in Christ and still eating baby food.
Notice that James’ audience seemed to have the characteristics of little children: Impatience in difficulty, not walking the talk, not having the tongue under control, fighting and wanting, and collecting play things. Each of the five chapters of James addresses the marks of spiritual maturity.
Did James Contradict Paul?
Comparison of the two writers’ statements
James—“24You see that a man is justified by faith alone” James 2:24 (NASB)
Paul—“8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ” Ephesians 2:8 - 9 (NASB)
Explanation of the seeming contradiction
i. Paul spoke of justification before God while James described justification before men.
ii. Paul said that we are justified by faith, while James said that we are justified for works.
iii. Paul discussed the root of justification, while James discussed the fruit of justification.
iv. Sometimes Paul stressed works (1 Tim. 6:18; Titus. 3:8; Ep. 2:10), while James emphasized faith (Ja. 2:5).
v. John Calvin said: “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone!”
Brief outline of James
I. Temptations and Trials: The Basic Facts (1: 2-27)
a. The Essential Attitude to Trails & Temptations: Joy (1:2-4)
b. The Way to Conquer Trails & Temptations (1: 5-12)
c. The Origin of Trails & Temptations (1: 13-18)
d. The Preparations Necessary to Withstand Trials & Temptations
II. Temptations and Trials: Common to All Christen Believers (2: 1-26)
a. Temptation 1: Showing Partiality & Favoritism (2:1-13)
b. Temptation 2: Professing Faith without Works (2:14-26)
III. Temptations and Trials: Common to All, But Especially Teachers (3:1-18)
a. Temptation 1: Misusing the Tongue (3:1-12)
b. Temptation 2: Misunderstanding & Twisting True Wisdom (3:13-18)
IV. Temptations and Trials: Triumphantly Overcome (4:1-10)
a. The Causes of Temptation and Wrong doing (4:1-6)
b. The way to overcome Temptation (4:7-10)
V. Temptations and Trials: Common to All, But Especially the Gifted (4:11- 5:6)
a. Temptation 1: The Judge – Judging Others (4:11-12)
b. Temptation 2: The Humanist– Boasting Self-Sufficiency (4:13-17)
c. Temptation 3: The Rich Man – Hoarding Wealth (5:1-6)
VI. Temptations and Trials: Combated Step by Step (5:7-20)
a. Step 1: Be Patient – Endure – Boasting Self-Sufficiency (5:7-11)
b. Step 2: Take Each Circumstance & Respond Properly (5:12-20)
As we study the first chapter of James keep the following questions in mind.
1. Why does James tell us that we should "count it a joy" to be tempted?
2. Why is faith important?
3. From where does temptation come?
4. James cautions us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath". Why are these good qualities in a Christian?
5. "Be doers of the word, not hearers only," says James. Are good acts important for Christians? Or are we justified by "our faith alone"?
The Christian and His Battles (1:2-16)
A. The Sources of Suffering—James 1:2 (NASB) 2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
1. Trials
The Bible examples
· Abraham was tested in the matter of Isaac (Ge. 22:1, 2; He. 11:17)—“God did test Abraham.”
· Israel at Sinai was tested (Ex. 20:20)—“God is come to test you.”
· Israel was tested in the wilderness (De. 8:2, 3)—“to humble thee, and to test thee.”
· The disciples of Christ (Lk. 22:28)—“continued with me in my trials.”
The Bible exhortations
· For the pressure of persecution (Mt. 5:11-12)—Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you.”
· For agony of affliction (Ps. 119:71, 75)—“It is good for me that I have been afflicted.”
· For scourge of suffering (1 Pe. 1:6)—“Ye are in heaviness through manifold trials.”
· For grandness of glory (2 Co. 4:17)--…our light affliction…worketh…a far more exceeding …weight of glory.”
2. The Temptations
The enemies of man are threefold—the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The flesh problem is evident in vv. 13, 14: “13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. (Ja. 1:13, 14; Ge. 3:1-6; Mt. 4:1; 2 Co. 11:3, 4).
The Solution to Trials
A Joyful Attitude (v. 2)—“count it all joy”
Warren Wiersbe says “Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action.
“When” indicates that trials will come. Jesus told His disciples: “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (Jn. 16:33). Paul reiterated that promise: We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Ac. 14:22).
a. Some of these expected trials come because we are frail humans—sickness, accidents, disappointments, even seeming tragedies.
Job said that “man was born unto trouble as surely as the sparks (of the fire] fly upward.”
b. Some trials come because we are Christians. Peter explained: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you’ (1 Pe. 4:12).
c. “Fall into” does not have reference to fate, or confluence of fortuitous atoms. It is better translated “encounter, come across.” Providence is behind everything that comes our way. The word “providence” means to “see before hand.” Nothing surprises God or causes panic in heaven. All things “do work together for good, to them who are called according to His purpose.”
d. “Divers” means “various” and alludes to the many ways trials can come upon all mankind. The warp and woof of the weaver’s work is squeezed together to make a beautiful tapestry, but if it is viewed from the bottom, only tangled, or loose ends of mismatched patterns appear. But from above, the work is designed with ingenuity, color, order, and beauty. So it is with our lives. As seen from our perspective, the work of God in our lives may seem disordered, fragmented, ugly; but from God’s perspective, our lives are being made into a lovely weave of wonder, as he threads together all the loose ends of our lives to produce the finished product, bringing us to the measure of the stature of Christ-likeness.
The key word in the passage is “count,” a financial term meaning “to evaluate. Evaluate with the looking of the future benfits. Jesus practiced this approach says He. 12:2. He endured the cross because of “the joy that was set before Him.” Future benefits awaited Jesus. We, too, must live for the future, set out affections on things above and not on the earth.
An Understanding Mind (v. 3)—“knowing this”
Faith must be tested
· God knew what Abraham would do in the matter of offering up Isaac, but God wanted Abraham to know what he would do.
· Jesus knew what Peter would do in the matter of forsaking Him, but He wanted Peter to find out: “Peter, Satan desires to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you.” After he came through the fiery test, he was to strengthen others.
Testing must grow us
Peter explains in 1 Pe. 1:7 that gold is purged and purified by fire. So must the Christian be purged and purified by fire.
Such trials work for our benefit if we have “counted.” Sooner or later, we will all have a date with Romans 8:28. Whether we feel blessed or blighted depends on our attitude, but God will bring on the trials to make us better.
Patience is the desired result of trials. James uses two words in the little book to designate patience. In 5: 7, 8, 10 he uses makrothumia, from makro, “long” and thumos, “temper.” It means long on temper, slow to get upset. The other word is found in 5:11, “patience” of Job, and from the Greek hupomone, from hupo, “under” and meno, “to abide. The first work deals with an attitude of tolerance in trying situations. The second deals with stick-tuitive-ness and endurance under pressure. Philip Kellar summed it up well:
“Patience is the powerful capacity of selfless love to suffer long under adversity. It is that noble ability to bear with either difficult people or adverse circumstances without breaking down. This implies that one has a certain degree of tolerance for the intolerable. It is a generous willingness to try to understand the awkward people or disturbing events that our Father allows to enter our lives.” [The Fruit of the Spirit, p. 117]
Patience is a quality of the mature and is often linked with faith to believe God’s promises: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (He. 10:36).
Patience only comes from trials, not reading a book, listening to a sermon, or even praying a prayer.
A Surrendered Will (1:4, 9-11)—“Let patience have her perfect will”
“Let” implies a willingness on the believer’s part to allow God to work in his/her life.
“Patience” is God’s goal for us. This comes with maturity and with maturity comes trials.
Paul gives three works that are involved in a complete Christian life in Ep. 2:8-10).
First, there is the work God does for us, which is salvation. This work was done on the cross.
Second there is the work God does in us: “For we are His workmanship.” This work is known as sanctification, wherein god builds our character and we become more like Christ, “conformed to the image of His Son” (Ro. 8:29).
The third work is what God does through us, Example- service. We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
God builds character before He calls to service.
He spent 25 years preparing Abraham before He gave him the promised son.
He took 13 years to get Joseph ready to assume his esteemed position in Egypt.
He worked with Moses for 80 years before He used him for 40 years. J
Jesus spent three years with the disciples, training them and growing them, before He sent them out on the greatest mission in history.
But God must have our permission in order to mature us to perfection. Without surrendered wills, we end up more like immature children. Jonah is a supreme example of what happens when God’s children try to serve Him, unsurrendered. Jonah grew into a spoiled prophet, pouting and complaining, and impatient.
