Title: Chapter 01-02 (Intro)
Course: Course PE506, The Book of James > Section: Unit 1

Before reading the chapter(s) for this week please click the next button at the bottom right of the page to find the homework sheet for the assigned reading. The homework will aid you in taking the quizzes, mid-term, and final. Complete the homework as you read the reading assignment below.

I.          INTRODUCTION

James has little to say about Christ, but refers to Him and anticipates His return. The teachings of Christ are powerfully demonstrated.  In 1:1 and 2:1, James refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in 5:7-8, he anticipates the coming of the Lord.  Compared to other New Testament writers, James says little about Christ, and yet this Book is virtually saturated with allusions to the teaching of Christ.  The Sermon on the Mount is especially prominent in James’ thinking. This Epistle portrays Christ in the context of early Messianic Judaism. Of all the New Testament Books, James is the most Hebraic. The Book of Hebrews is directed specifically to Messianic Hebrews and this accounts for its Hebraic content. James however, is like reading an Old Testament Book because of its content. A major key to understanding this Book will be remembering to whom the Book was addressed.

A.        Key Details of James

Key details we find in James are its key words, “Faith That Works.”  Throughout his Epistle, James develops the theme of the characteristics of true faith.  He effectively uses these characteristics as a series of tests to help his readers evaluate the quality of their relationship to Christ.  James challenges Believers to examine the quality of their daily lives, in terms of attitudes and actions.  A genuine faith will produce real change in a person’s conduct and character. The absence of change is a symptom of a dead faith.

The key verses in James are chapter one (1), verses nineteen through twenty-two (19-22), and chapter two (2), verses fourteen through seventeen (14-17).  The key chapter of James is chapter one (1).

B.        Simple Survey of James

James is the “Proverbs of the New Testament” because it is written in the terse moralistic style of Wisdom Literature.  The Old Testament, especially by its Wisdom Literature, and by the Sermon on the Mount, profoundly influenced James.  His impassioned preaching style against inequity and social injustice, also earns James the title of the “Amos of the New Testament.”  Because of the many subjects in this Epistle, it is difficult to outline.  The outline used here is; The Test of Faith (1:1-18); The Characteristics of Faith (1:19-5:6); and The Triumph of Faith (5:7-20).

1.         James describes to us the test of faith (1:1-18).

The first part of this Epistle develops the qualities of genuine faith in regard to trials and temptations.  After a one-verse salutation, to geographically dispersed Hebrew Christians (1:1), James quickly introduces his first subject, outward tests of faith (1:2-12).  These trials are designed to produce mature endurance and a sense of dependence upon God, to whom the Believer turns for wisdom and enablements.  Inward temptations (1:13-18) do not come from the One who bestows every good gift (1:17). These solicitations to evil must be checked at an early stage or result in disastrous consequences.

2.         James describes to us the characteristics of faith (1:19-5:6).

A righteous response to testing requires that one be “...swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath...” (1:9). Quickness of hearing involves an obedient response to God’s Word (1:19-27).  True hearing means more than mere listening.  After stating this principle (1:21,22), James develops it with an illustration (1:23-25), and an application (1:26-27).  A genuine faith should produce a change in attitude, from partiality to the rich, to a love for the poor as well as the rich (2:1-13).  True faith should also result in actions (2:14-26).  Paul used the example of Abraham to show that justification is by faith, not by works.  Although James says that Abraham was justified by works (2:21), there is no contradiction with Paul's writings, for Romans chapter four (4) and James chapter two (2) are really two (2) sides of the same coin.  In context, Paul is writing about justification before God, while James writes of the evidence of justification before men.

Moving from works to words, James shows us how a living faith controls the tongue, as in “slow to speak” (1:19).  The tongue is small, but it has the power to accomplish great good or equally great evil.  Only the power of God applied by an active faith can tame the tongue (3:1-12).  Just as there are wicked and righteous uses of the tongue, there are also demonic and Divine manifestations of wisdom (3:13-18). James contrasts seven (7) characteristics of human wisdom with seven (7) qualities of Divine Wisdom.

The strong pulls of worldliness (4:1-12), and wealth (4:13-5:6), create conflicts that are harmful to the growth of faith.  The world system is at enmity with God, and the pursuit of its pleasures (4:1-6).  The Believer's only alternative is submission to God with a humble and repentant spirit.  This submission will produce a transformed attitude toward others as well (4:7-12).  This spirit of submission and humility should be applied to any attempts to accrue wealth (4:13-17), especially because wealth can lead to pride, injustice, and selfishness (5:1-6).

3.         James describes to us the triumph of faith (5:7-20).

James encourages his readers to patiently endure the sufferings of the present life (5:7-12).  They may be oppressed by the rich or by other circumstances, but Believers can be sure that God has a gracious purpose in His dealings with them.  James concludes his Epistle with some practical words on prayer and restoration (5:13-20).  The prayers of righteous men, the elders in local churches, are efficacious for the healing and restoration of Believers.

C.        Special Features of James

There are some special features that characterize this letter.

1.         It is most likely the first book written in the New Testament.

2.         It reminisces about Jesus.

Although it contains only two (2) references to Christ by name, there is reminiscing of Jesus’ teaching in this letter, including at least fifteen (15) allusions to the Sermon on the Mount.

3.         More than half of its one hundred eight (108) verses are imperatives or commands.

4.         In many ways it is the Proverbs of the New Testament.

a.         It is full of Godly wisdom and practical instructions for living a genuine Christian life.

b.         It is written in terse style, with crisp commands and vivid analogies.

5.         James is an observer.

James is an astute observer of the operations of nature and fallen human nature.  He often draws lessons from the former to expose the latter (3:1-12).

6.         James emphasizes faith and deeds.

James emphasizes, more than any other New Testament Book, the necessary relation between faith and deeds (2:14-26).

7.         James deals with social issues.

James is sometimes called the “Amos of the New Testament,” because he vigorously addresses issues of social injustice and inequality.

D.        James:  Faith for Living

One of the earliest, perhaps the first New Testament Book to be written was the Epistle of James.  Its practical, non-doctrinal emphasis reveals the kind of message that God wanted to share with the Christian Community, in published form, very soon after Jesus ascended to heaven.

1.         The author is James.

To know the author of a book is to better understand and appreciate his writing.  We do not have an abundance of information concerning the man James. However, what we do know about him causes us to feel that James is no stranger to us after all.

a.         James’ name is related to the patriarch “Jacob.”

The English name James in the New Testament translates from the Greek "Jakobos."  This name, from the Hebrew, is "Jakob," translated Jacob in the Old Testament.

b.         James had a quality family background.

To learn something of the author's family background, we first need to identify which James this is.  Actually, there are four (4) different New Testament persons with the name James:

1)         James, the son of Zebedee (Mt.4:21; Mk.1:19; Lk.5:10)

2)         James, the son of Alphaeus (Mt.10:3; Mk.3:18; 15:40; Lk. 6:15; Ac.1:13)

3)         James, the brother of Judas the Apostle (Lk.6:16)

4)         James, the Lord's brother (Mt.13:55; Mk.6:3; Ga.1:19)

The strongest evidence for the authorship of the Epistle of James clearly favors the half-brother of Christ.  Furthermore, Origen, Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, Augustine, and many other early writers support this view.  This is the view followed by this study guide.  James really was a half-brother of Jesus, both having the same mother, Mary, but not the same father.  James had sisters and at least three (3) brothers besides Jesus:  Joses (Joseph), Simon, and Jude (Mt.13:55).  The home environment in which James was reared must have been an exceptional one, with such devout parents as Mary and Joseph.   When it was that James made his decision to follow Christ is the subject of the next section.  Whether James ever married and raised his own family is an open question.  The only passage in Scripture that may suggest his marriage is First Corinthians 9:5.

c.         James’ conversion was after the crucifixion.

James and the other brothers of Jesus did not believe in Him as Savior and Lord during the years of Jesus’ public ministry (Jn.7: 2-8).   From Acts 1:14, we learn that James had become a Believer sometime before the Day of Pentecost.  His conversion may be dated at the time when Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection (1Co.15:7), or he may have believed just after Jesus’ crucifixion.  Whenever the experience, it was genuine, for James’ entire life was transformed into one of service for Christ, as the Book of Acts so clearly reveals.

d.         Christian service became James’ life.

1)         He had a family relationship to Jesus his brother, A.D. 27.

2)         There was spiritual confrontation with Jesus the Messiah, A.D. 30, the period of the Gospels.

3)         James’ conversion was approximately A.D. 30, during the period of the Gospels.

4)         James was a worker and leader of the Jerusalem Church, A.D. 62.  Peter and James were the leaders (Ac.chp.12).

e.         James character was excellent.

James was a praying man (Ac.1:14).  Hegesippus, A.D. 175, commended James' prayer life especially, noting how he spent long hours interceding for the people.  James was a praying man that was pure, powerful, practical, plain, persistent, humble, honest, single-minded, upright, and just.  James came to be known by the EarlyChurch as, "James the Just," meaning, “Jesus the Righteous.”  It is interesting to note that James’ father, Joseph, was "a righteous man" (Mt.1:19); and that James refers to Jesus as "the Righteous Man" (Ja.5:6).

f.          James was martyred.

A strong tradition is that James was martyred at Jerusalem in A.D. 62.  This date is about one (1) year after the closing of the Book of Acts and about five (5) years before Paul and Peter were martyred.  The manner of his death is believed to have been by stoning.

2.         The people addressed by James were the dispersed Jews.

The salutation identified the original readers of this letter as the twelve (12) Tribes who are dispersed abroad.  Like many passages in the Bible, this phrase could be interpreted literally or symbolically.

a.         The literal interpretation speaks of Jews scattered abroad in two (2) possible ways.

The readers, Jews in general, represented the twelve (12) families of Israel, living in different parts of the New Testament world. These disbanded Tribes are what are usually called the Dispersion. The persons to whom the book was addressed, is:

1)         Those of Jewish descent, as is implied in the phrase “...to the twelve Tribes...”  (James 1:1) and is manifest in all the reasoning of the

Epistle.

2)         That they were Christian converts, James 2:1. The Jewish people who were “scattered abroad” had two (2) central points of union, the

dispersion in the East, of which Babylon was the head, and the dispersion in the West, which was Alexandria.

b.         The symbolic interpretation speaks of God’s elect.

These scattered twelve (12) Tribes represent the Christian Church; God’s elect, living in a strange country, far from their land of citizenship, heaven.  The content, of the Epistle, itself, strongly supports the view that James’ readers were Jewish Christians, wherever they were located (1Pe.1:1).  This would be expected, because most Christians, in the earliest days, were Jews (Ac. chps.1-7).

3.         The date James was written was approximately fifteen (15) years after the crucifixion.

The position of this study is that James was the earliest, or one of the earliest, New Testament Books to be written, around A.D. 45-50.  Reasons for the early date are three (3).

a.         Church order and discipline in the Epistle is very simple.

b.         The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, A.D. 48 or 49, was still future.

The question of the admission of the Gentiles, into the Church which, in the earliest years was Jewish, seems not yet to have come to the forefront.

c.         Addressing the Laws of Judaism was James’ concern.

The Judaic emphasis on Law, moral principles, and works were the immediate concern of the first decades of the Church.  It is very probable that James was living in Palestine when he wrote the Epistle.

4.         James occasion and purpose were varied.

Some of the circumstances that called for this Epistle was: Persecution of the Christians, unchristian conduct in speech by many Believers, and erroneous views on such doctrines as faith and sin.  Most of the Epistle was written to correct evils and to teach acceptable Christian behavior.  There was also encouragement and exhortation in things such as the coming of the Lord (Ja.5:7).  The Epistle has been called “A practical guide to Christian life and conduct.”  More of James’ purposes will be observed as we survey this Epistle.

5.         James emphasizes conduct more than creed.

For this reason, James has been called the “Apostle of good works.” This is an identification linking him with the trio of John, “Apostle of love”, Paul,” the Apostle of faith” and Peter, the “Apostle of hope.”  There is very little of systematically presented theology in the Book.  Specific reference to Jesus and the Gospel are few, though this does not take away from the Christian spirit that pervades the Book.  James says less about the Master than any other writer in the New Testament, but his speech is more like that of the Master than the speech of any of the other writers.

6.         James’ style of writing is that of a preacher’s sermon.

The Book of James is a letter, as its salutation indicates, but its style is more like that of a preacher’s sermon, or an Old Testament prophet’s appeal.  James writes in simple, straightforward sentences.  Like Old Testament writings, and Jesus’ discourses, there are no abstractions, and picture language abounds.  Most of the sixty-three (63) Greek words unique to James’ letter are picture words, such as “poison, fade.”  The Epistle bristles with strong, pointed truths, from the first word to the last.

7.         James carries a tone of authority.

A tone of authority pervades the Epistle.  There are fifty-four (54) imperatives in the one hundred eight (108) verses.  For this, James has been called “The Amos of the New Testament.”  James’ forthrightness and severity are blended with warmth and love, evidenced by the repeated words “brethren,” and “beloved brethren.”

8.         There are applications to the truths of James.

The truth of the Book of James can be applied to many areas such as: prayer, trials, lust, service to God, values, good works, faith, love, judging others, the tongue, brotherly love, impartiality, wealth, and the Lord’s Second Coming.

II.         PROMINENT SUBJECTS OF JAMES

A.        Faith and Trials (1:1-18)

The hardships of persecution were some of the intricate facets that brought forth this Epistle.  The fact that the first subject that James writes about is the hardship of trials tells us that this was a most pressing problem.

1.         Trials, v.2 - The Situation

2.         Testing, v.3a - The Test

3.         Endurance, vs.3b-4a - The Immediate Fruit

4.         Maturity, v.4b - The Ultimate Fruit

B.        Patience in Trials

The testing of faith produces patience and the ability to endure, which is the hallmark of the mature Believer.  Only under the pressure of trials can the true depth of the Believer’s faith in God be tested.  The established heart will not waver, but will rejoice in the knowledge of the goodness of God.

a.         James invites us to rejoice when trials come to test our faith (1:2).

b.         James invites us to know that patience results when our faith is tested by trials (1:3).

c.         James invites us to endure so that God has enough time to bring about the Christ-likeness He intends through trials

(Ro.8:28-29; Ja.1:4).

d.         James invites us to ask God for wisdom!  When a trial comes, if we do not know what to do, He does.

He wants to help us through our trials (1:5).

e.         James invites us to develop patience. This is so we can receive the harvest and the crown of life that we desire,

so we must persevere (5:7-8).

C.        Be a Doer of the Word

Obedience to the Word of God brings about the work of God.  We are to hear the Word and do the work. To hear the Word and to do nothing is one sign of a deceived heart.  Faith acts!  To believe is to do! The action James invites us to is to evaluate our faith.  In what areas do we claim faith, while our actions declare unbelief?  Acknowledge those areas.  We must decide to act on the faith we have.  We are to practice daily what we proclaim (Ja.1:22-25).

D.        Avoid Partiality

Some may argue that preferring the rich and famous is only human, but the Bible rejects partiality.  God is not a respecter of persons; neither should His children be.

a.         James tells us not to be influenced by a person's social station.  We are to show love to all without partiality (2:1-8).

b.         James invites us to differentiate between sinful partiality and "due honor" (Ro.13:7; Ja.2:9).

E.        Faith That Saves (2:14-26)

James describes saving faith in different ways.  The following outline shows some of those.

1.         Faith That Produces Works (2:14-18)

a)         Works are Faith’s Partner (2:14-17)

b)         Works are Faith’s Demonstrator (2:18)

2.         Faith That Comes From the Heart (2:19-26)

a)         It is Not Mere Intellectual Assent (2:19-20)

b)         It is Heart Obedience (2:21-26)

Paul says, a person is not justified by works (Ro.4:2,6), whereas James says, that Abraham was justified by works (2:21).  Contradictory as the two (2) passages may appear, there is no problem when one considers the context and the perspective of each writer.  Paul only denies works as the root of Salvation.  He is not writing about Christian conduct as such, but about the way to becoming a Christian.  James is not denying faith as the way of Salvation, but he is maintaining that works will issue from a faith that is genuine.  Paul is looking at the root, while James is looking at the fruit.  Paul is talking about the beginning of the Christian life. James is talking about the Christian’s life in continuance and consummation.  With Paul, the works he denounces precedes faith and they are dead works.  With James, the faith he denounces is apart from works and is a dead faith.

F.         James Deals With the Tongue (3:1-12)

James 3:1-12 is a classic Scripture passage on the tongue.  Notice the following outline as we study the various truths taught.

1.         3:1-2 -The Subject of the Tongue Introduced

2.         3:3-5a -The Influential Tongue

3.         3:5b-6 -The Destructive Tongue

4.         3:7-8 -The Untamable Tongue

5.         3:9-12 -The Inconsistent Tongue

James teaches us how to tame the tongue.  Nothing can cause more damage than the tongue.  Keeping our speech under closer control is a discipline Believers must develop.  James invites us to avoid presumptuousness.  We are not to take the position of being a teacher until God has placed us there.  We increase our liability for judgment if we do.

James invites us to bridle our tongue.  Monitoring every word we speak may seem cumbersome at first, but it will serve to advance righteousness (3:2).  We are to speak well of others.  Criticism, slander, backbiting, and gossip are bitter waters, which issue out of demonic, worldly wisdom (3:9-12).

G.        Factions among Christians (3:13-4:12)

The subject of the previous segment was the Christian and his speech. The next segment is about the Christian and strife.  James well knew the awesome power of the tongue.  When he writes, in this passage, about strife among Believers, his pen is at its sharpest and boldest: “You lust...you commit murder...you fight and quarrel” (4:2).  What a tragic state of affairs, James must have thought, when joint heirs with the Prince of Peace are mauling each other to grab a selfish prize.

H.        Developing Humility

True faith is humble.  Humility is the opposite of the proud selfishness and self-centered ambition that characterizes this present evil age.  Self-centeredness is the essence of worldliness.  Therefore, to be a self-centered person is to be at enmity with God.  James calls for Believers to humble themselves.

1.         We are to renounce strife.

We are to refuse unnecessary argument and personal strife.  We are to seek to be at peace with others, preferring them to ourselves

(4:1-2).

2.         We are to renounce rebellion.

We must submit ourselves to God, renounce the devil and reject all of his suggestions (4:7).

3.         We are to be quick to confess sin.

Nothing more effectively humbles a man than to admit sincerely that he is a sinner (4:8).

4.         We are to renounce slander.

Rather, we are to speak highly of others, even to our own discredit (4:11).

5.         We are to express continued dependence upon God.

An independent spirit wars against Godly humility (4:13, 16)

6.         We are to do the good we know to do, regardless of the cost.

Not to do so is sin (4:17).

I.          Dangers of Money

The consistent Scriptural witness is that money, though necessary and a blessing from God can be a dangerous commodity.  Things we think we own may really own us!  God calls us to put material goods into proper perspective and to use them wisely under His direction.

1.         We are to recognize the fact that all material possessions will perish and have no eternal value (1:10).

2.         We are to avoid unnecessary acquisition.

Acquired wealth can bring unwelcome problems to our lives.  We are to embrace simplicity!  Simplicity and poverty are not the same.  Simplicity is simply acting responsibly with what God has given us (5:1-6).

Click Modules to return to the module list or click Quiz 1 to be taken to the quiz for this unit.