Get Ready
James is the first New Testament letter addressed to the believers generally, rather than a specific church or individual. Most scholars also believe it is one of the earliest New Testament letters to be written, though, ironically, it is one of the last documents to be included in the official canon of the New Testament.
Author
According to most authorities “James” is Jesus’ brother (not James, the brother of John, who was martyred before this letter was written). Even though he was not a disciple while Jesus was alive, he became a believer after Jesus’ ascension [1 Cor 15:7], and was a leader of the Jerusalem church by the time Paul returned from his initial missionary journey and the Council dealt with the question of circumcision for Gentile Christians [Acts 15].
Dates for the letter range from as early as A.D. 45-50 to A.D. 62, when James was martyred. Most scholars interpret “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” as referring to Jewish Christians who left Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen [Acts 7:54-60], not scattering after 70 when Rome destroyed the temple and the city.
Context
The church had been expanding for the past 15-20 years, and had spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean region. But followers of Christ were constantly under pressure, from Jews and Romans as well as others, to compromise their faith and conform to the pagan culture.
The author was concerned especially about the way Christians were treating one another and way they were perceived by the very people who needed to see the truth of the Gospel. Believers were looking and behaving just like everyone else – there was no evidence of the effect their faith had on their lives.
Structure
Like Hebrews, this book is not so much a letter as a written sermon. It does have a greeting and closing like the other letters, but its main section is much more like a formal lecture. James focuses on three primary issues:
- Fairness or impartiality – faith leads to honoring all people equally, regardless of their status or wealth, and to meeting the needs of others.
- Wisdom and speech – believers demonstrate their faith by speaking positively, without anger, hypocrisy, malice or judgment.
- Wealth and generosity – trust in God leads to generosity and avoids hoarding money and possessions as well as unfair treatment of those less fortunate.
James concludes with exhortations on patience and prayer.
Major Themes
James puts his purpose statement at the end of his letter: If anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins, [5:19-20]. He wants to build up the church by helping believers help one another.
The major problem, according to James, is compromising or being friends with the world and he puts it in very strong language: Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God, [4:4]. His solution is equally direct: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you, [4:7-8]. He tells his readers to cleanse their hands, purify their hearts, lament and mourn and weep, and humble themselves, and God will exalt them, [4:9-10.
The author also deals with three specific concerns:
- Partiality – evidently many believers were favoring some people over others – people with status were treated better than poor people. James said, if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors, [2:9]. Believers should fulfill the “royal” law and love their neighbor as themselves.
- Wealth – James also called out wealthy people who were hoarding money and possessions and oppressing poor laborers, [5:1-4].
- Works – if Christians look and act just like everyone else in the culture, non-believers cannot see that faith changes lives and brings a new relationship with the living God. Again, James uses blunt language: Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead, [2:26].
James deals with patience and prayer in two mini-sermons that conclude the letter:
- He acknowledges that Christians are suffering, that most of them are struggling economically, socially and spiritually. He encourages them to be patient: As an example of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed, we call blessed those who showed endurance, [5:10-11].
- He also emphasized the importance of prayer: Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise, [5:13], and the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective, [5:16].
Get into the Word
1. Who wrote this book? What do we know about this person? What is unusual about his position in the early church? What major issue was he involved in deciding? When was this book probably written?
2. What was the situation of the church at this time? Who was persecuting Christians? What was the author’s major concern with the conduct of the believers? Why was this important to the writer? To the early church?
3. How is this book organized? How is it similar to the previous book? What issues does the author deal with? Why do you think he writes about these issues and not others?
4. Why did the author write this book? What objective does he hope to accomplish? What is the primary problem facing the church? What solution does he suggest for the Christ-followers? How do you suppose his readers reacted to this direction? How do you respond?
5. What concerns does the writer address? How does he describe them? What does he tell believers to do about each of these concerns? How do these concerns relate to the message of the Gospel?
6. What two issues does the author deal with at the end of this book? Why are they important to Christians? To the church? How do you think the readers responded to this direction?
Note . . .
Paul vs James
Martin Luther called this book a “letter of straw,” but he was not the only scholar to question the apparent theology of the book (in fact it was one of the last books to be included in the New Testament).
The argument is that Christianity teaches that we gain salvation only by God’s grace through our faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We cannot “earn” salvation by any action or “work” we do.
James appears to teach that we can be “justified by works,” [2:21]. The critical passage is, You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone, [2:24]. But he is actually saying that our “works” are the evidence for our faith. Try reading that passage above as: You able to see our changed life by our work, not by what we say we believe.
76: Faith and works – James 2:14 – 3:18
Get Ready
When you see a card trick or a magic act, how do you respond? Do you enjoy the entertainment of the trick or the sleight-of-hand itself? Or do you try to figure out how the person accomplished the feat, even though you could not see everything that was happening?
The Word
214 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
3Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.
How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. NRSV
Get into the Word
1. What aspect of faith is James talking about? How does he state the issue? What is the problem with no action? What example does he use? How would his readers relate to this? How do you relate?
2. Why are actions (or “works”) important to James? What do they demonstrate? How does he describe faith without action? What does he say about believing in God? Who else believes? How do they respond to this belief?
3. What examples does James provide to underscore his point about actions? Why do you suppose he chose these examples? How do they validate his argument?
4. What advice does James start this chapter with? Why do you think he feels this way about teachers? What is the primary “mistake” James presents in verse 2? What other images does he use to explain the role of speech?
5. How does James see wisdom? How does it affect a person’s actions? What is the source of wisdom? What does it show about you?
Get Personal
How are your “works” making your faith visible to other people? How has God helped you demonstrate your faith to others?
Notes . . .
2:14. What good is it — the Greek word actually means “advantage,” “value” or “profit.”
Works — the Greek word means work or “effort.”
Can faith save you? — James is talking about the claim of faith with no evidence of a changed life, not faith as the means of salvation. He makes this clear in his example of a person needing food and clothing and the reference to demons [2:19].
2:18. Show you my faith — God can see a person’s attitude, but we can see only a person’s actions (“works”), which are evidence of the person’s attitude or faith.
Jesus predicted that faith would include action: Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, [John 14:12].
2:20. Senseless person — the Greek word actually means “hollow man.”
2:21. The declaration is in Genesis 15:6, the story of the sacrifice of Isaac is in Genesis 22.
2:25. Joshua 2 records Rahab’s actions and Joshua 6 reveals the result: she and her family were sparred when the Israelites destroyed Jericho.
3:1. Teachers — the Bible consistently pictures teachers as having special responsibility along with serious consequences for false teaching, [check Rom 2:21-24, Luke 6:37, Acts 20:26-27, Heb 13:17].
3:5. Tongues — the tongue is one of the most common symbols in the Bible for a person’s attitude or “heart” and a sign of a person’s relationship (or lack of one) with God. Some examples are: Psalm 34:13-14, Proverbs 13:3, 1 Peter 3:10 [actually paraphrasing the several Old Testament verses].
3:11-12. James draws on some of the same images Jesus used to explain how a person’s actions reveal the attitude that can’t be seen, [Matt 7:16-20 and Luke 6:43-45].
3:13. Who is wise —Jeremiah quotes God: Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom. . . . Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord, [Jer 9:23-24]. And Jesus says, anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, [Matt 7:24]. James also is consistent with the other New Testament authors on this point — check Gal 6:4-5, Phil 1:27-28, 1 Peter 2:12 and 3:16.
Memory Verse
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead, [James 2:26].
Next Lesson
Peter: Living and suffering as believers.
