James

What do we know about James, the author of this epistle? Well, he is the half-brother of Jesus (Mark 6:3) who did not accept his brother as the Messiah until after the resurrection (John 7:5). He was known as James the Just. He took a leading role at the Jerusalem conference (Acts 15) and was referred to as a “pillar” of the church (Gal 2:9). If you recall, Paul visited him during his first post-conversion visit to Jerusalem (Gal 1:19).

According to the ancient historian, Josephus, James was accused of breaking the Law and the High Priest sentenced him to be stoned. He was then taken to the top of the wall of Jerusalem and was told that if he would just renounce his faith in Jesus, he would not be stoned. He agreed. So then he got up on the wall, and instead of renouncing Jesus, he preached the Gospel to the masses below. Well, as you can imagine, the high priest was not amused. He was mad as junk yard dog and shoved James off the wall. After crashing to the ground he was stoned to death. Too bad he didn’t grab the high priest and take him with down with him.

His death took place in A.D. 62, just eight years before the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. So this letter was probably one of the first of the epistles written, before the controversy of Gentile circumcision and while the church was still mostly Jewish in nature.  It appears that nothing in this epistle goes beyond Acts 1-9. Gentile conversion issues are not mentioned, so this could have been written as early as 30 A.D. The letter was written to Jewish Christians (1:1) who were scattered after Stephen’s martyrdom. He writes this letter to encourage them during those difficult times. The ungodly rich were persecuting them (5:1-6); some believers limited their religion to superficial rituals (1:22-27; 2:14-26); others were treating some Christians better than others (2:1-13) and others were having difficulty controlling their tongues (3:1-12). Of course, we don’t see any of these problems in today’s churches, do we?

Some commentators say that you don’t see a lot of theology in this letter. If you recall, many other epistles will start with theology, then say, “Therefore,” and move onto the practical application of the theology. Here we find a book that resembles the book of Proverbs, than, let’s say, the first eleven chapters of Romans. But, on the other hand God is described as holy, sin as universal and expresses itself in anger, blasphemy, discrimination, bitterness, pride, theft and oppression. And, he does speak of a day of judgment and rewards. So, there is theology, which supports the practical admonitions for godly living.

1:1 “To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.”

One of Herbert W. Armstrong’s pet theories was that when Israel was invaded by the Assyrians, these ten tribes were scattered, “lost”! That is until “the lost master key” to understanding prophecy was been found.” And guess who found it? Of course, it was none other than Herbert W. Armstrong.

Well, not exactly. Not only did he not find that lost key and the true identity of modern day Israel, they were never lost in the first place. After all, James knew where they were. He wrote this letter to them, the twelve tribes scattered. They were scattered, but not lost. If you want more information on this, go to the Frequently Asked Questions tab and read, “Were the12 Tribes of Israel Lost?”

1:3 “The testing of your faith develops perseverance . . . so that you may be mature and complete.”

I don’t like tests, academic or otherwise. How about you? Does God need to test us for His benefit? No. One way that dealing with struggles can benefit us is that it gives us more confidence in what we can handle. For instance, a year after our son died I was forced into early retirement at age fifty-two. The personnel representative said to me, “I’m sorry that I have to tell you this, blah, blah, blah, etc.” I said, “Hey, my son died last year, being let go is a piece of cake.” We really don’t know what we can handle, until we have to handle it. My wife said that I “rose to the occasion,” in dealing with Michael’s death.

1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all. . . .” 

The context here is asking for wisdom in handling hardships.

1:13 “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”

God does not tempt us, but he does allow us to follow our own evil inclinations. Being temped is not wrong, but giving into it is.

1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”

By contrast, God doesn’t send temptations, but good gifts. Nothing but good comes from God. But, of course, we don’t always see the good, or perhaps it is for our long term good, while we are looking for short term good.

1:19 “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

“Quick to listen, slow to speak,” you’d think James was speaking directly to me. Maybe that’s why God gave us two ears but only one mouth. We’re supposed to listen twice as much as we talk. I think it was Mark Twain who said that we shouldn’t speak unless we can improve upon the silence. And listening is not just waiting for your turn to speak.

1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, (sees a booger hanging from his nose) goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like”(doesn’t wipe the booger off his nose). Can I use the word “booger” in a Bible study? Did I spell it correctly? Do you recall what the purpose of the law was? It was to act as a mirror, to show us that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

Imagine a pastor giving the same sermon on gossip week after week. Finally someone asks him why he keeps repeating himself. He replies, “Until you apply that sermon, why should I give you another?”

1:25 “The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom.”

What does he mean by “perfect law?” Is it the Law of Moses? No, that doesn’t give freedom. It’s the Law of the Messiah. Romans 8:2-3 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” It is the law of liberty that liberates us from the Law of Moses. We see this term again in James 2:12.

1:26 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

This is one of my favorite passages. God is not impressed with rituals if that is the full extent of your religion. The widows and orphans were representative of all others who were needy. They were a special concern for the early church (Acts 6:1-6; I Tim 5:3-16). True religion has a positive effect on the life of others. Here are a few other passages on this subject of true religion you might want to look up: You can easily build a sermon on these verses: Isa 1:11-15; Jer 7:21-23; Hos 6:6; Amos 5:21; Micah 6:6-8; Matt 5:23 and Mk 3:35. Be sure to give me credit when you deliver your sermon/lesson.

Christ, don’t show favoritism.”

Moses prohibited giving special treatment to those in a higher position in life (Lev 19:15).

2:2 “Sup2:1 “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus pose a man comes into your meeting. . .”

The word “meeting” comes from the Greek word, sunagoge. It is the word translated synagogue, which shows that this is a Jewish congregation of believers.

2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

Armstrong picked and chose the Old Testament laws that he said were still in effect. For instance, he taught that we should not eat pork, but the Bible says that if utensils even touch anything unclean, like pork, it is to be destroyed. Yet, he didn’t teach this part of the law. Also, those who broke the Sabbath were to be stoned. Thankfully, that never happened. 

2:14-19, 26 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. . . You believe that there is a God, Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder. . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

Big deal, you believe in God. So does the Devil, but that won’t do you any good. It’s one thing to acknowledge that God exists, it another to trust in him. Likewise, we believe in the existence of Satan the devil, but that doesn’t mean that we worship him. 

These passages don’t mean that we are saved by our works. Faith is the means of salvation; works is evidence of our salvation. If we had an instrument to measure faith, much as a physician can measure our blood pressure, we wouldn’t need works to show that we have faith. 

Now, before I go on, let me comment on the idea called Lordship Salvation. The idea promoted by some is that we must believe plus commit ourselves to obedience in all areas of our lives to be saved. The expression used is, “If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” Well, this idea is incorrect in that it fails to distinguish between salvation and discipleship. Consider I Cor 3 and Hebrews 5:11. Here we find people referred to as brothers, but they were immature Christians. 

They were saved, but still carnal. In 2 Peter 1:8 and Titus 3:14 true believers were encouraged to be fruitful, indicating that believers are not always fruitful. I’ve heard someone say, “I don’t think that person is even saved; I don’t see any fruit of the Spirit in his life.” Well, we have to be careful, there might be fruit in his life, but we don’t see it. There might be areas in his life that are very fruitful. He may be a great husband and father, even if he is a jerk in other settings.

3:1 “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

There must have been some ungifted or untrained teachers shooting off their mouths. They may have “zeal without knowledge.” Teachers may be held to a higher standard, in part, because if they know more, they are held more responsible. To whom much is given, much is required.



3:9 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men.”

If you recall, Amos condemned the Israelites because, although they were outwardly religious, they were not ethical in their daily lives. You can’t whisper wonderful prayers on Sunday and with the same lips whisper gossip and slander about someone on Tuesday.

4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

This passage condemns the prosperity preachers of today. Prayers are not a magic charm, where, if you say the right words, God is obligated to give you what you want.

4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

If you resist, he will flee. You don’t have to take the devil on, just resist. Why does he flee? Perhaps because there are easier targets for him. 

5:7 “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.”

Here’s another reference to the Lord’s coming.

5:14-15 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.”

To be “sick” in this verse means to have an incapacitating sickness, to be “without strength.”

The word for anoint is not the one used to refer to ceremonial anointing. It is a word that means a therapeutic anointing. Oil (along with wine) were used as medicines (Isa 1:6; Lk 10:34).

And if you noticed, it is the faith of the person praying, not the sick person, that will make the sick person well.

Herbert Armstrong taught that sick people should rely on prayer, not doctors, for healing. Many people suffered and died needlessly because of his false teaching. So tell me that doctrine is not important! James is saying, if you are sick, seek medical care and pray. One doesn’t exclude the other.

James, we’ve found, is a very practical book. He encourages us to live our faith, to take care of those in need and to anticipate the coming of Jesus.