Part 1: A Walk Through the Book of James

    Background: There are 66 books in the Bible. 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the new Testament.  James is the 20^th book of the New Testament and falls between the books of Hebrews and 1 Peter. The author, is generally thought to be Jesus’s brother. There has been some discussion of he being another James (Jesus’s cousin via Mary wife of Clopas mother of James and Joses).  There has been discussion also that he, Jesus’ brother, was not educated enough to write the letter.  This would give support to an amanuensis, or scribe who wrote the letter but was dictated to by James. The letter was written in about 69-70 AD (possibly 62 AD) so it could not have been the apostle James who was martyred in 44 AD. There is also some speculation that his amanuensis wrote it after James’ death.  In any case, it was written primarily to the Jewish believers (see vs 1) being persecuted and probably before the Roman oppression against all Christians.  James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.  The earliest manuscripts of his letter date to 3^rd century AD.

Chapter 1

Vs 1: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings

            "Servant" -  NASB uses bond servant – Greek word is duolos (du-o-los) means slave.  (Coincidently, or maybe not, the word doula, a person who aids pregnant woman during childbirth, gets its root from this as well.)  Slave or bond servant is perhaps a more useful term.  We in modern age have come to know slavery as was the case in 18^th through 19^th century America and Uncle Tom’s Cabin precepts.  This could have been the case but was not the common case.  Slaves, while often mistreated in the Greco-Roman empires, had more rights.  They could, conceivably earn their freedom.  The applied meaning of the word doulos is one who has been bought for at a price. As believers, we are to have the attitude of slaves or bond servants committed to serving our Master who paid the price for us.

Vs2-3: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Pure joy? Greek word is chara and the form used here is charan. We need to remember that joy and happiness are not necessarily to be equated.  One of the best definitions I have seen is - “Joy is not an experience that comes from favorable circumstances but is God’s gift to believers. Joy is a part of God’s very essence and His Spirit manifests this supernatural joy in His children (Galatians 5:22-note, Acts 13:52, 1Th 1:6-note). Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of the person who knows all is well between himself and the Lord.” www.preceptaustin.org

Several versions use, brothers, or brethren in verse 2.  The Greek word is adelphoi which is the plural for both brothers and sisters and has been used in that way throughout the NT.  The context should be looked at carefully to make sure that it is or is not gender-specific.

In verse 2 the Greek word for trials is peirasmos (pir-as-mos).  This can be also translated temptation.  So you might balk at this because temptation is NOT what God does.  But He does allow it. 

Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Would it be true to say that a temptation will also test your faith as stated in verse 3? Are you being tested? Remember that a test can come through the very small as well as the big.  Is your faith tested while driving?  Mine is in so many ways.  Faith that God will bring me there safely.  Faith that the drivers around you are aware and obeying the laws. What about temptation? Are you tempted to show your displeasure when another driver makes a mistake or purposely takes advantage of their position in traffic over you?

So let’s talk about faith for a moment. Why?  Faith is one of the key topics throughout James.  So what is Faith?  Jesus tells us in Matthew 17: 20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Granted the context was a demon that His disciples could not excise but He implies a broader scope with his response. So what is Faith?  It is hard to separate it from belief. The Greek word is Pistis.  In Hebrew, there are several words.  The word Aman seems to be the most common occurrence and usage in the OT and it translates to believing and trusting God. Paul in Romans when discussing the faith of Abraham uses multiple forms of the word Pisti. So Paul goes on to teach us that it is through Abraham’s faith that righteousness was accounted to him.  Romans 4: What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

In this case, belief and faith are one.  So, for us, can we say that faith, as we know it, is both a belief and trust in God?

Vs 3 goes on to say that the testing of our faith produces perseverance (other versions will say endurance, or steadfastness) Vs 4 continues and states perseverance will finish its work producing maturity and completion “not lacking anything”.  This is not an uncommon theme.

Romans 5: 5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

2 Corinthians 1: 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

So what do you think “not lacking in anything means?  Materialism is not at all implied here. Maturity and finished work are not synonymous with food and shelter.  Remember that we are called to love God first with all our hearts, minds, souls, strength.  Does God need us to be mature and lacking in nothing? NO.  But He also commands us to love one another as He loves us.  It is through our endurance and suffering experiences that we learn to exhort, encourage, and comfort those who are undergoing various trials and tribulations.  To show them the love of Christ and how faith in his promises to see us through are true.

More to come so stay tuned...