Book of James

I.                     Authorship-The Author identifies himself simply as James–Who is this? Some possible answers

A.      James the son of Zebedee

1.      Called to be a follower of Jesus in MK 1:19

a)      Mark 1:19 ¹⁹When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.

2.      Became one of the Apostles closest to Jesus

B.     James the son of Alphaeus

1.      Mentioned only in the lists of the Apostles and MK 15:40 (as well as MT 28:56

a)      Mark 15:40 ⁴⁰Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

C.     James, the father of Judas

1.      Distinguished from Judas Iscariot

2.      Judas is identified as one of the twelve in Luke 6:16

a)      Luke 6:16 ¹⁶Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

D.     James, the brother of Jesus Christ

1.      Did not believe Jesus when he was conducting his ministry

2.      Attained a position of prominence in the Jerusalem church – Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal 2:9

a)      Acts 12:17 ¹⁷Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the brothers about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

b)      Acts 15:13 ¹³When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me.

c)      Acts 21:18 ¹⁸The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.

d)      Galatians 2:9 ⁹James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

3.      The Most likely choice

a)      Not likely that such a book would be written by anyone other than a well known figure

b)      Only James, the brother of Jesus and James, the son of Zebedee are prominent

c)      James, the son of Zebedee was martyred in 44 AD which is to early to have written the Book of James

(i)                              There is some controversy over the dating

(a)                The dating tends to be between 45 and 60 AD

(1)    Those who favor the 60 date believe the worldliness he discusses was a result of this being a second generation letter

(2)    Those who place it around 45 AD claim that the issue of Justification shows a kinship with Paul’s writings in his attempt to correct misunderstandings of Paul to be discussed later in the lecture

(3)    Another reason for the early date is the lack of reference to Gentile-Jew relations

E.     Rejections of James, the brother of Jesus writing the book

1.      L. Massebieau in L’epitre de Jacques – est-elle l’oeuvre d’un Chretien?’ in Revue de l’ Histoire des Religions, 32 1895 pp. 249-283 suggests that The Book of James was not even a Christian book. He claims it was a Jewish writing based on the testament of Jacob to his sons in Genesis 49. He claims it was Christianized with a couple of references to Jesus Christ.  G. Kittel in Der geschichtliche Ort des Jacobusbriefs in ZNW 41, 1942, pp. 84-91 rejects Massebieau’s claims by stating that Jesus is referenced throughout the work

2.      J. Moffatt in The General Epistles: James, Peter and Judas, 1928, p 2 that the author was an unknown James. He believes it was later assigned to the famous James of Jerusalem.

3.      Four main objections to James, the brother of Jesus

a)      He would have surely mentioned his special relationship to the Lord

b)      The Greek used is to Hellenistic or polished to have come from the pen of James, the brother of Jesus who was the son of a carpenter    

c)      The book ignores the rituals and emphasizes the moral laws of the Old Testament and the liberal approach to the Old Testament is in contrast to what we know of the brother of Jesus

d)      The seeming contradictions between James and Paul’s teaching of Justification

II.                   Circumstances of the Letter

A.      Who was the Audience?

1.      The audience was probably Jews

a)      Letter filled with the spirit and imagery of the Old Testament so completely that it must illustrate the writer and the audience’s background

b)      Also the way that James refers to the Law (of Moses)

(i)                              He assumes that the people are familiar with it

(ii)                            He assumes they have no question that it applies to them

c)      The Monotheistic tone of 2:19 to summarize doctrine as well as the use of the word synagogue

(i)                              James 2:19 ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

d)      James writing a letter to the Jewish Christians would follow the NT witness that James ministered to the circumcised – Gal 2:9

(i)                              Galatians 2:9 ⁹James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

2.      Written to people involved in social tension

a)      Oppressed and taken advantage of by wealthy landlords – JA 5:4-6

(i)                              James 5:4 through James 5:6 (NIV) ⁴Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ⁵You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. ⁶You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

b)      Hauled into court by wealthy people scorning their faith – JA 2:7

(i)                              James 2:7 (NIV) ⁷Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

c)      Telling them to be patient as their Lord and Redeemer is close at hand – JA 5:7-11

(i)                              James 5:7 through James 5:11 (NIV) ⁷Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

(ii)                            ¹⁰Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

d)      Meet these trials with steadfast endurance so that their Christian character will develop to maturity – JA 1:2-4, 12

(i)                              James 1:2 through James 1:4 (NIV) ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

(ii)                            James 1:12 (NIV) ¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

B.     James is concerned with the world entering the church

1.      Warns his readers that friendship with God is enmity with God JA 4:4

a)      James 4:4 (NIV) ⁴You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

2.      Must keep yourself unstained by the world JA 1:27

a)      James 1:27 (NIV) ²⁷Religion 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.

 

3.      Worldliness shows itself in the Church

a)      Fawning deference to the rich and callous indifference of the poor JA 2:1-4

(i)                              James 2:1 through James 2:4 (NIV) ¹My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. ³If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

b)      Uncontrolled, critical speech JA 3:1-12; 4:11-12; 5:9

(i)                              James 3:1 through James 3:12 (NIV) ¹Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. ²We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. ³When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, ⁸but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. ¹¹Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹²My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

(ii)                            James 4:11 through James 4:12 (NIV) ¹¹Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

(iii)                           James 5:9 (NIV) ⁹Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

c)      Earthly, unspiritual devilish wisdom with its envy and selfish ambition that in turn produce dissensions and violent quarrels JA 3:13-4:3

(i)                              James 3:13 through James 4:3 (NIV) ³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

(ii)                            James 4 ¹What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ²You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

d)      Arrogance JA 4:13-17        

(i)                              James 4:13 through James 4:17 (NIV) ³Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

 

e)      An essential double-mindedness with respect to God that short-circuits the effectiveness of prayer and manifests itself in a failure to put faith into practice JA 1:5-8;1:22-27; 2:14-26

(i)                              James 1:5 through James 1:8 (NIV) ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

(ii)                            James 1:22 through James 1:27 (NIV) ²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion 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.

(iii)                           James 2:14 through James 2:26 (NIV) ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. ²⁵In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

(iv)                           

f)       James calls on readers to repent from worldliness ; to humble themselves before the Lord so that he might exalt them and to bring other sinners back from the error of their ways JA 4:7-10;5:19-20

(i)                              James 4:7 through James 4:10 (NIV) ⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

(ii)                            James 5:19 through James 5:20 (NIV) ¹⁹My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, ²⁰remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

 

III.                  Theology of James

A.      Some claim that there is no theology in James

1.      James says little about Christian doctrines

2.      Says nothing about the ministry of the Holy Spirit

3.      Nothing about the significance of the Church

4.      Nothing about the fulfillment of Christian             

5.      Nothing about the Resurrection

B.     Most important claim according to Douglas Moo is that James does not center on Christ

1.      Jesus is only mentioned twice – JA 1:1; 2:1

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

b)      James 2:1 (NIV) ¹My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.

2.      Only once is Christ made the object of worship JA 2:1

3.      The Work is not centered on the life and work of Christian

4.      So if one means by theology a set of beliefs that explicitly refers to the life and work of Jesus Christ, then there is little theology in the book of James

5.      James was not writing for this purpose

a)      His readers were already well versed in the fundamentals of the Christian life

b)      Their need was to put their faith in practice

C.     James View of God

1.      Concerned to relate the kind if conduct he expects of his readers to the nature of God

a)      Christians are to live and act in full consciousness of the character of the God they serve

2.      Writes that Christians should not hesitate to ask God for wisdom JA 1:5

a)      James 1:5 (NIV) ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

b)      Similar to Jesus telling his disciples to ask God for whatever they need Mt 7:7-11

(i)                              Matthew 7:7 through Matthew 7:11 (NIV) ⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

3.      James stresses the Goodness of God’s character and his gifts Ja 1:17           

a)      James 1:17 (NIV) ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

b)      Needed for the rebuttal of those who would say that God is the author of temptation

c)      He gives all things that are perfect but cannot be enticed by evil

d)      Evil is a by product of man’s own sinfulness 1:14-15

(i)                              James 1:14 through James 1:15 (NIV) ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

4.      James offers a stinging indictment on the Readers worldliness Ja 4:4-10

a)      James 4:4 through James 4:10 (NIV)  ⁴You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? ⁶But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:         “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

b)      Both indictment and the invitations are based on God’s character

(i)                              God opposes the Proud but gives grace to the humble

(ii)                            Friendship to the World is Hatred toward God

(iii)                           Come near to God and he will come near to you

c)      God’s character gives James his indictment of his readers worldliness

(i)                              God’s Grace is able to meet the demands of his jealous Holiness

(a)                Only those who humbly submit to God will receive that grace

(b)                God’s graciousness is the basis for James’ call to humble themselves

5.      Monotheism is well illustrated

a)      Confession of the oneness of God Ja 2:19

(i)                              James 2:19 (NIV) ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

b)      One lawgiver and Judge Ja 4:12

(i)                              James 4:12 (NIV) ¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

c)      The description of God giving is a written as only a single being giving the grace Ja 1:5

(i)                              James 1:5 (NIV) ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

d)      All the commandments must be obeyed JA 2:11

(i)                              James 2:11 (NIV) ¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

e)      By attributing that Jesus is the judge shows that James is claiming that Jesus is God Ja 5:7-9

f)       James 5:7 through James 5:9 (NIV) ⁷Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

D.      Eschatology

1.      The coming judgment gets a lot of attention in James – The JUDGE IS STANDING AT THE DOOR!!

2.      The coming judgment motivates people to live holy living, pleasing to the Lord – Ja 1:10-11; 2:12-13; 3:1; 5:1-6, 9,12

a)      James 1:10 through James 1:11 (NIV) ¹⁰But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

b)      James 2:12 through James 2:13 (NIV) ¹²Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, ¹³because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

c)      James 3:1 (NIV) ¹Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

d)      James 5:1 through James 5:6 (NIV) ¹Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. ²Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. ⁴Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ⁵You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. ⁶You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

e)      James 5:9 (NIV) ⁹Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

f)       James 5:12 (NIV) ¹²Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

3.      James reminds the people of the reward that awaits those of Faithful service – JA 1:12; 2:5; 4:10; 5:20

a)      James 1:12 (NIV) ¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

b)      James 2:5 (NIV) ⁵Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

c)      James 4:10 (NIV) ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

d)      James 5:20 (NIV) ²⁰remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

 

4.      James is convinced that the coming judgment is near

a)      Some scholars believe that this means that James believed that the Lord would return during his lifetime

b)      The language simply means that the Lord could return soon!

c)      No where does he say he is sure the Lord will return shortly

E.     Faith, Works, and Justification

1.      James believes that true beliefs are nothing without works to show it – Ja 2:17,20,26

a)      James 2:17 (NIV) ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

b)      James 2:20 (NIV) ²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

c)      James 2:26 (NIV) ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

 

2.      Some claiming to know Christ were only professing faith in him, they were not living it – Ja 2:19 

a)      James 2:19 (NIV) ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

3.      This faith is dead and barren as far as the final judgment – 2:14-16

a)      James 2:14 through James 2:16 (NIV) ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

4.      James does see Faith as an unwavering commitment to God and Christ that is tested and refrained in trial and grasps hold of the blessings of God in prayer Ja 1:2,4-8;2:1;5:14-18

a)      James 1:2 (NIV) ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

b)      James 1:4 through James 1:8 (NIV) ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

c)      James 2:1 (NIV) ¹My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.

d)      James 5:14 through James 5:18 (NIV) ¹⁴Is 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. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

5.      Many believe that his beliefs cannot be reconciled with Paul

a)      Paul wrote in Romans 3:28 that man was justified by faith apart from works of the Law

b)      James writes that man is justified by works and not by faith alone – Ja 2:24

c)      Both look to Abraham in Genesis 15:6 to illustrate their point

(i)                              James claims that Abraham was declared righteous for his obedience

(ii)                            Paul claims it is because of his faith that he is declared righteous

d)      At first glance it would appear they are contradictory

(i)                              This is not the case however, as each is combating different problems

6.      Reconciling Paul and James

a)      Paul is combating an over-emphasis on the works of the law among some Jewish Christians

b)      James is combating an over-emphasis on faith among some Jewish Christians

c)      By the words they use, it is clear that they are really saying the same thing

d)      Paul is implying works from before conversion cannot save

e)      James is talking about works that result from faith

F.      The Law

1.      A.T. Cadoux in The Thought of St. James believes that Paul and James are further apart in their view of the law than they are in justification

a)      Paul seems to say that Christians are no longer under the law, have died under the law and are led by the spirit – Rom 6:14-15; Rom 7:4; Gal 5:18

(i)                              Romans 6:14 through Romans 6:15 (NIV) ¹⁴For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

(ii)                            Romans 7:4 (NIV) ⁴So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

(iii)                           Galatians 5:18 (NIV) ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

b)      James says that Christians must still be doers of the law and insists the whole law is the standard of judgment – Ja 4:11; Ja 2:9-12

(i)                              James 4:11 (NIV) ¹¹Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

(ii)                            James 2:9 through James 2:12 (NIV) ⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.¹²Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,

c)      Paul also wrote positively about the law 1 Cor 14:34; Eph 6:2-3; Rom 8:7

(i)                              1 Corinthians 14:34 (NIV) ³⁴women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.

(ii)                            Ephesians 6:2 through Ephesians 6:3 (NIV) ²“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—³“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

(iii)                           Romans 8:7 (NIV) ⁷the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

2.      Luther also was no fan of James and comments that James calls the law a Law of Liberty while James calls it a Law of Slavery

a)      He left James out of his translation of the Bible and then added it to the end

b)      He called it an Epistle of Straw

3.      James does not include the ceremonial commandments in conception of the law - Never mentions this aspect of the law

4.      James connects the Law to the Gospel – 1:21

a)      The word is the Gospel

b)      He views the teaching of Jesus as a new law

c)      He upholds the Law as it is fulfilled in the teaching of Jesus                           The Christian Life

5.      James is filled with the responsibility of believers to live an ethical life

6.      We see this in how he calls on believers to show their faith with works of righteousness

7.      Do not just listen to the word of God but live it

8.      Do not stand idly by, take an active part and help those that need it

G.     Wisdom

1.      Wisdom is the quality that is needed if Christians are going to persevere in their trials

2.      Believers should ask God for the wisdom they need to remain with God

3.      James description of the virtues produced by wisdom are similar to the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul – Ja 3:17 Gal 5:22-23

IV.                Importance for James Today

A.      It is clear that James has a lot to say to the modern reader

1.      It calls the modern reader to action to help those that are in need

2.      It calls on the modern reader that such activities are necessary because they show a true faith

3.      If these works are not performed, then the professed believer may want to ask themselves if they are truly in Christ or if they are an armchair Christian