James 1:1-8
(Message #1 in James Series)
INTRODUCTION:
Today we are beginning a brand-new teaching series on the Book of
James. I am excited because this has long been one of my favourite books
of the Bible and I am hoping it will become a favourite of yours as
well. James is a very practical book, filled with “how-tos” for living the Christian life, which
is one of the reasons it appeals to me. James does not beat around the bush; he
gets right to the point and tells it like it is without sugar coating the
truth.
But before we get into the text itself, we need to answer some
background questions to help us get more out of our study—questions like…
- WHO
was the author?
- WHEN
and WHERE was this book written?
- TO
WHOM was it written?
- What
was the author’s PURPOSE in writing?
- What
RELEVANCE does it have to us today?
TRANSITION:
These sorts of questions fall under the category of Bible Survey,
and many of your study Bibles will have helpful information about these
subjects in the introductory pages to the Book of James. But to save us a
little time, let me walk us quickly through some of these questions and
answers.
#1. WHO was the AUTHOR?
The author does not leave us guessing. He says right at the
beginning that he is “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ.” But which James is
he? The NT mentions four different ones including (1) James the son of
Zebedee and brother of John (cf. Matt. 4:21), (2) James the son of Alphaeus,
called “James the Less” or “little/younger” (cf. Matt. 10:3), (3) James, the
father of the apostle Thaddeus/Judas (cf. Luke 6:16), and (4) James, one of the
four half-brothers of Jesus. So, which of those four wrote the Book of
James? A lot of people think it was James, the son of Zebedee (brother of
John) because he is the James they have heard the most about. However, that James was
martyred in Acts 12 (±A.D. 44), the first of the 12 apostles to be
killed. He did not live long enough to write anything.
No, the answer is James #4, the half-brother of Jesus, son of
Joseph and Mary. He was probably next to Jesus in age since his name
always heads the list of Jesus’ siblings (cf. Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3 – James,
Joseph, Simon, Jude, and sisters). We also know that he along with all of
Jesus’ other brothers and sisters rejected Jesus’ early ministry (John
7:2-5). It was only after the
resurrection that they came to believe fully
in Him. In fact, at one point Jesus’
family tried to get Him to quit preaching and apparently even thought He was a
bit insane.
Some other facts about James… 1 Cor. 15:7 records that he was one
of the people to whom Jesus appeared personally after the Resurrection. On
Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem after he got saved, he visited James (Gal.
1:19). In fact, Paul referred to James as one of the “pillars” of the
Church (Gal. 2:9). Because of his holiness and integrity his nickname was
“James, the Just”. In Acts 12:17 after Peter was released from jail by the
angel, he told the disciples to go and report to James what had
happened. At the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13) James was presiding over
the proceedings as they debated about what to do with the influx of non-Jewish
converts. James was so well known and highly respected in the Early Church
that his younger brother, Jude, only needed to identify himself as “a
bondservant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James” and that was all the
credentials he needed (cf. Jude 1:1). From a comment made by Paul in 1
Cor. 9:5 we believe that James was married and probably had children. Though
we do not know a lot of details, Josephus and Hegesippus, ancient Roman
historians, tell us that James was executed by fanatical Jewish leaders near
the time of the revolt and siege of Jerusalem (A.D. 62).
#2. WHEN and WHERE was this book written?
The author does not mention any specific historical events that we
can use to fix the exact date of the writing. Nor does he tell us where he
was when he wrote it. However, the letter is very Jewish in nature. The language, the references all suggest an early
date for the writing, back when the church was still in its infancy before the
Jerusalem Controversy about what to do with the Gentile converts. We also
know that James rose to a place of leadership in the Early Church in A.D. 44,
replacing Peter after he got out of jail, which was also the same year in which
King Herod Agrippa I died (cf. Acts 12:5-23). All things considered, a
date of A.D. 46 for the writing is a good estimation and it was almost
certainly written from Jerusalem where James lived. By the way, most
conservative Bible scholars believe that this was the first NT book ever
written! Galatians probably came next, several years later. One more titbit:
the book of James is a literary masterpiece, written in beautiful Greek by
someone with a broad vocabulary and a sharp mind. History tells us that
James was such a man.
#3. To WHOM was the letter written?
As I mentioned a moment ago, the content of this letter is
distinctively Jewish in nature. For example, a very Hebrew title for God is used
in 5:4— “Lord of Sabaoth,” Lord of Hosts (kyrios sabaoth). This was not a term used
by Gentiles but almost exclusively by Jewish Christians.
Also, the greeting of the letter starts out, “…to the twelve
tribes who are dispersed abroad…” (NASV). Or
as it is in the NIV, “…to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations…” The literal phrase that James
uses is, “…to the 12 tribes who are in the dispersion (Diaspora)…” This clearly
refers to Jews.
However, at the same time, the letter is also clearly Christian (cf. 2:1, 7;
5:7-8; etc.). The best explanation for this Jewish/Christian combination
is seen in the Acts chronology. After Stephen’s martyrdom in Jerusalem
(Acts 8:1-4) those Jewish believers took off in every direction, heading for
Cyprus, Phoenicia, and Antioch (cf. 11:19), or anyplace else where they could
find a haven from persecution.
James wrote this letter to those Jewish Christians who had fled
“in the Diaspora” after Stephen’s death. This is one of the so-called,
“General Epistles” because it was written to be copied and shared with lots of
people in lots of places. It was not sent to one church or one
individual, but to a whole class of people, those Jewish converts to
Christianity who had fled their homeland to avoid being killed for their
newfound faith in Jesus, their Messiah.
This brings us to the next question…
#4. What was the writer’s PURPOSE for writing?
James was seeking to encourage and fortify those baby Christians
who were now scattered and far away from regular instruction in the teachings
of Christ. He speaks of trials and oppression and how Christians should
respond. Knowing that these new converts would struggle with temptations
of every sort he tells them how to deal with the devil and with the temptations
of life. He wrote from a pastor’s heart,
instructing and encouraging by long distance.
#5. What RELEVANCE does it have for us today?
I will just say again that this is a very practical book and deals
with the issues that you and I face every day in our Christian lives. It
deals with the role of good deeds in religion. It takes on the question of
faith versus works. It warns us about how much damage our mouths can do if
we do not control them. It tells us how to endure trials and go through
suffering without losing our faith and getting mad at God. It also takes
on the question of how to get our daily life to come into alignment with what
we claim to believe. Like I said… very practical stuff! So, without
further ado, let’s get into the text itself. Turn to James 1:1.
MAIN BODY:
Verse 1: James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
- Nowadays
when we write letters, we sign them at the bottom. You either must
read the whole letter or glance at the end before you start to know who is
writing to you. In the old days, they put that information right in
the salutation. I think it was a better system.
- I
have heard that Eskimos have many different words for snow. It makes
sense because living where they do, they have become snow experts. In
Greek there are a variety of words that mean “servant” or “slave.” That
is because slavery was such a part of normal life in those days and there
were different kinds of slaves. An oiketês was a “household
servant.” A místhios was a “hired
servant.” A pais was a “boy servant.” A paidíske was a “young female
slave.” A huperétes was an “under-rower” or
galley slave on a ship. A diákonos was a “ministering
servant.” However, here in James 1:1 James identifies
himself as “the doulos of God and of Christ.” A “doulos” was a bondservant,
and the word was at the same time the most common term for a slave and the
most menial. It was Paul’s favourite word to describe himself in
relation to Christ (cf. Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:1), and James uses it
here in the same way, with the idea in mind that he had been formerly a
“bond-slave” of Satan, and that, having been bought by Christ, he is now a willing slave, bound to his
new Master with bonds of love and gratitude. And it is important to
remember that with a doulos there were no
limitations, either in the kind or the time of service. In the
same way, the life of the believer is to be lived in continuous lifelong
obedience and service to God. That is important!
Verses 2-3: Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you
encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of
your faith produces endurance.
- The
word “trials” here implies testings from an external source. Later,
down in verses 13-14 James will discuss testings that come from within, temptations to
commit evil. But here in verse 2 he is talking about circumstances
that come along out of the blue and whack us up alongside the head.
- “Consider
it all joy…” He
does not say that these trials are joyful events. He does not say
they are fun or something we are to seek after. No, he just says that
we are to “consider them, reckon them, think of them” in positive terms
because of the ultimate good that they will work in us. Most medicine
and nearly all vitamins taste nasty, but we take them because of the
benefit we know they are going produce in us.
- Trials
in the life of the Christian function in the same way. They have a
nasty taste for the moment but if we will work with God rather than against Him the trials will
ultimately strengthen our faith and produce godly character in us.
- The
phrase here translated as “the testing of your faith”
employs a technical word that refers to the refining and purging process
of producing genuine coins. The goal of testing is not to destroy but to
verify and prove the quality of the material being tested. Through
trials we grow spiritual muscles and develop our spiritual lung capacity
so that when we come up against a really steep hill we have strength and
endurance not only live through the experience but to come out as victors,
standing at the top of the mountain shouting, “Woo-hoo! Yes, I made it!”
- By
the way, joy is a choice. We can choose to be joyful in the midst
of difficult circumstances or we can choose to give way to anger,
depression, despair, and vindictiveness against God and everyone in the
room with us. James says, “Choose joy.” Paul had the
same thing in mind when he wrote Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, REJOICE!” We can choose
to be joyful, no matter what.
Verse 4: And let endurance have its perfect result, so that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
- This
verse is a model of redundancy, but it is not accidental. James is
trying to make a point. The word here used twice and translated as
“perfect” means complete in the sense
of having reached the goal, the finish line. In common speech we use the
word perfect to mean, one who is
“without sin or flaw of any kind.” That is impossible for humans, so
it is ridiculous to think that James is commanding us to become perfect in
the sense of sinless and without flaws.
- No,
he is talking about letting the trials and tribulations process continue
to its desired end, where we have those needed
spiritual muscles.
Verse 5: But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
- Christians
use this verse as a carte
blanche promise from God, but we should not remove it
from its context and expect it to work. Here James is talking about
God-given insight while we are going through trials, wisdom into what God
is doing and what He is trying to produce in us. Sometimes Christians
say, “I just can’t see any point to this. Why is God putting
us through this? Have we sinned? Have we ticked Him off
somehow? I just can’t see how any good could ever come from this
mess, this tragedy, this trial.” But James says that if we ask Him, God
will reveal it to us. Job is a good example. When Job cried out
to God, the Lord revealed to him what was taking place and that knowledge
sustained him through his trials to the very end.
Verse 6: But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one
who doubts is like the
surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
- Doubting,
that is our enemy in this process. The Greek word is used twice here: diakrinómenos. The word is
sometimes translated as debating, contending, or disputing. Here it means
doing those things with God, maybe in the hopes that He will stop the
trial or the tribulation. In context James is not talking so much
about weak faith, as lack of faith in God, and therefore
contending with Him.
- But
James points out that a person without faith in God is at the mercy and
whim of the storm and the waves. He has no anchor, no refuge, no rock
of safety, no island where he can beach his boat and seek
shelter. God is all those things to us when we go through
trials. Without Him, where can a person turn to for help?
Verses 7-8: For that man ought not to
expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways.
- James
here speaks of a “double-minded” person. This does not mean thinking twice. The Greek work
literally means a person with “two-souls” – dípsuchos (dis = twice + psuche
= mind or soul). James uses this same word in 4:8, “Come near to God and He will come
near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.” It refers to a
person of divided allegiance. In this
context I believe it is about the man who has doubts and mental
reservations both about prayer itself and about the requests he is making
of God.
- James
says that this kind of double mindedness causes instability in every area
of that man’s life and robs him of getting answers from God.
CONCLUSION:
So, what have we learned today? Let’s review:
- Who
was James? Tell me all you know.
- Who
did he write this letter to, and why?
- Why
does God allow us to go through trials and tribulations?
- Why
is James so adamant about us not being “double-minded”?
- What
do you hope to gain personally from this study of James?
No comments:
Post a Comment