James 1

All Scripture is from the ESV, available at Bible.is.

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 

The letter isn’t addressed to any particular congregation or localized group, which is why it is classified among those letters called the general epistles.  Although there is no specific group specified, we know from the very first address that it is directed to an audience with a Jewish background.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

It takes a great deal of Christian maturity in order to consider the benefits of the trials of the Christian life.  According to the progression of thought that James presents to us, steadfastness is the result of testing.  This steadfastness brings a sense of fulfillment to those who endure it.

Discussion Question:  What is it about our relationship with Christ that makes the promises in verses 2-4 a reality?

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

In II Chronicles 7, God asks Solomon to make a request to Him–whatever the desire of his heart.  Solomon subsequently asks for wisdom.  This is God’s reply in the verses that follow:

“Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have. ” (II Chronicles 11b-12)

It is implied in these verses from James that he also places value in wisdom, and the faith that it takes to aquire it.  In fact, the focus here is not on wisdom itself but asking God with the confidence that He is willing and able to respond positively to our requests.  A faithful heart is a solid heart. A doubtful heart is subject to many dangers of waywardness, and may not find the answers it may be seeking.

Discussion Question: What is the benefit of having wisdom?

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.  11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.  

Discussion Question: What are things of the world that we cherish that will wither?

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 

Remaining steadfast is one of the few things in life that we can control.  We can’t always manipulate our environment to suit us.  But what we can do is choose to remain steady no matter how much the world around us begins to falter.

Discussion Question: How would your life be different if you chose to remain steadfast and made that mindset the object of your control, rather than everything that is around you?

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.  17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

When James says that God cannot be tempted, he is commenting on God’s very nature.  While we will continue to be finite creatures until the end of our earthly lives, we must strive to imitate God’s unchanging nature.  By that I don’t mean we should never grow and develop, but we should be–just as verse 12 says–unmoving and unwavering despite our environment.   It is commonly noted that chameleons change their color to match their environment.  According to bestfunfacts.com, while that is true in a sense, it is even more accurate to say that the chameleon changes its color to match its mood and body temperature.  It is not only blending in to its surroundings, but its outer appearance is a reflection of what is going on internally.  The chameleon can’t say that its environment caused it to change colors, but that the change comes about from internal processes.

Discussion Question:  Can you think of a time in your life when you, with God’s help, were better able to cope by dealing with problems from the inside and not the environmental component?

Introduction

Author:

The introduction of the letter is straightforward– “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. ”  Who is this James, however?

There are three James’ mentioned in the New Testament:

1)James the Lesser (the son of Alpheus)

2)James the Greater (the son of Zebedee and the brother of John)

3)James the leader of the Jerusalem church (the brother of Jesus)

Here’s an article on James from the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church:

James, St, ‘the Lord’s brother’ (Mk. 6:3 and parallels). The natural interpretation of the NT evidence would imply that he was the son of the BVM [Blessed Virgin Mary]   and St *Joseph, but for other possibilities see BRETHREN OF THE LORD. From 1 Cor. 15:7 it appears that he was granted a special appearance of the Lord after the Resurrection. From an early date he was, with St *Peter, a leader of the Church at Jerusalem (e.g. Gal. 1:19), and from the time when Peter left Jerusalem after Herod’s attempt to kill him (Acts 12), James appears as the principal authority, who presided at the council of Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15. Acc. to *Clement of Alexandria, as reported by *Eusebius (HE 2. 1), he was chosen ‘bishop of Jerusalem’. On the basis of Gal. 1:19 it has been argued that he was an Apostle, and he has been identified with the son of Alphaeus (see JAMES THE LESS); both Clement and *Hegesippus describe him as ‘James the Just’. Acc. to Hegesippus (ap. Eusebius, HE 2. 23) he was put to death by the Sanhedrin in AD 62. Among Jewish Christians he was held in high repute, and elaborate stories of his sanctity are reported by Hegesippus. The (fictitious) ‘Clementine Homilies’ and ‘Recognitions’, prob. 3rd-cent. Judaistic writings, purport to be addressed to him, while the apocryphal Infancy Gospel known as the ‘Book of James’ is ascribed to him, as is also the Gnostic ‘Apocryphal Epistle of James’ (qq.v.). Feast day in E., 23 Oct.; also in the American BCP (1979).

Welcome to the Book of James

Martin Luther had a great number of reservations about this book. Not only did he refer to it as the “epistle of straw”, but he even purposely put it at the end of his translation of the New Testament. What was his concern? He was uncomfortable with James’ emphasis on works in the Christian life. We shall see, however, that it was no accident that God would ordain such a book to remind the readership that “faith without works is dead” and that a saving faith necessarily produces good works.  In the life of a believer, actions reflect the true condition of the heart.