Real Faith...In Action - James 2:14-26

Faith and works go together like brownies and ice cream, but is one any good without the other? James launches us into this passage with two important questions:

• What use is it if someone says he has faith but has no works?
• Can that faith save him?

Paul clearly says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it's by grace we're saved, through faith, not works—so where and how does all this fit together?

Real faith is more than accepting head knowledge and spouting words.

James is about to show us the difference between real faith and false faith, and what he says fits together beautifully with Paul's teaching on faith and works, contrary to what Martin Luther thought. Luther took exception to the book of James being canonized (included in the Bible) because he could not see how James' view of works fit with being saved by grace alone. Thankfully, as we dig in, we see that both men, Paul and James, mean the same thing even though they use different terms to explain things.

The first example James gives us is building on what he just spoke about at the beginning of the chapter—how the poor are treated. A person with false faith will offer nice sounding words when authentic action is needed. The Message version of this passage put it so well... “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

James tells us right out that faith without works is dead faith (vs 18). Real faith will step forward and do more than offer flimsy words. Their faith will show up as good works, works that flow out of their faith and love for God. It's the deeds that show the difference between dead faith and real faith. Just like a body can be dead or alive and still be called a body, so faith can be dead or alive and still be called faith.

Real faith is more than just submitting to God's power.

Even the demons have faith in God! They acknowledge His deity and the Sonship of Jesus. They know He is real and they even obey Him, but they are not saved! They refused to submit their wills and live for Christ.

The man with dead faith was touched only in his intellect, but the demons are touched also in their emotions. They believe and tremble. … A person can be enlightened in his mind and even stirred in his heart and be lost forever. True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life. ~Warren Wiersbe

James uses a play on words to make his point memorable...
Faith without works doesn't work.

Real faith results in a changed life.

James gives us examples from two very different people: Abraham and Rahab. Two more different people couldn't have been picked. Abraham was the father of the the nation of Israel, a righteous man, and known as the friend of God. Rahab was a gentile woman living in Jericho. A prostitute and far from righteous, an enemy of God.

Since true saving faith leads to action, let's take a look at the action that James points out...
Abraham was justified before God by faith, and by works he was justified before men and his righteousness was demonstrated. His faith was demonstrated in his everyday life.

Rahab heard, accepted, believed and she did something about it. Rahab surrendered herself to God. The result of that surrender is seen in what she did for the spies and the whole nation of Israel. The truth changed her life and her changed life translated into salvation for her family as they saw and also believed. Her action flowed out of her authentic faith.

That's what James is talking about. Action—works and deeds—will flow naturally out of a life changed by faith in the One true God.

...faith that does not impel the believer to good deeds is no living faith at all. ...when our hearts are changed, so then are our desires and actions. ~David P. Nystrom

Real faith involves a changed life which is something that can be easily spotted.

That leads us to some hard questions about our own faith.

• Is my faith saving faith?
• Has my faith changed my life?
• Would my faith fall into the dead faith category or is it like the faith of the demons—acknowledging and submitting to God's deity but not surrendered to God?
• Or, is my life bearing the genuine fruit of authentic faith? Faith that is active.

Digging Deeper

• Fit Galatians 6:10 and Matthew 25:40 into faith and works.
• Study Luke 3:7-14 and Matthew 7:15-23. What do these passages have to say about works and faith?
• For Abraham's story, read Genesis 15 and 22. Rahab's story is found in Joshua 2 and 6 and Hebrews 11:31.

Let's Chat...

• What does Paul say about this deal between faith and works in Ephesians 2:8-10 and how does it fit?
• How do James 2:19 and Deuteronomy 6:4 tie together?
•  What do Abraham and Rahab have in common?

For next week:
Read James 3:1-12 several times.

Tweet

How to Avoid Showing Favoritism - James 2:1-13

Before we jump into this passage, let's check out how James starts it because it's just too cool to pass by without really looking at.

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ...

James is reminding us that Jesus is the Shekinah of God—the manifestation or revelation of God. Jesus is God's glory. This is who our faith rests in—Jesus, THE glory of God.

Keeping that in mind, let's pick up the threads from last week. James said that we need to be in the world without being polluted or stained by it, and that we are to enter the surrounding culture but remain free from the evil to be found there. From there he dives right into an example that's as relevant today as it was centuries ago to the people he wrote to. He says the favoritism the world practices has no place in the body of Christ.

James 2:1-13 from BibleGateway.com Click to see larger so you can read.

There was no middle class in those days, and no social climbing. You either had money and status or you didn't. So the wealthy people sponsored many things for the poor—roads, public baths, temples, and even the city taxes. Why would they do that? For the glory and honor they received for it. When they passed people on the streets, they would be treated special and flattered by them. Plaques would be hung in prominent places and seen for years after, naming them as the generous benefactor of whatever it was. They considered displaying their wealth almost as important as having it.

Sound familiar? But I think we've taken it a step or two further. Displaying wealth, social status, power, style, beauty, talent, or intelligence—whether we genuinely have it or not, is important in our society. More than that, people are treated according to the impression they give. If they appear to have something we value, we treat them differently.

Favoritism in the world isn't pretty.

Favoritism among Christians is a pollution from the world that James says we are to stay far away from. We are to be Christ-like and Jesus, THE glory of God, the One who had every right to, did not show partiality. Not only that, but Romans 2:11 says there is NO partiality with God.

Faith and favoritism do not mix.

So how do we avoid favoritism?

By looking at people through the eyes of Christ—eyes of love.

“In Jesus's birth and life, He broke down the walls between rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated. It is wrong for us to build those walls again; we cannot rebuild them if we believe in the grace of God.” ~Warren Wiersbe

By obeying the royal law.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” is considered the royal law and Jesus speaks about it in Matthew 22:34-40. Loving others as we love ourselves not only cures favoritism, but it also cures the selfishness that propels favoritism.

If we show favoritism, we are law breakers and James doesn't mince words here. In verse 10 he says, “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” Ouch. Guilty of all? Yes. All.

The things James mentions all have something in common: the honor we treat others with. So, if we rationalize and think, “Playing favorites isn't as bad as bad as adultery or murder” we are wrong! Sin is sin. Knowing this, it should have a great impact on how we live—as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

“The beauty of this law is that it takes seriously both law and mercy, both sin and grace. God does not excuse us from our sin, but He does forgive (Romans 1:20; 2:1). To excuse is to claim that the offending party is not in fact guilty of the offense or to deny the seriousness of the offense. To forgive grants full weight both to guilt and to its seriousness, but it nullifies the guilt.” ~David P. Nystrom

The law of liberty is not a license to do whatever we want. There is no freedom in that, only bondage. Liberty is the freedom to be all that we can be in Christ. It is the inner discipline to do the right things, not because we have to, but because we love God. If we only obey because we have to, then we are not really growing and maturing.

Obedience out of love and because we know it's right are signs of growing up. Our beliefs should control our behavior. A merciful attitude is an evidence of a person's faith.

“Christian love means treating others the way God has treated me. It is an act of the will, not an emotion that I try to manufacture. The motive is to glorify God. The means is the power of the Spirit within.” ~Warren Wiersbe

James is not saying that we can earn mercy. We can't. It's impossible for us to earn mercy. But our hearts—our attitudes determine how we are treated. If we are rebellious and refuse to repent, then God administers justice rather than mercy. Repentance leads to forgiveness and mercy...

and mercy exults victoriously over judgment.

Digging Deeper:

• What does Exodus 40:34-35 say about the Shekinah of God?
• What do Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 10:17, and Romans 2:11tell us about God?
• Psalm 119:45 and Matthew 18:21-35 talk about the law of liberty and about forgiveness between fellow Christians. What does it say?
• How does Matthew 25:31-40 fit with James 2:1-13?

Let's Chat...

• How does thinking about Jesus as the glory of God change how we think of His mercy?
• What are some of the different ways favoritism is shown—in the world and in the church?
• What are some practical ways we can stop the favoritism that goes on?
• How do our attitudes and actions determine the mercy we receive?

For next week:
Read through James 2:14-26 several times.

Tweet

The Dangers of Self-Deception - James 1:19-27

We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.
How often have we heard that in our lives? But how hard is it to put into practice? Super hard! And that's putting it mildly sometimes. But James doesn't stop there, he has to go and add that we are to be slow to anger too. That means that sometimes keeping our mouths shut isn't quite enough—especially if you're like me and emotions are often raging behind sealed lips. If we think that just because it isn't spoken we're safe, then we're deluding ourselves.

Thankfully, James gave us a reason to put the brakes on our mouths and our anger—because it doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God. In his commentary on James, David P. Nystrom said...

• Anger—the result of our reluctance to listen—is at odds with God's righteousness.
• Outbursts of anger do not produce the kind of righteous behavior God desires.
• Righteous action doesn't come from anger.
• Claiming “righteous indignation” is about like claiming to speak for God—something we need to think and pray about long and hard before doing!
• Venting is not righteous indignation.
• “The righteous anger of the prophets was directed at injustices that others were experiencing, not an injustice that they personally experienced.”
• Anger, even if left unspoken, influences our thoughts, what we do say, and our actions.

James 1:19-27.  Click so you can read it.

Therefore...
Anytime we see the word therefore in the Bible, we can stop and think “What's that there for?” We need to look at what the writer was just talking about so we're ready for how he's going to build on it.

How to prepare ourselves for God's word.

Put aside means to get rid of, the idea of total conversion, a complete change of life pattern.

What are we to get rid of? All filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. Every little speck of wickedness and filth in our lives.

Humility is meekness.
Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is a condition of the mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character. (The Word Study Dictionary)

Think of a stallion—strength under control and submitted to its master's will. (LoL, Patty's paraphrase.)

We are to receive the word implanted in us with humility. We aren't to argue with it, nor try to twist it to say what we want, but we are to simply accept it. Humility allows the word of God to flourish within us, producing fruit.

How to avoid delusion.

In today's information age we know a lot. But does knowing change our lives?

It is not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. Too many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only kidding yourself. ~Warren W. Wiersbe

James 1:22-24 in The Message

Look in the mirror. They tell us things about ourselves. As Christians, God's Word is our mirror. A quick glance and it seems everything is all right. But when we stop and really look, we see that there are flaws—plenty of them. So then we have a choice. If we walk away, shrugging our shoulders and forgetting about it, we have deluded ourselves.

The only one we're kidding is ourselves. We certainly aren't fooling God!

But there's good news. If we stop and really look at God's Word, at “the perfect law of liberty,” and obey it—do what it says—God sets us free.

Like Jesus, James does not have in mind a new law, but rather the fuller expression or more perfect distillation of the Jewish law. For the Christian this law is still the will of God, but a more refined apprehension of that will. This is a law for which a purer cannot be imagined. The perfect law, the word implanted and allowed to take root, is, then the very teaching of Jesus. ~David P. Nystrom

Knowing is not the same as doing!
Blessing does not come from simply looking at the perfect law of liberty, nor from knowing it.

Blessing comes 

in the doing of it. 

Obedience leads to blessing.

Bridle your tongue. There are times when we just need to rein in our tongue. Thinking we do, when we don't is self-deception because the mouth shows what's in the heart. (Matthew 12:34-35)

So you think you're religious?

James ends this chapter by telling us what pure religion is: Seeing others and their needs. He reminds us to care for the orphans and widows—people who are often at the edge of society.

But he doesn't stop there. James reminds us that we need to be in the world without being polluted or stained by it. We are to live and work with those around us with intelligence and great thought so that we can keep our lives, our reputations, and our faith pure. Yes, we are to enter the surrounding culture but remains free from the evil to be found there.

Digging Deeper:

• Amos 4:1-3; What was Amos angry about?
• Keeping in mind how Jesus was treated by men, what was He mad about? John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13.
• More for the trash can: Ephesians 4:25; 1 Peter 2:1
• How did these men respond when they looked in the mirror of God's Word? Job 42:6; Isaiah 6:5; Luke 5:8. How does my response compare to theirs?
• Read Psalm 19:7, 119:45 and John 8:31-32. How do they mesh with James 1:25?

Let's Chat:

• Stop and think about anger. Do you vent or stuff? What effect does stuffing have and does it make it okay since it's not verbalized?
• How does spending time in the Bible help us see ourselves?
• What happens when we continue to delude ourselves?
• How is it that the blessing is in the doing, not just the hearing?

For next week:

Read through James 2:1-13 several times.

Tweet

Standing in the Face of Temptation - James 1:12-18

James 1:12-18 starts off with a bang and offers great encouragement to us concerning temptation—if we let it. Remember, in verses 2-11, James is talking about trials and how we are to view them and turn them into triumphs. Here he tells us the person who perseveres when in trials is blessed and will receive the crown of life.

He also gives us a key that can help us in trials. That key? The reason to persevere... Love. Why love?

Because love is the spiritual motivation behind every imperative in this section. ...Where there is love, there is surrender and obedience. ~Warren Wiersbe

Unfortunately, we don't always remain under the pressure that will prove our character, and provide opportunities for spiritual growth and maturity. Those times when we don't endure and persevere, is when things turn into temptations for us. God sends trials to build us up but if we take an easy way out, if we take the bait Satan camouflages—that is the temptation.

What is the source of temptations?

Not God! He has nothing to do with temptation.
But the blame does not rest entirely on Satan either. So who does that leave? Ourselves. In verse 14 James says it so clearly—it's our own desires, more specifically, when we want to satisfy them in ways that are outside of God's will. That's when Satan steps in with a highly camouflaged temptation that attracts our attention while hiding the fact that yielding to it will bring sorrow and punishment. Just like a bear won't step on a trap, we won't (or usually don't) throw ourselves into a trap, so Satan disguises the temptation, making it look wonderful. This is why we need God's discernment.

The four stages of sin:

We can see these acted out very clearly in Genesis 3 where Satan goes to Eve and convinces her to eat the forbidden fruit.

Verse 14 contains two similar images, not a succession of action within one image. The first pictures the violent action of capture that follows setting a lure, and second the attractive bait that draws an unsuspecting victim. The extraordinary vividness of these images shows how dangerous James believes the evil impulse to be. Evil desire within us acts as both the attractive bait and as the lure. The evil desire is our own, and a bent to be attracted to it is equally our own responsibility. ~David P. Nystrom

James 1:12-18 from BibleGateway.com. Click to enlarge so it's readable. ;-)

When you are looking temptation in the face, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin!

Some things to help us endure so we can grow and mature:

• Giving in to temptation leads to death (verse 15).
• Remember God's goodness! God gives only good gifts and the tense of that phrase is that it's a continual action. He is always giving us good things. The question is, do we accept them as good, even if they don't appear good at first in our limited human sight?
• Remember that God does not change! So we shouldn't doubt His love nor His goodness. When we doubt God's goodness, we open ourselves to the attractive offers Satan puts in front of us.
• Our second birth, salvation, helps us overcome temptation because we now have God's nature within us. He gave us life through the word of truth. Yielding to temptation brings failure but yielding to Christ leads to victory.

Keep in mind:

• Temptations are opportunities to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God.
• Persevere means to remain under the pressure that is sent to grow and mature us.
• God is not to blame for our failure to stand firm in the test. He is the giver of every good gift. We are responsible for our own actions, for turning a test (trial) into a temptation.
• Trials are something to be endured but temptations are something to be avoided.
• “...in our arrogance and ignorance, we demand the right to define what 'good' is. God's definition is often different from ours. So we need wisdom and insight from Him in order to see difficulties for what they are.” (David P. Nystrom)
• Success, by our definition, is not always the same as God's definition of it. We need His discernment so we are not attracted to that powerful lure of success that Satan puts in before us—some are called to be Jeremiahs rather than Elijahs.
• If Satan can get us to spend all our time and energy doing good things, so that God's best things are left undone, he has won.

The Christian who loves God, and who knows that God loves him, will not fall apart when God permits trials to come. He is secure in God's love. ~Warren Wiersbe

Digging Deeper

• Mull over this concept of first fruits: Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:10; I Corinthians 15:20, 23; 16:15; Proverbs 3:9
• What does 1 Corinthians 9:24-24 tell us about the crown of life?
• Check out what Proverbs 19:3 says about who's to blame when things "go wrong."
• Read Genesis 22. What is this passage an example of?
• Read Ecclesiastes 9:12, keeping James 1:12-18 in mind. How does it tie in?
  

Let's Chat

• In your mind, what's the difference between trials and temptations?
• Step back and look at your life right now. What are some good things you're doing that might actually be Satan's tactics to lure you away from God's will?
• Be honest with yourself, is there something going on in your life that you are taking the easy way out of simply to get out of the pressure instead of letting it complete it's maturing job in you and for you?

Tweet

Turning Trials into Triumphs - James 1:2-11

If you know a verse in James off the top of your head, chances are that it's verse 2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials...

How often have we heard it or quoted it with closed eyes so others couldn't see the eye roll or the deep pain that went with it? Or, maybe we simply wanted to throw our hands up and say “How?! How can this be joy?” I've done both. Sometimes at the same time.

Thank goodness James tells us how we can turn our trials into triumphs!

Let's dig into some important words first...

Click to view larger. From BibleGateway.com

Consider is a financial term that means “to evaluate.” The phrases Chalk it up to... Mark it down as... fit well here. Think of our lives having two columns: Pros and Cons. When trials come, mark them down in the Pro column. Consider them a plus and not a negative.

When we face the trials of life, we must evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us. ~Warren Wiersbe

All joy = utter joy. Complete, overflowing joy. Trials are to be occasions of overflowing joy.

Trials = peirasmos in Greek
“When God is the agent, peirasmos (trials) are for the purpose of proving someone, never for the purpose of causing him to fall. If it is the devil who tempts, then it is for the purpose of causing one to fall.” WordStudy Dictionary meaning of trials.

Just like extreme heat is used to refine gold and silver by putting them through the fire, we are refined by trials. Trials prove the quality or worth of someone or something through adversity.

When we find ourselves in trials, we are to respond not with anger or disappointment, but with utter joy.

Endurance is not a single act of fortitude, it's an active steadfastness. Staying power, constancy, and a determination under adversity. It's colored with the idea of hope, which animates and enriches the other qualities. We need to let constancy go to its fullest extent so we become mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Endurance is something that must be learned through experience. Just like you don't train for a marathon by reading or studying about it, you must go through difficulties, trust and obey God so that your endurance will grow.

Perfect is mature, complete, goal, or rightful purpose. This is a key term for James. It is the fully developed character of stable righteousness. When it's used of character, it implies that God is a part of whatever process is involved in the formation of character.

So how does all that help us turn trials into triumphs? 

James tells us.
Count.. Count it all joy
Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action. ~Warren Wiersbe
To turn trials into triumphs, the first thing to do is choose to see the trial through the lens of what God is doing for us through the trial. He's growing us and giving us an opportunity to learn and mature. Knowing that helps us accept things better, which affects our attitude, and our attitudes determine our actions.

Know... Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance
Testing works for us, not against us. Trials can produce patience, endurance and the ability to keep going when things are tough.

Let... Let endurance have its perfect result
If we do not let Him, God cannot build our character. We must surrender to Him so He can accomplish His work in us. If we don't surrender to Him, we become even more immature.

Ask... Ask of God who gives to all generously
When we're going through trials...troubles...the first thing we often ask for is an escape hatch. We want out of the fire. But that's not what James says to ask for. He says to ask for wisdom.

Wisdom? In a trial? In tough times?
You bet!
With God's wisdom we will be able to see more of His perspective of things, which will help us understand it, which will help us endure as we submit to His will (like a good bond-servant whose will is consumed in his master's will).

Why ask for wisdom instead of deliverance, grace or strength? Because we need wisdom so we won't waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature, and to help us understand how to use the circumstances for our good and God's glory.

Wisdom is not knowledge. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is knowing what to do with that information. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

James tells us that when we ask, we're to ask in faith, without doubting, and he compares the doubting believer to the waves—up one minute and down the next. What a graphic that is! A little tiny canoe on the huge ocean of life, bobbing up and down when we don't need to. Faith anchors us to The Rock—no more bobbing around.

A believer's circumstances aren't an indication of the depth of their spiritual walk. Regardless of who we are and our social or financial standing in life, trials can knock us down. Money and social standing don't get us through trials. It's our position in Christ and who He is that gets us through. Money can disappear in a flash but our spiritual riches cannot, nor can they wither or fade.

It's not your material resources that take you through the testing of life. It's your spiritual resources.

Our world seeks joy but doesn't allow us to find it. James says joy is in the presence of God and the will of God. We need to forget what the world tells us about joy and happiness and realize it is found in a sensitivity to and humility before God, and to service to others.

Trials force us to the place where we ask God for wisdom, and His wisdom allows us to endure the trial until we are complete.

Digging Deeper

• Compare James 1:2 with Luke 10:30.
• How does Psalm 66:10-12 fit with James 1:2-4?
• 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 deals with wisdom. How does it tie in with James 1:5? Who ya gonna call?
• What is the effect doubt has on faith? Matthew 14:22-33

Let's Chat

•  What's the toughest thing for you--Counting it joy, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, letting endurance have its perfect result, or asking God for wisdom when in a trial?
• Which is the easiest?
• How does knowing this help?
• What is one thing you can do this weekend that will help you when the next trial comes around?

Tweet

James Who? A Look at James 1:1

The book of James opens in typical fashion for the days of the early church—with a greeting. His is very succinct, giving only the most important information: His name, how he sees himself and his position, who the letter is to, and his greetings. But it leaves many of us wanting more info. Like...

James who?

That's just for starters.

Not only was James a popular name, it was a variation of the name Jacob. Remember the Old Testament Jacob? His name was changed to Israel and he was the father of 12 sons. The James most people accept as the human author of the book of James was the head of the first church in Jerusalem, and he was considered the church father.

There are several men names James mentioned in the New Testament but the most likely one to have written the book of James is the brother of Jesus. Technically, he's the half-brother of Jesus, yet nowhere in the book do we see James claim their brother connection. I don't know about you, but I claim my sisters, even when they've embarrassed me to no end. But not James, and not because Jesus was an embarrassment to him. Instead he calls himself a bond-servant of God—but not just God. He said he was a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Jewish people are monotheistic. They have one God and that is something that set them apart from all the other nations (and when it didn't, they went into captivity to relearn that lesson). So when James said he was a bond-servant of God AND the Lord Jesus Christ, he was saying right from the get-go that Jesus was God—something he had been reluctant to accept.

How did James get from being the brother who didn't believe Jesus (John 7:1-9) to the brother who was one of the three pillars of the early church (Acts 15)? After Jesus rose from the grave, He appeared to people—Peter, the disciples, 500 people, “then He appeared to James...” (1 Cor. 15:7) Jesus loved His brother and made it a point to speak with him. That must have been some conversation! James finally believed.

Can you imagine growing up as the younger brother of Jesus? Jesus—the perfect boy. The who really never did anything wrong. In a culture where keeping the Law was everything, it must have driven a wedge between Jesus and his younger brothers, especially James who was closest to Him in age. The brother you love yet hate at the same time. The brother you can never be as good as, the one whose shadow you are constantly in. No wonder James struggled with who Jesus was.

But Jesus made it a point to speak with him after His resurrection, and that visit made a difference. James rose in prominence in the church, not because he was a brother of Jesus (there were oat least three other brothers—Matthew 13:55-56) but we don't hear of them, other than they were in the Upper Room, too. James rose to his position because of his personal relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's then that we see that, although James did not believe Jesus was God before His crucifixion, he sure did listen to what Jesus taught!

So what was his relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ? 

He considered himself a bond-servant. That means obeying another, serving them, and having your will consumed in the will of another (God's). That's not playing the brother card!

So we see who James most likely was.

Who was he writing to? 

“The twelve tribes dispersed abroad.” Remember Israel's captivity? Remember how persecution arose in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-4)? James wrote to Jews living outside of the land of Palestine—to Christian Jews—those still dispersed from captivity (Diaspora Jews, like Mordecai and Esther) and those who fled Jerusalem due to persecution.

Although it's not mentioned in the Bible, tradition tells us about James, including that he prayed so much, his knees were as hard as a camel's.

“Much is told about James in extrabiblical writings of the time. He was respected even among non-Christians, 'largely because of his ascetic way of life and his regular participation in the temple services of prayer where he interceded for the people and their city.' He was stoned to death in AD 62, and many of the people were gravely shocked at this. 'Some years later some ascribed the calamity which overtook the city and its inhabitants to the cessation of James' prayers on their behalf.' Bruce says that 'the church's readiness to recognize his leadership was due more to his personal character and record than to his blood relationship to the Lord.” His role in the council is evidence of this character.” ~Ajith Fernando in The NIV Application Commentary on Acts.

Paul went to the Gentiles. Peter went to the Jews. James stayed in Jerusalem and remained a law-abiding Jew to the end, but he did not push it on others and he preached salvation by grace alone.

His greetings: chairein.
In Greek this means joy to you!

Joy is our birthright in Christ. Obedience in our walk of faith brings us back to joy. It is our happy place. ~Beth Moore.

For more digging:

Matthew 13:55-56
Mark 3:31-35; 6:3
John 7:1-5
1 Corinthians 9:5; 15:1-7
Galatians 2:1-10
Acts 8; 15; 1:14; 12:17; 21:17-26

This week:

• Mull over James' view of his position as a bond-servant of God. Take a serious look at your willingness to be a bond-servant, knowing that it includes letting your will be totally consumed by God's will.
• Read through the whole book of James again. Really. The more you read through a passage you're studying, the more you see and the more will sink in.

I've been out of town and offline for over a week, but next week, for sure, I'll be tweeting tidbits about James. You can find me on Twitter at . I'd love for you to follow me or watch for the #fiaJames hashtag and join in the conversation.

Memory verse: James 1:3

Q4u:

• What do you think it was like for James, growing up as the younger brother of Jesus?
• What can we learn from James and how he viewed Jesus, even though he was His brother?
• Remember, the disciples would have seen James' response and interaction with Jesus over their three years with Him. How do you think this affected James and his decision to believe?
• What's your take on James' greeting of joy to you?

Tweet

Faith in Action an Intro to James

Why study the book of James?

LoL, you mean other than the fact that it's in the Bible?

So often people say they believe something but their actions—their lives—don't support what they're saying. At times, their actions contradict what they say they believe.

“Television has created in our culture a low information - action ratio. People are accustomed to learning good ideas, but not acting on them.” -Neil Postman in Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Just look at Pinterest. How many of us have boards loaded with great knowledge and things that are good and even great? What percentage of those things have we used--really incorporated into our everyday lives?

The book of James call us to account. He shows us the Christian life is more than just intellectually assenting and accepting some beliefs.

James shows us the “pinch points” where our faith and our practice don't align

• in times of persecution and trial
• whenever we open our mouths (our tongues easily show any discrepancy there is between faith and practice!)
• in all of our relationships
• in the handling of money

“True wisdom comes only when our attitudes and practices match up with the content of what we say.” ~Terry C. Muck

About the book of James...

James was possibly written around AD 45-48, before the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), making it one of the first New Testament books to be written. BUT the book of James was left out of some of the early versions and collections of sacred books. While the churches of Rofe and Carthage doubted the canonicity of James, it was used early on by the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria and Asia Minor.

Key theme of James: Spiritual maturity
Key words: brethren, faith, perfect (perfected), sin, rich (riches), judge (judges, judged, judgment), law, say (says), works, tongue
Key verse: James 1:4

James 1:4 from BibleGateway.org Click image to see larger.

James wrote to a church, to Jewish Christians who were having some problems in their personal lives as well as within the fellowship of Believers.

What were their problems?

• not living out what they said they believed.
• The tongues of the Believers were causing some serious problem, even division within the church.
• Worldliness.
• Disobedience and Christians straying from the Lord and from the church.

Boy, does that sound familiar?! James could have written to us this morning and be just as relevant and just as on target now as he was then.

But all these problems (in the early church and in today's church) go back to a root cause: spiritual immaturity. James teaches us about maturity—about growing up.

So, where do we fit into this?

We need to stop and look at ourselves and our lives—our actions, not just our intentions!--and see where we are in our Christian walk. I don't mean just a quick glance, but a deep, thorough look. Take some time this weekend or this week, and ask God to show you where you are—then stick around and listen with ears, eyes and heart open to see what He has to say.

This week:

Read through James in one sitting. Slowly. It should take less than 30 minutes.
Go the extra mile and read it a second time, out loud this time and listen to what you're reading.

Let's chat...

• What's the first verse that comes to mind when you think of the book of James?
•  What's your favorite verse in James?

Thoughts through the week...

I'll be tweeting about James throughout the week and if you're on Twitter, I would dearly love for you to join me for it. You can find me on Twitter at @PattyWysong

James isn't interested in just adding more intellectual knowledge to us. He wants to see the evidence of what we believe.

Heavenly Father, as we get ready to study James, open our hearts and minds to the truth of where we are in our walk with you. Show us Your truth and help us be diligent to live and act accordingly. Give us the courage to make the changes You call us—changes that will help us grow up in You.

Tweet

Faith in Action - A Study of James

This fall I'm digging into the book of James and you're invited along for the journey. Each Friday, starting tomorrow, I'll be posting and chatting about a small segment of James--small bites so we can mull over and savor this small but mighty book of the Bible.

Depending on the time you want to invest, each week there will be:

• questions for discussion 
• opportunities to dig deeper on your own
• verses to memorize

Thoughts through the week...

I will also be tweeting about James throughout the week and if you're on Twitter, I would dearly love for you to join me for it. You can find me on Twitter at @PattyWysong.

The study books I'm using and will be quoting from sometimes...

Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore

James, Jesus' own brother, started out as a skeptic. See how one glimpse of the resurrected Savior turned an unbeliever into a disciple with Beth Moore's study James: Mercy Triumphs. Once you get to know both the man and the Book of James, you'll never be the same again.

Bible scholars compare James to the prophet Amos. In other ways, James more closely resembles the Book of Proverbs than any New Testament book. James is a book with many topics -- social justice, joy, hardship, faith, reversal of fortunes for rich and poor, wisdom, gifts from above, single-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue, humility, and prayer -- all of which are covered in this study. 

The NIV Application Commentary by David P. Nystrom

 Straight to the point, practical, affirming, convicting---that's the book of James. In it, we see a picture of early Christians wrestling to apply the teachings of Jesus to their everyday lives. And we see a community plagued by divisiveness and hypocrisy, with an emphasis on wealth and status. James pulls no punches addressing these issues, calling for a faith that shows itself in moral actions: in speech, in interpersonal relationships, in economic and social justice. He also lays out a theology of the redemptive value of suffering. In our day when the behavior and attitudes of professed Christians are often not much different from the surrounding culture, in our society of great wealth, and in our culture that abhors suffering, the challenging message of James is greatly needed. Exploring the links between the Bible and our own times, David Nystrom shares perspectives on the book of James that reveal its enduring relevance for our twenty-first-century lives. 

This set of commentaries has quickly become my favorites. 
Here's why...
Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from our world to the world of the Bible. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. They focus on the original meaning of the passage but don't discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable---but the job is only half done! The NIV Application Commentary Series helps bring both halves of the interpretive task together. This unique, award-winning series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into our postmodern context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it speaks powerfully today.

The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (NT)

Whether you are a pastor, teacher, or layperson, now you can study the Bible in easy-to-read sections that emphasize personal application as well as biblical meaning. Developed from Dr. Wiersbe’s popular “Be” series of Bible study books, this commentary carefully unpacks all of the New Testament.
The Wiersbe Bible Commentary New Testament offers you:

• Dr. Wiersbe’s trustworthy insights on the entire New Testaments
• New Biblical images, maps, and charts
• Introductions and outlines for each book of the Bible
• Clear, readable text that’s free of academic jargon

Let one of the most beloved and respected Bible teachers of our time guide you verse-by-verse through the Scriptures. It’s the trusted reference you’ll love to read. 

This is another favorite resource of mine, one I pull out often, whether I'm teaching or pondering.

The Complete Word Study Dictionary (New Testament) by Spiros Zodhiates Th.D.

Every word in the Greek New Testament is explained in great detail, covering all context usages for these words. Numbered to Strong's numbering system, each word has a basic definition and further commentary is provided by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, noted Greek scholar.



I'm really excited about this study and hope to see you along the journey. See you Friday for our first post!

Tweet