The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:19) and the brother of Jude, the writer of the epistle that bears his name (cf. Matt. 13:55). This was the opinion of many of the early church fathers and writers.1This James was not the brother of the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, who suffered martyrdom early in the history of the church (Mark 1:19; Acts 12:2). Neither was he the son of Alphaeus (Mark 3:18) or the father of Judas (Luke 6:16). He was the leading man in the Jerusalem church who spoke at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13-21; cf. 12:17; 21:18; 1 Cor. 15:7). Some commentators believed that the similarities in the Greek of this epistle and James' speech in Acts 15 support his identification as the writer.2The fact that the writer wrote this epistle in very good Greek should not rule this James out. He would have been fluent in both Aramaic and Greek as a gifted Galilean.
The recipients of this letter were the Jewish Christians of the Diaspora, Jews who had scattered from Palestine and had come to faith in Christ (1:1). Several Jewish references in the book support the claim that a Jew wrote it to other Jews (e.g., 1:18; 2:2, 21; 3:6; 5:4, 7).
Josephus said that James died in A.D. 623so he wrote the letter before that date. Many commentators believed that James' lack of reference to the Jerusalem Council (A.D. 49) suggests he wrote before that meeting. This is a very tenuous argument, however, since the issues James dealt with in this epistle are different from those the Jerusalem Council discussed. Reference to the Jerusalem Council in this letter would have been unnecessary. Traditionally James wrote early, however. It seems that his epistle was probably the first divinely inspired one and that James composed it in the middle or late 40s, perhaps A.D. 45-48. Many scholars have taken James' lack of references or allusions to other inspired New Testament epistles as additional support for this position. I believe there is no substantial reason to doubt the traditional early date.4
Since James lived in Jerusalem most if not all of his Christian life, that city seems to be the most likely place of writing.
There are several unique features of this epistle. It contains no references to specific individuals who were the original recipients. There is no concluding benediction. There is a large number of imperatives in the letter, about one for every two verses. There are many figures of speech and analogies. James also alluded to over 20 Old Testament books. He referred to many Old Testament characters including Abraham, Rahab, Job, and Elijah as well as the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses. One commentator observed that this book "has a more Jewish cast than any other writing of the New Testament."5There are many references to nature. This was characteristic of the Jewish rabbis' teaching in James' day and the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are also many allusions to Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.6Leading themes in James include perfection, wisdom, and the piety of the poor.7
"As soon as we read through the letter of James we say to ourselves, This man was a preacher before he was a writer.'"8
"In style it reminds one now of the Proverbs, now of the stern denunciations of the prophets, now of the parables in the Gospels."9
"The Epistle of James is without doubt the least theological of all NT books, with the exception of Philemon. . . .
"Three doctrines come to the surface more often than any others, and of these the most prominent is the doctrine of God. In keeping with the ethical nature of the epistle is the repeated stress on the doctrine of sin. And, surprisingly, the third most prominent theological theme is eschatology."10
"The epistle of James is no more anti-Pauline than is the Sermon on the Mount."11
"The design of the Epistle is on the one hand to encourage those to whom it is addressed to bear their trials patiently, and on the other hand to warn them against certain errors of doctrine and practice."12
The Book of James teaches us that faith in God should result in behavior that is in harmony with God's will. The theme of the book is "living by faith"or "spiritual maturity."
James' concern was Christian behavior (ethics) as expressive of Christian belief (doctrine). James hardly mentioned most of the fundamental Christian doctrines in this book. His preeminent concern was the practice of Christianity, the manifestation of salvation in shoe leather.
The teaching of this epistle has its roots in Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. That was, of course, His great ethical discourse. James made no fewer than 15 references or allusions to Matthew 5-7 in his epistle. James is an exposition of the main ideas in this passage.
Jesus presented three great revelations in the Sermon on the Mount that James expounded in this book.
First, Jesus spoke of the behavior of believers. Matt. 5:20: "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."Jesus was speaking of how righteous behavior manifests itself. James commented on five behaviors in which his readers needed to demonstrate their righteousness. (I'll explain what these were in a minute.)
Second, Jesus clarified the believer's goal. Matt. 5:48: "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."This maturity into the image of Christ is God's goal for every Christian (cf. Eph. 4:13: "Until we all come . . ."). In dealing with each of the five behaviors he selected, James clarified the goal the believer should bear in mind and to which he or she should press. (I'll identify these too.)
Third, Jesus illuminated the method by which the believer can realize maturity (perfection) as he or she behaves. Matt. 6:1: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them."Jesus taught that believers should live to obtain God's approval, not the approval of their fellowmen. James explained what that means in the case of the five behaviors he dealt with in this epistle. He showed how to live for God's approval rather than for man's.
These three great revelations in the Sermon on the Mount contribute the hidden framework on which James hung his challenges to his readers. All of these challenges deal with spiritual immaturity. (See the chart on the next page.)
In chapter one the behavior dealt with is trials, the difficult experiences that every believer encounters in life.
James revealed that God's goal for believers in allowing us to experience trials is personal maturity. He also explained that the method by which we attain this goal is by patiently accepting our trials from God.
In chapter two the behavior in view is prejudice.
God's goal for believers that prejudice tends to thwart is love for all people. The method by which we can reach this goal in God's plan is by exercising genuine faith in God. James explained the relationship of prejudice and faith in this chapter.
In chapter three the behavior is our speech.
God's goal is our blessing of others: God and all other people. The method is to receive and use wisdom from God.
In chapter four the behavior is interpersonal and inner personal relationships.
God's goal is peace. His method is submission to God.
In chapter five the behavior is using money.
The goal is that we use money to serve others rather than ourselves. The method of attaining this goal is two-fold: patience with God and prayer to God.
I could state the application of this epistle in the following two affirmations.
First, the life of faith is a life of peril. If we would achieve God's goal of righteous behavior we must overcome the obstacles that stand in our way. Our opposition comes from three sources each of which James dealt with in his exposition of each behavior. (See the chart on the next page.)
We must challenge the spirit (popular philosophy) of our world.
The world system says avoid trials (ch. 1). Give preference to those who can help you (ch. 2). Promote yourself by what you say (ch. 3). Demand your rights (ch. 4). Grab all the money you can (ch. 5).
James said we must also deny the lusts of our flesh. The flesh is the second source of peril we face.
The flesh says indulge yourself and give in to the temptations that often accompany trials (ch. 1). Love yourself rather than others (ch. 2). Glorify yourself rather than promoting others and God (ch. 3). Assert yourself rather than submitting to God (ch. 4). Serve yourself rather than serving others (ch. 5).
James also cautioned us to resist the devil, the third source of opposition to God's work of producing righteousness in our conduct.
Satan says God hates you and your trials are an evidence of that (ch. 1). He says God is withholding what is good from you that you could get if you show favoritism to those who are able to favor you (ch. 2). He says God has abandoned you so you need to speak up for yourself (ch. 3). He says God will not defend you so you must be more self-assertive (ch. 4). He also says God will not provide for you so you must hoard your money rather than distributing it as a good steward (ch. 5).
The second affirmation that summarizes the application of the teaching of this epistle is this. The life of faith is a life of power as well as a life of peril. In each of the five major problems James dealt with we can see that the life of faith is more powerful than the life of unbelief.
It is superior to the spirit (philosophy) of our world. It is stronger than the lusts of our flesh. It is stubborn against the attacks of the devil. Therefore we should continue to live by faith. Keep trusting and obeying God.
I. Introduction 1:1
II. Trials and true religion 1:2-27
A. The value of trials 1:2-11
1. The proper attitude toward trials 1:2
2. The end product of trials 1:3-4
3. Help in adopting this attitude 1:5-8
4. The larger view of circumstances 1:9-11
B. The options in trials 1:12-18
1. The ultimate end of trials 1:12
2. The source of temptation 1:13-14
3. The progress of temptation 1:15
4. The goodness of God 1:16-18
C. The proper response to trials 1:19-27
1. The improper response 1:19-20
2. The essential response 1:21
3. The complete response 1:22-25
4. The external behavior 1:26-27
III. Partiality and vital faith 2:1-26
A. The problem of favoritism 2:1-13
1. The negative command 2:1
2. The present improper practice 2:2-4
3. The inconsistency of favoritism 2:5-7
4. The Christian's duty 2:8-9
5. The importance of partiality 2:10-11
6. The implication of our own judgment 2:12-13
B. The importance of vital faith 2:14-26
1. James' assertion 2:14
2. James' illustration 2:15-16
3. James' restatement of his point 2:17
4. An objection 2:18
5. James' rebuttal 2:19-23
6. James' final argument 2:24-26
IV. Speech and divine wisdom 3:1-18
A. Controlling the tongue 3:1-12
1. The negative warning 3:1
2. The reason for the warning 3:2
3. Examples of the danger 3:3-8
4. The uncontrollable nature of the tongue 3:7-8
5. The inconsistency of the tongue 3:9-12
B. Controlling the mind 3:13-18
1. The importance of humility 3:13
2. The importance of graciousness 3:14-16
3. The importance of loving peace 3:17-18
V. Conflicts and humble submission 4:1-17
A. Interpersonal and inner personal tensions 4:1-10
1. The source of conflict 4:1
2. The explanation of the conflict 4:2-3
3. The nature of the choice 4:4-5
4. The resources to choose right 4:6-10
B. Self-exaltation 4:11-12
C. Self-reliance 4:13-17
1. The self-centered person 4:13-16
2. The concluding exhortation 4:17
VI. Money and patient endurance 5:1-20
A. Warnings for the rich 5:1-6
1. The introduction of the problem 5:1
2. The corrosive effect of wealth 5:2-3
3. The misuse of wealth 5:4-6
B. The proper attitude 5:7-12
1. The exhortation to be patient 5:7-9
2. Examples of endurance 5:10-11
3. The evidence of patience 5:12
C. The proper action 5:13-18
1. The way of release 5:13
2. The prescription for help 5:14-16
3. The power of prayer 5:17-18
VII. The way back to living by faith 5:19-20
