#47- Faith Works?
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(English Standard Version)
Jam 1 - Greeting - Testing of Your Faith - Hearing and Doing The Word
Jam 2 - The Sin of Partiality - Faith Without Works is Dead
Jam 3 - Taming the Tongue - Wisdom From Above
Jam 4 - Warning Against Worldliness - Boasting About Tomorrow
Jam 5 - Warning To The Rich - Patience and Suffering - The Prayer of Faith
COMMENTS and QUESTIONS
by J Neil Evans:
Read James for yourself then …
Watch the Bible Project video James
As was typical of conquered nations, the Jews were dispersed by the Romans throughout their empire and beyond. James was writing to them to encourage and challenge them in the midst of their trials. It is generally assumed that this James was the brother of Jesus and the leader of the church in Jerusalem. As such, James was intimately acquainted with the Jewish-Christian culture and the struggles in famine and persecution.
Having probably spent more time with Jesus than anyone besides their mother, James had gained Jesus’ perspective of religion. And reading the numerous topics James addresses, the challenges of being a genuine servant of God are the same today as they have always been. Just as Jesus said, His followers need God’s wisdom to face life, struggle with inconsistency, and His followers are persecuted for challenging the world’s ways of living. Jesus’ words were often at odds with what was considered normal thinking and behavior, and James serves up similar challenges.
The letter begins with such a challenge: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (1:2-4) As with all of James challenges it is easy to dismiss them as untrue or foolish unless we take the time to seriously ponder them from the Bible’s perspective. Who in their right mind would be glad for hardships? Well, people who realize that facing trials with trust that God can use them in our lives to accomplish things in our character that ease and comfort could never produce. In fact there is a wholeness, a completeness, a perfection that is entirely lacking in someone who works to avoid the trials of life. In fact God’s greatest accomplishment followed Jesus’ submission to His greatest trial. And we just read in Hebrews that it was “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb 12:2)
So, with this as a foundation, James will go on describing a variety of trials that all of Jesus’ followers face and how facing them with God’s wisdom will produce Christian maturity in us which is a great joy, but more importantly brings Glory and Honor to the God James describes as the One from Whom: “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. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (1:17-18)
Remember that Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” ( Jn 14:6) And He also said: “I am the Light of the world.” (Jn 8:12) The God of Light gives His people LIFE by the Word of Truth so that we can bear fruit that honors Him, blesses others and is a deep joy to ourselves.
Some people suggest that James is arguing against Paul’s frequent statements about “being saved by Grace through faith”. James was the leader at the Jerusalem council that addressed the controversy of whether or not the followers of Jesus must be circumcised and keep the Old Testament Laws in order to be truly saved. The council, led by James, concluded: “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,” (Acts 15:11) James was not disagreeing with Paul, he was addressing the all to common occurrence of people claiming to have faith in Jesus while living very much unlike Him. James is certainly not writing about how to gain God’s favor but about how people who have received the gift of His LIFE should and can live by His transforming power.
James says that people who have genuine faith in Jesus follow Him and steadfastly work at having the attitudes and behaviors of the One Who saved them. Jesus described the people in God’s Kingdom as people who: “are poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness”. (Matt 5:3-10) Paul described people who have the Spirit of God in them as filled with: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, self-control.” (Gal 5:22)
All the things James addresses are bad attitudes and behaviors that come naturally to us all. Being judgmental, talking carelessly, being hypocrites, loving things, being selfish, dishonest and impatient, etc., are not just all around us but in us as well. We often try to overcome these bad traits on our own by not just being nicer but also by participating in all sorts of religious appearing activities with the hope that they will be pleasing to God. Most of us have tried these things to varying degrees without real confidence in their effectiveness. The solution is to, like James, begin with faith in God’s grace to forgive and transform us, then to ask God for His wisdom and power to work at making Jesus’ attitudes and behaviors our own.
(English Standard Version)
Jam 1 - Greeting - Testing of Your Faith - Hearing and Doing The Word
Jam 2 - The Sin of Partiality - Faith Without Works is Dead
Jam 3 - Taming the Tongue - Wisdom From Above
Jam 4 - Warning Against Worldliness - Boasting About Tomorrow
Jam 5 - Warning To The Rich - Patience and Suffering - The Prayer of Faith
COMMENTS and QUESTIONS
by J Neil Evans:
Read James for yourself then …
Watch the Bible Project video James
As was typical of conquered nations, the Jews were dispersed by the Romans throughout their empire and beyond. James was writing to them to encourage and challenge them in the midst of their trials. It is generally assumed that this James was the brother of Jesus and the leader of the church in Jerusalem. As such, James was intimately acquainted with the Jewish-Christian culture and the struggles in famine and persecution.
Having probably spent more time with Jesus than anyone besides their mother, James had gained Jesus’ perspective of religion. And reading the numerous topics James addresses, the challenges of being a genuine servant of God are the same today as they have always been. Just as Jesus said, His followers need God’s wisdom to face life, struggle with inconsistency, and His followers are persecuted for challenging the world’s ways of living. Jesus’ words were often at odds with what was considered normal thinking and behavior, and James serves up similar challenges.
The letter begins with such a challenge: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (1:2-4) As with all of James challenges it is easy to dismiss them as untrue or foolish unless we take the time to seriously ponder them from the Bible’s perspective. Who in their right mind would be glad for hardships? Well, people who realize that facing trials with trust that God can use them in our lives to accomplish things in our character that ease and comfort could never produce. In fact there is a wholeness, a completeness, a perfection that is entirely lacking in someone who works to avoid the trials of life. In fact God’s greatest accomplishment followed Jesus’ submission to His greatest trial. And we just read in Hebrews that it was “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb 12:2)
So, with this as a foundation, James will go on describing a variety of trials that all of Jesus’ followers face and how facing them with God’s wisdom will produce Christian maturity in us which is a great joy, but more importantly brings Glory and Honor to the God James describes as the One from Whom: “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. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (1:17-18)
Remember that Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” ( Jn 14:6) And He also said: “I am the Light of the world.” (Jn 8:12) The God of Light gives His people LIFE by the Word of Truth so that we can bear fruit that honors Him, blesses others and is a deep joy to ourselves.
Some people suggest that James is arguing against Paul’s frequent statements about “being saved by Grace through faith”. James was the leader at the Jerusalem council that addressed the controversy of whether or not the followers of Jesus must be circumcised and keep the Old Testament Laws in order to be truly saved. The council, led by James, concluded: “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,” (Acts 15:11) James was not disagreeing with Paul, he was addressing the all to common occurrence of people claiming to have faith in Jesus while living very much unlike Him. James is certainly not writing about how to gain God’s favor but about how people who have received the gift of His LIFE should and can live by His transforming power.
James says that people who have genuine faith in Jesus follow Him and steadfastly work at having the attitudes and behaviors of the One Who saved them. Jesus described the people in God’s Kingdom as people who: “are poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness”. (Matt 5:3-10) Paul described people who have the Spirit of God in them as filled with: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, self-control.” (Gal 5:22)
All the things James addresses are bad attitudes and behaviors that come naturally to us all. Being judgmental, talking carelessly, being hypocrites, loving things, being selfish, dishonest and impatient, etc., are not just all around us but in us as well. We often try to overcome these bad traits on our own by not just being nicer but also by participating in all sorts of religious appearing activities with the hope that they will be pleasing to God. Most of us have tried these things to varying degrees without real confidence in their effectiveness. The solution is to, like James, begin with faith in God’s grace to forgive and transform us, then to ask God for His wisdom and power to work at making Jesus’ attitudes and behaviors our own.
Check out these LINKS:
Watch Bible Project summary of James
Read "Bible Words to Ponder" related to this week study
Read "The Gospel"