Study of James
Notes
Transcript
Study of James Introduction - Week 1
Study of James Introduction - Week 1
Tonight we are going to start the study of the Epistle of James, which is found just after the Book of Hebrews, and just before 1 Peter.
From fixing a car to wallpapering a bedroom, “how-to” books explain how things are done, with helpful pointers and colorful illustrations.
The Epistle of James is the “how-to” book of the Christian life.
It is one of the most practical books in the New Testament because it offers instruction and exhortation to Christians who are experiencing problems, as all of us do.
Like the author of a “how-to” book, James explains in a few words the responsibilities of a Christian, while supplying illustrations from real-life categories such as shipping and horseback riding.
So the author of this Epistle identifies himself with the phrase “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
James is a common name in the New Testament, and the accompanying phrase could have described any Christian and certainly any church leader.
Four men named “James” are mentioned in the New Testament: first, James, the son of Zebedee and the brother of John, one of the apostles.
Second, James the son of Alphaeus, called the less or the younger, also an apostle.
Third, James the father of the apostle Judas.
Fourth, James the half-brother of Jesus, traditionally called the just.
The fourth one is the most likely one to be the author of this Epistle.
He became the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
He did not mention his relationship with Jesus in this letter.
Instead his sole claim to authority was his spiritual servanthood to the Lord Jesus Christ.
James did not believe that Jesus was Lord during His earthly ministry.
It was only until Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection that James began to believe.
James then was present and experienced Pentecost, and was the Leader of the Jerusalem church during most of the period of the Book of Acts.
The Epistle of James is believed to be one of the earliest books written in the New Testament, making it one of the Oldest books of the New Testament.
Many assign a date sometime between A.D. 44 and 62.
It was A.D. 44 that James took over leadership of the Jerusalem church and 62 is believed to be when James was executed.
So it was sometime between these two dates, and many put the date of A.D. 46 on this letter.
The recipients of the epistle of James is stated in the greeting of verse 1.
1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
This letter or epistle was circulated from church to church with no specific geographical area.
Evidently some of these Jewish Christians had been imprisoned and deprived of their possessions and livelihoods.
Under such conditions, they fell into the clutches of worldliness, fought among themselves, favored the rich over the poor, and lost their original love for one another.
So the book of James is about the application of our faith and the importance to learn and grow in Christ.
The primary theme running through James is the knowledge we are given by our Lord.
The knowledge we gain from our experience in life must be rooted in our hearts so it can bubble up into our daily lives.
During the time of James, the church was being singled out and picked on.
The persecutions were just starting; two of the other James in the New Testament had been martyred, Steven had been stoned to death, and many were leaving the faith because of fear.
The church was also starting to deal with the human, sinful nature of gossip, strife, carnality, slander, doctrinal arguments and power plays, so their faith was becoming useless and unproductive - the themes we still have with us today.
The Epistle of James is more practical than doctrinal.
Nevertheless, James contains theological statements, such as: God is “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation,” meaning that He is the Creator and is unchangeable.
Jesus is “the Lord of glory,” a reference to Jesus’ deity.
James asserts that Jesus is coming again, and when He does, He will judge all of humanity.
The major theological issue in James is faith and works.
What James is discussing is faith that is alone, meaning without works.
He calls faith without works dead, indicating that it was faith that was once alive.
For James, works is a natural result of faith.
When a person truly believes in something, he or she will act on that belief.
With this letter, James was sounding a wake-up call to all Christians: “Get your life in line with what you believe!”
Look at verse 1
1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Letters in the ancient world opened regularly with the name of the writer followed by the name of the recipients and a greeting, precisely as here.
James described himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament a servant of God is a very common phrase, either of any Jew as dedicated to God’s service or, more particularly, for one especially consecrated to such service.
For example, the patriarchs, Moses, the prophets, etc.
In the New Testament, however, the title is less frequently employed; it appears for Moses in Revelation 15:3, for any Christian in 2 Timothy 2:24; 1 Peter 2:16; Revelation 7:3; for a Christian leader only in Titus 1:1 and then here.
The twelve tribes meant Israel as a whole.
Some believe that James was speaking specifically to the Jewish Christians, but there is nothing elsewhere in the letter that deals with the specific problems of Jewish Christianity.
It is better to explain the twelve tribes as meaning the whole spiritual Israel, all Christians.
No matter who the original intended audience was, we today can still gain a lot from the book of James.
The title for section 2-8 is Faith for wisdom.
This subsection teaches a fundamental aspect of faith: allowing God to use trials in believers lives to accomplish His purpose.
For James joy is not the product of circumstances but rather the most fundamental expression of faith.
Faith is not so much a means of accomplishment but rather a means by which to become open to the instructive wisdom of God.
Wisdom is not so much a question of evaluating a person’s performance as a means toward acquiring the maturity in faith that characterizes a true child of God.
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
Trials are of outward circumstances like conflicts, sufferings, and troubles; which all believers encounter.
Trials are not pleasant and may be extremely grievous, but believers are to consider them as opportunities for rejoicing.
Troubles and difficulties are a toll which refines and purifies our faith, producing patience and endurance.
These negative experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.
See God takes the trials that we go through and He uses them to build our character, to refine us and define us into the person that He wants us to be.
The apostles counted it joy when they were beat for being Christians in Acts 5:40-41
40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
If you were beaten or imprisoned for speaking about Jesus would you rejoice about it or would you complain about it.
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
The word testing there is a term that was used in James time for checking coins to see if they were genuine or fake.
The aim of testing is not to destroy or afflict, but to purge and refine.
It is essential to Christian maturity, for even Abraham’s faith had to be tested.
The meaning of endurance or patience transcends the idea of bearing afflictions; it includes the idea of standing fast under pressure, with a staying power that turns adversities into opportunities
It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Believers can rejoice, glory, and boast not only in their future hope, but also in their present troubles.
Tribulations refer to physical hardship, suffering, and distress. Perseverance means endurance.
Trials and tribulation produce endurance when we exercise faith during those difficult times. Such faith produces its own reward.
Perseverance produces experience or character, the quality of being approved.
As believers endure tribulation, God works in them to develop certain qualities and virtues that will strengthen them and draw them closer to Him.
The result is fortified hope in God and His promise.
The reason the believer can be so confident is that the love of God has been poured out.
The moment a person trust in Christ, that person receives the Holy Spirit, who constantly encourages them in their hope in God.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The natural response to adversity is to escape it. But God uses trouble to mature His people.
The perseverance of faith is a virtue in and of itself.
Indeed, perseverance characterizes genuine faith.
Faith, one of the good and perfect gifts of God, grows up to produce perseverance in the believer; indeed it makes the believer a perfect work.
Perfect was an extremely important word for James, occuring twice in this verse.
It has three aspects: first, the character of individuals in all their acts; second, a divine model or purpose that is under construction or in process; third, the ultimate realization of that purpose in the end times or last things.
It says that ye may be perfect and entire. Here entire also means complete.
If a believer endures a trial, they will be perfect, meaning having reached the end, and complete, meaning whole.
As we go through trials in life, God uses those to perfect us.
To mold us and make us into the person that He wants us to be.
When we reach the end of our time, He has finished His work in us and through us.
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.
Naturally, every believer still lacks that which would make him or her perfect and whole in faith.
Wisdom is required because the faithful do not always know how to persevere nor do they easily find the will to rejoice in future blessings while enduring present trials.
God gives us wisdom to endure during times of trials, and will give us the wisdom to stand against temptation.
He will give us the wisdom as to the reason for the trial that we are going through.
Requesting wisdom in the midst of a trial is precisely what God intends for His people.
Wisdom is necessary to endure the testing of faith.
By such wisdom Jesus Himself endured His sufferings.
The wisdom of God begins with a genuine reverence for the Almighty and a steadfast confidence that God controls all circumstances, guiding them to His good purpose.
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.
This verse James us telling us that when we ask for wisdom, we have to have faith when we asking for it.
We cannot have doubt when we ask. Doubting means to be divided in one’s mind or to debate.
The term does not describe a momentary doubt but a divided allegiance, an uncertainty.
God promises to give us wisdom but that promise rest on our faith.
We have to have faith that God can and will do what He says He will do.
A close connection exists, between faith, prayer, and wisdom.
The one who ask for wisdom asks in faith; asking in faith requires divine wisdom; to ask for wisdom is itself wise and is part and parcel of persevering in faith and growing in wisdom.
Growth in wisdom is to understand that everything of faith is from God.
Prayer is both accepting and asking. Prayer accepts the gift of faith. Prayer likewise asks for the means to work out that faith through the gift of wisdom.
In the asking mode of prayer, the believer seeks that which will secure persevering wisdom.
And asking without doubt is at the heart of Jame’s understanding of prayer.
Since faith is always a matter of personal trust in God, to doubt God in any way is to call His character into question.
Doubt also calls the believer’s character into question.
The believer who doubts in his relationship with God exposes the instability of his faith.
The doubter is like the ocean surface blown this way and that way by the wind.
Doubt becomes a moral problem here, for doubt becomes willful disobedience to God, and the believer becomes like the wicked.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
James is speaking of the man that has doubt when he prays.
If we have doubt when we pray for something then James says here we will not receive it.
Persistent doubt nullifies faith. Faith receives because it trusts.
Doubt, which is also directed toward God, is totally rejected by Him.
We call Jesus Lord but do not do what He says, thus putting no confidence in Him.
If we believe this Bible to be true than we have to believe all the promises in it.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:8
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
So if you have faith that what you ask of from God then you will receive it.
22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
We have to have faith.
We have to believe the entire Bible, and we have to believe that God can do anything He wants.
There is nothing that is bigger than God. There is no problem that is too big for Him to handle.
It all rest on our faith.
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Double-minded is literally two souls.
If one part of a person is set on God and the other is set on this world, there will be constant conflict within.
This person is trying to serve two masters, which we know we cannot do.
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
To pursue both the evil way and the good way is to divide oneself and to corrupt all the good.
The doubting believer is always in two minds and therefore always hypocritical.
A double-minded believer is filled with ulterior motives.
Their entire relationship with God, especially in prayer, is marred by their self-perverted faith.
The source of the believer’s struggle with doubt is divided loyalties to the self and to God.
In these Scriptures we see that when we go through trials in is not all bad, but that God will use those trials to make us into the person that He wants us to be.
We should pray for wisdom, that is wisdom for the trials that we are going through, wisdom to endure the trial, and wisdom to stand against temptation.
When we pray and ask God for anything we have to believe, we cannot have doubt about anything, we have to have complete faith in everything we pray for and everything God has said.
We cannot serve two masters, we need to focus on God and only God.
We cannot allow ourselves to come in the way.