A Slave of God

A short bio

Who is James? Verse 1 describes James as a slave of Jesus Christ. We all know James as the half-brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55, Galatians 1:19), yet he does not mention that in his introduction. He would rather be known as a slave of Christ than the half-brother of Christ. Paul and Jude are the only other authors of Scripture who addresses themselves as slaves of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Several commentators note that James mentioning himself as a “slave” instead of the half-brother of Christ is a sign of humility. One commentator writes, “he (James) did not allow his special relationship to Jesus to imply a unique authority for his teaching” (Gould, Shepherd). This will make more sense as we look at the commonness that James possessed.

James was an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:7) and a preacher who knew the word of God (Acts 15:13-21). James was one who promoted the sharing of the gospel to the nations (Galatians 2:9), unity amongst all believers (Acts 15:19), and desired that all men, Jew or Gentile, lived pure lives (Acts 15:20). If you have read the book of James before, it is of no surprise then why James writes the way that he does and hits the topics that he does.

What does it mean to be a slave

A slave in James’ day and what we perceive it to be today are very different. The reason that we must hit this topic at this moment is because it will set course for the remainder of our study in this epistle. James writes this epistle under complete subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not write this under any other authority.

He does not write this as someone who was mistreated, abused, or neglected by his Master. Quite the opposite, he is writing this under the love and care of Christ as directed by the Holy Spirit. There is no ill-will or intention that James is attempting to shrug off. To study this book effectively, we must get the modern view of slavery far away from our minds. As Christians, you and I should view being a slave to Christ as an honor and a privilege.

I do not want to neglect the reality that there was slavery performed by men in James’ day that was reprehensible. I do want to make the distinction that the slavery James speaks of is entirely different.

A Scriptural view on slavery

The biblical view of slavery is twofold. It consists of an overarching reality that everyone is a slave to something (Joshua 24:15). No one is truly “free” (Luke 16:13). Jesus said in John 8:34, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” The Bible’s view of slavery is always two views in contrast one of another. >>>Romans 6:16-23 makes this abundantly clear…

It is having this view of slavery in mind that James writes his epistle. I ask you this, do you live out your Christian life with this view of joyous subjection under Christ? Or is your life more of a ho-hum style that just breezes on by? There is so much more to the Christian life when we understand that Christ saves us by His blood to redeem us from our former enslaved lives to our former master sin. This makes salvation all the more sweeter!

His Audience could relate

Another reason we are taking this first session together to highlight the author James and where he has come from is because this man is just another commoner among the people. In other words, the people around him could relate. James lived in sin and God was gracious to him and saved him from the enslaving power of it. James was born again, no longer under sin, but under grace. People around knew this man as one who did not believe Jesus at first (John 7:5), and now they see a radical change in him. Isn’t this true of every one of us in this room? Do people notice the radical change that has taken place in your life?

Being a slave of Christ, James related with every believer in Christ. They shared the bond of unity as being the household slaves of God. On the other hand, he related with those who were maybe thinking about these things, pondering their own life, those who have doubts and were skeptical of Christians, and those who flat out rejected. James lived these things before Christ saved him.

Others could relate to him as they sat under his teaching. For example, in Acts 15:13, James responds to whether circumcision is necessary for salvation to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15:5). In verse 22, the brothers take the speech of James, accept it, and act upon it. James suggests that men be sent to the Gentiles, namely, Judas, Silas, Paul, and Barnabas.

James was a well-rounded fellow who could relate with many.

Being a slave of Christ comes with a cost

As wonderful as being a slave to Christ is, it does come with a cost. Listen to these words from Jesus in Matthew 10:37-39… clearly, we see the cost of following Christ. Being a disciple of Christ is being a slave of Christ and vice versa. Therefore, every slave of Christ bears His cross and loses his life to gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8).

Being a slave of Christ promises persecution

Further, being a slave of Christ brings forth persecution. Those who are dispersed in verse were currently experiencing that. One thing about our God, He always puts people in the right place at the right time for the right occasion. This is the case here.

James had heard of persecution occurring among the brothers from the apostle Peter and how an angel from heaven freed Peter from prison (Acts 12:17). Thus, James does not write as someone who has no experience with this.

The Newness of Church persecution

It must be said that in the first century the persecution of the church was a new thing. Of course, in the OT the prophets were persecuted and some of them were martyred like the prophet Zechariah (Matthew 23:35). But there was a newness of a more widespread persecution. Even after Saul is converted on the road to Damascus, persecution of the church ramped up significantly.

James writes this book around 44 A.D, only 9 years or so after Stephen is martyred and shortly thereafter there is a mass breakout of Christian persecution. Although this was new in form and appearance, it is the carrying out of the words of our Lord as found in John 15:18-25. So, it was to be expected. It is now the time appointed by God for the persecution of the church to begin, and by His grace, He has given men during that time to come alongside the church as she faces this new reality.

The Dispersion

Commentators are all over the map regarding the twelve tribes of the dispersion. Some believe that the dispersion were scattered Jews, some believe that they are a reference to Gentiles, and some believe that it is both.

What we must make note of is that they are all Christians (James 2:1). The scattering or dispersing of the people of God is nothing new. There are numerous texts in the OT that depict this (Leviticus 26:33, Deuteronomy 4:27, 28:25, 64, Esther 3:8, Amos 9:9). Ezekiel 12:12-15 tells of the purpose for the scattering. God uses wicked people to scatter them, so that some would come back and tell of the glory of God amongst the brothers.

The scattering in the NT is similar. The persecution that Saul ravaged upon the church in Acts 8 caused the believers to scatter. The same can be said for those of whom Peter wrote to in 1 Peter 1:1, “those who reside as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, etc.”

This scattering was the means in which God used to accomplish His commission to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Today, we should be grateful for this scattering of believers all over the known world. It would be from these groups of people that the gospel of Jesus spread.

Further, it is a part of our heritage that these Christians faithfully proclaimed the word of God. As Christians go out and minister today, we are following in the footsteps of these early believers.

The Dispersed as Jews

Verse 1 gives us a convincing argument that these dispersed believers were Jews. James writes to “the twelve tribes.” Now this should ring a bell just a little bit. We know the reference to the 12 tribes in the OT, but James is not the only one to reference the 12 tribes in the NT. Revelation speaks of the 12 tribes in 2 different places. Revelation 7:4-8 breaks down the 144,000 into 12 groups according to the 12 tribes of Israel.

However, the 12 tribes of Israel continues into eternity. Scripture is consistent with the mentioning of the 12 tribes. They begin as an imperfect people, not all committed to Yahweh, they continue remnant after remnant, then they are mentioned in James 1 as the groups that are going to share the gospel and suffer for it. And in Revelation 12:12, the 12 tribes are listed as 12 separate gates.

These 12 gates that are marked with the 12 tribes of Israel are the gates in which the people of God dwell (Revelation 21:27).

The Dispersed as Gentiles

On the other hand, “James shows how the joining of the Gentiles into the people of God constitutes an important part in God’s eschatological program” (LBD).

Could the audience have been Gentiles? Perhaps. Consider verses 19-27. To whom is this written? You would be foolish to say Jews only. At this point the gospel was already being spread among the Gentiles because the Day of Pentecost had already come and gone. So, there is no way that this could be for the Jews only.

Much of Scripture that is written to the Jews is in step with the Gentiles as well. Consider Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Nonetheless, what you and I can take away from this is that praise be to God that both Jews and Gentiles heard the message, and that you and I are sitting here hearing the same message. James would agree with Paul what he wrote in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

What do we take home?

What do we do with all that we have looked at? Here are a few things I would like to offer.

Ø Take great joy in being a slave of Christ. It is not a negative title as the world would have us view it, but a privileged title that is only given to those who have been redeemed by Christ. James did not take the title of slave with shame, but with honor. We should be mindful to do the same.

Ø We must have a right handling of the word of God. In an age where words can seemingly mean whatever they want and definitions can change every hour, the word of God does not change. The word as it was intended to mean in the age in which it was written means the exact same thing today. As we go through this epistle, we will see this ever-present truth before us.

Ø Are you able to come alongside a person regardless of status or position? For James, he wanted nothing more than to be identified as a slave of Christ. This meant for him, as it should for us, that our lives are not only useful for a certain demographic. James was able to minister in Jerusalem as we saw in Acts 15, and he was able to relate to people who were dispersed under persecution. God has given each one of us people to minister. The question is, do you recognize it?

Ø Going forward, Lord willing, in our study, James is going to encourage the brothers to embrace trials, suffering, and difficulty, to persevere through them. Certainly, he had heard of the stoning of Stephen. He knew that these brothers needed to be encouraged, and the Holy Spirit knew who to use. This said, are you ready to embrace the trials, suffering, and difficulties that come your way? Christ has given you the means to persevere. Let us run our race with great fervor and faithfulness!