James 1:1

Sermon Manuscript

This morning we have the first in a series of sermons on the book of James. The message this morning is more of a brief introduction to the letter written by James and we will not really start digging into the content of the letter until July 1, the Sunday after our Homecoming service.

Before we read from the text I want to mention why we are looking at James at this time. In some ways we are all familiar with James. It is here that we learn that God uses trials to build us up. Here we find that it isn’t enough to just hear the Word of God – we must practice it! In James we are told to pray for those who are sick. There are many other such practical points of application in James, points which we frequently turn to in order to find comfort and encouragement throughout our lives.

But there are also other teachings in James, teachings that can take a little more wrestling to come to grips with. Those other teachings have caused some people to question the value of this letter from James. The great reformer of the church, Martin Luther, was so puzzled by the letter that he called James a letter of straw. He said that it should be kept in the Bible and that people should read it, but he said it shouldn’t be respected as much as the works of Paul. Others over the years have shared his viewpoint. For while Paul says that we are justified by grace through faith alone, and not by any works, James says in James 2:24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” What can we make of this seeming contradiction?

Looking at that seeming contradiction will be a part of our sermons through James. But we are studying James because I believe it does not in any way contradict what Paul teaches about faith and justification. On Wednesday evenings we are studying the book of Romans and we are seeing quite clearly what Paul thinks about the role of faith in justification. And now for the next several Sunday mornings we will move through the letter from James to learn about the place of works within saving faith. Christian faith and Christian works are never in a struggle with each other, but they go perfectly together, just as sweet sugar mixes with bitter tea leaves to form our wonderful Southern drink of sweet tea.

Let us now take a moment to read our brief passage. Turn with me to James and we will read James 1:1.

Here we have James, Servant of God and of Jesus Christ, writing a letter to the twelve tribes of the dispersion. Such odd terms right from the start of the book! You might recognize the twelve tribes, but what is this dispersion business? But before we get to that there is another question to ask: who exactly is James? There are several James’s in the Bible, which one does this refer to, if it even refers to one we already know?

I will spare you all the arguments about the author and will simply tell you what I think: this James is James, the brother of Jesus. I believe I misspoke last week and said it was one of the apostles. There are some who think that, but I think instead that this was James the brother of Jesus. James is mentioned just briefly in the gospels, as in Matthew 13:55 when the people in Jesus’ hometown recognize Jesus as being the brother of James and Joseph and Simon and Judas (not the same Simon and Judas that are among his disciples). As best we can tell from the gospels, Jesus’ brothers never believed in Jesus’ message but on occasions mocked him. This seems to have changed for at least some of them after his death and resurrection. 1Corinthians 15:7 tells us that Jesus appeared to James, and I think this James was his brother, and that visit by the resurrected Jesus seems to have been compelling. By Acts 12:17 James has been given a place of leadership within the church. He is in a position which gives him authority to instruct the believers, and the believers under his care are primarily Jews. It makes sense that James, brother of Jesus, leader of the Jerusalem church, would be the same James who wrote this letter.

But exactly who were the people to whom James wrote? Certainly it was a letter for Christians, and the opening of the letter indicates that it was to Jewish believers. The language of the twelve tribes would likely only be applied to Jews, and the word dispersion would have held special meaning for Jewish readers.

Some of your Bibles may say something like, “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad”, “dispersed abroad”, or perhaps “scattered among the nations”. All of these translations mean the same thing and all come from the Greek word, diaspora. The word literally translates into English as dispersion and refers to people who have been dispersed, scattered about. This word was first used of the Jews during the period of great exile, when because of their sin God allowed foreign lands to invade and crush Israel. Most of the Jews were dispersed throughout pagan kingdoms. In the time of James another dispersion was taking place. James doesn’t tell us why this dispersion takes place, but it is possible the letter itself offers hints as he comforts the believers in their trials and declares God’s justice against the oppressor. It may be that they were driven out by Jews who continued their persecution of Christians after the stoning of Stephen that took place in Acts chapters 6 and 7. Later, Acts 11:19 tells us, “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews”. These who scattered may well have been the dispersion that James addressed in this letter.

In addition to the Jews of the dispersion, James also wrote his letter to us. As we believe that the Bible is the Word of God that is fitting and applicable for all people of all ages, the letter from James continues to be something that we need to take seriously as a rule and guide for our lives.

As we have seen, James was the leader of the church at Jerusalem. It is likely that he wrote this letter from Jerusalem and was addressing specific concerns and problems that he heard about. Some of his concerns dealt with bad theology the believers had been receiving. Based on some of the things James says, it seems that a growing number of Jewish Christians were starting to believe that justification by faith meant that their actions were of no consequence. They were saved – they could do what they wanted! It is quite possible that these Christians had heard what Paul was teaching and had misunderstood his teachings. They felt that since their salvation was solely on the basis of their faith, their works were of no consequence and they could live in any way they pleased.

Around 47 AD, James and Paul and many other leaders of the church gathered in Jerusalem to discuss the place of the Jewish Law in the life of the Christian. The meeting was held in particular to deal with the question of whether or not Gentile believers had to be circumcised. We read about the meeting in Acts 15. At the meeting the believers had the opportunity to work out the language of justification, faith, and works with more detail and uniformity than they previously had. But it is likely that James wrote his letter before the council meeting, that he wrote around 45 or 46 AD. Since he had not yet met with Paul, he would sometimes use words in ways different than Paul’s use. And so at times he seems to contradict Paul when dealing with the problem of faith and works. But when take a closer look at what James is saying we realize no contradiction exists, and when we consider the specific problem James is addressing, we begin to understand why he uses the language he does. But if James had written the letter after the Jerusalem Council meeting, he probably would have put things differently. The meaning would have stayed the same, only the way of saying it would have changed.

As we read James we have to keep in the back of our minds that James is addressing the problem of believers who treat grace as a shabby thing. It is what the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer called cheap grace. Cheap grace is grace that demands nothing of the recipient. It is like the giving tree in Shel Silverstein’s popular children’s book: it keeps giving and giving while only encouraging the recipient to continue being selfish. But the grace of God is given to us to make us into the people of God, and the grace of God can only be received by a true and living faith, a faith that is proven by its works.

We also need to keep in our minds that James has been written for us. In addition to the timeless nature of the Bible, we find ourselves easily able to identify with the situation in James’ day. We live in the most powerful nation in the world, we have been given the greatest freedom of worship that has ever existed, and we have access to more Christian resources than were even imagined possible just 50 years ago. Volumes and volumes of dictionaries and commentaries, many good translations, a host of study tools, computer tools, the internet – on and on. We also live in a land of great material blessing. However poor we may sometimes feel, we are much better off than most of the world. We have so many ways to study and know the word of God, and yet people are growing increasingly ignorant about the Bible. And we have so many material means to help those in need, and yet we hoard our riches for ourselves. We claim living faith but are our claims demonstrated by our works?

And so for the next several Sundays we will study what James has to teach us about complacent Christianity versus the real deal. We will learn how to respond to trials. We will learn how to grow in wisdom. We will learn how to pray for those in need. We will learn how to live righteous lives. We will be warned against causing oppression. We will be instructed on how to be like Christ. And through all of this, God willing, we will lose our complacency and be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of Jesus Christ and we will walk forth into the world as true believers who do not just profess our faith – we live it out each and every day. And we live it in such a way that a lost and dying world sees the hope of a Savior in us – a hope that maybe some here are still seeking to really know.

Only let go of your selfish wants and petty desires, and cling fully to Christ, and you will find that hope. The world is a dark pit of decay gnawing at all who would hold on to it. With Christ is life and freedom. With Christ is meaning and purpose. He is the only answer for those who are dissatisfied with their lives. Are you one of those? Can you see where you have yet to give yourself fully to him? You may well be his child already, saved by his grace, but still looking back over your shoulder and reaching for the life he calls for you to cast aside. Cast it aside! Pray to him for the strength to do so. Pray for him to show you what he wants to do, instead of always praying what you want him to do. And when he shows you, do not merely hear his words, do what he says.