The James who wrote this book was not the disciple fisherman, brother of John, but James the earthly half brother of Jesus, son of Joseph and Mary (Matt 13v55 and Galatians 1v19). He was to become one of the main leaders of the church in Jerusalem. We can read in John 7v5 that, at first, not even Jesus’ brothers believed in Him but in 1 Corinthians 15v7 that Jesus, after his resurrection, appeared to James on his own and many think that this was when James became a Christian. Although a human brother, James in verse 1 calls Jesus Lord and, like Paul, he was happy to be called His bond servant-slave. James, the book was written to Jewish Christians, scattered at different times all through the Roman empire. These Jews were called the dispersion and God used this dispersion to take His gospel to the world of the Roman empire.
LIFE OF FAITH
James is full of practical advice for the Christian but that does not mean that it lacks spiritual depth. Verse 3 continues the message of Hebrews that we should have faith and when that faith is tested, through trials, this can make us stronger as a Christian. We should, for that reason, even consider trials a joy. God works in our lives to make them mature and complete, lacking in nothing (v4).
There are links between James and the old testament book of Proverbs. They are both full of wonderful nuggets of advice on how to live the Christian life and, as we work through this wonderful book, we can see how our lives can be enriched and transformed. In James there are many gems of spiritual wisdom and the remarkable thing about God’s wisdom is that all we have to do is ask for it (v5) and our generous God will always give it to us. Asking in faith, though, means doing it without doubting (6-8).
True faith lifts up the poor but brings down the rich (9,10). We have to be careful with temptation (v12) because there is a slippery slope which starts with giving in to our own desire and ends by killing us (12-16). True giving is something that comes from God (v17); none greater than His gift of the new birth where we have become like first fruits of His creation(v18).
LIVING CHANGED LIVES
James expects our lives to change for we should be doers of the word and not just hearers (v22). Our faith should affect who we are (19), our determination to rid ourselves of wickedness (21), the way we speak (v26) and how we care for others (v27). There is no place for class differences between rich and poor (2v1-7) and we do well if we live according to, what James calls, Christ’s royal law “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (v8).
MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGEMENT
Our lives should not be about judging others but being merciful. Our law is not like the old testament law, which condemned us, but we are under the law of freedom, the law of liberty. It is founded on God’s mercy to us and mercy triumphs over judgement (v13).
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
James penned those famous words in v17 that “faith without works is dead.” A real faith has an impact on the world; it is much more than words alone. It is only a living faith that saves you, not a dead one. If we have a real faith, and a poor person is hungry, we don’t just give them a blessing, we give them something to eat (14-16). Don’t forget that even the demons believe (v19).
WATCH THE TONGUE
We should be careful with words (chapter 3) because the tongue is a dangerous thing. It is small, but very powerful, like a small fire that sets a forest ablaze. It can be used for great evil (v8) but also great good (v9).
WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS?
In verse 13 you can see the strong link between James and Proverbs in the old testament for they both say our good works come from wisdom. Do we have wisdom in our lives or are we motivated by other things like envy and selfish ambition? (v14). Those things come from the earth and the devil (v15). Remember, James said we should ask for that wisdom, a wisdom that only comes from above (v17). The generous God will give it to us, if we ask, and here it says that if we do, then good things, good fruit will grow in our lives. So lets make sure we are connected to the wisdom from God.
James considered the bad fruit in their lives, “conflicts and disputes among you” (4v1), and identifies the cause. They are the result of cravings, wanting something they do not have, which the law called coveting. Very often we do not receive because we do not even bother to ask (v2), preferring worldly methods like fighting to get what we want. Sometimes, even if we do ask, we do not receive because the requests are only for our own pleasures (v3). This friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. We are adulterers, following after other lovers, and God jealously yearns for the spirit which He made to dwell inside us (v5).
Our pride is something that God opposes (v6) but humble people will receive grace because they submit themselves to God. If you submit to God, you can resist the devil (v7) and as you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. One example of boasting arrogance is to talk about the future without saying (verses 13-16) “ if the Lord wishes we will do this or that”. We should humbly submit our lives to the Lord (v7) and see what he makes of them, rather than plan our own future in our own strength. It is so easy to go a sinful way (v17) because even knowing the right thing to do, and not doing it, is a sin.
OUR WORKING LIVES
We cannot separate our business life away from our Christian life. In chapter 5 (1-6) are some awful warnings for the rich who make money from exploiting the poor. It is not wrong to earn money but it is wrong if we do it the wrong way. You may not hear the cries of the exploited workers, but the Lord does (v4).
WHAT TO DO WHEN WE ARE IN TROUBLE
In verse 13 we see that we should be free to express our different emotions. If we are suffering hardship (not sickness) we should pray; if cheerful sing songs of praise. If we have serious sickness (v14) we should not just keep it to ourselves but call for the elders of the church who should pray for us and anoint us with oil. What a promise we have here that the prayer of faith will raise us up.
DEALING WITH SIN
There is also a positive way to face sin in our lives and receive forgiveness (15,16); we should confess it to one another, pray for each other and healing will result. James was a great believer in prayer (v17); he looked back at the life of Elijah in the old testament when Elijah’s prayers changed the weather and, even, national life.
SEEKING THE WANDERERS
Sadly, some people will wander away from the Lord but it is good to reach out to them and bring them back (v20). Even if these people have been involved in a multitude of sins Gods love can still cover them.