The Epistle of James: Introduction

James 1:1; Mark 6:2-3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

Nov 12, 2022

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

My next series of devotionals will dive into a favorite Non-Paulian Epistle in the New Testament, the book of James. I did a twelve-week study several years ago in a women’s Bible study group of this fantastic book and Steve and I went through it again in a Zoom group inductive study recently. Most people have a first reaction to this book that it is a disconnected mish-mash of general precepts and advisories, but scholars recognize it as a NT version of connected Proverbs and a rubber-meets-the-road way to apply the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew to our lives as believers with ways to test our faith.

So who was James, who authored this epistle? Lots of Research into his background and scholarly studies for likely candidates have settled on the strong probability that this James was the half-brother of Jesus. This is not a favored view in Eastern Orthodoxy or Catholicism, by the way - I write from a Protestant perspective, which does not venerate Mary beyond her important role as the human Mother of Jesus.

There were several men named James following our Lord during His time on Earth and afterwards. James and his brother John (the sons of Zebedee) were among the first disciples called, and they were in the “elite” echelon along with Peter. This James, known as James the Great, was the first apostle to be martyred, in about AD 44 and is the saint associated with Santiago de Compostela basilica in Spain and the Camino walks.

Another Apostle was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus, and possibly the brother of Matthew, but little is known about this James. After the virgin birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph continued their marriage and it is speculated by most biblical scholars that she had several more children. Let’s look at Mark 6:2-3:

“When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

James and another half-brother, Jude (author of the epistle Jude) did not believe until after the Resurrection and were not enamored with their famous half-brother when He was still living before the Crucifixion. James is mentioned several times in Acts and in some of the Paulian Epistles and was the recipient of a face-to-face with His risen half brother, as noted in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭8‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

James had a key role in the early church as the Bishop of Jerusalem, and he honored both the precepts from Judaic law and his fervor for his new belief in Jesus. He was likely martyred in Jerusalem in AD 62 (possibly as late as AD 69) and his epistle is likely the earliest book written (roughly AD 44) that is in the New Testament. A lot has been made of the fact that James advocates faith in action, which has been misinterpreted by some in Protestant history (Martin Luther in a few of his writings, for example) as violating the sole requirement for justification as belief in Jesus, His resurrection and His redemption of sins. Luther later reconciled to the Epistle of James as being an important guide to faith. The Holy Spirit guides us into new life, and actions and tests of our faith are a given. Actions are indeed important, but we should always remember that works alone do not save us.

Looking at this first verse, James describes himself as a bond servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, literally a slave (doulos, in the Greek) and is writing to the scattered Twelve Tribes, likely the early Christian Jews who were in various locations across the countries in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean area. So how will I proceed with this treasure-trove of faith that is known to be difficult to parse? I found quite a few different ways to subdivide James into consumable bits for a devotional and decided to settle on a breakdown that follows this Format, as proposed by John MacArthur and referenced in Precept Austin:

I. The Test of Perseverance in Suffering (James 1:2–12)
II. The Test of Blame in Temptation (James 1:13–18)
III. The Test of Response to the Word (James 1:19–27)
IV. The Test of Impartial Love (James 2:1–13)
V. The Test of Righteous Works (James 2:14–26)
VI. The Test of the Tongue (James 3:1–12)
VII. The Test of Humble Wisdom (James 3:13–18)
VIII. The Test of Worldly Indulgence (James 4:1–12)
IX. The Test of Dependence (James 4:13–17)
X. The Test of Patient Endurance (James 5:1–11)
XI. The Test of Truthfulness (James 5:12)
XII. The Test of Prayerfulness (James 5:13–18)
XIII. The Test of True Faith (James 5:19, 20)

My next devotional starts with James 1:2-12 - Perseverance in Suffering.