The Book of James: The Most Important Biblical Lesson | Read & Explained

[Music] the Book of James may be one of the most misunderstood books in Christian history Martin Luther was even willing to kick it out of the cannon because of how complicated and difficult this book is for some people to understand consequently that makes it one of my personal favorite books to talk about you see I think James has something important Central even to say about the gospel he's perhaps misunderstood because it is easy to take his words out of context and so in this episode of Bible Unbound I encourage you to follow along in your

very own Bible I'm going to be using the ESV text I'm going to stop periodically to explain how this book reveals the essence the fullness of the Gospel message in fact I could even Summarize the book of James in just one sentence right now our Salvation will produce good works because God is shaping us to be more like his son who was perfectly obedient on our behalf but don't take it from me this is the Book of James read and explained let's explore Our Story begins in about 47 a 14 years after the death of

Jesus of Nazareth the Christ in the very City that he was crucified in Jerusalem Our Story begins with a man named James James was a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ which is quite a peculiar and un helpful introduction since the author identifies himself only by name and James was a common name in the ancient world so we're left with several options for who this James is precisely it could be James the son of zebede or James the older as we may call him it could be James the son of alfus or

James the younger we may say it could be James the father of Judas not es scariot offhandedly mentioned in Acts 113 it could be James the brother of Jesus or finally of course it could be none of these and it would just be some random James that's never mentioned in the New Testament but the use of the name by itself in a letter written with such Authority implies that the author was a well-known figure and it's improbable that such an individual would have gone unmentioned in the New Testament Douglas moo writes as Dr moo goes

on he reminds us that James the son of zebede was martyred around 44 ad and since the letter was probably written after that the most likely author of the letter was James the brother of Jesus now a whole conversation could be had over whether Jesus had Brothers but because this video is long enough already I'm just going to say yes he did have brothers and I would encourage you to go and look into it on your own now James the brother of Jesus is an interesting character to have written this specific letter James was a

skeptic James his brothers and even his mother thought Jesus had lost his senses and showed up once when he was teaching to take custody of him but as he became convinced of Jesus's identity James took on a stance altogether different witnessing the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of his brother must have pierced his heart so deeply that the seed of God's kingdom began to germinate and as James Grew Older he took on a prominent role in the Jerusalem Church even presiding over the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 which means James counseled Paul to the early church

James became a hero known even as James the just and legends tell us of his impoverished heroics he lived among the poor the orphan and the Widow in the slums of Jerusalem even though he likely would have been regarded as the most prominent Church leader of his day even in modern literature we do have a category for how to situate James in our imagination we call this person the sage this is an individual who has grown up possibly as the wise cracking kid to become the wise old Mentor that everybody looks up to for advice

but they're a little goofy they make some jokes they quickly change direction but they do this to snap people out of their stuper and grab their attention you see mind you this is not for just kicks and Giggles but so that Their audience May realize the meaning of life's most profound Mysteries and this is James who writes his letter to the 12 tribes in the dispersion another mysterious phrase but still not impenetrable the term became a popular way of describing the regathered and spiritually renewed Israel that would be brought into being in the last days

almost certainly then James uses the 12 tribes to describe Jewish Christians referring to those who had been scattered abroad after Steven's death the letter implies that these Jewish Believers were mainly poor people who were caught in a situation of considerable social tension oppressed and taken advantage of by wealthy landlords hauled into court by rich people who also scorn their Christian faith but who may have later become church leaders themselves and so James begins counted all joy my brothers when you meet Trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness

and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing now as with most New Testament letters we can find something of a thesis statement or a purpose statement right at the beginning of the letter and James is no different notice what he's just done he said that he is going to show us what a perfect and complete faith looks like obviously that means that faith is a prerequisite for the rest of the letter I like to think of it like this James sets up two cycles that will form

the backbone of the letter this is the cycle of Faith where Affliction produces resilience and that steadfastness leads to sanctification the way to being Christlike in the Bible is straight through the heart of suffering therefore if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him now ask any good Bible commentary and you will quickly learn that wisdom is Central to the Book of James it may be a bit of an overcorrection to say that James is strictly wisdom Literature Like Proverbs because

you see wisdom to James goes beyond merely practical use of knowledge and Into the Heart of the biblical concept of wisdom namely wisdom in James is dependence on God after all this kind of Lifestyle the kind that endures because of testing requires a radically god- centered perspective on life much like The Sermon on the Mount therefore to lack wisdom in this case is to lack a faith that would produce fruit which is why James says to ask God for this kind of wisdom but let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who

doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind for that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord he's a double-minded man unstable in all his ways of course if what we just described is true then James makes perfect sense here if you ask God for a wisdom that produces Faith well you simultaneously don't want Faith you want to find your hope when you're trust in your security in the sinful passions of the world you might be revealed to be a double-minded person not sure

whether you want to trust God or the world this double-mindedness will come up again and again and again throughout the letter so pay careful attention now of course you may be asking why anyone would want to put their trust in the world well with God you're not going to be rich and Powerful your identity will be affiliated ated with the suffering God of Christ and so James says let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation because like a flower of the grass he will pass away for the sun rises

with its scorching heat and Withers the grass its flowers fall and its beauty perishes so also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his Pursuits blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test he will receive receive the Crown of Life which God has promised to those who love him let no one say when he is tempted I'm being tempted by God for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by

his own desire and then desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death here is the second cycle of James the first was the cycle of faith in verses 2 through for and here we have what seems to be the cycle of death sinful desires produce sinful actions which in turn produce death it's as though James resurrects the two main characters of Solomon's Proverbs lady wisdom and Lady Folly to enjoy lady wisdom a life of blessing and god- centered Zeal then the testing of God will

produce Christ likeness but if we are met with trials and afflictions and it further hardens our hearts away from God then we may be revealed as following lady Folly straight into death but don't worry remember Jam's Point here is to show you the way out of this treacherous cycle and so he writes do not be deceived my beloved Brothers every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of Lights with whom there is no variation or Shadow due to change of his own will he brought us forth by the

word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures know this my beloved Brothers let every person be quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls but be doers of the word and not he hearers only deceiving yourselves for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer he's like a a man who looks

intently at his natural face in a mirror for he looks at himself and it goes away and at once forgets what he was like but the one who looks into the perfect law the law of Liberty and perseveres being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts he will be blessed in his doing now it's fascinating to me that James connects being being a doer of the word strictly to remembering who we are it's as if to say that working out our sanctification offering to God whatever little obedience we can because he so inspires

us is a way to remember the gospel again and again and again throughout our lives it's as if to say that the antidote to being poisoned by that cycle of death is taking just one small step forward into the word of God if anyone thinks he's religious and does not Bridle his tongue but deceives his heart this person's religion is worthless religion that is pure and undefiled before God the father is this to visit orphans and widows in their Affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world now we might say that this is the

essence of Christianity one hears the gospel and believes it they are completely and totally forgiven of all of their sins Justified before God and so throughout their life dwelling on this very forgiveness and Reconciliation is then inspired by the Holy Spirit to go and do good because God has shown them his infinite goodness now with all of that in mind I think we can move straight on into chapter 2 one of the most controversial aspects of the letter but I think James words make a lot more sense now that we can follow what he said

so far he's trying to show us what a full real and sincere dear Faith looks like lived out into the world and so he writes my brothers show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ the lord of Glory now let's pause let's just take a minute to hear what James has just said he called Jesus the Lord Of Glory it's a title that in Greek would have only been directly connected to Yahweh the god of the Old Testament therefore we can clearly see that James is writing from a place that

assumes the Divinity of Christ to a people who believe in Christ's full Divinity this clearly shows an early indication of God's Triune nature which is why James so passionately rebukes divisions imp partiality you see they are inconsistent with the nature of God that is Jesus Christ he writes for if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say you sit over here in a good place while you

say to the poor man you stand over there or sit down at my feet have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts listen my beloved Brothers has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to to be rich in faith and hes of the Kingdom which he has promised to those who love him but you have Dishonored the poor man are not the rich the ones who oppress you and the ones who drag you into court are they not the ones who blaspheme The Honorable Name by which

you were called if you really fulfill the Royal law according to the scripture you shall love your neighbor as yourself you're doing well but if you show paral ity you're committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it for he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder if you do not commit adultery but do murder you have become a transgressor of the law so speak and so act as those who are to be

judged under the law of Liberty for judgment is without Mercy to one who has shown No Mercy Mercy triumphs over judgment this raises a whole series of questions how can it be scriptural to say that Christians are under the law is James bringing us back into a bondage from which Christ liberated US what place has Law in the life of the Christian well truly James is entering into the heart of his letter the ultimate purpose for writing it the perfect illustration actually happens to be the very story that James alludes to here the giving of

the law after The Exodus you see in Egypt the Israelites were enslaved to a great oppressor but God miraculously saved them from bondage and made them a new people with a new identity free his will for this new people was that they would flourish here and in the next life and so God gives them a set of laws that shows them their sin and defines it restrains them from more evil than they could produce and a law that reveals God's will for them as a people in the same way we too were in bondage to

a great oppressor death but God miraculously saved us and has given us a new identity living free liberated God has written the law on our hearts so now the spirit uses the law to convict us of sin restrain evil in our hearts and reveal God's will for good works you may say that the product of our Salvation is good works in the New Testament these good works are often called the fruit of the spirit and as Jesus says you will recognize them by their fruits we can imagine then that James heard of his audience showing

favoritism to the rich so so that they might get ahead in society gain power in some way or or just be financially secure and put their hope in their money but James is saying that these are not the fruit of the spirit if they're doing these things making a practice out of it they ought to take a good long hard look at their understanding of the gospel and to see if the law is indeed written on their hearts this is why James comes to the very climax of his letter saying what good is it my

brothers if someone says he has Faith but does not have Works can that Faith save him we can just see his hearers sit bolt upright we can or ought to feel the shock waves of disbelief running through his first readers can his faith save him James of course knows that he's being impish and provocative this is what he intends for behind his seemingly scandalous questioning about the truth of salvation by faith there lies his own clear teaching that faith is the primary thing and if faith is so Central to the Christian Life and if there

is any doubt James may have about the state of their salvation shouldn't he wake them up as forcefully as he can we could imagine that a thought like the one Paul expressed in Romans has actually gripped the heart of James's audience saying are we to continue in sin that Grace May abound and what are both James and Paul's response absolutely not the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and leads us into the proper way of being now this will take our entire lives yes but by the time we stand before God he will finish

what he started and will just see how faithful he is and so James provides a few examples of how his audience ought to seriously examine their faith now this is taken from Alec matti's commentary on James so that we can say that a false faith is unjust it despises God but a genuine Faith seeks to offer God what little obedience we have to offer and an authentic faith is compassionate well James says it this way if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lack in Daily food and one of you says to them go

in peace be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body what good is that so also Faith by itself if it does not have works is dead but someone will say you have faith and I have Works show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works you believe that God is one you do well even the demon demons believe and shudder do you want to be shown you foolish person that Faith apart from works is useless was not Abraham Our Father justified by

works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar you see that Faith was active along with his works and Faith was completed by his works and the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness and he was called a friend of God you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone and in the same way was not also Rahab The Prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way foras the body apart from the

spirit is dead so also Faith apart from works is dead now as James moves on here it indicates that he may even be writing to church leaders who have potentially misunderstood the gospel and so he moves on into very practic iCal advice and he says not many of you should become teachers my brothers for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness for we all stumble in many ways and if anyone does not stumble in what he says he is a perfect man able to Bridle his whole body if we put

bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us we guide their whole bodies as well look at the ships also though they are so large and are driven by strong winds they are Guided by a very small Rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs so also the tongue is a small member yet it boasts of great things how great a forest is set Ablaze by such a small fire and the tongue is a fire a world of unrighteousness the tongue is set among our members staining the whole body setting on fire the

whole course of life and set on fire by him hell for every kind of Beast and bird of reptile and sea creature Can Be Tamed it has been tamed by mankind but no human being can tame the tongue it is a Restless evil full of deadly poison with it we bless our Lord and father and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God from the same mouth come blessing and cursing my brothers these things ought not to be so does a spring pour forth from the the same opening both fresh

and salt water can a fig tree my brothers bear olives or a grape vine produce figs but neither can a Salt Pond yield fresh water who is wise and understanding among you by his Good Conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom but if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts do not boast and be false to the truth this is not the wisdom that comes down from above but is Earthly unspiritual demonic for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist there will be disorder in every vile practice but the

wisdom from above is first pure and then Peaceable gentle and open to reason full of mercy and good fruits impartial and sincere and a harvest of righteousness is sown in Peace by those who make peace James is starting to bring us back to many of the themes that he introduced us to in the opening of his letter what leads us to the cycle of Faith wisdom James says what is wisdom a life oriented toward God faith but his audience is full of these strugglers they don't know what exactly they want they think they want a

life with God but their actions and their words they say otherwise and so James goes on and he says explicitly what causes quarrels and fights among you is it not this that your passions are at War within you you desire and do not have so you murder you covet and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel you do not have because you do not ask you ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions again these verses feel very familiar to us because it's easy to read them out

of context but remember this isn't about prayer NE necessarily this is about wisdom as a life oriented toward God and Folly as a life oriented away from God in James's audience is trying to do both it's making them miserable they say they trust God but then they get upset when they can't demand that God give them the faith they need you adulterous people James says do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God or do you

suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says he yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us now of course if you're anything like me you may begin to be sweating a bit nervous thinking to yourself what if I am too in love with the world what if my Works don't sh show my faith enough these are all fair questions though I would argue they point to the very fact of your salvation which is James's whole point here still James knows this and so he writes but God gives more

grace therefore it says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble the ones who are even beginning to question all of this he says submit yourselves therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you draw near to God and He will draw near to you cleanse your hands you Sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded be wretched and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to Gloom humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you do not speak evil against one another other brothers

the one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law but if you judge the law you're not a doer of the law but a judge there's only one lawgiver and judge he who is able to save and to destroy but who are you to judge your neighbor judge yourselves James implores them and if the answer is not what you expect then mourn and weep and God will bring you to where you need to be it's okay he says come now you who say today or tomorrow

we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring what is your life for you are a Mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes instead you ought to say if the Lord Wills we will live and do this or that as it is you boast in your arrogance all such boasting is evil so whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him it is sin you see James sees a

particular Injustice with those who rely on themselves on their wealth and do not trust in God and so he says come now you rich weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you your riches have rotted and your garments are moth eaten your gold and silver have corroded and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire you have laid up treasure in the last days behold the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields which you kept back by fraud are crying out against you and the cries

of the Harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts you have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence you have fattened your hearts in a day of Slaughter you have condemned and murdered the righteous person he does not resist you James is being quite prophetic here he contrasts the individual who is humble and reliant on God in the individual who relies on their wealth this is the same dichotomy that James has been speaking about the whole time those who say they want to trust in God but actually trust in their own

power then further how do these people use the gifts that God has given them would they spend it on themselves maybe on a war on the community James's words here provide a potent corrective to wealthy people and cultures to be as humble and just as they possibly can their money where they too will be revealed as not having ever understood the gospel but remember James is likely not writing to the rich and Powerful rather he wrote a prophetic warning against them and so he continues by saying be patient therefore Brothers until the coming of the

Lord see how the farmer waits for the precious fruits of the Earth being patient about it until he receives the early and the late Reigns you also be patient establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand do not Grumble against one another brothers so that you may not be judged behold the judge is standing at the door as an example of suffering and patience Brothers take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord behold we consider those blessed who remained steadfast you have heard of the steadfast vastness of job

and you have seen the purpose of the Lord how the Lord is compassionate and merciful but above all my brothers do not swear either by heaven or by Earth or by any other oath but let your yes be yes and your no be no so that you may not fall under condemnation okay so I would be interested to know if you heard those audible connections from this section all the way back to the beginning we consider those blessed who remained steadfast verse 11 steadfastness was a mark of the cycle of faith we outlined at the

beginning and it comes up again here as James ends his letter we may ask a more particular question now like When Trials come and they will come how can I remain steadfast James has answered this very question and he continues is anyone among you suffering let him pray is anyone cheerful let him sing praise is anyone among you sick let him call for the Elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord in the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and

the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins he will be forgiven therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it's working you see the god of Christianity is a god suitable in every circumstance of life so in every possible Affliction and victory we rely solely on him now of course the elephant in the room is this bit with the sick people asking the elders to come and heal them this verse has taken on

something of a life of its own throughout Christian history and still today Scholars are not settled over exactly what James means here we may take the word anointing with special significance it's a word that's almost never used in the Bible and when it is used draws the readers of attention to the very presence of God within a space here we may say that the sick person likely dying from a really serious severe illness is implored to rely on the church that God has placed them in to symbolically or even literally bring the person into the

presence of the Lord Of Glory which is why James goes on to say to confess your sins it's so that we may say you are forgiven and be entered into the presence of God in that instance the sick one may know that God is Sovereign over life death and sin to that end it's no surprise that James concludes his letter with a very explicit illustration of God's total sovereignty he says Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed fervently that it might not rain and for 3 years and 6 months it

did not rain on the earth then he prayed again and Heaven gave rain and the Earth bore its fruit my Brothers If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins the way James ends his letter is just so consistent with how he wrote the rest of it it's surprising and enigmatic and profound the way he asks Believers to act in the world is a clear illustration of how

the church is the image of God out into the world to be clear only God can bring someone from wandering save them and forgive them of their sins but James so closely relates this vocation to the church that sometimes it looks as though the church were doing this work on Earth so James ends his letter the way he wrote the rest of it do you want to know if you are saved do you want to prove it then seek to be the image of God on Earth be a picture of wise steadfast trust seek to

be on a campaign against death and if you don't want to then maybe consider how the gospel has affected you this is Bible inbound we'll see you next time hey thanks for exploring the Bible with us over here at bible inbound you know if stories really do affect our actions out into the world then how we interpret the bible really matters and we believe that Christians should be excited to read their Bibles because the gospel is proclaimed throughout it and so I like to say that we are here to discover the Bible by uncovering the

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