1 [a]James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes who are [b]dispersed abroad: Greetings.

James 1:1-1 (NASB) 中文 

Intro

Have you read this book before? It often gets skipped. Some, like Martin Luther, who came out of the catholic church which is based on works, was very sensitive to works so held this book in lower importance to Paul’s writings. This is in comparison to Paul who was heavy on grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But it’s the beauty of God’s Word. We have both perspectives to help us maintain balance. As we’ll see going through James, esp chapter 2, works are a critical part of our Christian life and, in fact, prove our faith. Since James probably died in AD 62, this letter was written soon after the death of Christ so is a reliable witness to any historical facts about Christ. And he, a Jew, wrote it to Jewish diaspora of his day.

James the man

But who is he? Most theologians agree he is the half-brother of Jesus. “James was a son of Mary and Joseph and therefore a half-brother to Jesus and brother to Joseph, Simon, Judas, and their sisters (Matthew 13:55).” (gotquestions.org) Could you imagine living with Jesus as your older brother? Not just that, but the perfect son. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He was,“tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin”. You could never blame a mis-hap on Jesus! “Familiarity breeds contempt when pride rules the heart.” (desiringgod.org)

Changed brother

Maybe jealousy got the best of his brothers. The disciple John tells us that, “not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5). That includes James. However, he eventually became a believer and even a leader in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21). Look how he addresses his older brother, “the Lord Jesus Christ”. On top of that, he refers to himself as His bond/servant. This is a changed man!

Shotgun preaching

One thing that stands out to me about the letter is there are so many commands and directives on how to live as a Christian – to become more like Jesus. He seems to bounce all over the place using a shot-gun preaching style. We already mentioned Martin Luther’s dislike of the letter. But, “Luther’s problem was that he thought James was writing about becoming a Christian (justification). James was really writing to Christians about how to live the Christian life (sanctification).” (Constable commentary).

RЯeflection

• Do any of you have a brother? Could you imagine referring to them as Lord? There would have to be something amazing about your brother and a real change in you! But this is Jesus. So I ask, “Is He your Lord and Savior?” If not, click here.
• If we extend James’ audience to us, we are also His bondservants. Do we live as if that is true? Do we do His bidding, whatever He requires of us?