James Background

8/14/2019 James Background

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James: The Author and the Epistle

James: The Author and the Epistle Page 1

1) Authorshipa) James 1:1, James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christb) Half-brother ofour Savior: Matthew 13:55, Is this not the carpenters son? Is not His

mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

c) Witness to the resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:7, After that He was seen by James, thenby all the apostlesd) In the upper room: Acts 1:14, These all continued with one accord in prayer and

supplication,with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers

e) Leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15), Then all the multitude kept silent andlistened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had

worked through them among the Gentiles.13

And after they had become silent, James

answered, saying, Men andbrethren, listen to me:14

Simon has declared how God at

the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name (12-14)

f)

ISBE, Clement of Alexandria says that Peter and James and John, who were the threeapostles most honored of the Lord, chose James, the Lord's brother, to be the bishop of

Jerusalem after the Lord's ascension

g) Died in 62 AD, Josephus: met his death after the death of the procurator Porcius Festus,yet before Lucceius Albinus took office

2) The Main Theme of Jamesa) James 1:22, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselvesb) James 2:17, Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (also in 2:20, 26)c) Hiebert, The whole epistle is concerned with one simple truth: It is not enough to be a

Christian, if this fact does not show in ones conductd) James clearly taught that a faith that lacks works is empty, vain and useless

(Shepherds notes, p. 1)

3) Purpose for Writinga) Have pure and undefiled religion because some have fallen into a worldly lifestyle (1:27)b) Put faith into practice because some have failed to (1:19-26)c) Be single minded because some are wavering (double-minded) between God and the world

(1:8; 4:8)

d) The root difficulty of the readers lies in a distorted conception of the nature of salvation byfaith and its relation to daily life as the proving ground for the development of Christian

character (Hiebert p 37)

4) Date of the Epistle: One of the earliest epistles - Possibly written early to mid 40sa) terminus ad quem (latest date) would be prior to his death in 62 ADb) If written after the apostolic council in Jerusalem (a.d. 4849), would have mentioned

the momentous events of such council!

c) Hiebert: The total absence of any reference to Gentiles and their relation toChristianity points to a time before Gentile believers constituted a prominent element in

the church (p 35)

5) Audiencea) James 1:1, James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve

tribes which are scattered abroad (Greek: / Transliteration: diaspora). Cf

also 1 Peter 1:1 (identical Greek), To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia,

Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia)

b) Jewish Christians (see above comment about the early date!)c) Compare also: James 2:2, For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold

rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes (Greek

= synagogue!)


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d) Possibly literally dispersed!i) Acts 2:9-11 (those gathered on Pentecost!): Parthians and Medes and Elamites,

those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10

Phrygia

and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome,

both Jews and proselytes,

11

Cretans and Arabswe hear them speaking in our owntongues the wonderful works of God.

ii) Acts 8:1 & 4, At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was atJerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,

except the apostles . Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere

preaching the word

6) Literary Featuresa) Literary Form

i) Similar to Old Testament wisdom literature in Proverbs and Psalmsii)

Most Jewish book of the New Testament

iii) An epistle but:(1)No personal references(2)No epistolary conclusion

iv) High quality Greekv) Parallels to the Sermon on the Mount (see chart that follows)vi) Many references to nature: (e.g.)

(1) James 1:6, wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind(2) James 1:11, For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the

grass

(3) James 3:12, Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?(4) James 5:7, See howthe farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth

b) Key wordstempt: 1:12-14 slow: 1:19

patient: 5:7-8 wrath: 1:19-20

perfect: 1:4,17,25; 2:22; 3:2 word: 5 times (eg 1:18)

ask: 1:5-6; 4:2-3 hear / hearer / heard: 5 times (eg 1:19)

lack: 1:4-5 heart: 5 times (eg 5:8)

lust: 4:2 doer: 4 times (eg 4:11)sin / sinners: 8 times (eg 1:15) behold: 5:9

c) Literary Devices w examplesi) Short questions and answers

(1)3:13, Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct(2)4:14, For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then

vanishes away

ii) Rhetorical questions(1)2:5, Has God not chosen the poor of this world?(2)

3:12, Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?

iii) Irony(1)2:14, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?


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7) James and the Gospels chart of similarities between the epistle and the teachings of Jesus(especially Sermon on the Mount) (Hiebert p. 18)

James Matthew

Reference Text Reference Text

1:2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into

various trials5:10-12

Blessed are those who are persecuted for

righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom

of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they

revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of

evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice

and be exceedingly glad, for great is your

reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the

prophets who were before you

1:4But let patience have its perfect work, that you

may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing5:48

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your

Father in heaven is perfect

1:5; 5:15

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,

who gives to all liberally and without reproach,

and it will be given to him

7:7-12

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you

will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.8

For everyone who asks receives, and he who

seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will beopened.

1:9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation 5:3Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the

kingdom of heaven

1:20the wrath of man does not produce the

righteousness of God5:22

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his

brother without a cause shall be in danger of

the judgment. And whoever says to his

brother, Raca! shall be in danger of the

council. But whoever says, You fool! shall be

in danger of hell fire.

2:13

For judgment is without mercy to the one who

has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over

judgment

5:7; 6:14-155:7, Blessed are the merciful, For they shall

obtain mercy.

2:14-16

What does itprofit, my brethren, if someone says

he has faith but does not have works? Can faith

save him?15

If a brother or sister is naked and

destitute of daily food,16

and one of you says to

them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,

but you do not give them the things which are

needed for the body, what does itprofit?

7:21-23

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,

shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who

does the will of My Father in heaven.22

Many

will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we

not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons

in Your name, and done many wonders in Your

name?23

And then I will declare to them, I

never knew you; depart from Me, you who

practice lawlessness!

3:17-18

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure,

then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of

mercy and good fruits, without partiality and

without hypocrisy.18

Now the fruit of

righteousness is sown in peace by those who

make peace

5:9Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be

called sons of God.

4:4

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know

that friendship with the world is enmity with

God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of

the world makes himself an enemy of God

6:24

No one can serve two masters; for either he

will hate the one and love the other, or else he

will be loyal to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon

4:10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and

He will lift you up5:3-4

Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the

kingdom of heaven 4 Blessed are those who

mourn, For they shall be comforted

4:11

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He

who speaks evil of a brother and judges his

brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the

law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer

of the law but a judge.

7:1-2

Judge not, that you be not judged.2

For with

what judgment you judge, you will be judged;

and with the measure you use, it will be

measured back to you.

5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments aremoth-eaten

6:19

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy and where

thieves break in and steal;

5:10

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in

the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering

and patience.

5:12

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is

your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted

the prophets who were before you.

5:12

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either

by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But

let your Yes be Yes, and yourNo, No, lest

you fall into judgment

5:27You have heard that it was said to those of old,

You shall not commit adultery.


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8) James and Pauline Teachingsa) No real conflict between Pauline justification by faith and Jamesb) Both Paul and James cite Genesis 15:6

i) Romans 4:3, For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it wasaccounted to him for righteousness.

ii) James 2:23, And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it wasaccounted to him for righteousness.

And he was called the friend of God.

c) Alleged conflict:i) Romans 3:28, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds

of the law

ii) James 2:21,24, Was not Abraham our fatherjustified by works when he offered Isaac hisson on the altar? You see then that a man isjustified by works, and not by faith only

d) The teachings of James and Paul run parallel; they stand back to back, fighting error onboth sides of the truth. Paul refuted the need for good works as necessary for

justification before God (Romans 4:4-5; Ephesians 2:8-9); James insisted upon the need

for good works by the justified as proof of the living nature of saving faith. Paul agreed

with James that saving faith manifests itself in a life of good works (Galatians 5:6;

Ephesians 2:10) (Hiebert, p. 36)

9) James and Theology:a) a great deal of compressed theology (Hiebert p 39) rich in doctrinal implications

i) 1:18, Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truthii) 1:21, the implanted word, which is able to save your soulsiii) 2:5, heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Himiv) 4:5, The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealouslyv) 5:9, Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

b) About God:i) Affirms the unity of God but no explicit Trinitarian teaching (2:19; 4:12)ii) God is the creator of the universe and men (1:17; 3:9; 5:4)iii) God is unchangeably good (1:17)iv) God does not tempt men to evil (1:13-14)

c) The 2nd Person of the Trinityi) His Lordship! the Lord Jesus Christ (1:1; 2:1)ii) His return: the Judge is standing at the door! (5:9)iii) That Jesus is God:

(1)There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy (4:12)(2) Jesus is the Judge is standing at the door! (5:9)


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10)Basic Outline of Jamesa) ESV Study Bible

I. Greeting (1:1)II. The Testing of Faith (1:218)

III. Hearing and Doing the Word (1:1927)IV. The Sin of Partiality (2:113)V. Faith without Works Is Dead (2:1426)

VI. The Sin of Dissension in the Community (3:14:12)VII. The Sins of the Wealthy (4:135:12)

VIII. The Prayer of Faith (5:1318)IX. Concluding Admonition (5:1920)

b) Regular Baptist PressI. Greeting (1:1)

II. Faith is Resilient in Trials (1:2-12)III. Faith is Resistant to Temptation (1:13-18)IV. Faith is Responsive the Scriptures (1:19-27)V. Faith is Respectful of Others (2:1-13)

VI. Faith is Ratified by Good Works (2:14-26)VII. Faith is Restrictive of the Tongue (3:1-12)

VIII. Faith is Righteous in Conflict (3:13-18)IX.

Faith is Ravaged by Worldliness (4:1-6)X. Faith is Rejuvenated by Submission (4:7-10)

XI. Faith is Receptive to Gods Will (4:13-17)XII. Faith is Reasonable toward a Brother (4:11,12; 5:1-12)

XIII. Faith is Remorseful for Sin (5:13-20)

11)Resourcesa) Faith that Works, Studies in the Epistle of James, Homer Kent Jr., BMH Books, c 2005b) James, D. Edmond Hiebert, BMH Books, c 1979, 1992c) ESV Study Bible, Introductory article on the epistle, Crossway Bibles, c 2008d) Genuine Faith, Regular Baptist Press quarterly, c 2010e) ISBE, The Epistle of James, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Public domainf) Shepherds Notes: James, Holman, c 1998

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