The Letter from James

Studying the prophet Isaiah is very enlightening to the overall theme of God’s story to save and redeem humanity.  Yet, the practical side of me yearns for some daily application.  In response to that desire, several books of the Bible appeal to feed that hunger.  At first, Ecclesiastes entered my mind.  Ecclesiastes provides context for Biblical living but not many routine applications.  Some individuals might cringe at the idea of “routine applications” as un-Biblical, however, routines are often misunderstood in the life of faith.  Following the Holy Spirit and discipline are not incongruent or opposites, they are complements designed to grow individuals into balanced and mature Christians.  The result of my thoughts led me to the letter by James.

James covers many areas of daily life that each person may struggle through.  This is comforting and encouraging for two simple reasons: I am not alone in my struggle and through the Holy Spirit given by Christ there is victory and growth.  The letter by James deals with trials, temptations, listening well, favoritism, faith vs. actions, speaking well, God’s wisdom vs. man’s wisdom, humility and trusting God with your future.  These topics make James a very practical, wise and instructive book to read.

The letter of James is directed towards believers, particularly Jews.  This is important for context.  The letter of James does not explicitly state the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  James assumes that the individuals reading his letter are already following God and born again.  This is important: if you are not a believer, the steps and actions provided by James are not beneficial to you.  First you must recognize your own sin, proclaim Jesus is God, believe God raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus is returning as King; then reading James will be beneficial to you.

Understanding the nature of God by the verdicts proclaimed by the prophets of the Old Testament is very important.  Equally important are the daily disciplines we must each practice to live a godly life led by the Holy Spirit.  The purpose of reading James is to call to remembrance the dedication it takes to live a life that brings glory to God and love to fellow believers.  The acts themselves sometimes feel mundane, repetitive and unimpactful but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  The emotional swings aren’t always present but acting out the truth in faith is the most impactful and long-lasting effort we can contribute to this fleeting life.

Again, the previous statement might make some individuals cringe with hesitation.  “Most impactful” is rather strong language.  Yet, warranted I believe.  Some scholars might argue that coming to Christ for salvation is the “most impactful.”  However, this still seems to fall under “acting out the truth in faith;” which I consider to be the most important contribution we, as limited human beings, can provide this life.  All else falls under God’s domain of influence, on whom our faith fully relies.  (An additional note: “acting out the truth in faith” does not mean “fake it till you make it.”  That is not how following Jesus and accepting the Gospel works.  “Acting out the truth in faith” is a long way of saying “obey God.”  This is also explicitly for the Christian/believer.  The unbeliever cannot and will not be able to obey and follow God.  They might “fake it” for a while, but never find salvation.)  Already, the struggles of daily application become evident at the simple mention of James.  How is one to act?  What is the role of faith?  Is man the catalyst of change or a captive actor in a predetermined drama?  Are these non-sense questions or insights to godly wisdom?  Let’s see what James the brother of Jesus says.

A final thought: this introduction post is an opportunity for you (the reader) to stop and check out James for yourself before I dive into the contents.  My words are secondary to scripture.  In general, my thoughts are pulling current cultural issues and using James to address a proper action to those ideas and issues.  Read through James and see the encouragement and exhortations that apply to your life.