Intro Part 2

More introduction material from our study guide:

On purpose:
Most of the epistles deal with solving problems and amending errors among early Christians/Churches. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:1) wrote this letter as a message to Christians to correct a distortion of the gospel: the idea that spiritual rebirth meant we could remain babies forever. He exhorted Christians to maturity.

More on authorship:
As mentioned previously, there were a number of Jameses around the early church. However, most scholars, including the ones who wrote our study guide, attribute the letter to James, the Lord's brother, who is mentioned in Galations 1:19. He was also known as "James the Just" or "the Righteous" by both Christians and non-Christians.

Faith Vs. Works?
Many modern Christians have tried to set up a dichotomy between James and Paul, with the misunderstanding that James was written as a response to Paul's "justification by faith alone." However, this view fails several tests. First, James died in 62AD and most likely would never have had the opportunity to read Paul, who wrote the book of Romans about 57AD. In addition, tradition has James' letter dated at around 45AD. Even with a later dating of the letter, it is highly unlikely that Paul's writings would have been available for James to study. Furthermore, James never addresses any of Paul's teachings nor does he quote Paul at all.

Instead, James's epistle is an exhortation to live what we believe and not to disregard God's moral law - a distortion that Paul also fought against in Romans 6.

The Gospel
Nonetheless, James is as much about the gospel as is the book of Matthew. In fact, when we look at Chapter 2, we will see the parallels with the Sermon on the Mount.

Do you often feel like a "practical atheist"? Maybe you don't think so. I sure don't think this way on my own, but in light of God's Word, I can see that I really do fall short of treating people as God would have me to, of loving others, of bridling the tongue, of a whole host of words and deeds. In truth, if I really believed consistently and perfectly in a holy and just God, my life would look differently. James will challenge us to leave our roles of the "practical atheist" behind.

While James does not discuss the doctrines of Christ, he does focus on the character of God and who we are called to be as his children/new creations. James takes for granted that the audience is rooted in the gospel, in our union with Christ in His death and His resurrection. He goes straight to the practical: Here is precisely how to live in light of the gospel.

James's letter is a vigorous call to a tested, mature faith to which we may say, Amen!

Read the book through one time and take a look at the overview Chapter, if you have time. I will post up some of the questions next week.