TEACHING NOTES ‌ Introduction to this Series ‌ Popular Statement: “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship.” ‌ Problem: This is not what the Bible teaches. ‌ We need to rethink our definition of religion. ‌ Many modern Christians think that religion is the opposite of relationship. We think religion is all about rules and rituals, while relationship is about intimacy with God without all the rules and rituals. But the Bible says far more about religion (faithful obedience) than it says about intimacy with God. ‌ What the Bible Actually Teaches: Biblical Religion = Faithful Obedience ‌ As we will see in this study of James, the apostles certainly practiced their faith as religion. Christianity is both a religion and a relationship. ‌ James 1:1 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. ‌ Is this a letter? = While this document begins like the other New Testament letters with a greeting, there is no greeting or farewell at the end. This document reads more like a sermon or collection of sayings from James. Verse one is actually not present in the oldest copies of this document. This greeting was likely added by the scribe in the second century AD. ‌ James = Grk. ‘Iakobos - This is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yaaqob or Jacob. Jacob (James) was a common name in the Jewish world. While there is some debate among modern scholars, the ancient church has always agreed that this James is the brother of Jesus. The most ancient view of Jesus’ brothers and sisters is that they were the children of Joseph from a previous marriage. Historically, the church believed that Mary did not have any other biological children than Jesus. This would make James the stepbrother of Jesus. This also means that Jesus was the youngest sibling in the family, which helps to make sense of why the siblings did not believe Jesus was the Messiah at first. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to James (1 Cor. 15:7) and James becomes the leader of the Jerusalem church. ‌ Servant = Grk. doulos - Literally “slave” or “bondservant”. Notice that James could have introduced himself as “James the brother of Jesus Christ” or “James the highest leader of the Jerusalem church.” But he choses the most humble title “a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” This statement begins a theme of humility that flows throughout this letter/sermon. ‌ Twelve tribes in the Dispersion = In the first century AD, only two tribes of Israel existed (Judah, Benjamin). In fact, the other ten tribes had ceased to exist back in 722 BC when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and dispersed those ten tribes into the Gentile nations. Those ten tribes ultimately became Gentiles and ceased to exist as tribes of Israel. When the latter prophets in the Old Testament refer to Israel as twelve tribes, they are referring to God’s promise to restore all Israel as one people. Therefore, James sees the church, both Jew and Gentile, as the restored twelve tribes. ‌ James 1:2-4 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ‌ Count it all joy = Grk. hegesasthe pasan charan - consider it great joy or consider it an opportunity to rejoice. James is not saying that we should be happy about our suffering. As we will see, James is saying that we should rejoice in the perseverance and faithfulness that we can learn from trials. ‌ Trials of various kinds = Grk. peirasmois poikilois - trials, temptations, tests of different kinds. The Greek word peirasmos is used for a trial/test and for temptation. So, James is saying that there are various kinds of peirasmois that we will face as followers of Jesus. Notice that James says “when” not “if”. ‌ Testing of your faith = Grk. dokimion hymon tes pisteos - The Greek dokimion refers to being tested to reveal authenticity or genuineness. The Greek pisteos or “faith” is not limited to belief but refers to loyalty or faithfulness. James is saying that trials and temptations are testing our loyalty to Christ. This does not mean that all trials and temptations are from God, but that God uses all of it to show us the authenticity, or lack thereof, of our loyalty to Christ. God uses our trials for our own good, as Paul says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” ‌ Produces steadfastness = Grk. katergazetai hypomonen - brings about or results in perseverance. Paul says the same in Romans 5:3 “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance…” The apostles taught that when we remain faithful through our trials our loyalty to Christ will become stronger. ‌ Full effect = Grk. teleion ergon - complete/mature work. ‌ Perfect = Grk. teleioi - complete, mature, reach its purpose. We usually think of being perfect in terms of morality (being sinless). But in the Bible teleios is not about being sinless but about being mature or complete. ‌ Complete = Grk. holokleroi - whole, entirety. ‌ James is arguing that an untested faith is lacking something. We cannot know the authenticity of our loyalty to Christ without being tested. Anyone can say they believe or even be devoted to Christ when everything is going great. We find out our true loyalty when trials come. ‌ James 1:5–8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 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. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. ‌ Wisdom = Grk. sophia - wisdom, prudence, discretion, that guides action. Wisdom is greater than knowledge, because wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. ‌ Ask God = Asking God is prayer and prayer is a vital part of our religion. ‌ Without reproach = Grk. me oneidizontos - no insult or ridicule. When we ask God for wisdom, He will not criticize us for our lack of wisdom. ‌ Ask in faith = Grk. aiteito en pistei - This could also be translated, “asking in trust or confidence.” ‌ Double-minded = Grk. dipsychos - To be of two minds. In modern terms we might say “riding the fence” to refer to someone who can’t decide between two options. ‌ Unstable = Grk. akatastatos - restless, uncontrolled, vacillating. ‌ Faithfulness to Jesus helps us grow in wisdom. ‌ James 1:9–11 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. ‌ Lowly = Grk. tapeinos - humble, downhearted, lacking in hope. Verses 9-10 present a stark contrast between “the lowly brother” and “the rich.” If we understand “the rich” as one who is living in excess, then we might understand “the lowly” as one who is living either in poverty or slightly above poverty. In the ancient world, multiple wealth classes in the same area would have been uncommon. Usually, there would be at most three wealth brackets: (1) the wealthy elite, (2) the poor, and (3) just above poverty. Therefore, James could be using “the lowly” to refer to the majority class, which would be the poor and those just above poverty. ‌ The rich = Grk. ho plousios - wealthy, abundance. James speaks to “the rich” several times in this letter/sermon. It’s important to know that “the rich” in and around Jerusalem were those who gained their wealth by dishonest means. In the first century AD the majority of the land of Judea had been confiscated by the family of the Sadducees. They implemented a temple tax that most people couldn’t afford, so their land was confiscated as payment for tax debt. James is not against wealth in general, but he is against greed and oppression. ‌ The rich fade away in his pursuits = James is saying that those who pursue wealth and excess need to realize that they are pursuing a perishable prize. ‌ Faithfulness to Jesus is freedom from worldly pursuits. ‌ James 1:12 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ‌ Blessed = Grk. makarios - This is the same word Jesus used at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3). Although the common understanding of blessing is wealth without suffering, the Bible describes blessing as living in one’s God-given purpose. James wants us to know that staying faithful to Christ under trial is our God-given purpose. In other words, it is not the wealthy who are blessed but those who stay faithful to Christ who are living a blessed life. ‌ The crown of life = Grk. stephanon tes zoes - The word for crown here refers to a wreath that would be given to the winner of a contest. It is a victory crown meant to show honor and high regard. James calls it “the crown of life” to show that eternal life is the highest reward for those who remain faithful. ‌ Promised to those who love him = Notice that this crown of eternal life is not said to be given to those who believed the most. It is given to those who love God. Loving God is not a belief or a feeling. The Bible teaches that loving God is about obedience and faithfulness. ‌ A faithful life is a blessed life. ‌ James 1:13-15 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. ‌ When he is tempted = Notice that James says “when he is tempted” not “if he is tempted.” Trials and temptations are certain to happen throughout life. ‌ God cannot be tempted, and he tempts no one = When we are going through trials and temptations, we must not assume that God is the source. James clearly says that God is NOT the source. However, God will use our trials and temptations for our good. This is the same idea found in the story of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The evil done to Joseph was not done by God, but was used by God for the good of Joseph and for the good of an entire nation of people. ‌ Lured and enticed by his own desire = Temptation to sin is a process in which something we already desire is placed before us. James wants us to think of temptation as bait used to lure fish to the hook. Fish don’t bite an anchor, but they do bite the bait that they already like. The enemy plays on our desires to lure us away from God. ‌ Gives birth to sin, grows up to death = James uses childbirth to illustrate the process of temptation and sin. Our fleshly desires give birth to sin and sin gives birth to death. As Paul said in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…” ‌ James 1:16–18 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 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. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. ‌ Do not be deceived = Grk. me planasthe - do not be led astray from the truth. Since the previous verses spoke negatively toward the rich, James wants to make sure that we don’t disparage what God gives us. ‌ Every good and perfect gift is from above = If God brings us abundance, we should be thankful and use that abundance for God’s glory and the good of others. If God gives us just enough to survive, we should be thankful and seek the good of others. ‌ The Father of lights = This title for God also appears in John 1:4 “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” and 1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Light is also the first thing God creates in Gen. 1:3. ‌ No variation or shadow to change = God can be trusted, even in trials, because God doesn’t change. It can strengthen our faith to know that God doesn’t change according to circumstances like we do. We allow circumstances to change our feelings and loyalty. But God never changes and is always faithful. ‌ Brought us forth by the Word of truth = James has already said that desire gives birth to sin and sin brings forth death (James 1:15). But God brings forth life and eternal life. It is the Word of truth, who is Christ Himself, who brings us into God’s family. ‌ A kind of firstfruits = James is writing while the first generations of Christians were still alive. This first generation is often referred to as firstfruits of the family of God who will reproduce and multiply God’s family (Rom. 8:23; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rev. 14:4). The Jewish apostles and disciples were the first to trust in Christ and Gentiles came in later. ‌ Trials, tests, and temptations happen to all people. ‌ Faithfulness to Jesus gives us purpose in our trials and power over our temptations. ‌ How to Respond Prayer: Ask God to reveal what needs to change. Repentance: Agree with God and repent of sin. Worship: Thank God for what He is doing in us. Communion: Take Christ in and renew faithfulness.