Lesson 1 April 25

JAMES CHAPTER ONE

 

Introduction

 

1. Who wrote the epistle? 

 

 

a.  James the son of Zebedee - apostle, the brother of John martyred during the Feast of unleavened bread in 44AD by King Herod Agrippa 1, Acts 12:1-2 [martyred to early]

b.  James the son of Alphaeus - know very little about - appears only in lists of disciples  Matt. 10:13;  Acts 1:13

c.  James the younger - in Mark 15:40 listed along with his mother Mary and brother Joses and sister Salome.  (know very little)

- some speculation that b and c are speaking of the same person

d.  James the father of Judas, not Iscariot, Lk 6:16  (would not be this one)

e.  James the half brother of the Lord.

 

- mentioned as one of the sons of Mary and the mother of Jesus  Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3

- During Jesus ministry James and his brothers were not believers Jn 7:5, became a believer after death, resurrection of Jesus

- Jesus after his resurrection appeared to James.  1 Cor 15:7

- after the ascension of Christ James was with the Apostles and his brothers in the upper room Acts 1:14

- after the release of Peter from prison, Acts 12:17, he recognized James as the leader of the Jerusalem Church.

- was recognized as the head of the Church at Jerusalem Gal 1:19; 2:9,12  by Paul

 

2.  Objections Raised

a.  JAMES, is a Galilean, whose native tongue would be Aramaic

 

 

b.  Over the centuries many have strongly objected to the Book itself - questioning it's validity as part of the Canon

 

 

3.  When Written

a.  Sometime after becoming the P/T of the Church at Jerusalem in 44 AD (Peter released from prison) and before his death in 62AD

b.  Since there is no mention in the book of the Jerusalem council and the  doctrinal conflicts surrounding it of which he was a  major participant, Acts 15, it points to a time of writing before that council was held.

 

c.  This would place it before 49AD.

d.  Those who reject James, the brother of Jesus, usually place the writing between 75-150AD

 

4.  His Death

a.  As was the pattern for most of the early Church leaders & the Apostles James was martyred in 62AD.

b.  Tradition: (widely held) the Pharisees in Jerusalem so hated James, his witness had such impact, they plotted to kill him. They cast him down from the temple and then beat him to death with clubs.

 

5.  Purpose Reason for Writing

a.  To exhort early Jewish believers to advance to maturity and experiential righteousness (walking worthy)

b.  Deals primarily with the practical - ethical issues of living as believers in the kosmos.

c.  Therefore deals primarily with Phase 2 living

d.  Examples of the problems James dealt with:

 

 

6.  Outline Chapter One

a.  vs:1 - greeting / salutation

- only part that follows the pattern of a letter

- no personal greetings for anyone or about anyone also no closing benediction

b.  vs:2-12 - Patience / Joy under testing

- or what is the mature believer's MA under testing, 

c.  vs:13-18  Resisting  temptation.

 

d.  vs:19-27 - Receptive comprehension plus application results in the power / ability to handle the situation no matter what it is!!   (testing or temptation)

 

 

vs:1 James, a bond-servant, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

 

 

First refers to himself as a bond-servant  -  dou/loj - a slave / bond-servant (one who is under authority)

 

How the term  dou/loj was used:

The early church was well aware of the true nature of the master-slave relationship.

 

Christianity found the term doulos appropriate in setting forth the essence of the believer's true relationship 'to God.

 

**  Point is that each of us as believers have an important place / part / function in the body of Christ, we need to recognize this and orient to it.

 

**  Just as James knew he was to be obedient to the will of God, we as believers today are to do the same.

 

**  He knew that you cannot serve God, be the doulos of God and be enslaved to the sin nature at the same time.

 

This simple opening statement tells us that James knew some things:

1. He knew that one who is grace oriented doesn't need crutches to lean on.

 

2. That physical birth itself is no advantage spiritually.

 

3. Knew that any human need, a perceived disadvantage, would be handled in time,  phase-2 by God's gracious provision, the DOA's to live one’s life and glorify God.

 

 

of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ   - are all in the genitive case expressing possession i.e. the ones to whom James belonged.

 

James not only recognized that God existed and believed it. But also believed that his half brother was indeed who He had said He was, the God - man, the Messiah.