Introduction to
the Book of James
Commentary by
Pastor
Timothy H. Burdick
Introduction
James is believed by many to be
the earliest book in the New Testament. Legitimate scholars have dated
it anywhere from 45 to 60 A.D. Tradition has it that it was written by
Jesus Christ’s half brother, James. But you may ask: How can we be
reasonably sure of its authorship? There were four men in the New
Testament named “James.”
Norma Becker, who wrote
“Thoughts About God,” speaks about this in her study: "He could not have
been the apostle named James, the son of Zebedee, and brother of John
the Apostle, because according to Acts 12:2, he was martyred by King
Herod Agrippa I.” This was about ten years after Jesus death, so it was
too early for this book to have been written.” She continues: “this
leaves James the brother of Jesus, as the probable author” of the Book
of James.
Some reasons to accept this
decision are: James was one of several brothers of Christ, and was
probably the oldest since he heads the list in Matthew 13:55, where we
read, "Isn't this the carpenter’s son and his mother is named Mary, and
aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?" At first, James
didn't believe in Jesus, challenging his authority and mission.
We can see this in John 7 25. In
1st Corinthians 15:7, Paul mentioned James as one of the first
individuals to whom Christ first appeared to after his resurrection. In
Galatians 2 9, Paul calls him a “pillar” of the church. In Acts 21 18,
Paul also records that he saw “James” and the other elders of the
church. In Acts 12, Peter asks the others to tell James that he (Peter)
had been delivered from prison. Despite these strong points, however,
James almost didn't make it into the canon of the formal body of
Scripture, the Bible. Martin Luther called James “an epistle of straw,”
not understanding his concept of faith and works. Hence The Book of
James has been a Book of controversial nature. We'll get to that in more
depth in the second chapter of James. For now, it is enough to say that
when one examines this Book there is no conflict. I have heard it said
that later in his life, Martin Luther himself came to embrace this book.
In Acts 15:12 through 19, James
is shown as a leader in the Jerusalem council. For an example of this,
let me quote chapter 15:12-15; "Brothers listen to me, Simon has
described to us how God had first showed his concern by taking from the
Gentiles a people for himself. It is my judgment therefore that we
shouldn't make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." In
the little book of Jude, verse 1, Jude aligns himself with James. This
was probably because he was so popular in the Early Church.
We can only say that, while
James wasn't with the twelve apostles for three years, and didn't go to
Arabia, like the Apostle Paul to learn from the Lord (Galatians 1:17),
he had overwhelming presence and prestige and had a great deal of
knowledge. James was writing originally to the twelve tribes which had
been scattered by Emperor Claudius of the Roman Empire. It is important
to note that these tribes were not “lost” - James says they were
“scattered.” We are not given any geographical clues about this. Some
think that they were those who were forced from Jerusalem after the
stoning of Stephen. "On that day, a great persecution broke out against
the church at Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered
throughout Judea and Samaria.”
The main thing that I like about
James is that it is a practical book. It is closely related to the book
of Proverbs in the Old Testament. It is in my opinion, the most
practical book in the New Testament. James shows in detail, how true
faith is shown and how we should live.
Christian conduct. The following
is an outline of James which I hope will be helpful:
1:1 – The Salutation
1:2 – 1:18 The Test of Faith
1:1-12 – The Value of Trials and Temptations
1:13-18 – The Source of Temptations
1:19:5:6 – The Characteristics of Faith –
Exhortations & Warnings
1:19-27 – Faith Obeys the Word
2:1-13 – Faith Removes Discrimination
2:14-26 – Faith Proves Itself by Works
3:1-12 – Faith Controls the Tongue
3:13-18 – Faith Brings Wisdom
4:1-12 – Faith Produces Humility
4:13-5:6 – Faith Brings Dependence Upon God
5:7-20 – The Triumph of Faith
5:7-12 – Faith Awaits Christ’s Return
5:13-18 – Faith Prays for the Afflicted – The Power of Prayer
5:19-20 – Faith Confronts the Erring Brother
Timothy H. Burdick, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
TSBurdick@msn.com
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