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Life Application Bible Commentary: James

TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS, INC.

Contents

Foreword.............................xiIntroduction.........................xiAuthor...............................xivSetting..............................xviAudience.............................xviiiMessage..............................xxxiVital Statistics.....................xxxiOutline..............................xxxiiMap..................................1James 1..............................41James 2..............................71James 3..............................87James 4..............................115James 5..............................145Bibliography.........................147Index

Chapter One

GREETINGS / 1:1

How often do we open a letter without checking to see who sent it? Ancient letter writers signed their names right at the beginning, so readers immediately knew the source. Modern readers of the New Testament, however, frequently skip over the address. It strikes us as unimportant. Our oversight is a mistake. The first verses of New Testament books often tell us the writer's identity and how the writers perceived their roles. In James's case, these helpful insights prepare us for the entire letter. We treat letters with more respect when we understand who sent them and why.

1:1 James. James is mentioned by name only a few times elsewhere in the New Testament (Matthew 13:53-55; Acts 1:12-14; 15:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Galatians 1:19; 2:7-9). But as the leader of the Jerusalem church, he was known on a first-name basis by the rapidly expanding Christian world. By simply using his first name, James manages to convey both humility and authority as he signs his letter. He could have identified himself as "brother of Jesus" or "leader of the Jerusalem church," but the only addition to his name is the title of servant. Real authority doesn't need to promote itself. It was often said that Jesus spoke with unusual authority (Matthew 7:28-29; Mark 1:22, 27). The quality of Jesus' message had the ring of truth. James's name must have conveyed that same kind of authority. He felt no need to identify himself as Jesus' brother. It was not that role that gave James his authority anyway. His authority came from recognizing and confessing that Jesus, his brother, was also his Lord.

The effectiveness of our spiritual authority will always depend on the source of that authority. Religious education, titles, power, accomplishments, reputation, and self-image are short-lived and ineffective substitutes for a vital and obedient relationship with Jesus Christ. When we know Christ as Lord and obey him, we find his authority sufficient. He will be reflected in what we say and do.

Servant of God. The Greek word doulos (slave, servant) refers to a position of complete obedience, utter humility, and unshakable loyalty. Obedience was the work, humility was the position, and loyalty was the relationship that a master expected from a slave. Many of the first followers of Christ were, in fact, slaves. But among Christians, the idea of being a slave of Christ became not a position of humiliation, but a place of honor. There can be no greater tribute to a believer than to be known as God's obedient, humble, and loyal servant. When we struggle to display any one of those qualities, we will tend to be weak in the others also. If Jesus actually is our Lord, our actions must be obedient to him, our attitude must be humble before him, and our life must be loyal to him.

Lord Jesus Christ. The three names that make up this title refer to the unique character of Jesus. He is the heavenly, exalted Lord who will one day return in glory to this world. He is Jesus, God come to earth as a human being. He is Christ, the anointed one who fulfilled God's purposes by dying for us.

Today there are few places in the world where claiming Jesus as Lord is openly forbidden. This may be because the world has become a better place. But it is more likely that the world has simply discovered that today's believers don't quite mean it as seriously and completely when they say "Jesus is Lord" as the early believers did. Perhaps the biggest difference is that early Christians backed up what they said with their very lives, while today "Jesus is Lord" is merely a clich, a slogan, or a bumper sticker. The unspoken question of the entire letter of James is: To what degree will you be a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ?

The twelve tribes. The original twelve tribes of Israel no longer existed. Deportation of the ten northern tribes had effectively destroyed their identity. All that was left of that part of Israel were the mixed-race Samaritans who were despised by the Jews. By the time of this letter the term the twelve tribes had come to describe the regathered and renewed Israel that God would create in the last days (Ezekiel 47:13; Matthew 19:28; Revelation 7:4-8; 21:12). That regathering has been made possible by Jesus the Messiah.

Scattered. NRSV The phrase "scattered among the nations" translates the Greek word diaspora, a technical term referring to Jews who had left Palestine by force or by choice. The deportation of Jews to foreign lands had been practiced since the days of the Assyrians over six hundred years before Christ. But many Jews had also emigrated to other lands in the quest for wealth and opportunity. This network of Jewish communities scattered throughout the Roman Empire became the stepping stone for the spread of the gospel. The book of Acts describes the missionary pattern of Paul and others. In almost every town they visited, the presence of a Jewish synagogue gave them an open forum from which to communicate the Good News. What history records as the splintering of the nation of Israel was used by God to facilitate the spread of his Word.

Following the resurrection of Christ and the early successes of the young church in Jerusalem, the believers were severely persecuted. They were forced to escape to distant places. Taking their faith with them, they began to carry out the commission Christ had given his disciples in Matthew 28:19: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (NKJV).

The sense of accountability to the church in Jerusalem remained strong until the destruction of the city in A.D. 70. Paul's missionary journeys included reports to the apostles there. Early conflicts within the church were discussed and settled in Jerusalem (Acts 15). This letter from James indicates that there may have been regular channels of communication between groups of believers.

Greetings. As if to acknowledge the foreign environment of the believers to whom he is writing, James uses a typical Greek expression for his greeting. The term he uses, chairein, conveys a sense of joy or happiness. James will not delay in moving to the pressing matters which have motivated his letter. This same greeting (Acts 15:23) is used in the first circular letter written to believers outside Jerusalem after the first special council, recorded in Acts 15. James helped write that letter also.

ENDURING TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS / 1:2-18

James wrote to believers facing difficult times. Their troubles ranged from personal trials to disabling doubts; from persecution for following Christ to the lure of respectability in their community and the dangers of spiritual pride. James wrote to encourage his brothers and sisters in their faith.

James's approach illustrates the variety of forms that encouragement can take. At times, James confronts. In other places, he gently encourages. He uses hyperbole (extreme illustration) in a way that reminds us of his half brother, Jesus. Sparks and forest fires, rudders and large ships create mental pictures like Jesus created with his needles and camels. James even uses humor as a tool to encourage. He is clearly someone who practices the truth of Hebrews 10:24, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (NIV). He begins his letter looking directly at trials and daring to spur his fellow believers with a challenge: "Meet the very worst that life presents you with joy."

1:2 Consider it pure joy ... whenever you face trials. NIV How can a person consider trials a reason for joy? This is a remarkable command-we are to choose to be joyful in situations where joy would naturally be our last response. When certain circumstances make us angry and we want to blame the Lord, James directs us to the healthier alternative-joy. When trials come, "don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends" (Phillips). Those who trust in God ought to exhibit a dramatically different, positive response to the difficult events of life.

Our attitude is to be one of pure joy (genuine rejoicing). This is not joyful anticipation for trials. Instead, it is joy during trials. The joy is based on confidence in the outcome of the trial. It is the startling realization that trials represent the possibility of growth. In contrast, most people are happy when they escape trials. But James encourages us to consider it pure joy in the very face of trials. The response he is describing may include a variety of feelings, but it is not simply based on emotions. James is not encouraging believers to pretend to be happy. Rejoicing goes beyond happiness. Happiness centers on earthly circumstances and how well things are going here. Joy is God-oriented rather than event-oriented because it centers on God and his presence in our experience.

Consider means "chalk it up" or "regard it as." Count it pure joy because your experience of trial is evidence that you will grow. Don't let pain or struggle take away the joy of new growth, new insight, new depth, or new dependency. Focus on the future benefits of your difficult time.

My brothers. By using this term repeatedly, James emphasizes Christian solidarity with all who read his letter. It reminds us that the lessons in this book are for us. We rarely have to face trials alone. Believers always have Christ with them; they also have one another. When we attempt to manage pain, loneliness, failure, and other trials alone, we are not using the resources that God has made available through other believers. We are here to help each other. We are not to go it alone!

Whenever you face trials. Whenever doesn't allow much room for doubt. We are urged to be joyful not if we face trials, but whenever. To face trials is more literally expressed as to "fall into" trials. These are the unavoidable difficulties of life. Falling into trials is like falling among robbers, as did the traveler in Luke 10:30. Trials, problems, situations can be joy-robbers if we lack the proper attitude. Later in the chapter (1:13-15), James deals more directly with temptations that are self-inflicted. But there will be times when, no matter where we turn, we encounter trials.

Trials of many kinds. Where do these trials come from? They can be hardships from without or temptations from within. They come when we are least prepared and when we are most certain they could never come. A trial may be a hard situation that tests a person's faith such as persecution, a difficult moral choice, or a tragedy. Life's trail is marked with such trials. Enduring one trial is not enough. God's purpose in allowing this process is to develop complete maturity in us.

Considering your trials to be joy comes from seeing life with God's perspective in mind. We may not be able to understand the specific reasons for God's allowing certain experiences to crush us or wear us down, but we can be confident that his plan is for our good. What may look hopeless or impossible to us never looks that way to God!

1:3 The testing of your faith produces endurance. NRSV Dokimion is the Greek word translated testing; it means "approved after testing." Although we tend to think of testing as a way to prove what we don't know or don't have, testing ought to be seen as a positive opportunity to prove what we have learned. Testing is an important term because it is positive rather than negative. This is the exact term used in 1 Peter 1:6-7 for "proved genuine" and means that the trial is God's attempt to prove our faith genuine. It is a test that has a positive purpose. The person being tested should become stronger and purer through the testing. In this case, the trials do not determine whether or not believers have faith; rather, the trials strengthen believers by adding perseverance to the faith that is already present.

Endurance is faith stretched out; it involves trusting God for a long duration. In the context of the rest of the New Testament, it is important to see that James is not questioning the faith of his readers-he assumes that they trust in Christ. He is not convincing people to believe; he is encouraging believers to remain faithful to the end. James knows that their faith is real, but it lacks maturity.

We cannot really know our own depth until we see how we react under pressure. Diamonds are coal, subjected to intense pressure over a period of time. Without pressure, coal remains coal. The testing of your faith is the combined pressure that life brings to bear on you. Perseverance is the intended outcome of this testing. Other words that could be used for this outcome include "endurance," "steadfastness," "fortitude," and "staying power." The word endurance has a particular connection with this diamondlike quality created by testing, since the Latin root of this word means "to harden." Perseverance is not a passive submission to circumstances-it is a strong and active response to the difficult events of life. It is not passive endurance, but the quality of standing on your feet as you face the storms. It is not simply the attitude of withstanding trials, but the ability to turn them into glory, to overcome them.

Produces. This word was commonly used in agriculture to indicate the harvest or yield. Testing of faith produces a harvest, or the final product, perseverance. The results are gradual. There is an end in sight, but arriving there takes time.

When the writer of Hebrews portrayed the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11), the outstanding characteristic of the Old Testament men and women of faith was their endurance. They lived on a promise. They acted in faith. "Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised" (Hebrews 11:39 NRSV). They stayed true to God even when they faced one of the most difficult hardships of all-not seeing the fulfillment of what had been promised to them. Elsewhere in the New Testament, perseverance is also noted as one of the essential parts of the believer's life (see Romans 2:7; 5:3-5; 8:24-25; 2 Corinthians 6:3-7; 2 Peter 1:2-9).

What makes trials so difficult to endure? It is not our nature to endure. When it comes to trials, we would rather escape, explain, or exit the difficulty. In fact, we will tend to do almost anything to avoid enduring a trial.

1:4 Let endurance have its full effect. NRSV The word perseverance in Greek (hupomone) suggests "steadfastness under trial." What faithful perseverance generates is a whole person, recognized by three significant characteristics:

1. Mature NRSV-seasoned, experienced, well-developed, fit for the tasks God sent us into the world to do. Maturity in this sense is not related to age. It is a quality developed by how much we have learned from the trials we have experienced. Someone has defined experience as the ability to recognize a mistake when we make it again. Maturity is the ability to recognize a mistake before we make it again. It is a trained ability to learn from each previous experience. But maturity takes time.

2. Complete-fully trained. The weaknesses and imperfections are being removed from our character; we are gaining victory over old sins; we are demonstrating a sense of competence about life. This completeness relates to the breadth of our experience. We have passed through trials of many kinds. To be complete means that we have become mature in many areas of life. God does not want cheap substitutes, but thoroughly developed Christians.

3. Not lacking anything NIV-the basic life skills are there, ready to be used; the obvious weaknesses or blind spots of the past have been corrected; more and more clearly we mirror Christ himself! We will not be lacking anything when we are mature and complete in all the essential areas of life. Although this last quality is stated in the negative, it describes a security or contentment that comes from knowing that God has what we need, when we need it. Believing in God's faithfulness, we have everything we need.

Scripture does not promise us perfection in this life. So to be mature and complete is not sinless perfection. These terms describe a person who is fully committed to obeying God's commands. Perfection, as the Bible defines it for believers, is a right relationship with God expressed in a life of obedience. The work of perseverance is never done in this life, but there must be substantial progress. The writer of Hebrews is insistent: " Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God" (Hebrews 6:1 NIV).

Where there is testing, there are failures along the way. It is possible to experience trials and not learn from them or develop perseverance. Growth is not guaranteed. But James fully expects believers to respond to trials with joy because they understand that the process is producing a deeper, more certain faith. He would expect no less from us.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Life Application Bible Commentary: Jamesby Bruce B. Barton David R. Veerman Neil Wilson Copyright © 1992 by The Livingstone Corporation. Excerpted by permission.
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