Transcript: James: Faith in Action

Faith in Action
By David Feddes

Today we begin a study of the book of James. James is perhaps the most practical, action-oriented book in the Bible, a book that focuses on what it means to actually live by faith and live for the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to focus on James, and first of all, just note that James is one of what's sometimes called the Catholic epistles or the general epistles. It's called that because, like several other letters of the New Testament, it's not written to any particular place or church. Some letters are written to the church in Rome—that's Romans. There are two letters written to Corinth, which are 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. The general or Catholic epistles aren't addressed to a specific city or area, which is why they are called general. They're written for whatever reader needs to hear them. James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude are often known as the general epistles.

When we begin the book of James, it opens with a brief greeting. He doesn’t say "hi" to lots of people, either at the beginning or the end of his letter. He just gets straight to it: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.”

Let's start with the first word, "James." Who is James? Some of you may remember a rhyme by Dr. Seuss: “There once was someone named Mrs. McKay who had 23 sons, and she named them all Dave.” If someone called out "Dave," four people might respond, "What?" James is a name a little bit like that. There are several key figures named James, and people got named James for a reason. James is another version of the name Jacob. If you read it in Greek, it says Iacobus, which is Jacob. You can see why many people were named Jacob since the father of all the Israelites was Jacob.

There are three major Jameses in Jesus' close circle. First, there is James the younger, often understood to be the son of Alphaeus. He appears in the New Testament in lists of the Twelve Apostles, though not much more detail is given about him. Sometimes he's called James the Less, which could mean James the Shorter—maybe there was a "big" James and a "little" James—or James the Younger, meaning he was younger than other Jameses. He could also have been considered less important than the others. Regardless, he's likely not the author of this letter, partly because the letter's author simply introduces himself as "James" and seems to expect readers to know who he is. Someone of major stature would write that way, and while James the younger is among the Twelve, we don't know much else about him.

Another James is also one of the Twelve, but not just that—he's part of Jesus' inner circle. Jesus sometimes took Peter, James, and John with him to his most intimate settings. This James was the son of Zebedee and the brother of John, the author of the Gospel of John and the epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John, as well as Revelation. Jesus called them the "Sons of Thunder," reflecting their bold personalities. However, this James is also unlikely to be the letter’s author because he was the first apostle to be killed. Herod ordered his execution, and you can read about it in Acts 12. The letter of James was almost certainly written after those events, so it’s improbable that this James wrote it.

The most likely author is James the Just. Church fathers and early sources refer to him as the author of this letter. James the Just was a son of Joseph and Mary, born after Jesus, making him Jesus' half-brother. The Bible mentions Jesus had four brothers: James, Jude, Simeon, and Joseph, along with some sisters. Though a blood relative of Jesus through Mary, James didn't believe in Jesus at first. In fact, the Bible shows that Jesus' brothers thought he was crazy at times and didn’t fully believe in him, which is a reminder that familiarity with Jesus doesn't guarantee faith. However, James did come to believe, especially after Jesus' resurrection. The Bible records that Jesus specifically appeared to James, and that encounter would have eliminated any remaining unbelief James might have had. He recognized his half-brother as the risen Lord.

James became a leader in the Jerusalem church. When James the brother of John was killed, this James—Jesus' half-brother—stepped into a leadership role. He became not just one of the Twelve Apostles but the most prominent leader of the Jerusalem church. In Acts 15, during the council that determined how much of the Old Testament law applied to non-Jewish believers, James played a key role. Paul, Barnabas, and Peter spoke, but James gave the final word, and the council made its decision based on his guidance. His influence was critical because he was known as a Jew of Jews, someone deeply devoted to God's law. He was nicknamed "James the Just" or "James the Righteous" for his character, integrity, and obedience.

James understood that many of the Old Testament laws were fulfilled in Christ and no longer binding, particularly for non-Jewish believers. That’s why, in his letter, you won't hear about ceremonies or rituals but instead about the kind of life Jesus brings. He refers to the "law that gives freedom" and emphasizes God's Word without focusing on ceremonial requirements.

James was a man known for his deep prayer life, to the point that people said he had "camel knees" from spending so much time on his knees in prayer, praising God, and interceding for those who had fallen into sin.

In 62 AD, James was martyred. One account describes how he was taken to the pinnacle of the temple and asked to tell people to stop following Jesus. Instead, James declared that Jesus is the Messiah and would return on the clouds of heaven. Enraged, the scribes and Pharisees pushed him off the temple. Though he fell a great distance, he survived and prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.” He was then clubbed and stoned to death.

This is the author of the letter we are about to study. His words carry weight, especially when he says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of various kinds.” He didn’t have an easy life or death, but he was a man of deep prayer and character—known as the Just, a leader with camel knees, and someone who knew Jesus both as a brother and as the risen Lord.

James introduces himself simply as a servant of Jesus. He doesn’t try to leverage the fact that he’s Jesus' brother or claim that his blood relationship with Jesus gives him any special standing. The most important thing about James is that he serves Jesus Christ. His spiritual relationship with Jesus is what matters, not his familial connection.

Interestingly, James doesn’t say a lot about Jesus in this letter—his name only appears a few times. That might seem odd, as James says less about Jesus than almost any other New Testament writer. However, what James does say about Jesus is important, and perhaps more significantly, he sounds a lot like Jesus. When you read his words, you can hear echoes of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' other teachings. What James says reflects the way of life that Jesus teaches.

James introduces himself as a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." Some translations understand this phrase as James referring to God the Father and Jesus Christ separately. However, the Greek text can also be understood as saying "God and Lord Jesus Christ," suggesting that James sees Jesus not only as the Christ but as God. At the very least, James is declaring Jesus as the Messiah and Lord. Whether or not he explicitly means "God" in this instance, it is clear that James believes Jesus is divine.

Greek word order can be tricky. The phrase "doulo Theou kai Kyriou Iesou Christou" translates as "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." Word order doesn't determine meaning in Greek, so it can be read in a way that emphasizes both the divinity and lordship of Jesus. Similarly, in James 2, the phrase is rendered, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism." The Greek could be translated as "our Lord of glory Jesus Christ." This phrase, "Lord of glory," is significant. It calls Jesus the Lord of the Shekinah—the divine presence revealed in the glory cloud of the Old Testament. This reveals that James isn’t merely calling Jesus a man or even just his half-brother—he is identifying him as the Lord of glory.

Even though James doesn’t say much directly about Jesus, the voice of Jesus resonates throughout the letter, guiding believers on how to live. The little that is said makes it clear that James reveres and worships Jesus as Lord, Messiah, and Savior.

The general epistles, including James, are written to no particular person or church. This letter is addressed to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations," or "the twelve tribes in the Diaspora." The Diaspora refers to the Jewish dispersion, the Jews living throughout the nations. However, James might not only be writing to Jews. The phrase could also apply to all of God's people. In the New Testament, believers—whether Jewish or Gentile—are referred to as the Israel of God. Those with faith are called children of Abraham, even if they aren’t Jewish by birth.

The Diaspora could refer both to Jewish believers scattered across the world and to Christians in general, who recognize that they don't truly belong to this world. As Paul says, "Our citizenship is in heaven," and Peter refers to believers as "strangers and sojourners." James understands that most believers, whether Jews in dispersion or Gentiles, live as outsiders. They aren’t celebrated by society; they are seen as strange and different. Even if they live among their own people, they don't fully belong.

James is writing to a peculiar people—those who don't quite fit in. As John writes in his first letter, "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." This is a strong statement, but it reflects the New Testament mindset: when you belong to Jesus, you no longer fit into the world. Your task isn't to conform but to be different.

Since James' letter is a letter, it would have originally been read aloud to the intended audience all at once. Rather than taking just one paragraph and analyzing it for half an hour, the original readers would have heard the entire letter read to them. While we will eventually go through it in more detail, it’s helpful to first listen to the letter as a whole. Let’s pray for God’s guidance.

Prayer

Lord, you’ve promised that if we lack wisdom and ask, you will give generously without finding fault. As we listen to this letter written through your servant James, speak to our hearts. May we become people with faith that works—faith put into action. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.

 

Dr. Feddes recites the whole book of James from New International Version, 1984 edition.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for this great letter. We pray, Lord, that just hearing it all at one time will have your desired impact upon us, that the wisdom from heaven will indeed fill our hearts and make us people who are not just hearers of the word but doers of it.

We pray, Lord, that you will help us in the coming talks as we consider more deeply what you are teaching through James. Open our hearts and, not only that, change our lives and the way we conduct ourselves so that the life of Christ and the action of Christ will truly be expressed in us.

We pray in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.