“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
James 1:21-22
James was the half brother of Jesus – meaning he was the son of Mary and Joseph, while Jesus was not biologically related to Joseph. In total Mary and Joseph had seven children (Mark 6:3), counting Jesus. Jude, the author of another NT book, was also a brother of Jesus. According to the gospel accounts, Jesus brothers did not believe in or support his ministry.
“So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers believed in him.”
John 7:3-5
But something changed.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-7
Seeing their brother brought back from the dead changed James and Jude (Judas) into strong believers. James went on to lead the Jerusalem church, with a prominent voice at the council documented in Acts 15.
Not surprisingly, the book of James is filled with references to the teachings of Jesus. Many scholars believe it was the first officially circulating New Testament letter, written as early as 45 B.C. At that point the early church was still predominantly Jewish, something that was shifting dramatically by the time Paul wrote his letter to the Romans just over a decade later.
Here is a simple outline of the key themes in the book that will guide our study:
- April 7 – Just Rejoice – 1:1-8 – as servants of Christ Jesus who belong to His kingdom, we can find joy and purpose even in suffering
- April 14 – Just Trust – 1:9-18 – sin and temptation come from our own evil desires; God is perfectly righteous and good so we can trust Him completely
- April 21 – Just Obey – 1:19-27 – true saving faith changes you – how you speak, act and especially how you love
- April 28 – Just Love – 2:1-13 – it’s not enough to say you believe in God and love people, you have to actually value and serve people
- May 5 – Just Live It – 2:14-26 – God is not interested in religious talk or activity (what does that accomplish?), He wants to see people living what they say they believe
- May 12 – Just Shut It – 3:1-12 – one of the best ways to know who you are is to look at what you say – “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks”
- May 19 – Just Be Humble – 3:13-4:10 – real wisdom doesn’t posture and fight, it knows how to pray and seek after God instead of this world
- May 26 – Just Be Submissive – 4:11-17 – don’t judge other people or think you have a handle on your own life; learn to walk by faith
- June 2 – Just Be Fair – 5:1-6 – don’t trust in or love money – the test of your heart is how you treat people less fortunate than yourself
- June 9 – Just Persevere – 5:7-12 – live like a farmer who knows the harvest will come, keep trusting God like the prophets did
- June 16 – Just Pray – 5:13-20 – don’t walk alone; be honest about your struggles and learn to live as the family of God