James, Do It

Imagine being a Christian in the early first century. It is very possible that you either met or have come into contact with someone who met Jesus in person. You are now trying to live your life in accordance with this new teaching; this good news about Jesus. You look back to the Old Testament, the only Scriptures you have, and now see how the prophets proclaimed the coming of Jesus hundreds of years prior.

The other pillar of teaching you have to lean on is that of the apostles and other eye witnesses. If you leave near Judea and Galilee (what we now call Palestine) you may hear Peter or John preaching the good news. If you live further away, you may go and listen to Paul or Philip.

Still you may not know entirely what to do. The Old Testament had plenty of rules and guidelines for holy living, but you weren't converted to Judaism. You see clearly how the Law pointed to and eventually was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but you aren't sure what that means in terms of being a Christian.

Then your congregation receives a letter from James, Jesus' own brother and a leader of the church in Jerusalem. In it is some very practical advice for how to live a holy life and honor Jesus in every moment.

Background

The book of James is the first book written in the New Testament. It was written by James the brother of Jesus. Since James was executed in AD 62, we know this letter must have been written before that. Since it also contains no mention of the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, which James played a major part in, we know it was probably written before that occurred in AD 48. So this letter was probably written sometime around AD 40.

James was written to Jewish Christians living outside of Judea and Galilee, probably because of the persecutions we read about in Acts 8.

Themes

The book of James is a very practical book, in the sense that it deals directly with application. A major theme here is wisdom. We see this when James talks about the tongue in chapter 3 and how important it is to control what you say. 

Perhaps the most important theme in the book of James is action. It is not enough to simply know what must be done; you must do it. We see this in taming the tongue, helping widows and orphans, confessing sin, and treating all people equally despite social standing.

James is talking to a people who are used to getting by on their heritage. These are Jewish Christians who grew up being told that they were God's chosen people, that God would never abandon them. They are used to having a kind of "faith" that doesn't require action. James writes this letter to tell them that this won't work anymore. The time for action, the time of the messiah, has come. 

Theological Point

Faith without works is dead. One great thing about the New Testament epistles is that they spell out their theological points. James is quite clear here; do it. Don't sit around doing nothing while claiming to have faith. Get up and do it. Do faith. 

Conclusion

The book of James is the first New Testament book to be written. It is short and to the point. The audience was a group that knew all the right stuff, they just didn't do it. As we shall see in the coming weeks with Paul's letters, he often deals with the opposite problem. They are doing all the right things for the wrong reasons. So get ready for the first Pauline letter next week; Galatians.