The author of the Epistle of James was probably not the James who was one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles, John's brother; for he was martyred very early, probably in A.D. 44 (Acts 12:2).
Instead, this was probably the James who was one of Jesus's "brothers" mentioned in Matthew 13:55. The Hebrew word translated "brothers" can also mean "cousins" or "relatives."
James, Peter, John and Jude all write "general epistles," i.e., letters "to the 12 tribes of the dispersion" ( l: 1), God's people scattered all over the world, rather than to any one local Church, as did Paul.
James's letter is like the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament: full of practical advice about living. It's not primarily doctrinal and doesn't have a systematic outline. But its unifying theme is 1:22: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only." Orthodoxy must be supplemented by orthopraxy.
The most important passage in James is 2:14-26, about faith and works. Martin Luther denied that James belonged in the Bible because he couldn't reconcile James's emphasis on works with Paul's emphasis on faith. Luther called James "an epistle of straw."
But faith and works are not opposites. They are complementary, like the root and flower of a single plant. James's argument is that a faith which doesn't produce good works is not true faith, but rather dead faith (2:15), Iike a plant that produces no flower.
Actually, James's point is very simple. It is not a contrast between faith and works but between a real faith, a faith that works, and a false faith, one that doesn't. "Show me your aith apart from your works, and by my works will show you my faith."
We do not see a living plant's roots, only its fruits. Likewise, others cannot see your faith, for it's invisible. They can only see your actions, which show your faith as a tulip flower proves that it's a tulipplant.
The apparent contradiction between James, who says (2:21) that we, like Abraham, are justified by works, and Paul, who says (Romans 4) that we, like Abraham, are justified by faith, is explained by seeing these things as two sides of the same coin.
It is further explained by looking at the context. Paul's context is the relationship between the believer and God, while James's context is the relationship between the believer and his neighbor. God sees your faith; your neighbor sees and is touched by your works. Faith justifies us before God; works justify us before men..
A further explanation is that James means by "faith" only intellectual belief (2:19: "You believe that God is one? You do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder." ). But Paul means by "faith" (in Galatians and Romans) the whole Christian life.
In more technical terms, Paul is contrasting faith with law as a way to be justified, while James is contrasting a faith without works with a faith that works as a way to be sanctified. Paul is asking how to be saved; James is asking how to be holy. Paul is asking how to get to heaven; James is asking how to live on earth.
In any case, the "bottom line" is that faith and works are two aspects of the same reality: the new birth, the supernatural life of God, which enters the soul by faith and comes out as the works of love.! "You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith| was completed by works" (2:22).
James also mentions 10 other things that faith does: (1) It endures sufferings and trials, (2) it obeys the Word of God that it hears, (3) it overcomes favoritism' and prejudice, (4) it controls the tongue and gossip, 15) it gives us wisdom, (6) it separates us from the world, (7) it makes us submissive to God, 18) it resists the devil, (9) it puts us in God's presence, and ( 10) it waits patiently for Christ's second coming.
James never teaches works vs. faith or works instead of faith; from beginning to end, the letter is a tribute to faith, but to a faith that works, like the one described in Hebrews 11.
Some unique features of James include the promise of the supernatural gift of wisdom (1:5), the holistic interpretation of the law. (2:10-11), a scary verse for teachers (3:1l, an answer to the question: What is the most dangerous and uncontrollable organ in your body? (3:3-12), the solution to the puzzle of the origin of war (4:1-3), and the account of the Sacrament of the Sick (5:13-20).
Memorable reaffirmations of doctrines taught many other times in Scripture include 1:2 (on suffering), 1:15 (on grace), 4:4 (on worldliness), 4:7-8 (on dealing with the devil), 4:8 and 5:8-9 (on purity of heart: cf. Kierkegaard's great title, "Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing"), 5:13-15 (on playing God vs. trusting Providencej, and 5:12 (on straightforward, simple honesty-if only the "nuancers" would read that and Mt.5:37!)
Peter Kreeft is the author of many books including "Making Choices'' (Servant Books) and Back to Virtue (Ignatius).
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