Introduction to James

The book of James has always been one of my favorite New Testament letters.  I was surprised the first time I taught a class on this book when a few of the women expressed that it was one of their least favorite because they came away from it feeling like failures.  Since that time though, I've found that people either love this book or they struggle with it.  

I am a practical person.  I'm the nerd that loves getting the practical gift for Christmas.  In fact, our very first Christmas we were married, my husband bought me a new toilet seat.  I was thrilled.  We were still in college and had little money, so we had been unable to replace it.  It was broken, and I never knew which way it would slip and slide when I would sit on it.  Don't bother with the flowers, jewelry and mushy cards (although occasionally is fine 😃).  Give me something I can use.  James does exactly that in his letter to the churches.  He gives chunks of wisdom that help us live the Christian life fully.  He also gets right to the point and doesn't beat around the bush.  I like that.  

With that said though, James is hard.  He is blunt.  It is easy to read it and use it as a measuring rod.  How do I handle hardship?  With joy???  Failed there.  How am I doing with my tongue?  It only gets away from me every ten minutes.  Sigh.  There is lots of good I know I should do...that I don't do.  Another black mark for me.  We begin to beat ourselves up.  If you are one who struggles with this book, you are not alone.   

I would contend though that James did not write the book to be used as a checklist that ends up highlighting all our shortcomings.  He wrote it as a challenge to the Jewish Christians who had been scattered abroad during the persecution in Jerusalem.  It was a challenge for them to live with an active faith as they awaited the imminent return of Jesus.   James loved the church, and he knew that faith had to be lived out or it was soon to be a dead faith. He was concerned for them as he knew they faced oppression from the rich.  They were undergoing trials, and he wanted them to see the trials in light of how they would prepare them for their crown of life.  

I think of the role of a parent here.  We teach our children how they should live.  They can know what we teach them.  They can even believe what we teach them is the right way.  However, if they continue to choose over and over to ignore those things and not put them into practice, we become concerned for them.  Why?  Because we know it will lead them away from the "good" life we want them to have.  It is not enough for them to just believe what we teach them is right.  They need to live it out in order for it to bear the fruit we desire for their lives. 

This is the point of James.  He desires for the church a faith that produces fruit because God wants what is best for us.  He desires the perseverance that will lead us to receive the crown of life God has for each one who endures and finishes the race. He knows it is hard.  I believe that is why the book opens and closes with dealing with trials and temptations.  He exhorts us to be patient in the trials remembering that our God is a full of compassion and mercy.   As he closes the book he points us to the power of God working through prayer.  It is by Him and through Him.

I pray as we study through this book we will be encouraged in our Christian walk.  I pray we will be challenged to a living and active faith that proclaims Christ in this dark world.   I pray that we would not let discouragement set in as we see areas that we need to improve.