Day 326 – Reading – James 1 – 5

Read and believe in Jesus!

James 

Nope, this is not the brother of John who was beheaded by Herod Agrippa.  THIS James is the 1/2 brother of Jesus, the oldest in the list of Jesus’ 1/2 siblings, according to Mark 6:3.  Another of Jesus’ 1/2 brothers was Judas, who wrote the New Testament book of Jude.

While Jesus was alive, His brothers did not believe in Him, and even mocked him. But after His death and Resurrection, at least these two believed, and saw Jesus alive before His Ascension. See 1 Corinthians 15:7.

James became the leader of the Jerusalem Church and was close to Peter and John. He led the first and most important Jerusalem Council, which established once and for all what a person must do to be saved. (Acts 15) 

His book was written to Jewish believers who were scattered after the persecution by Herod Agrippa.  James is the earliest written book in the New Testament, written about 44-49 A.D.  It has more than 40 references to the Old Testament, and more than 20 to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  James was martyred in 62 A.D.

James 1.

Testing your Faith.

• “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you KNOW that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have it full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
• “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”

Hearing and Doing the Word.

• “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
• “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
• “The one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts – he will be blessed in his doing.”

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James 2.

The Sin of Partiality

• “Show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”
  
• “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him?”
• “Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?  Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable Name by which you were called?”
• “If you love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you are committing a sin.”

Faith Without Works is Dead

• “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can THAT faith save him?”
• “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and fed,’ without giving them the things they need, what good is that?”  THAT faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
• “Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith BY my works.  Faith, apart from works, is dead.”
• (James gives the example of Abraham, who believed God and that faith was counted to him as righteousness.  But this same Abraham was also justified by his works, when he obeyed God and offered up his son Isaac on the altar.)

(Wouldn’t you have loved to see James and Paul sparring on this subject, both being in the right?

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James 3.

Taming the Tongue

• “Not many of you should become teachers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (Teachers use their “tongues” often and must be very careful.)
• “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.”
• “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”
• “No human being can control the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  These things ought not to be so!

Wisdom from Above

• “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”
• “But the wisdom from above is first pure, the peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
• “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

And from James 1:5-7

• “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.  THAT person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.”

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James 4.

Warning about Worldliness

• “What causes quarrels and fights among you?  Is it not your passions that war within you?”
• “You desire and do not have, so you murder.”
• “You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”
• “You do not have, because you do not ask.”
• “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.”
• “Adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”
• “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
• “Submit yourselves therefore tooo God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
• “Be wretched and mourn and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord ….. and He will exalt you.”

Boasting about tomorrow

• “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit….'”
• “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?  You are a mist that appears and vanishes!”
• Instead, you ought to say, ‘IF the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'”  All such boasting is evil”

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James 5.

Warning to the Rich

• “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.”
• “Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”

Patience in Suffering

• “Be patient, therefore, until the coming of the Lord.”
• “Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
• “Do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is at the door.”
• “As an example of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
• “You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how He is compassionate and merciful.”

The Prayer of Faith

• “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.”
• “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
• “Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church and let they pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
• The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
• “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed (and forgiven).”
• “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  
• (Elijah as an example.)
• “And if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering, will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.”