If Peter was a fighter and Paul was a thinker, James was a doer. He was also the brother of Jesus and the leader of the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21). The main focus of his letter was to describe the practical aspects of what it means to be a Christian.
As we have seen, first-century Christians were experiencing persecution. So James’s practical advice was to view these trials not as a reason to complain, but as an opportunity to grow (1:2-4)- He had his finger on an important truth: Often the thing that causes us to grow the most in our walk with Christ is a time of crisis because it forces us more than anything else to depend on God. That doesn’t mean you should go looking for trouble, but when it happens, rejoice! God has given you an opportunity to grow.
James also had some practical things to say about words. His advice sounds like the book of Proverbs—”be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (1:19; see also 1:26; James 3:1-12). What would happen if you spent an entire day trying to listen more than speaking? James also suggested a practical approach to the Word of God: It s good to reflect on it, but its better to act on it (1:22-25).
Perhaps the most famous quote from this letter is “Faith without deeds is dead” (2:26). It would be easy to misunderstand what James meant. Its not that faith is unimportant or that doing good things is what God cares about most. The Bible is very clear that we cant earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). What James is saying is that if your faith is real, it must show up in your actions. If you were unable to speak, would others know you were a follower of Jesus?
Week 19 (Thurs.), Reading 94: Faith and Works -- James 1:1-2:26
Click here for today’s reading: https://www.biblestudytools.com/james
If Peter was a fighter and Paul was a thinker, James was a doer. He was also the brother of Jesus and the leader of the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21). The main focus of his letter was to describe the practical aspects of what it means to be a Christian.
As we have seen, first-century Christians were experiencing persecution. So James’s practical advice was to view these trials not as a reason to complain, but as an opportunity to grow (1:2-4)- He had his finger on an important truth: Often the thing that causes us to grow the most in our walk with Christ is a time of crisis because it forces us more than anything else to depend on God. That doesn’t mean you should go looking for trouble, but when it happens, rejoice! God has given you an opportunity to grow.
James also had some practical things to say about words. His advice sounds like the book of Proverbs—”be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (1:19; see also 1:26; James 3:1-12). What would happen if you spent an entire day trying to listen more than speaking? James also suggested a practical approach to the Word of God: It s good to reflect on it, but its better to act on it (1:22-25).
Perhaps the most famous quote from this letter is “Faith without deeds is dead” (2:26). It would be easy to misunderstand what James meant. Its not that faith is unimportant or that doing good things is what God cares about most. The Bible is very clear that we cant earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). What James is saying is that if your faith is real, it must show up in your actions. If you were unable to speak, would others know you were a follower of Jesus?
-- Whitney T. Kuniholm