James 1:19-27
Who was James?
- James (son of Zebedee)
- James (son of Alpheus)
- James (brother of Jesus)
Why do we think this?
James (son of Zebedee) was martyred before the writing of the book of James. Not much is known about James (son of Alpheus), however, the intro address of the Book of James is written as someone who would be very prominent / familiar in the church. The only James that fits this bill is James the brother of Jesus.
But who WAS James?
- Half-brother of Jesus
- A Christian Jew
- “Thomas-level” doubter pre-resurrection (John 7:2-5)
- Close to Peter (Acts 12:17)
- Possibly commissioned by Jesus himself (1 Cor 15:7)
- Understood by Paul to be an apostle (Gal 1:19)
- Pillar of the Church (Gal 2:9, Acts 15:13-22)
What’s happening? Who is James writing to?
- The church is growing in and around Jerusalem, but…
- Saul had been “ravaging” it (Acts 8:1) (AD 30 - 32)
- Many Christians fled the city & scattered
- Saul → Paul Conversion (AD 32); Paul goes to Damascus
- Paul visits Jerusalem to meet Apostles (~ AD 35); only meets 2
- He stays with Peter, and meets James (Gal 1:18-19)
- James was a Christian Jew, writing to Christian Jews (James 1:1, “12 tribes”)
- Writing to former Jews who knew the law, likely grew up with it
Controversy
James (Jesus’ brother) can’t be the author
- James was martyred in AD 62
- Brittanica says that’s too early for the book to have been written
- Most modern biblical scholars think that’s nonsense:
- Probably written in the mid-40’s
- Leaders were teachers & elders, not bishops and deacons (3:1, 5:14)
- Christians were still meeting in synagogues (2:2)
- Events & truths in later books are not mentioned
- The Great Circumcision debate had not yet happened, apparently
- Probably written in the mid-40’s
Late canonicity
- What is canon?
- Apostolicity - Written by an apostle or close companion
- Antiquity - Written in the 1st century
- Orthodoxy - Agrees with the doctrine of Jesus Christ
- Universality - Valued by all Christians around the world
- Established as cannon in 367
- Why so late?
- Tradition says Jerusalem Christians fled to Pella before Romans destroyed the city in AD 70
- His community & constituency were in a disarray that continued through the second Jewish war (AD 135), which would make it more difficult to transmit the letter
Luther - “an epistle of straw”
- Luther did believe the book was troublesome, but…
- He didn’t sufficiently recognize it’s apostolicity based in Scripture
- He regularly touted the value of the book as canon (this is often ignored)
- His main problems were:
- It wasn’t apostolic enough in content
- He saw a “faith v.s. works” problem
- He was well-known for using drama / hyperbole
- For Luther:
- Gospel = Faith
- Law = Repentance
- Most modern historians believe it was James (brother of Jesus)
- Early apostles (and Jesus) clearly teach repentance as part of a gospel-centered lifestyle (Acts 14:15)
- James is very “occasional”
- He’s preaching to Christian Jews who know the law
- They have already professed their faith
- James wants to see it faith made genuine through sanctification, he’s pushing them toward action IN their EXISTING faith, not sharing the good news of salvation
In verse 21, when James talks about getting rid of “filthiness and rampant wickedness,” we think we know what he means. There is plenty of filth in our world too. We generally think of lust and various sins associated with it. But look at the context. James has just been talking about anger and the sins of speech, and he goes on to say that the alternative to filth is to “receive with meekness” the word. So maybe this “filth” also involves pride and controlling our tongue.
Remember that James was writing to an audience of mostly Jewish believers scattered around the world. They would have likely had a strong moral upbringing in the Jewish faith. They would already be rejecting the lustful filth of their Gentile neighbors, you would think. But maybe James is challenging them to get rid of sins of anger and pride as well. It’s always easy for us to rail against the kind of sin that other people commit. It’s harder to confront our own.
If you want to dig even deeper, consider this. The Greek word for “filth” (rhyparia) is found only here in the New Testament, but a related word (rhyparos) occurs in James 2:2 and in the Greek translation of Zechariah 3:3–4. Those references involve filthy or shabby clothing. In Zechariah, it’s a strong picture of salvation—God cleansing the high priest. This leads some experts to suggest that James is following a baptismal liturgy—removal of “shabby” garments, then cleansing, then listening to the Word.
No verse yet... What do you think it means to be a “doer” of the Word, versus just a hearer? How are we “deceiving ourselves” by just being hearers? No verse yet... What the heck does this all mean? What’s the point of looking in a mirror? What do we use them for? Let’s say you looked in the mirror and noticed something bad, like you missed a spot shaving or misapplied your makeup. Then, instead of fixing it, you just walked away and forgot about it. What would be the point of the mirror? In James’s example, what do you think the mirror represents? What do you think James is trying to tell us about God’s law? In verse 25, what does James call God’s law? In what way is the law “a law of liberty”? Wouldn’t you think it does the opposite? No verse yet... Verses 26–27 focus on “religion.” How would you define “religion”? Do you think of religion as a good thing or not? Do you think your neighbors think of religion as a good thing?A lot of people these days consider themselves “spiritual but not religious.” To them, religion seems narrow, restrictive, maybe even hateful toward people outside the religion.
For the last several decades, many Christians have emphasized that their faith is about “a relationship not a religion.” That is, it’s not about following rules or rituals, but a connection with God through Jesus.
The Greek word James uses here for “religion” is rather rare in the New Testament. The other two uses of the word refer to the strict practices of the Pharisees (Acts 26:5) and the cult-like worship of angels (Colossians 2:18). Apart from James (possibly), the New Testament doesn’t tell people to be more “religious.”
With that in mind, do you think James is using the term “religion” in a positive way? Why or why not? In verses 26–27, how does James define “religion”? There are three specific actions he includes in his definition. What are they? Why do you think he mentions these three? Aren’t there other good deeds he could name?Action Ideas
James is writing to religious people. Maybe you consider yourself religious, too. But James keeps pushing us to move on. Do we listen more than we speak? Do we keep our anger in check? Are we careful about what we say? Do we put into practice what we hear in God’s Word? Do we let God’s implanted Word grow within us?
- Pray: Anger
- Even if you’re not hot tempered, do you “stuff” and create bitterness?
- Pray: Soul Pollution
- Ask God to show you ways you may be getting “polluted” by the world. (Tip: You don’t need to look too far past your phone & social media)
- Act: “quick to hear, slow to speak”
- Think of someone with whom you should do more listening (kids, spouse, parent)
- Think of questions to ask in your next conversation
- Focus on them, not your own thoughts and responses
- Act: Guarding the Tongue
- Am I too sharp or critical with my kids?
- Do I bicker with or pick at my spouse?
- Am I gossiping?
- Act: Care for the suffering & needy
- Ask your pastors about opportunities to help:
- Widows
- Orphans
- Homeless
- Hospitalized
- Retirees
- Special-needs children and adults
- Unemployed
- Immigrants
- Prisoners
- Etc.
- What tugs at your heart? What action is God (and James) calling you to?
- Ask your pastors about opportunities to help: