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"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting" (James 1:1).



The epistle of James is a practical guide on Christian ethics. Although James is addressing his countrymen, there are many timeless principles found in this forgotten pearl of the New Testament. Every book of the Bible is a tributary of truth that flows into the canon of Holy Scripture, but we must always inquire, truth for whom? We need not look far to understand that James is writing to the twelve tribes of Israel, which immediately signals us that this epistle must be interpreted in light of Paul's gospel.



James is grouped with what is commonly called the General Epistles by commentators. We believe, however, that this is somewhat misleading because it implies that these epistles were written to both Jews and Gentiles. But the letterhead clearly states "to the twelve tribes" scattered throughout the nations. Therefore, a more appropriate title for these books that appear at the end of our Bible is The Hebrew Epistles. These writings, which are numbered with the Prophetic Scriptures, have a twofold purpose. They were practical exhortations for the kingdom saints during the first century, but more importantly, they are instructions and warnings for the future kingdom saints who will be called upon to endure the coming Tribulation.



The links between the epistle of James and the earthly ministry of Christ are undeniable. There are at least fifteen references in the epistle of James to the Sermon on the Mount, commonly referred to as the charter of the kingdom. We will touch on this in more detail later in the series, but here's one example:



Messiah: "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matt. 5:34-37).



James 5:12  "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation."


The thought is this, if a man has to take an oath, then his trustworthiness is called into question. In our day, a bailiff has a witness repeat after him: "Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" Essentially, the court is conveying its distrust that the witness may be inclined not to tell the truth. The oath, coupled with the fear of the consequences of perjury, is a strong incentive to be truthful, but certainly no guarantee. Seeing that a kingdom saint was held to a higher standard, there was no need to place himself under an oath. Ideally, a believer would never lie in the presence of a holy and righteous God; therefore, he only had to answer truthfully - yes or no!



THE BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES



We believe the human author of this epistle was James, the Lord's brother (half brother). It is important to understand that after the birth of Christ, Mary and Joseph began a normal marriage relationship and had other children. While Catholicism denies this, the biblical record is clear. The very fact the Scriptures state that Mary "brought forth her firstborn son," (the first son to whom she had given birth) confirms she had other children (Luke 2:7).



"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house" (Mark 6:3,4).
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When the Lord returned to Nazareth to minister the gospel of the kingdom, those who had gathered at the synagogue were amazed that He who spoke with such wisdom was one of their own. Rather than receive the good news He was offering, they were offended, along with His family.



The most difficult ones to reach for Christ are often our own family members. In essence the Lord said regarding this, those who share the gospel should understand they will never have any respect in their town or among their friends and family. As the old saying goes, "Familiarity breeds contempt!"



It's tough enough being the second born, especially when everyone forgets your name, but when you have a brother who is perfect it must have tested the character of James. The experience may well have been used of the Lord to prepare him for a higher calling. In spite of the fact the Lord's brothers and sisters unknowingly lived in the presence of perfection for thirty years, they all rejected Him as the Messiah (John 7:5).



It was not until after Christ's resurrection that some of His siblings responded to Him in faith. After the Lord had appeared to the five hundred brethren in Galilee, Paul says, "He was seen of James" (I Cor. 15:7). This provides us with some of the most compelling evidence of Christ's resurrection, simply because the unbelief of James vanished like a vapor when his brother appeared to him during His post-resurrection ministry. When the "little flock" gathered in the upper room to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, we are told "Mary the mother of Jesus, and...His brethren [brothers]" were present (Acts 1:14,15). In addition to James being in attendance that day, apparently, Jude, the younger brother of the Lord was there as well. He had also received Him as Savior and Lord after the resurrection. Some years later he writes in the book that bears his name:



"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:1).



With the diminishing of Israel after the stoning of Stephen, James came to hold a very prominent position in the kingdom church headquartered at Jerusalem. According to the biblical record, when Paul returned to Jerusalem three years after his conversion he met with Peter, undoubtedly to share with him how the Lord had commissioned him (Paul) to go to the Gentiles. Then he adds, "But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19).



After James, the son of Zebedee, was killed by Herod, Peter was placed in prison and would have suffered the same fate except for the intervention of God, who sent His angels to deliver him. When Peter entered into the house where the brethren were praying for him, he instructed them to "go show these things unto James (the Lord's brother)" (Acts 12:1-17). This gives us some indication as to the prominence of James among the kingdom saints at Jerusalem. He was a minister of the circumcision who meticulously observed the perfect law of liberty, which is something we do well to keep in mind as we study this epistle.



Seeing that James makes no mention of the Gentiles or Paul's ministry among the Gentiles having come to the forefront, we can safely assume that he wrote his epistle very early. It was probably written around 42 A.D., the same year Peter was supernaturally released from prison in Acts 12. Shortly thereafter, however, certain men from Judaea came to Antioch and began to teach the Gentiles, who were new converts to Christ, that unless they submitted to circumcision after the manner of Moses they could not be saved (Acts 15:1). Clearly, whenever the Lord is blessing you can be sure the enemy will attempt to cause confusion. But this is usually an indication that you're doing something right, otherwise he wouldn't be troubling you.
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The Jerusalem Council convened to determine whether or not the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved according to the law. We are to understand, however, that the extent of discussion was far more reaching; it also encompassed the relationship of Gentiles to the Law of Moses in general (Acts 15:5). It was during these proceedings that James, who was one of the "pillars" of the kingdom church, acknowledged Paul's apostleship to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:9). Interestingly it was James, speaking on behalf of the leaders of the circumcision, who states:



"Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God. But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood" (Acts 15:19,20).



James acknowledged that the Gentiles were exempt from keeping the Law of Moses. They were, however, to abstain from things that would be offensive to the Jewish way of life. It is noteworthy that James recognized there was one order for the Jews and another order for the Gentiles, who were members of the Body of Christ (See also Acts 21:24,25). This, too, is essential to remember as we study the epistle of James. During the transitional period in Acts both programs of God were in operation simultaneously.



THE READERS



The salutation of James is written in such a sweeping generality that it seems to assume the writer was so well known to his readers there would be little question who was writing to them. If we compare the address of James at the Jerusalem Council with his epistle there are numerous similarities in style and phraseology, which serves as further evidence of his authorship.



James introduces himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." The term "servant" here is the Greek word doulos, which is defined as a slave or bondman - a slave who was lower than the low! Rather than flaunt his relationship as the brother of our Lord, James chose to merely identify himself as a servant. He was an austere man, yet very modest! After his conversion to Christ, James devoted the remainder of his life to the Master, imparting to his hearers the spiritual interpretation of the law found in the Sermon on the Mount.



James directs his address to "the twelve tribes which are scattered [Gr. Diaspora] abroad." These are the brethren who were dispersed among the nations as a result of the persecution that arose after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1). Having remained in Jerusalem during this time, James understood the hardship and sufferings these saints were encountering for the cause of Christ. He was in a perfect position to encourage these brethren and address some of the serious problems that had arisen in the kingdom church in those days. He was the man of the hour who wasn't afraid to speak his mind, as his epistle clearly reflects.



When James addresses his countrymen as the "twelve tribes" it is a subtle reference to the unity of the tribes within the chosen nation. Under King Rehoboam the kingdom of Israel was divided into two parts due to the hardness of his heart. The ten northern tribes eventually were given over to idol worship and carried away in judgment into the Assyrian Captivity. Some years later the two southern tribes of Judaea and Benjamin rebelled against God and were carried off into the Babylonian Captivity, like their kinsman before them. The ten northern tribes were called the "house of Israel" while the two southern tribes came to be known as the "house of Judah" (Jer. 31:31). Israel was scattered throughout the world as a result of these two captivities and never fully recovered from them.
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Since a house divided cannot stand, God promised to restore the kingdom to Israel. This is beautifully portrayed for us in the imagery of the Levitical feast.



Fifty days after the feast of firstfruits, which pictured our Lord's resurrection, Israel celebrated the feast of Pentecost. Pentecost means 50th! On this day, the priest was to take two wave loaves of bread, along with the blood of the sin offering and peace offering, and wave them before the Lord. The two wave loaves represented the "two houses" of Israel being brought together before the Lord. Through the blood of His Cross God will make peace between the two and Himself, which will ultimately be realized in the coming kingdom.



With the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts Chapter 2, a large contingent from each of the ten northern tribes and the two southern tribes had gathered in Jerusalem to observe the feast of Pentecost. Peter, who was under the control of the Holy Spirit, stood up among them and declared:



"Ye men of Israel [ten northern tribes], hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" (Acts 2:22).



"Ye men of Judaea [two southern tribes], and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words" (Acts 2:14).



Peter effectively brings the two houses of Israel together before the Lord to call them to repentance. He then speaks to them as one nation: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). As the multitude came under deep conviction of their evil deed, thousands repented and responded to the Messiah in faith. This marked the beginning of the unification of the chosen nation, which today has been temporarily suspended due to the intervening administration of Grace.



So when James, writing well after the day of Pentecost, states "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting," he is acknowledging the unity of the twelve tribes. They were once again marching under the same banner. It is important to bear in mind though that James is specifically addressing the believing remnant within the tribes often referred to as the kingdom saints.



James now turns to the practical side to instruct his readers on how to live in hostile territory to the glory of God.