Book of James
Summary of the Book of James
This summary of the
book of James provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing,
chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the
Book of James.
The author identifies
himself as James (1:1); he was probably the brother of Jesus and leader of the
Jerusalem council (Ac 15). Four men in the NT have this name. The author of this letter
could not have been the apostle James, who died too early (a.d. 44) to have
written it. The other two men named James had neither the stature nor the
influence that the writer of this letter had.
James was one of
several brothers of Christ, probably the oldest since he heads the list
in Mt 13:55. At first he did not believe in Jesus and even challenged him
and misunderstood his mission (Jn 7:2-5). Later he became very prominent in the
church:
3. Paul, on his first post-conversion visit to
Jerusalem, saw James (Gal 1:19).
7. Jude could identify himself simply as "a
brother of James" (jude 1:1), so well known was James. He was
martyred c. a.d. 62.
Some date the letter
in the early 60s. There are indications, however, that it was written before
a.d. 50:
1. Its distinctively Jewish nature suggests that
it was composed when the church was still predominantly Jewish.
2. It reflects a simple church order -- officers
of the church are called "elders" (5:14) and "teachers" (3:1).
3. No reference is made to the controversy over
Gentile circumcision.
4. The Greek term synagoge ("synagogue"
or "meeting") is used to designate the meeting or meeting place of
the church (2:2).
If this early dating
is correct, this letter is the earliest of all the NT writings -- with the
possible exception of Galatians.
The recipients are
identified explicitly only in 1:1: "the twelve tribes scattered among the
nations." Some hold that this expression refers to Christians in general,
but the term "twelve tribes" would more naturally apply to Jewish
Christians. Furthermore, a Jewish audience would be more in keeping with the
obviously Jewish nature of the letter (e.g., the use of the Hebrew title for
God, kyrios sabaoth, "Lord Almighty," 5:4). That the recipients were Christians is clear from 2:1; 5:7-8. It has been plausibly suggested that these were believers from
the early Jerusalem church who, after Stephen's death, were scattered as far as
Phoenicia, Cyprus and Syrian Antioch (seeAc 8:1; 11:19 and notes). This would account for
James's references to trials and oppression, his intimate knowledge of the
readers and the authoritative nature of the letter. As leader of the Jerusalem
church, James wrote as pastor to instruct and encourage his dispersed people in
the face of their difficulties (see essay, p. 2539).
Characteristics that
make the letter distinctive are: (1) its unmistakably Jewish nature; (2) its
emphasis on vital Christianity, characterized by good deeds and a faith that
works (genuine faith must and will be accompanied by a consistent lifestyle);
(3) its simple organization; (4) its familiarity with Jesus' teachings
preserved in the Sermon on the Mount (compare 2:5 with Mt 5:3; 3:10-12 with Mt 7:15-20; 3:18 withMt 5:9; 5:2-3 with Mt 6:19-20; 5:12 with Mt 5:33-37); (5) its similarity to OT wisdom writings
such as Proverbs (see essay, p. 970); (6) its excellent Greek.
VIII.
Warning against
Worldliness (ch. 4)
.
Quarrelsomeness (4:1-3)
A. Spiritual Unfaithfulness (4:4)
B. Pride (4:5-10)
C. Slander (4:11-12)
D. Boasting (4:13-17)
IX.
Warning to Rich
Oppressors (5:1-6)
X.
Miscellaneous
Exhortations (5:7-20)
.
Concerning Patience in
Suffering (5:7-11)
A. Concerning Oaths (5:12)
B. Concerning the Prayer of Faith (5:13-18)
C. Concerning Those Who Wander from the Truth (5:19-20)
From the NIV Study
Bible, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, James
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
James 4 NLT
1 What is causing the quarrels and
fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within
you?
2 You want what you don’t have, so you
scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t
get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have
what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
3 And even when you ask, you don’t get
it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you
pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize
that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If
you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
5 Do you think the Scriptures have no
meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within
us should be faithful to him.
6 And he gives grace generously. As the
Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come close to God, and God will come
close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your
loyalty is divided between God and the world.
9 Let there be tears for what you have
done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of
laughter, and gloom instead of joy.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up in honor.
11 Don’t speak evil against each other,
dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are
criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to
judge whether it applies to you.
12 God alone, who gave the law, is the
Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have
to judge your neighbor?
13 Look here, you who say, “Today or
tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do
business there and make a profit.”
14 How do you know what your life will
be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while,
then it’s gone.
15 What you ought to say is, “If the
Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
16 Otherwise you are boasting about your
own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
17 Remember, it is sin
to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 5 NLT
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and
groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your
fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded.
The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This
corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of
judgment.
4 For listen! Hear the cries of the
field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who
harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
5 You have spent your years on earth in
luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day
of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and killed
innocent people, who do not resist you.
7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient
as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for
the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable
harvest to ripen.
8 You, too, must be patient. Take
courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Don’t grumble about each other,
brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at
the door!
10 For examples of patience in
suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord.
11We give great honor to those who endure
under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance.
You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of
tenderness and mercy.
12 But most of all, my brothers and
sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a
simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.
13 Are any of you suffering hardships?
You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.
14 Are any of you sick? You should call
for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil
in the name of the Lord.
15Such a prayer offered in faith will heal
the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins,
you will be forgiven.
16 Confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a
righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
17 Elijah was as human as we are, and
yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a
half years!
18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky
sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
19 My dear brothers and sisters, if
someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,
20you can be sure that
whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death
and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
