Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: This commentary is the first in a series that will be based on the wisdom literature of the New Testament, the book of James. This book is so intense, practical, and concise that it is difficult to read even a chapter without getting hit between the eyes. Compromise and complacency were foreign to this apostle who combined the forcefulness of Amos with the wisdom of Proverbs. As we will see, the book of James is as relevant to our own trials, temptations, and personal needs as it was to its readers in the first century. This epistle was evidently written by James, one of the Lord’s half brothers (Matt. 13:55; Gal 1:19), who had become one of the “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21; 21:18; Gal. 2:9). It may be the earliest of the New Testament books, apparently penned before or during Paul’s first missionary journey at a time when the church was almost entirely made up of Jewish believers. James addresses his letter “to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad” and shows a profound concern for these believers who were beset with problems that were testing their faith in Christ. James the Just James the Just 16th century Russian icon James wastes no time in getting to the heart of the matter and immediately challenges his readers to examine the quality of their faith. A true faith, he says, is a faith that will manifest itself in the believer’s attitudes and actions. If it is alive, faith in Jesus will qualitatively change a person’s conduct and character. Examine yourselves, James says. If there has been no change as a result of placing your life in Christ’s hands, you would be well advised to consider whether you have really come to know Him (Jas. 2:14-26; cf. Matt. 7:13-27). Professing faith is one thing — possessing faith is another. Don’t misunderstand what James is saying: he is in agreement with Paul on the critical truth that salvation is by grace through faith. This is the glory and uniqueness of biblical Christianity. In the final analysis, every other religion teaches some form of salvation by works. The New Testament consistently teaches that salvation is a gift which must be received; we could never hope to earn it. The original readers of this epistle were Hebrew Christians, many of whom had been scattered because of persecution at the hands of their countrymen for their faith in the Lord Jesus (cf. Acts 8:1-2). They were beset by affliction and adversity, and James counsels them concerning the perspective they would need to maintain during these times. Part of this perspective is the realization that tests are a normative experience for a believer in Christ. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” James is not advocating a form of spiritual masochism — trials and tests come in all shapes and forms (“various”), and none of them are fun. But if we recognize the divine purpose behind them, we can “consider it all joy” not because of what they are, but because of what they produce. These tests of faith are designed to produce the quality of endurance, that is, the ability to hold up rather than fold up in times of adversity. God tests us in practice, not on paper; without a context of problems, there is no progress. Christian character is forged and refined in the furnace of affliction. God uses this process to reveal impurities in our lives by bringing them to the surface so that we can deal with them. As we respond by trusting God in spite of circumstances (the essence of faith), we continue to mature into greater Christlikeness. “And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The Christian life is, in fact, a series of responses to the very personal work of God on our behalf. The better we know Him, the more we can trust Him, and the knowledge of God is the heart of wisdom. Dr. Boa is devoted to a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in England. I highly recommend a visit to his website, KenBoa.org, which is filled with free videos, written commentary, newsletters, etc.