on the journey

James...the Greeting

JAMES 1:1 (click here to read)

This letter opens with a traditional "greeting" that will tell us the author and the recipients.  James is the author.  He describes himself as a servant, or slave to God and Jesus Christ.  James is declaring who his master is, and from whose authority he is communicating his letter.  Most of the letters in the Bible open with this type of traditional greeting.

James describes his recipients as the "twelve tribes."  This term is referencing the history of the Jewish people.  In the Old Testament the Hebrew people started with a single man, Abraham.  Then Abraham had Isaac, and then Isaac had Jacob.  Jacob had twelve sons, and from these sons there were twelve tribes formed.  So all of the Hebrew/Jewish people were born from these twelve tribes.

James also mentioned that these twelve tribes are in the dispersion, meaning that they are dispersed or scattered.  If you were a Jewish Christian that previously lived in Jerusalem, but now are living somewhere else outside of the Jewish land for safety of your life, you would understand that James is talking specifically to you.  This letter would also address all the Jewish Christians who are living outside of the Jewish land and are considered in many ways away from home living in the world. 

So the words that follow in the book of James are address to the Jewish Christians who are not living in the Jewish land but are called to live out their faith in front of the world around them!

How does it apply to us?  Many of us may not be Jewish, but James addresses the practical living of the Christian Faith in a powerful way.  If you are a follower of Christ, the book of James encourages and challenges you to live out your faith to the world around. 

We are Christian because of how we live, not because of what we say we believe.  Our grandparents, parents, and family may be Christians, but that does not mean we are Christian.  We may have grown up in church our entire life, but it is only when we put our personal trust in Jesus Christ and live out a life that demonstrates that trust (faith) will we be Christian.  It's a personal decision. 

When we make that personal decision then we exemplify Christian behavior wherever we go.  Whether at work, or at home, among our friends and neighbors, the Christian life is meant to be a light to the world so that others would come to understand God in their lives. 

It's all about God, no matter where you go!

James...the Audience and Occasion

Since we know the author is James, the brother of Jesus, and overseer of the Christian Church in Jerusalem, we can now understand the audience.

First, a quick time line...
Jesus was born on earth, lived and ministered, was arrested and beaten, crucified and died, buried in the tomb, rose to life on the third day, appeared to more than 500 people, ascended and went up to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, where he lives in the flesh now and will return one day to take his people to the new earth and heaven...Just after Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit came upon the Disciples and they began to preach the message of Jesus to others.  When the disciples started to preach the message of Jesus, the gospel, many people were saved and became followers of Christ.  This was centrally located in Jerusalem at the time.  In the book of Acts you can read a history of how the Christian church began.

But then the Jewish people did not like this new idea of following Christ, and the Jewish people began to persecute the Christians.  Many Christians were put to death or thrown in prison for the faith in Jesus.  The persecution sent Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem to scatter and relocate to areas that were safer.  They were literally running for the lives and the lives of their families. 

Now, remember James is the overseer of the Christian Church in Jerusalem.  He's the Pastor...and now all of his people are running for their lives!  Put yourself in his shoes...Can you imagine what he must have thought?! 

As many of his people scattered, he wanted to write to them to encourage and challenge them.  This is exactly what the book of James is.  It is a book of the Bible that is really a letter.  Just like you and I would write a letter to group of people, James is writing a letter to the Jewish Christians who have scattered abroad from Jerusalem and are now living in new places.  They are still living in persecution and facing difficulties for believing in Jesus Christ, and James has a passion to communicate the life changing message of Jesus to them.

You could consider this book a primitive form of Pastors blogging!

Now,...on to the book. 

James...the Author

When you read the Bible, you must realize that each book was written by a human author (inspired by God) to a specific group of people, during a specific time, addressing specific topics.  So the story of each book becomes alive and interesting when we place it within its context.

The Book of James was written by...well, James.  That's a good guess this time, but not all books that are titled with a name are written by that person.  For instance, the book of Titus, was not written by Titus, but rather was written to Titus by Paul.  The book of James was written by James...but which James of the Bible?

There are four James mentioned in the Bible.  Among the four, there are two that are obscure and that we know little about.  It is very unlikely that either of these two would have written James.  Then there are two that are more prominent.

The following is a description of the more prominent James of the Bible:

1. James, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus; the son of Zebedee; one of the three closest disciples to Jesus--Peter James, and John; was put to death by Herod (A Jewish Ruler in Palestine during time of the New Testament).
2. James, the brother of Jesus--(Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit.  Then after Jesus' birth, Joseph and Mary conceived children of their own who were Jesus' half brothers and sisters.) James the brother of Jesus turned out to be the overseer of the Christian Church in Jerusalem. 

So which of these two James wrote the book?  It was James the brother of Jesus.  Since James the disciple was put to death very early, it is unlikely that he could have written the book of James.  James the brother of Jesus and overseer of the Christian church in Jerusalem is the author of this book.

Now...on to the audience.   

James...an Introduction

Since our church, The Commons, will be starting a study of the Book of James I wanted to share some thoughts on it as we go along.  Feel free to read along, comment, or even email me personal questions that you have from your reflections on the passages.

The Book of James is a great book to read if you are just starting to read the Bible.  For many the Bible can be difficult to understand, but James is one of the easier books to read.  James contains many practical topics for the Christian Faith in a straight-forward way that demands his readers to respond in obedience. 

As you read and reflect on James with me, I hope that we will allow its message to take root in our lives and be "doers" of what we read, and not just "hearers." 

Let me introduce myself...

My name is Tim Corbin and I am Lead Pastor of The Commons which is a new church community in Arlington, Washington.  I am married to Amy Corbin and have three daughters: Rylie, Madison, and Taitlyn. 

I love my life!  I spend as much time with my family as possible and I love what I do.  My heart is to communicate God to those who are searching for the answers of life.  I am simply a real person who has encountered a real God and want to help others experience the same. 

Being a native of Texas, I consider it a great privilege to live in the Northwest and share life with an incredible culture of people. 

This Blog is created to share thoughts of God and the truth that will make us complete.  Read, comment, ask questions!  Dialog can be a beautiful thing!