The Book of James - Week 1

“James is an agent of awakening. His life and words operate like a reverse snooze bar. As we start to drift into sleep he is a wake up call.”
— J.D. Walt

The older I get, the more I appreciate friends who tell it to me straight. You know, those people who are lovingly and brutally honest about the state of things in my life. These people can look me in the eye and show me where I might not see a situation correctly or where I'm be judging someone too harshly. Do you have those kinds of people in your life? I hope so. 

The book of James is a bit like those people. One author I read this week said that "James is an agent of awakening. His life and words operate like a reverse snooze bar. As we start to drift into sleep he is a wake up call."

What a great way to capture the character of this important and powerful book. James offers the wisdom of a life significantly changed by Jesus and calls each of us to account. He asks, "Has Jesus changed you? Then your life better reflect that on every level." James doesn't pull any punches.

J.D. Walt writes, "After scarcely saying hello, he [James] offers this: 'Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.' (James 1:2); how about this one? 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.' (James 1:22); and he caps off the first chapter with this: 'Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.' (James 1:27); finally, in chapter two he cuts to the core letting us know in no uncertain terms that: 'faith without works is dead.' He settled for nothing less than the genuine article." 

Walt continues writing, "While much of the New Testament concerns itself with the general spread of the Gospel, James offers us something of an advanced course in discipleship—the real Christianity, where the proverbial rubber meets the road of faith. He will not pander to the "easy believism" of our time. Rather than coddle us in our catastrophes, James will challenge our loyalty to Jesus to the very core of our being right in the middle of them."

James is concerned with real change in the life of a believer and how that believer reflects the image of God. Part of James' concern comes from the fact that he is writing to a group of primarily Jewish Christians who are facing significant persecution. The hard reality is that people facing real difficulty won't make it unless their faith is genuine, tested, and lived out.

I think this book is timely for our current reality. The past few years have been difficult, and the cultural struggle continues and likely will for some time to come. James' voice rings loud and clear in the difficulty of our age. "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing" (James 1:1-4).

A bit later in chapter one, James writes: "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." (James 1:19-22). It's incredible how relevant scripture can be for our daily life and work.

Here is my encouragement. Read James a lot over the next three weeks. That's how long this short series is going to be. Then we come to Advent and Christmas, but before we get to the holiday season, let James's words give you wisdom and bring the changing conviction of the Holy Spirit as we reflect and let this book challenge us to reflect the image of God more truly.