James 1:1-8

Introduction

Hello and welcome to the first of our video studies together. I thought for the time being we might gather together this way and study the book of James. James is one of my favorite books of the New Testament. It’s very practical in the things that it has to say about our faith and the application and the living out of our faith. And so I hope you can join us as we go through. We’re going to do a verse by verse study of the book of James. So if you’re aware you can, sit down, get comfortable, get out your New Testament, and go with us to James chapter one. We start with the introduction in James, and then the first question comes really with the first word, and that is who is James.

1. Who Is James

There’s probably three possibilities, three realistic possibilities of James that we read about in the New Testament.

You remember the sons of Zebedee, James and John. They are apostles. They’re in the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples. And so we might be inclined to think that this most well known of the James would be the author of the book of James. But when we consider that he was killed by Herod in about 42 to 44 A.D., that might eliminate him from being the author of this book. There’s another apostle by the name of James, James the son of Alpheus, sometimes called James the Less or James the Just. He may have been the author of the book. But when we consider this, that both Peter and Paul, when they address their epistles, address themselves as apostles. This James in the book of James only addresses himself as, as you can see, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, just because Peter and Paul address themselves as apostles in their letters doesn’t mean that James had to, but it’s something to consider.

We read about him in places such as Matthew chapter 13 and verse 55 or Mark chapter 6 and in verse 3, he was the physical brother of Jesus, our Lord. We remember that he wasn’t a believer at first, but appears among the believers after the resurrection that we read about in the book of Acts, chapter 1. He would have been a Jesus half-brother, of course.

James, the physical brother of our Lord, is the author of this epistle that bears his name.

2. Who Are the Twelve Tribes Scattered Abroad

But before we leave verse 1, we have the second question, and that is who are the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad. A good Bible student, particularly a good student of the Old Testament, is familiar with that term, the twelve tribes. In the Old Testament, of course, it refers to the twelve tribes of Israel, the descendants of Jacob or Abraham through Jacob, who settled in the land of Canaan. And so we have two possibilities here in our text. We know that, as we read through the book of James, that this epistle was written to Christians. For instance, we see in chapter 2 and in verse 1, where he says, My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

So we know that he’s not just talking to Israelites, just to Jews, because he references the faith that we hold in our Lord Jesus Christ. So that presents us with two possibilities. Number one, that this letter is written to Hebrew Christians. The phrase twelve tribes would refer to not to all Israelites who were scattered abroad, but to Jewish Christians who had been scattered because of the persecution that they were facing. Second possibility is it is referring to Christians scattered throughout the world, whether Jew or Gentile. We read in places such as Romans chapter 2, verses 28 and 29, that the true Jew, the true Israelite today, is the Christians. The book of Romans throughout, whereas as well as the book of Galatians tell us that Abraham’s descendants are not just his physical lineage, but those who are his spiritual lineage through faith.

And so it could be just a phrase referring to spiritual Israel today. In other words, to Christians who were scattered abroad. And again, they were scattered abroad because of the persecution that was facing Christians. We read of the beginning of this in Acts chapter 8 and verse 4, where those Christians who had earlier only been assembled in Jerusalem were now scattered because of the persecution that the early church faced. And so our epistle begins, James, a sermon of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are scattered abroad, greeting.

3. Count It All Joy in Various Trials

Because he says in the beginning, my brethren. That’s an expression that we’ll see at least 15 times in the epistle. My brethren, referring to them not only again as his Jewish brethren, but as his Christian brethren, and doing so in the use of this affectionate term, my brethren. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And so let’s look at that. He says that they are facing various trials. We know from the reading of the New Testament about the trials that first century Christians faced. Particularly we think about the physical persecution, the imprisonments, the beatings, the stonings, and even the execution of those who had faith in Jesus Christ. But he uses the phrase here, various trials.

We need to understand that those first century Christians, as well as Christians all over the world today face different types of trials. It may be physical persecution or at least the threat of physical persecution. It may be economic persecution. But it may be simply another form of persecution. It may be the idea of being mocked and ridiculed and degraded and isolated because of your faith. But James says that whatever the trial you’re facing, whatever the various trial, that we’re to count it all joy when we fall into these various trials.

We think of them evoking the response of sorrow rather than joy. But the New Testament is consistent on this theme. The theme that Christians will face persecution or trials, and that we’re to be joyous in the face of those. Peter said a similar thing in 1 Peter chapter 4, beginning in verse 12, where Peter says, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. And so Peter again says to rejoice in the face of trials, and he gives us two reasons for rejoicing. Number one is that we are partaking in the sufferings of Christ, that when I suffer, I’m suffering just as my Lord suffered.

And then secondly, that when his glory is revealed, I may be glad with exceeding joy. I’m to never forget that these trials, as difficult as they may be, are leading me to a destination. But in the meantime, James in our text tells us that not only are they leading us to eternal joy, but they’re providing something for our faith. So we count it all joy, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. The testing of our faith. Testing not just in the sense to see whether it’s real or not, but testing in the sense of strengthening our faith. We may view it as unfortunate, but the only way our faith is truly made stronger is through adversity. And really the only way we know whether our faith is real and will stand the test of time is through adversity.

And so, yes, I count it joy when I face the various trials of life because I know that this is testing my faith, and that it’s making me a better Christian and a better child of God, and that it’s producing patience. The word patience here just means endurance under trials. The only way I can get better at enduring trials is by enduring trials. And so I know that these trials are making me stronger, are making me better. And so I endure them and I endure them with joy. He continues in verse 4, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. And so this endurance under trials is to perfect me, it’s to mature me and make me stronger and give me those things that may be lacking in my faith and lacking in my Christian life.

And so I endure.

4. If Any of You Lacks Wisdom, Ask of God

And so hopefully I’m lacking nothing. But if I do lack something, here’s the solution. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James is going to have more to say later in this chapter about God, the giver. But here he says, God will give us wisdom. If we lack wisdom, maybe here specifically, he’s talking about the wisdom to discern the benefit of trials, to understand through wisdom that patience only comes through trials. And if we lack this wisdom, he says, ask of God. Pray to God. Ask him to give you this wisdom and this understanding to see the value of trials and to see the importance of enduring those trials.

5. Ask in Faith With No Doubting

Because we have a God. We serve a God who gives to all liberally. God is generous. God will answer our prayers. Jesus Himself said, Ask and it’ll be given to you. Seek and you will find, knock, and it’ll be open to you. Know that we serve a liberal, a generous God who gives without reproach, and it’ll be given to us. But there’s some conditions to this asking. He says, if we’re to ask, asking through prayer, that we’re to ask in faith. With no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. So if I’m to ask of God, I need to ask in faith. And he helps to define that faith when he says, with no doubting.

Here’s the challenge in our prayers, isn’t it? It’s relatively easy to bow our heads and to address our Father and to ask him for things. To ask him for wisdom in enduring trials. But it’s a whole nother thing to be able to bow our head to ask our Father in this type of faith with no doubting. We do not doubt that God can answer prayers. We do not doubt the power of our God, the generosity and the liberality of our God. And he speaks of one who lacks this maturity or lacks this wisdom in asking. For he says that if we’re doubting, we’re like the wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. When we face trials, when we face the uncertainties of life, there’s something to be said for a stable mind.

A mind who trusts in God, that we know that regardless of what we may face on a day-to-day basis, we know who holds tomorrow. We understand that God is in ultimate control of our lives and of our destiny. And so no matter what might be happening around about us, we have, as the Hebrew writer says, we have an anchor, sure and steadfast, and we’re not being tossed to and fro by the changes of life and the struggles and the trials of life. But we’re secure. We’re stable, and we’re steady. That takes wisdom, that takes patience, which takes trials. But if we’re this doubting person, he says, let not that man suppose that he’ll receive anything from the Lord. One requisite of receiving the answer to our prayers is faith, a trust in God that He will supply.

This doubting man, he says, is double-minded and unstable in all his ways. So it’s not just in prayer, not just in the asking of wisdom that we’re unstable. If we’re a double-minded, if we’re a doubtful person, then we’re unstable in every way of life. There’s a warning. If I don’t trust in God through my prayers, then my faith is going to be weak. My struggles, my ability to withstand against the struggles, are going to be weak because I’m unstable in my Christian life. So how do I become stable? How do I become single minded? How do I become steady and steadfast? Well, James tells us two ways. One is it’s through faith, and it’s through patient endurance of trials. So, what trials are you facing today?

Conclusion

What trials are coming upon you that will make you stronger, that require wisdom and faith. And are you taking these to God, asking, asking the one who gives liberally and without reproach to grant you the wisdom and the understanding to be able to endure these trials and to gain the patience that can be had in enduring these trials steadfastly? Thank you for joining us today. We’ll pick up at verse 9 in our next study.