Matthew

James

LeRoy Eims

Three disciples were named James. Two were apostles: James the brother of the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee and the first apostle to suffer martyrdom; and James the son of Alphaeus. The third James was the writer of this epistle, the brother of our Lord. Prior to the resurrection, the brother of Jesus did not believe in Him as the Messiah. When Jesus rose from the dead he was convinced. This brother of our Lord, who is called James the Just, was a godly man.

Following the death of James the brother of John, he became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. According to historians, he was martyred in that city. The high priest commanded James to proclaim from one of the galleries of the temple that Jesus was not the Messiah. There were large numbers of people who were becoming followers of Christ and the high priest wanted to put a stop to it.

Instead, James cried out that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, and the judge of the world. His enemies became so enraged that they hurled him to the ground, then stoned him until a compassionate soul stepped up and ended his sufferings with a blow to the head. As he died he was praying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." After the destruction of Jerusalem many Jews concluded that it was a judgment of God upon them for the murder of this holy and just man.

One of the errors, dealt with by James was that of an interest in the mere intellectual perception of truth and not the practical application of that truth to life and conduct. Faith may be properly defined, but not vitally applied in our daily walk and experience. Not until it comes to expression in good works is it a living faith, but as James declares is dead and lifeless. This principle may be traced to other portions of the New Testament.

Paul declared it plainly: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8‑10) He told Titus: "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." (Titus 3:8)

James emphasizes this in his epistle. He is neither dealing with the doctrine of justification or the grounds for justification. Faith is dead and useless unless it expresses itself in a true life and true Christian service.

Works then become the means by which I demonstrate the fact that I have faith. Good works are the result of true faith. The epistle is sort of an interpretation of the Old Testament law and the Sermon on the Mount, put in light of the gospel of Christ.

James talks about a number of ways in which true faith is exhibited by the things it does and does not do. He talks about the tongue as a member of our body that can do tremendous good or great harm. He reminds us that the passions that stir in our spirits can lead to disaster.

He charges us to live in the will of God (James 4:15). He reminds us that riches can corrupt us (James 5:5).

These and many other practical admonitions burst from the pages of this book. James speaks with the authority of one who really knows the Word of God. There are scores of references in this short book both to the Old Testament and to the words of Jesus.

Study James to learn the outworking of faith.