A Beautiful Punch in the Gut [James Study Week 1, James 1:1]

Faith and Theology

Aug. 10

A Punch in the Gut

I’m starting something new on the blog this week. Typically, I post stand-alone blog posts, stories, or recipes, but sometimes there are topics I want to look at more thoroughly, but they can’t be covered in one post. So, I’m excited to be launching a blog post series on the book of James.

Back in January, I started studying James, and now eight months later I’m still in it. It’s only five chapters long, but it’s such a beautiful, practical book. Tim Mackie called it, “a beautifully crafted punch in the gut.” I think that’s pretty accurate.

In 2020, we may feel like a punch in the gut is the last thing we need. But while James writes hard truths that may be painful to hear at times, he writes words we all need to listen to, understand, and put into practice. He pushes us out of our complacency, helps us put our faith into action, and brings us to our knees before God. We need all of that in 2020—and every year, for that matter.

Laying the Groundwork

As we get started on this series, I want to lay some groundwork.

First, this series isn’t necessarily intended to replace any of your own personal study or Bible reading. Grab your Bible and dig into the pages of Scripture on your own. I am working through these passages alongside you, and I am not the final authority on the text. Read, pray, and study for yourself—don’t just take my word for it. Like the Bereans in Acts 17, we must constantly test what others are saying against the Word of God, “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Reading what others have to say about Scripture can be immensely helpful (and I hope you find that to be true here), but nothing can ever replace reading the living and active Word of God.

Secondly, there is so much in these passages that I’m not going to cover. For the sake of clarity and word count, I’m going to zero in on certain themes and verses. We can (and should!) spend our lives diving into Scripture, but even after a lifetime, we won’t plumb the depths of all that there is to learn. That’s a beautiful thing. God has made himself known to us and has given us resources like the Bible to know him better. But if we think we can comprehend every single thing about him, we’ve then formed him in our image and reduced the infinite to fit into our finite minds. I don’t want to serve a finite god.

Finally, for those of you who are planners and schedulers, here’s the layout of what the next few months will look like. I’ll be posting every Monday, and each post can function as a stand-alone read, but I’d also love for you to join me as we walk through the whole book. If you’re starting with me when this series launches, this study will take us three months, from August 10 through October 26.

Week 1: Laying the Groundwork, James 1:1
Week 2: James 1:2-11
Week 3: James 1:12-18
Week 4: James 1:19-27
Week 5: James 2:1-13
Week 6: James 2:14-26
Week 7: James 3:1-12
Week 8: James 3:13-18
Week 9: James 4:1-12
Week 10: James 4:13-5:6
Week 11: James 5:7-12
Week 12: James 5:13-20, Putting it All Together

So with all that said, let’s dig in!

James 1:1

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.”

Author, Date, and Audience

Okay, James 1:1 might not sound like the most exciting verse to study. But when we’re looking at Scripture, it’s helpful to understand some background first, such as the genre, author (if that is given to us), original audience, and date written (if possible). Sometimes, we don’t know all that information, but whatever we can know is helpful as we interpret and apply the passage to our own lives.

James is a letter most likely written by James, the brother of Jesus, to Jewish Christians. He doesn’t present a systematic theology (the way Paul does in Romans, for example). He’s writing primarily to people who are already followers of Christ, exhorting them to put their faith into action.

Scholars differ on the exact timing of the letter, but if Jesus’ brother James (as opposed to James the son of Zebedee) is the author, it would have been written before he was martyred in A.D. 62. The most convincing argument I’ve read dates the book in the mid- to late-forties, prior to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.[1]

Whether or not the letter was written before or after the Jerusalem Council, looking at Acts 15 alongside the book of James gives us a helpful perspective of the issues going on in the early church—especially divisions between Jews and Gentiles. One of the main points Acts 15 addresses is that, “precisely because God has fulfilled his covenant with Israel in sending Jesus as Messiah, the covenant family is now thrown open to all, without distinction.”[2]

Why does this matter? James—who writes to Jewish Christians (“to the twelve tribes”) scattered throughout the world (“in the Dispersion”)—calls his readers to live out their faith. He does not mince words when he says that true faith has to be active (James 2:17). And part of actively living out that faith means demonstrating that the kingdom of God is no longer for one group or another. It’s not for Jews only. It’s not for the wealthy only. It’s not for those who seem like they deserve it or those who appear put together. Faith isn’t demonstrated by one's background, the people they hang out with, ethnicity, or how well they adhere to religious rules.

Instead, if we actually have true faith, if we’ve received “the implanted word” (1:21), we will live it out in tangible ways—especially by loving our neighbor as ourselves (2:8). We will serve those in need (1:27), avoid partiality (2:1), use our speech to build others up (3:1-12), demonstrate the meekness of wisdom (3:13), not quarrel and fight (4:1-4), humble ourselves (4:10), remain steadfast in trials (5:11), and pray (5:13-16). (This is not an exhaustive list.)

True faith for James’ readers isn’t demonstrated by being a Jew and being circumcised. Likewise, today, being a follower of Jesus isn’t demonstrated by merely saying we’re a Christian or keeping up certain appearances without bearing true fruit.

If we are followers of Jesus, if we believe the faith we proclaim, we will live it out in our actual lives. And James gets super practical as he explains in these five chapters exactly what that looks like.

“To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”

— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

A Word of Encouragement

As I skim through the book of James now, it’s honestly a little overwhelming to me, because I see myself failing in every area he addresses. I don’t always love others well, I show favoritism, I’m prideful, and I often want to give up when life gets hard.

But James knows his readers won’t get it right immediately. That’s why he’s sending this letter in the first place. They need guidance and help, practical tools and spiritual encouragement. Like the early Christians, maturity in our faith won’t happen overnight. But little by little, we can and will grow in our faith if we humble ourselves before God and stay the course, living out the message of truth that has taken root in our souls (1:18, 21).

Dive Deeper This Week

This week, I encourage you to read through the book of James at least once. Get a sense of the big picture and the main themes he addresses. You might want to print it out so you can circle, highlight, and write notes. Mark key phrases, questions you have, or repeated words.

Then, I suggest going back and reading James 1:2-11 several times, which is the text we’ll be digging into next week.

Until then, here are a few other resources I wanted to share. First, the video below from The Bible Project is also immensely helpful for understanding James as a whole. Click below to watch.

Secondly, I’ve really enjoyed this 12-week study by Greg Gilbert. You can access it free here, or order a printed copy here.

And finally, would you pray? Pray for me as I write, that my words would be honest, good, and true, and that I would not get in the way of the work the Holy Spirit wants to do. Pray that God would show us what he wants to teach us. Pray for clarity and wisdom as we study, and that we will be able to better live out our faith wherever God has placed us.

Get ready, friends. This study of James is going to be a beautiful, needed, and hopefully fruitful punch in the gut.

See you next week!

[1] Longman, Tremper, David E. Garland, et al. Hebrews—Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006, p 201-202.
[2] Wright, N. T. Acts for Everyone, Part Two. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008, p 41.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

Check out the rest of the James study!