James, Jude

James

This particular section of commentary is easy to write - our mission group studied James and 1 John chapter by chapter. Of course it also means that as I write I have visions of Mt. McKinley dancing in my head.

We know the writer of James to be the half-brother of Jesus (different from James the brother of John - one of the Zebedee boys). James was martyred c. A.D. 62. There are 4 men in the N.T. named James (the editor of this post is named after them) so sometimes they get confused as we study Scriptural history. We do know that James was likely the oldest of Jesus' siblings since he heads the list (Matthew 13:55) and that at first he misunderstood and had doubts about Jesus' ministry (John 7:2-5). Later he became quite prominent in the Church:
1. He saw the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:7)
2. Pillar of Church (Galatians 2:9, Galatians 1:19, Acts 21:18)
3. When Peter was rescued from prison, he wanted James to know (Acts 12:17)
4. He was a leader in council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13)
5. Jude identified himself as a brother of James (Jude 1:1)

The book is distinctively Jewish in nature and it reflects a simple church order. Here are some thoughts I gathered as I studied this book daily with my mission group.

James 1
v.2-4 - What an interesting perspective on suffering and temptation! Imagine going through something awful, and yet praying "God make good out of this junk, because I know you can and will". I'm not that guy. I'm not that positive. I want to be. Perseverance is a HUGE virtue. People that persevere never give up. As a pastor, dad, husband, and novice runner - this is huge!
v.13 - Just a nice theological reminder. God can do anything, but he is not to be blamed for everything. He created life - we created sin. He created beauty - sin created the ugliness (of all types) that we find in this world. It's easy to point to heaven and blame God for the trials we go through...but good Theology reminds us that God is in fact fighting all the results of sin. He created a world of harmony, love, and peace (trial, temptation, and suffering are needed in such a world), and thus He seeks to restore our world and us to that state (in Christ it has already started happening).
v.27 - What is true religion? What would happen if every church in the world started every worship service with the words of James 1:27?

James 2
v.2-4 - This is hard stuff! But James is right, and sometimes I'm ashamed to say that Jesus would be hard to welcome into our churches (dirty robe, sandals, no deodorant). Based on what I read in Scripture, Jesus is not likely to shower and dress up just to make people happy (Matthew 23:25-26).
v.14-19 - Belief vs. Faith. Demons believe in Jesus, but don't have faith in him. They know he exists, is the son of God, and has power - but they don't care. They still follow the devil as lord. Maybe in our evangelism we should focus a little less on proving Jesus as factual (eg. belief in)
and focus more on why we trust him (eg. faith that follows through the Holy Spirit).
v.26 - It's obvious that deedless faith is dead faith - let's not get overly theological about any of this. James is simply challenging us to live what we believe.

James 3
v.11-12 - It's hard being saint and sinner at the same time. Part of you wants to follow Christ with all your might. Part of you wants to return to lifeless, dark, and selfish living. The new Adam has come, but the old Adam remains until the second coming. It's hard knowing that you are becoming something new, because it's hard to say goodbye to the past you (friends, addictions, bad habits, etc.).
v. 17-18 - I challenged my mission group to pick out the virtue that they are strongest in, and the one that needs polishing. How would you answer?

James 4
v.1 - If only church meetings started with these words. Of course all of us are opinionated, but a church is a family. In a family you don't do what's best for dad or oldest daughter. You do what's best. We need to do the same in our church families. It's hard to pick music, sermon topics, and decor for 200 different people with different needs, backgrounds, and opinions. My hope is to not lead from a place of desire but a place of mission. Perhaps if we start with the mission of Jesus Christ in our minds - God will do the rest!

James 5
v.13-16 - This is the chapter we need to read in church more often. This is why we are church. This is why we need each other. Together we are stronger. Together we will see healing, praise, and strength. When you are alone, faith is hard. When you are together, we are able to help those who are hurting with those who are strong.
v.17-18 - "Elijah was like us" (1 Kings 17 & 18). Just a reminder that even great prophets were at one time just a simple person who said a prayer. Since God listens to our prayers, there is power in prayer. By focusing on Elijah's humanity, James is telling every single one of us that we too can pray for great things!

Jude
Although Jude was eager to write about salvation, he felt that must instead warn his recipients about immoral leaders and false teachers. He is primarily fighting anti-nomianism (the belief that grace makes law unnecessary - therefore do whatever you want). We are saved by grace alone, however that does not make rigtheous living unnecessary - it makes it even more possible and attractive. His doxology in v.24-25 puts everything into perspective - God gets all the glory, and we are to follow Him!

- Pastor Jim Mueller