The Epistle of James: The "Backstory"
The "Backstory" of James
The epistle of James is a New Testament writing that focuses on how faith should practically manifest itself in the life of a believer. The epistle names its author as James. (James 1:1) Walter Elwell and Robert Yarbrough suggest, “This is most likely James the (half-) brother of Jesus.”[1] If this is true, then it is written by someone who underwent a miraculous transformation because John 7:7 states, “For not even his brothers believed in him.” (John 7:7, English Standard Version) After becoming an apparent believer, James eventually becomes the pastor of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15), where strict adherence to the law of Moses had long been precedent. This could help explain the zeal for “good works” and action that summarizes much of this work.
James 2:17 could be considered a “theme” verse for the epistle. It states, “so also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) Wayne Stacy states that “as to the significance, some regard James as a rejoinder to address a misunderstanding and misapplication of Paul’s writings, which had been misunderstood to say that one can legitimately have a workless faith.”[2] This seems like a very possible scenario given the fact that in Acts 21, James asks Paul to clarify and demonstrate to his congregation that he [Paul] observes the Jewish law. James tells Paul in this exchange “and they [Jews in Jerusalem] have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.” (Acts 21:21) Another supporting piece of evidence is the fact that James addressed his writing to the “twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” (James 1:1) When you couple this with Acts 21, where James claims that the rumor is that Paul has been undermining the law to the “Jews who are among the Gentiles,” it appears that James is likely describing the same group in both places.
Although the epistle of James was likely authored to address a problem within the early church, it remains relevant to the church today. This is because the modern church continues to wrestle with the relationship between faith and works. This epistle adds necessary balance and even clarification on a supposed contradiction: salvation by grace alone and dead faith revealed by a lack of work. James argues that although salvation is by grace alone, true salvation is verified by the works that it produces. The modern church continues to need this clarification as it wrestles with the issue of the relationship between orthodoxy (correct doctrine) and orthopraxy (correct behavior).
[1] Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament, 3rd ed. (Nashville: Baker Academic, 2013, 336.
[2] Wayne Stacy, “Hebrews and James” (Video lecture given in NBST 515 at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, 2022)
James 2:17 could be considered a “theme” verse for the epistle. It states, “so also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) Wayne Stacy states that “as to the significance, some regard James as a rejoinder to address a misunderstanding and misapplication of Paul’s writings, which had been misunderstood to say that one can legitimately have a workless faith.”[2] This seems like a very possible scenario given the fact that in Acts 21, James asks Paul to clarify and demonstrate to his congregation that he [Paul] observes the Jewish law. James tells Paul in this exchange “and they [Jews in Jerusalem] have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.” (Acts 21:21) Another supporting piece of evidence is the fact that James addressed his writing to the “twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” (James 1:1) When you couple this with Acts 21, where James claims that the rumor is that Paul has been undermining the law to the “Jews who are among the Gentiles,” it appears that James is likely describing the same group in both places.
Although the epistle of James was likely authored to address a problem within the early church, it remains relevant to the church today. This is because the modern church continues to wrestle with the relationship between faith and works. This epistle adds necessary balance and even clarification on a supposed contradiction: salvation by grace alone and dead faith revealed by a lack of work. James argues that although salvation is by grace alone, true salvation is verified by the works that it produces. The modern church continues to need this clarification as it wrestles with the issue of the relationship between orthodoxy (correct doctrine) and orthopraxy (correct behavior).
[1] Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament, 3rd ed. (Nashville: Baker Academic, 2013, 336.
[2] Wayne Stacy, “Hebrews and James” (Video lecture given in NBST 515 at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, 2022)
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