James part 1
Wisdom from a Church Pillar
Jordan Peterson is a bit of a hero of mine whose rise to fame is something kind of humorous. He is a psychologist who had the nerve to stand against his Canadian government when they sought to limit private free speech in Canada. That stand was well-argued and well-articulated to such a degree that many have begun flocking to his YouTube videos. It turns out he is very intelligent and has sound advice for the world, but it is advice that rubs against much of the modern grain. Now, the biggest concern I have for those who listen to him is that I’m not sure where he lands on the identity of Jesus. In much of his earliest videos, he sounds agnostic at best, but as time has gone on, he seems to have had some type of conversion. Nevertheless, I don’t know him, and he hasn’t made any kind of testimonial video I’m aware of.
But, all that is to introduce a quote from one such video in which he is answering the question, “Do you believe in God?” I will paraphrase much of his answer because the whole answer lasts 10 minutes. He says he actually has 3 answers that have become stock answers.
It’s none of your business. It’s a privacy issue.
Well, what do you mean by “believe.”
I am afraid He might exist.
But that second answer is one that he elaborates on, and I think he is definitely on to something. He asks, “Is what you believe what you say or what you act out?”
“Let’s say you do believe in God. Well, that’s hypothetically pretty impressive. You believe that there’s a divine power that oversees everything, that’s fundamentally ethical that is watching over everything. Well what affect does that have on your behavior? Are you all-in on your beliefs? Are you sacrificing everything for your belief? Have you cleansed yourself of all your sin, let’s say? Are you making all the sacrifices that you need to make? Have you taken the moat out of your eye?”
He later notes the disparity between the priests of the Catholic Church who would certainly claim to believe in God, and yet their actions, especially the pedophilic cover-ups, indicate otherwise. And that brings him to why he doesn’t like the question.
“It’s like, what right do I have to say that, to make that claim? “I believe in God?” Well, what’s the claim? Is that the claim that I’m a good person somehow? Because you think that if you believed in God, actually, like, seriously, that you’d be a good person, like, right now, because…well, obvious reasons I’d think.”
He then goes through the Old Testament to pull the virtues of its stories. He cites sacrificing properly, getting your family together imparting moral responsibility to your children, freeing yourself from tyranny, and then he says “you do everything you can to confront the malevolence that’s in the world and yourself, and you treat your enemy as yourself, and the same with your brother. And maybe then you have the right to say you believe in God. Otherwise, maybe you should think twice about it.”
What this apparently agnostic intellectual has hit is the primary teaching from James. It is not enough to say you believe in God. Anyone can pay lip service. It is only the one whose actions line up with their claim that can truly say, “I believe.” To put it plainly:
James reminds us we must walk the walk if we are going to talk the talk.
The greatest criticism against Christianity is always Christians themselves—those who claim Christ and yet fail to live to a Christ-like standard. But, there is good news for those willing to hear it. Christ does transform us. The call is for us fully give ourselves over to Christ. Then, we will find ourselves matching our actions with our claim.
Remember, Jesus said,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
To “take up his cross” means to put to death our old self. True faith requires sacrificing the old. Paul called it “crucifying the flesh” (Galatians 5:24). So, part of the reason we should read James, and I would argue read it slowly, is because James is a test of faith. As we read, ask yourself, “Can I find the qualities of true faith in my own life?”
Background of James
Now, very quickly, it will help our study of the Book of James if we know who this James fellow is and what makes him important enough have his own book in the Bible. James makes his first appearance in Mark, and lo and behold, James is one of Jesus’ younger brothers. Now, our brothers and sisters in the Catholic faith might take issue with that statement, but the fact is Mary may have been a virgin when she had Jesus, but nowhere in the Bible does it say she stayed a virgin.
James is one of Jesus’ younger brothers, but it is important to remember that Jesus’ brothers did not believe until after the resurrection. Just as a reminder, one of the greatest evidences for the resurrection of Jesus are the disciples themselves, especially James and Jude. These men did not follow Jesus during His earthly ministry. It was not until after He died and rose again that they believed. Why would that be? What explanation is there for someone to follow a dead man they never believed in? It only makes sense because of the resurrection.
But there is reason to believe James listened to Jesus, because much of the Book of James has direct connections with Jesus’ teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount. Now, it could be that James at least heard what Jesus had to say, but there is also the fact that much of Jesus’ teachings were committed to memory and passed around orally. It wasn’t until after the mid-first century that Christians began writing those teachings down. So, it may be that the Book of James is a collection of that oral history put together in what is known as “Jewish Wisdom Literature.”
In addition I should note James is also mentioned in Acts 15 and in Galatians 1-2. In both of these passages James is regarded as a “pillar” of the Jerusalem church. Tradition holds that James led the church in Jerusalem up until about the time of its fall in 70 AD. He died in either 62 or 69 AD (depends on the source) when he was sentenced to execution by the high priest Hanan Ben Hanan. They threw James from the pinnacle of the Temple, but when he didn’t die right away, they stoned him. Apparently, James the Just was also stubborn to die because someone had to finally club in the head to kill him.
Nevertheless, what we have in the Book of James is a collection of wisdom from a primary leader of the early church.
James as Wisdom Literature
James is an interesting book in that its structure is not one that modern readers usually catch easily. That’s because it follows a type of genre not used today. Now, we have seen Wisdom literature before in the Bible, but back in the Old Testament. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs follow a similar structure. In the New Testament, if you read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, you’ll notice a similar structure there as well.
Wisdom Literature is more of a collection of sayings than a story or linear teaching. This is why many Christians prefer reading Bible stories or Paul’s letters—they are similar to what we know today. Wisdom literature can feel chaotic or scattered, but that’s because each saying is an individual piece.
James 3:17 gives us a list of virtues that wisdom produces. As we go through James, it will be helpful to keep these in mind, so read with me 3:17.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17
If we accept James as a form of wisdom literature, and wisdom produces these virtues, then as we go through James’ lessons, ask yourself this question:
How can I apply the message of James to my life in order to produce more peace, gentleness, a teachable spirit, mercy and good fruit, and impartiality?
James 1:1-8 | Wisdom and Strife
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:1-4
First, James gives a typical greeting for a letter, but we should note he addresses it to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion (or Diaspora). This is one of those points where scholars note how “Jewish” the letter is, and that leads them to conclusions that may derail the point of the book. But, it is noteworthy, and if we accept the earlier date of James, then this actually makes quite a bit of sense for a Christian to address his message to the twelve tribes. Keep in mind that for much of early Christianity’s time, it was considered another branch of Judaism called “The Way.” Before Gentile Christians started taking the name “Christian,” Jews who followed Christ were said to “follow the Way.” James is an example of the inseparable link between Old Testament Judaism and New Testament Christianity. In each testament, the truth principle stands:
True faithfulness is understood and seen by its actions.
To put it theologically, orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right behavior) go together. You cannot have one without the other. That list we read in 3:17 is the same list you could pull from Proverbs, the Torah, or any of the Prophet books. These are traits of someone whose life has been transformed by God.
Next, James says something that goes against everything our popular culture believes. “Count it joy when trials come.” Now that is something! Americans spend a lot of money, and a lot of time, trying to avoid discomfort. In fact, most of pop culture tries to sell us the lie that if we are having problems, then that means we did something wrong—or someone else did something wrong to us. It’s better to blame others for our problems, because then we don’t have the burden of trying to better ourselves.
But, in these first few verses we find the ridiculousness of the modern world. It is foolish to avoid trials because, 1) that’s impossible. Notice, James says when they come, not if. “In this life you will have many troubles.” We rejoice when those trials come, because 2) those trials produce steadfastness. That word ‘steadfastness’ is a nice word, but you could also use a more familiar term—grit. And it is the ability to use grit that makes us “perfect and complete.”
James assumes to be true what the modern world tries desperately to argue against—there is a deficiency in the human psyche that is only corrected by the grit produced through trials and tribulations. Every parent knows exactly what this deficiency looks like. It is the spoiled nature of small children. They want everything their way, on their terms, and in their timing. We call this “spoiled,” and a good parent knows when to say ‘No’. A child who never hears ‘no’ or is never allowed to fend for themselves becomes a spoiled child. It is only in the struggle they grow. Now, good parents also know when to step in, but essentially child-rearing is balancing when to step in and when to step out with the goal being this: one day they are able to stand on their own.
Now, if this is true with our earthly families, can we not accept God knows sometimes we need to stand on our own for a bit? He is always there by our side, of course, but there are times when He will let the trial come because there is something lacking in our character that can only be cured by that trial. So, we must embrace the trial—embrace the difficulty—because as we overcome, we will have the grit and fortitude necessary to overcome the next trial. And in doing so, our character will change becoming more and more like Jesus.
When we embrace the difficult times of life, it produces grit, and that grit is what is necessary to grow in faith.
I think it is telling that James follows this difficult teaching with a wonderful promise. Read with me verses 5-8.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:5-8
If we have trouble understanding this truth, or any truth for that matter, we are to ask God for wisdom. After all, God gives generously to all without reproach. If there is anyone who wants wisdom, then God will grant it. But, he must ask in faith, with no doubting. The pursuit of wisdom goes hand in hand with the struggle of character growth. True wisdom does not come without a bit of stretching.
Keep in mind Jesus told us if we are to follow Him we must take up our cross and deny ourselves. James is reminding us of this truth. The pursuit of wisdom is an all or nothing task. We must be all-in if we are to find wisdom. We can’t have one foot in the door of God’s house and one foot out trying to play both sides.
So what we have is essentially a call to commitment. James is saying, “Wisdom is freely available to you, but it requires you to commit.” Think of Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” With both books the call to seek wisdom is made, but both books also make it clear that true wisdom comes from the Lord. So, if we want to be wise, if we truly want to elevate our understanding and character, the first step is to seek the Lord.
To gain grit, one must commit to the task of perseverance, and very similarly, wisdom requires a commitment to faith.
Wisdom is available. If you would seek it, then commit today. Commit first to the Lord, then you can commit to the task of growth. Then, you will see God transform your character to match the faith you claim.