The Writings of James

It has been more than 20 years since Christ resurrected and ascended into heaven. Churches have been planted all over the region. Many different kinds of people from many different backgrounds have become Christians. Christian teachings are becoming unbalanced and even incorrect as Christianity spreads. One pastor, James, knows that there needs to be some correction brought to the entire church. James is not just any pastor. He is one of the key leaders of the church in Jerusalem. He knows what is happening in the churches. He has watched the churches over the past years and now he realizes something needs to be said. James is not a writer. He’s a pastor and a preacher. So when he writes his letter it reads like a sermon. 

As a pastor, James knows that for the church to accept and follow his direction, they need to read it and accept it as a community of believers not just as individuals. So James doesn’t write to each individual Christian. He writes to the church as a whole. He writes to a community of believers. For James, to follow Christ fully can only be done together as a body of believers. When reading his letter, James wants it read as it was written - to a group - about how the group together live out their faith effectively. 

Very few letters like this have been written up to this time for the church. James knows his letter will be different from other letters that are to be written. Many of those will be teaching doctrine but for James, a good part of what he writes to the church is in the form of a command. James is like a father giving direction to his children. He wants his readers to do something, not just to learn something. James wants the church to know its responsibility in responding to the gospel message of grace. Like a father who loves his children and so does not withhold the truth from his children, James writes with specific detail.

Every pastor knows the challenges and temptations that his or her people encounter in their daily lives. James is no different. He knows the church is enduring trials and with it the temptation to compromise its faith. These challenges and temptations continued for Christians throughout the centuries and even today. James’ writing is as important for Christians today as it was 2000 years ago. 

James’ letter to the church has raised controversy then and throughout church history, although this did not matter to James. He had great conviction when writing this letter. He wrote about issues that would have stirred debate. He exposed the wrong practices that the church had made acceptable. Writing, reading and applying James’ letter takes courage and faith. To live as a Christian, described by James, means often living contrary to society. This was true for the church in the first century and for every church in every century since then. 

As James wrote his letter, his prayer to God was that each Christian, as a member of a church, would receive his teaching with the goal of changing their behavior. Each Christian community would act differently, following Christ in action and in speech, not just affirming Christian truths.