Discovering James

January 12th, 2025
by Thomas Overmiller

Background Information

James, the half-brother of Jesus, is the likely author of the letter.

The name corresponds to the Hebrew named Jacob, which means “supplanter,” “heal grabber,” or “one who follows.” There are at least four different men with this name in the New Testament (NT).

The father of Judas Iscariot was named James (Lk 6:16), but he is too obscure to be considered as a valid option.
The son of a reputable man named Alphaeus was named James (Mt 6:33), also called “James the Less” (Mk 15:40). If he were the author, he probably would have identified himself as an apostle or disciple of Christ, because he was one of the Twelve.
The brother of the apostle John was also named James; these were together called “the sons of Zebedee,” were members of Christ’s inner circle (with Peter), and were called by Christ “the sons of thunder” (Mt 4:21). This James was martyred very early in church history, so he would not have been able to develop an influential role or write this letter (Acts 12:2).

The most likely author of this letter is James, the half-brother of Jesus, born to Joseph and Mary (Mk 6:3; Gal 1:19). Another brother of Christ would later identify himself as “the brother of James” (Jude 1), and this James happened to be the early lead pastor of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal 2:9, 12). In this role, it was James who had presided over the Jerusalem Council, and there are noteworthy similarities between the language and vocabulary he used at that event (as recorded by Luke in Acts 15) and the language and vocabulary of this letter. Paul called James a “pillar of the church.”

This James was converted after the resurrection, and became a leader in the church at Jerusalem, though he had not believed on Christ previously (John 7:3-5; 19:25-27). As such, his testimony is a remarkable story and a strong witness to the claims of Christ, as he was an early witness of Christ’s resurrection and of Pentecost (1 Cor 15:7; Acts 1:14). He would have been the oldest of Christ’s half-siblings (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3) Church history indicates that James probably died as a martyr at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. One account states that he died by stoning, and another that he was thrown from the Temple roof and then stoned.

He wrote to Jewish believers.

James addressed this letter to “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (1:1), which probably refers to Jewish believers throughout the Roman Empire whose forefathers had been dispersed centuries before due to the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. Many of these would have believed on Christ at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:9-11; Acts 6:9) and then returned home afterwards, pointing others to Christ as well.

The theme of this book is “Demonstrating Your Faith through Works.”

This letter seems to have been written early after Christ’s ascension, perhaps earlier than any other NT letters. Clues to this end include reference to “teachers and elders” rather than “bishops and deacons” (3:1; 5:14), mentioning the synagogue as the place of worship (2:2), and no reference to key themes and topics emphasized in later NT letters, including the influence of Judaizers and legalism. And though it speaks of “God” and “the Lord” frequently, it only names Jesus Christ two times (1:1; 2:1). Nowhere does the letter mention the incarnation, death, or resurrection of Christ, though the letter is filled with allusions to the content and style of Christ’s own teaching.

The letter feels and reads like an Old Testament (OT) book in many ways, bearing resemblances to the OT book of Proverbs. In this letter, James refers to frequent examples from the world of nature to illustrate his points, such as: wind, waves, grass, flowers, sun, pregnancy and childbirth, shadows, first fruits, a mirror, begging, breathing, bits for a horse, the helm of a ship, fire, taming animals, a water fountain, figs, olives, sowing, harvesting, a vapor, moths, clothing, rust, labor, wages, rain, oil, and drought. He also employs Old Testament characters as examples, too (Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, Job, and Elijah).

Of special note, though James emphasizes many indicators of genuine faith, he especially emphasizes the tongue, for in his view, the tongue evidently is a very good indicator of the genuineness and health of a person’s faith. In addition to devoting nearly an entire chapter to this subject (3:1-12), consider the following specific references to speech: “ask” (1:5, 6; 4:2, 3 [twice]); “say” (1:13; 2:3; 2:14, 16, 18; 4:13, 15); “speak” (1:19; 2:12; 4:11 [twice]); “tongue” (1:26; 3:5, 6 [twice], 8); “word” (3:2); “mouth” (3:10); “laughter” (4:9); “boasting” (4:16); “howl” (5:1); “crieth” (5:4 [twice]); “grudge” (5:9); “swear” (5:12); “sing” (5:13); and “pray” (5:13, 14, 16, 17, 18).

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (Jam 2:18)

In summary, this letter aims to help believers “connect the dots” between salvation by faith alone and a life of works that is motivated by that faith. More than other NT books, James puts the focus on how we should live out our faith, prompting us to ask ourselves how well our actions actually match up with the faith we claim to have.

Outline of the Book

The following is an outline of this letter adapted from Robert Gromacki.

The nature of true faith (1-3:12)

It is purified by trials (1:1-12).
It obeys the Word of God (1:13-18).
It does not show partiality (1:19-27).
It produces good works (2:1-13).
It controls the tongue (3:1-12).

The nature of true wisdom (3:13-5:20)