The Bible Book

312

T

he Epistle of James is

addressed to Jewish

Christians scattered across

the Roman Empire. This one letter,

written in Greek, takes the form of

a series of miniature sermons.

James begins with a reflection

on how God tests faith in order to

refine it (1:2–12), and later returns

to the subject of faith in relation to

good works (2:14–26). Good deeds,

especially obedience to the Law

of Moses, were part of the first

Christians’ Jewish heritage. The

Gospel message of salvation

through faith in Jesus, however,

made the relationship between

faith and the good deeds that

demonstrate faith a pressing

question for Jewish believers.

Even demons believe

James rejects faith that is passive,

asking, “Can such faith save them?”

(James 2:14). He goes on to describe

his opponents who claim that faith

in Jesus relieves believers of the

duty to live in a righteous way.

These false teachers attempt to

prove their faith simply by affirming

the Shema, “the Lord is One,” the

statement of monotheism central to

Old Testament teaching. Dismissing

this less than adequate show of

faith, James says, “Even the demons

believe that—and shudder!” He

goes on to cite Abraham as the

paradigm of living, active faith.

When God promises Abraham a

son, he says, Abraham “believed

the Lord, and He credited it to him

as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

Adherence to the Torah, the Law

of Moses, was seen by James as an

important aspect of faith. Other church

fathers, such as Paul, believed that

faith alone was the key to salvation.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

James 1:2–2:26

THEME

Demonstrating faith

SETTING

c. 50 ce Jewish-Christian

communities throughout

the Roman Empire.

KEY FIGURES

James the Just Possibly the

brother of Jesus and the leader

of the Church in Jerusalem.

Paul Early Church leader,

who was on the Council of

Jerusalem with James.

Diaspora Jewish Christians

who were scattered throughout

the Roman Empire.

KNOW THAT THE

TESTING OF YOUR

FAITH PRODUCES

PERSEVERANCE

JAMES 1:3, FAITH AND WORKS

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313

Rahab demonstrates faith through

action by helping two Israelite spies

escape the clutches of her fellow

Canaanites, in an image from a

12th-century French manuscript.

See also: Entering the Promised Land 96–97 ■ The Nature of Faith 236–41 ■

Salvation Through Faith 301

ACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION

Later, when God commanded

Abraham to sacrifice his son,

Isaac (Genesis 22), Abraham

placed him on an altar, believing

that God could bring his son

back to life (Hebrews 11:19). For

James, that obedience fulfills the

claim that God had reckoned

Abraham righteous. James then

cites Rahab, a Jericho prostitute,

who showed the same kind of faith

when she sheltered two Israelite

spies (Joshua 2). Both Abraham

and Rahab demonstrated and

grew their faith through honoring

God with their actions under

difficult circumstances.

The faith that saves

The conclusion that people are

justified—worthy of salvation—by

their works, or actions, seems to

contradict Paul’s views. When

false teachers in Galatia taught

Christians that obedience to the

Law of Moses is an essential

addition to faith in Jesus, Paul

insisted that such works cannot

justify (Galatians 2:16). The

apparent conflict arises because

the two authors use the word

“justify” differently. While James

sees works as the visible evidence

of faith, Paul speaks of justification

as righteousness before God. Paul

and James agree that the faith

that saves is active, not passive.

In Romans, Paul writes of “the

obedience of faith” and he reminds

the Galatians that what matters

is “faith working through love.”

The relationship between faith

and works is a key point of debate

between Roman Catholics and

Protestants. Catholics see works

as a necessary addition to faith.

Protestants see them as the result

of genuine faith, and therefore

affirm that salvation is sola fide

(by faith alone). ■

James the Just

There were several figures

in the New Testament who

bore the name “James.” Two

were disciples of Jesus, but

the third was one of Jesus’s

four brothers, later known as

James the Just. This James

did not believe in Jesus as the

Messiah during His lifetime,

but came to have faith in

Jesus after the resurrection,

possibly because the risen

Christ appeared to him in

person (1 Corinthians 15:7).

There is debate about

which James wrote the New

Testament Epistle of James,

although the most likely

author is James the Just.

Tradition holds that James

was martyred in Jerusalem

for his faith in Jesus.

James came to be called

“the Just” (meaning “the

righteous”) because of his

fidelity to the Law of Moses.

Although he voiced the

consensus of the Council of

Jerusalem (Acts 15), which

recognized that Gentiles

did not need to observe the

Law of Moses—specifically

circumcision—to become

Christians, he did believe

that they should adhere to

other Jewish practices.

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