Some Thoughts on the Epistle of James--James 1:1

James 1:1 WEL James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes, which are scattered abroad, greeting.

James= there are 4 men named James in the Bible

• James (Matthew 4:21)
  • Son of Zebedee
  • One of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ
  • He is sometimes known as James the Great.
• James (Matthew 10:3)
  • Son of Alphaeus
  • One of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ
  • He is sometimes known as James the Less.
• James (Mark 6:3)
  • Half-brother to Jesus
  • Jude was his brother.
• James (Luke 6:16)
  • Father of Judas
  • Sometimes called Thaddeus
  • He is not the betrayer, Judas Iscariot). (Luke 6:16)

Author

• Probably the half-brother of Jesus Christ, whose full brother was Jude, the writter of that epistle.
• Still alive when Galatians was written (Galatians 1:19)
• Leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17, Acts 15:13-21, Acts 15:22-29, and Acts 21:18-25)
• Saw Jesus after His Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7)
• Was married (1 Corinthians 9:5)

Servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ

• God is his boss (John 13:13 NIV You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am).
• He is NOT the master of his own fate
  • We ALL are slaves to sin. We are addicted to sin. People are deceived that they are free. John 8:34 NIV Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
  • After believing and placing trust into Jesus, we are now free and voluntary slaves to God.
    • John 8:36 NIV So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
    • Matthew 6:24 NLT No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
    • Matthew 11:29-30 NRSV Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
• God’s will done is more important than our own.
• God= God the Father
• Lord Jesus Christ= Lord as THE boss, Jesus as human, Christ as THE Messiah
• God and Lord Jesus Christ= a reflection pointing to the Trinity. One God in three persons. God in one essence. As the Athanasian Creed states: Now this is the true Christian faith: We worship one God in three persons and three persons in one God, without mixing the persons or dividing the divine being. For each person—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—is distinct, but the deity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory and coeternal in majesty. What the Father is, so is the Son, and so is the Holy Spirit.

Twelve tribes= Jewish Christians who had been scattered from Israel due to persecution.

• Acts 8:1 NLT Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.
• Acts 8:1 NLT Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.
• Acts 11:19 NLT Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.
• All Christians can consider ourselves such, since we are not in our homeland yet. Philippians 3:20 NIV But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Questions

• Why does Peter call himself a servant/slave of God?
• Why is it important that we are servants/slaves of God?
• Why would Christians want to consider themselves as servants/slaves?
• Are you a servant/slave of Jesus Christ? Why or why not?