Vital Signs - The Wisdom of James for a life of faith

Vital Signs The wisdom of James for a life of faith

John Dickson and Simon Smart Bible Alive: Bridging Scripture and Daily Life Volume 1

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Vital Signs

PO Box A287, Sydney South, 1235 Australia Ph: (612) 8268 3333 Fax: (612) 8268 3357 Email: sales@youthworks.net Web: www.publications.youthworks.net Published November 2006 Copyright Aquila Press 2006 © John Dickson Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without the written permission of the publisher.

Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

All rights reserved worldwide.

“The Avowal” by Denise Levertov, from OBLIQUE PRAYERS, copyright © 1984 by Denise Levertov. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.

National Library of Australia ISBN 1 921137 65 7 Typesetting, cover design and illustration

by Rachel Heriot

Contents

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Contents Introduction

01

James on a Page

07

The Letter of James

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1 The Brother of the Lord and the Tribes of Israel, James 1:1

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Enduring Trials, James 1:2–4

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Wisdom for Trials, James 1:5–8

32

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Pride and Poverty, James 1:9–11

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Future Faith, James 1:12

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Temptation, Sin and Death, James 1:13–15

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God’s Gifts from Above, James 1:16–18

62

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Doing the Word, James 1:19–25

70

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True Religion, James 1:26–27

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10 Worldly Favouritism, James 2:1–7

86

11 Living by the Law of Love, James 2:8–13

94

12 Showing Mercy; Avoiding Judgment, James 2:12–13

102

13 Poor Faith, James 2:14–19

108

14 Faith that Works, James 2:20–26

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Half-time Pep Talk

124

15 Anyone for Teaching? James 3:1

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Contents (continued) 16 Mere Words, James 3:2–8

134

17 The Fruit of the Lips, James 3:9–12

142

18 Wisdom from Above; Life here Below, James 3:13–18

148

19 Friendship with the World, James 4:1–6

156

20 Submitting to God, James 4:7–10

164

21 True Judgment, James 4:11–12

172

22 Lessons for the Upwardly Mobile, James 4:13–17

178

23 Lessons for the Rich Oppressors, James 5:1–6

186

24 Comfort for the Downtrodden, James 5:7–11

194

25 Telling the Truth, James 5:12

202

26 Praying and Singing, James 5:13

210

27 Healing and Forgiveness, James 5:14–18

218

28 Keeping the Letter Alive, James 5:19–20

226

Epilogue

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Endnotes

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Introduction

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Introduction Starry-eyed about James Do you remember that starry-eyed feeling when you were young, admiring someone so much you wanted to be just like them. I confess I had that feeling about Bono, the lead singer of Irish rock band U2, and about Brian Robson, the captain of Manchester United football team. Needless to say, I live with disappointment on both counts to this day.

Strange as it may sound, I have a similar starry-eyed feeling about the book of James. This text, more than perhaps any other in the Bible, describes what I long to look like as a Christian. It is also what I pray for our modern churches to look like as we try to make a stand against the materialism, secularism and individualism of contemporary culture.

As a writer, then, I feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I invite you to walk with us through this precious but frequently neglected part of the Bible.

Our modern tendency to dissect and probe the words of Scripture can, if we are not careful, cause us to miss its real force. More than most writers in the Bible, James shoots straight from the hip. He has little time for sophisticated argument; he urgently calls on believers to look like real believers, to display their ‘vital signs’.

James’ message is fast and sometimes furious but it is always sprinkled with grace. Whether it is his stinging rebuke of our bias toward the rich (2:1–13), or his colourful warning about the poisonous power of the tongue (3:1–12), James has a knack for highlighting common mistakes in the

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Christian life and drawing us into a humble admission that we need God’s mercy every day. Allowing ourselves to be ‘found out’ and then submitting ourselves to God’s gracious hand are the keys to getting the most out of this stunning part of God’s word. For those of us who feel lethargic in the faith or who fear that Christian progress has been slow of late, if measurable at all, the letter of James provides real medicine — sometimes difficult to take but always good for us!

The style of James As soon as you dive into James you’ll discover that this biblical gem does not offer a developing argument against some heresy or misunderstanding. Instead, James delivers a rapid-fire set of proverbs and instructions about how to act in God’s world. He says things like: Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful (2:13).

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no one can tame the tongue (3:7).

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (4:10).

In just about every paragraph we find some new challenge to modify our lives to better conform to God’s will. There is little explanation or qualification, just wave after wave of authoritative pronouncements about what a vital Christian life looks like and how to get there.

Introduction

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That style sounds familiar, right? Jesus spoke in a very similar way: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7).

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart (Luke 6:45). … everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14).

Jesus was the master of the rapid-fire, proverbial style of preaching. And James, more than any other New Testament writer, adopts that style.

And it isn’t just Jesus’ style James adopts. This letter contains more references to Jesus’ teaching than any other book in the New Testament (outside the four Gospels, of course). And there is a very simple reason for this. James and Jesus probably grew up together. According to the unanimous testimony of the early church, the ‘James’ referred to in James 1:1 was none other than the second son of Mary. James and Jesus were brothers (if this is a new idea for you, look up Mark 6:3; 1 Cor 15:7; Galatians 1:19 and 2:9–12).1 Exactly when the brother of Jesus wrote the letter is unknown. Theoretically, it could have been penned anytime between ad 48, when James first rose to prominence in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13–21), and ad 62, when he was stoned to death for his brother’s cause by the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem.2 Somewhere toward the end of this period is probably the best guess, but that’s all it is.

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Before we turn to explore James’ wisdom in all its Christlike authority, we need to talk about how to use this book.

Let me hand you over to my good friend and co-author Simon who has some important tips for getting the most out of what follows.

Getting the most out of Vital Signs Vital Signs aims to take this ancient portion of God’s Word and apply it to real life as we experience it in the 21st century.

James would have settled for nothing less. This is the man who said: ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’ (1:22).

So, each chapter contains two important elements. The first is our attempt to wrestle with the actual meaning of James’ words in their historical context. This is not intended as ‘commentary’; it is just a way of making sure that all of the practical stuff in our book is thoroughly based on what God says, not just what Dickson and Smart think about life.

Having established the meaning of the relevant passage, each chapter focuses on how James’ wisdom might apply to the complexities of modern life. There are stories, statistics, song lyrics, hypothetical situations and real life dramas, all designed to show just how pertinent the book of James is to living right here and now.

Our hope is that you will tackle a chapter a day – about 10 minutes reading each time. You can read through the book as quickly or slowly as you want of course. We’re just letting you know up front that we have done our best to divide the book into manageable, meaningful, self-contained units. Believe us: there is more than enough food for thought in each section

Introduction

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for any given day. John and I are still feeling the impact of living with James in our heads for the last six months!

Whether you read the book as an individual or as a group (church, Bible study, book club or whatever), our hope is that you will allow God’s word to challenge your life as you seek to put into practice the issues raised by the brother of Jesus. To that end, here are some tips for getting the most out of the experience: • R ead the whole letter of James through at least once before commencing. Having a good understanding of the whole will help you grasp the detail. The NIV text is printed on pages 8–15. Also, keep an eye on the structure of the letter (outlined on page 7) as you proceed through the book.

• T he Bible is the key concern here. Make sure you read and spend time meditating on the passage for the day — don’t just rush onto the explanation and application.

Take time to process God’s Word and relate it to your unique life situation.

• A t the end of each chapter are some questions — a couple of them are ‘Bible study’ like, with the rest being more personal and practical. Our hope is that readers will approach the questions with keen minds and open hearts. If you are in a group or reading the book with a friend or spouse, leave plenty of time to answer and discuss the questions together. Imagination is the key. A good question will not only ground you in the text of Scripture; it will thrust you into the world of everyday experience.

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• R ead and ponder the prayer printed toward the close of each chapter, making it your own and adding to it as appropriate. Ask the Lord to change your heart and help you to apply his word to your life.

• Y ou might like to note down your reflections, prayers, confessions, questions, resolutions, plans of action and conversation starters. When you come to the end (which is really just the beginning) read over your notes and commit them all to God. • J ohn Dickson has written a commentary on the letter of James called James — The wisdom of the brother of Jesus.

If parts of this biblical book remain unclear to you or if you just want to explore James at a deeper level, let me suggest you get your hands on that book.

Use this book in whatever way is most helpful to your situation.

Immerse yourself in the words of James. And may they renew your faith, just as they have begun to do for John and me.

The Letter of James

James on a Page The structure of the letter 1. Greetings (1:1)

An introduction to the author and recipients.

2. Executive summary (1:1–27)

Pithy introductions to the themes of the letter.

3. Favouring the rich (2:1–13)

We must love rich and poor alike.

4. Faith and works, rich and poor (2:14–26)

True faith shows itself in deeds of compassion to the needy.

5. Taming the tongue (3:1–12) Teachers and believers alike must be careful how they speak.

6. True wisdom (3:13–18)

The wise person maintains godly relationships.

7. A call to repentance (4:1–12)

The decision to love God or money.

8. Keeping it real (4:13–5:11) Words to the upwardly mobile, rich oppressors and the downtrodden.

9. Keeping your word (5:12)

A brief reminder of Jesus’ teaching about honesty.

10. Responding to the ups and downs (5:13–18)

Instructions on prayer, singing and healing.

11. Over to you (5:19–20)

James hands on his work to us.

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The Letter of James (New International Version) Reprinted with permission

An introduction to the author and recipients

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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

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Pithy introductions to all of the themes of the letter Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

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The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

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Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

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The Letter of James

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When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

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Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

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My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

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Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.

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If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

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We must love rich and poor alike

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My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favouritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

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Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

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If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ you are doing right. 9But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

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Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

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True faith shows itself in deeds of compassion to the needy What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother

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or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

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But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

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In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

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Teachers and believers alike must be careful how they speak

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Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

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When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example.

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Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

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With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

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The wise person maintains godly relationships Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

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The decision to love God or money

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What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

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You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’

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Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

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Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you — who are you to judge your neighbour?

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Words to the upwardly mobile, rich oppressors and the downtrodden Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

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Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look!

The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

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Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

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Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You 10

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have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

A brief reminder of Jesus’ teaching about honesty Above all, my brothers, do not swear — not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No’, no, or you will be condemned.

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Instructions on prayer, singing and healing Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy?

Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

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Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

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Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

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James hands on his work to us My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

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The Brother of the Lord and the Tribes of Israel James 1:1

James 1:1 The Brother of the Lord and the Tribes of Israel

In a nutshell Speaking with full authority, James prepares us to hear from the God of Israel.

Without exception, every New Testament author wrote about the new work of God on earth while looking through the prism of the earlier or ‘old’ work …

The more we comprehend the Old Testament, the more we comprehend Jesus.

Philip Yancey 3

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James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

The brother of the Lord This opening verse is deceptively brief and contains a wealth of interesting information — truly!

We have already identified this ‘James’ as one of Jesus’ four brothers. For some, the notion of Jesus having a brother at all, let alone one who grew up to be a leader in the church, might sound a little strange. In fact, Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters (Mark 6:3). And one of his siblings, our James, went from being an unbeliever (John 7:5; Mark 3:21) to one of the most important figures in early Christianity. James came to lead the Mother Church itself, the congregations of Jerusalem with their many thousands of believers (Acts 21:18–25). Even Paul regarded James as a leader among leaders (Galatians 2:9). James had seen the risen Jesus with his own eyes (1 Corinthians 15:3–7) and it transformed this doubter into a leader and eventual martyr in his brother’s cause.

The slave of the Lord All the more fascinating is the way James describes himself in the opening verse of his letter. He says he is a ‘servant (or literally ‘slave’) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ’. These are amazing words. Calling himself the slave of his own brother is surprising, but for James to do so in the same breath as describing himself as the ‘slave of God’ is incredible.

For James, the Creator and the Messiah (Christ = Messiah)

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share the lordship of his life. James is a breath away from affirming Jesus’ divinity.

‘Slave’ is not only a title of humility; it is also a title of honour. The trusted slaves of the emperor, for example, were very significant people frequently performing services on behalf of, even representing, Caesar himself. James sees himself in a similar way: he serves the Master but he also speaks on the Master’s behalf.

A ‘Jewish’ letter?

The official tone of this opening verse spills over into the words: ‘to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations’.

James’ letter is a ‘circular’, that is, a document intended for wide reading. In particular, it was meant to be read amongst the scattered Jewish-Christian communities of the first century — like today, there were more Jews living outside Israel than in it.

James’ readers are obviously Christians (see 2:1) but it is fascinating that he says nothing of their Christian status here in verse 1. The contrast with Paul’s letters is striking.

James just refers to his audience as the ‘twelve tribes’. This is an Old Testament phrase for the full community of God’s ancient Jewish people. The point is significant. The first Christians didn’t think of themselves as ‘Christians’. They were simply members of Israel who knew their Messiah had come. What we call Christianity is really just the fulfilment of the hopes and longings of biblical Israel. The phrase ‘twelve tribes’ underlines this.

Please be clear: we are not saying this letter is intended only for Christians with a Jewish background. Far from it.

The teaching of James makes clear that the first Christian

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leaders completely transformed what it meant to belong to Israel. At the centre of the life of the New Covenant is not the law of Moses (the Torah) but the teaching of the Messiah or what James will later call ‘the perfect law that gives freedom’ (1:25). This will become perfectly clear as we continue on through the letter.

The authority of the epistle Verse 1 reminds us that the letter of James is not just the musings of a member of Jesus’ family; it is the divinely authorised words of a true ‘slave’ and representative of Christ’s kingdom.

To reject the message that follows — however great its demands on us — is to reject God and Christ. For through these words the glorious risen Messiah continues to proclaim his message to the church.

Our Old Testament roots Verse 1 also reminds us of the essentially Jewish nature of Christian faith. The reference to Christians as the ‘twelve tribes’ underlines the continuity between faith in Jesus and the promises given to Israel.

In different periods of church history the Old Testament has been overlooked and sometimes rejected altogether.

Christians sometimes speak as though the God of the first covenant is a different being from the God of the second covenant. Others simply avoid reading the Old Testament, finding it perhaps too difficult or irrelevant. But we neglect the Jewish, Old Testament, background of our faith to our great loss. Unless we appreciate how Jesus fulfilled the hopes of the ‘twelve tribes of Israel’ our faith will be less than truly Christian.

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Why bother with the Old Testament?

Paul Williamson is Lecturer in Old Testament at Moore Theological College in Sydney. We asked him to reflect on the importance of the Old Testament: ‘As those who identify with Jesus and his kingdom, Christians may easily be tempted to view the Old Testament as passé, of antiquarian interest at best. However, to jettison the first part of the Bible in this way would be a big mistake, for it is absolutely foundational for everything we read in the Gospels and Epistles. Christians are brought into relationship with God through Jesus — the one in whom the Old Testament’s expectations finally come to glorious fulfilment.

The Old Testament is therefore an important part of our history as the people of God. It introduces us to God’s plan for creation, it explains how things have gone so horribly wrong in God’s world, it traces the steps that God has graciously taken to rectify the situation, and it holds out to us the confident hope of a renewed creation — that which has now been inaugurated through God’s king, the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, as we read about God’s extraordinary dealings with his sinful people in the past, we understand much better why the cross is so important as the place where God’s justice and God’s mercy finally meet (Romans 3:26).’

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Prayer Father, thank you for your word — both Old and New Testaments.

Help me to understand the letter of James and to apply it to my life. Renew my faith daily and teach me to live as your servant in everything. Through Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Amen.

Questions 1. What is so significant about James’ transition from ‘unbeliever’ to devoted Christian, church leader and eventually martyr for Jesus? How could you use James’ story in a conversation with a non-Christian friend?

2. In your own words, what do you feel is the significance of James’ description of himself as a ‘servant (slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ’? To what extent can this — should this — be said of every Christian?

3. Do you agree that we ‘neglect the Old Testament background of our faith to our great loss’? Why is the first covenant so important? Think of some specific examples.

4. The members of Colin’s home group are resistant to studying an Old Testament book because they say it is irrelevant and difficult to understand. How might he respond to this reaction?