The Book of James, Essay Example

James focuses much on the riches of this life and the riches of the next world and about the gap between the goals of earthly life and the righteousness of pursuing self-sacrifice and acceptance of a humble life and of each other. These are the eternal treasures that the Bible offers Christians.

In Chapter 1, James tells us that trials develop the perseverance necessary to reach maturity, completion, and readiness to receive faith without doubt. The high times only prepare a person to wither into complaisance and to thank God only when earthly treasures present themselves. “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” (1:17). James writes that the poor blossom and can be proud of this struggle. Anger comes from humanity and brings people away from godliness, a trait which James regards as useful only in practice and under close guard.

Like many common idioms, the warning: “Never judge a book by its cover” related to the Bible. James’ second chapter urges Christians to consider men as all the same and possibly even pity the rich above the poor of strong faith. The law is a single book. All of it is kept, or none of it. A lawbreaker wears no badge to show which sin was committed. We all sin. Faith and action make Christians completed and clean again.

In the third chapter, James tells his followers that “We who teach will be judged more sternly.” (3:1) He writes that every ‘stumble’ or ‘ripple’ is a setback to the message that we bring. As a small part of the body, the tongue should be unimportant, but the words that we use, especially when we think that no one is watching or listening, “corrupts the whole person… and is itself set on fire by hell.” (3:6) A boast or an insult make men choose which words to honor and believe. Ambition does not represent the wisdom of God, which chooses impulses of love above these things.

Every fight belongs to unmet wants and needs, but God meets the truest needs. The friend of the world turns against God and becomes proud, envious, ambitious, and angry; Christians should accept mourning for their membership in the inborn sins of humanity. Again Paul talks about favoritism and how Christians often choose to help the rich first and to judge others for their sins. This pushes godliness away as something as mysterious as life itelf—life…the “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (4:14) Inaction is a sin of omission.

In the final chapter, James warns that rich people have it coming and that the riches of one’s lifetime will eat away at the soul. Obtaining riches is not the sin, but James writes that wealth comes at the cost of the common worker, of another person that could have been helped, or of an innocent man who was not your enemy and was not saved from hell. These men are among the blessed because they stand firm and free. The martyred prophets were so blessed. All roads lead to prayer: happiness, trouble, sin, and faith. A righteous man’s prayer carries great power, so confession among the believers produces greatness because that person likely prays only for the pure desires of charity and compassion. Every convert is saved from death and from his own damnation.

Of an Abrupt Shift in James

Throughout the world, many different codes of behavior develop. Regardless, certain themes commonly develop. Among these themes, one of the most common and cherished rules advises each person to “Treat people as you would like to be treated”—the golden rule. In this small excerpt (from 2:8-2:11) James begins by reminding Christians to “Love your neighbor as yourself”. In James 2:8-11, the focus of the rhetoric shifts abruptly from the roots of sin and dark warnings to a cheerful segue about how avoiding direct participation in a sin is not enough—Christians must continue to enact the brotherly measures which the Bible requires of its followers.

As if this Scripture itself does not prove a heavy burden to meet, James writes that doing right in most areas of lie does not excuse our weakness. The book of James as a whole discusses failures and potential pitfalls item-by-item, a very extensive NOT to do list which fits in more with the laws of the Old Testament than with the Gospel and good news of the New Testament. Beginning with 2:9, James tells us not to break the law but basically classifies every person as a lawbreaker and as equally guilty of one sin as of those we have not committed. By this point in his book, James had already listed many specific faults which might tempt us and explained the difference between a trial and a curse, the work of God and the devil, and between words of faith and action. According to James, both murderers and cheaters are merely lawbreakers because the law is part-and-parcel; a break with one command severs the entire connection to the Word.

James wants each reader to examine their own faults without favoritism- just as he advised Christians to do good deeds without favoritism regarding the person. Rice explains that hidden within this simple advice against hasty judgment is a command to put aside the classes and races and just be together without conflict. Even so, the law of love is called ‘royal’ because it governs the heart in a broad way which makes the laws culminate in a single code. God favors the law of love above the specific guidelines set out by James. The royal law connects every verse- just as every prohibited sin is connected as a single law to be broken. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:9)

James 2:8-11 proves a rather bleak read which makes a Christian look down upon their greatest deeds. Because every person becomes a lawbreaker according to this standard, this serves as a poignant reminder that all people break the laws of God. While most of the surrounding verses concentrate on the appropriate actions and on inaction, this transitional sliver places the entire book in the greater context of the New Testament for one reason: it reminds the reader that Heaven will be reached through salvation alone, through the Trinity alone. The end of Chapter Two makes this clear in its discussion of mercy. James would not leave his long list of flaws and impossible perfection by indirectly relating it to the salvation and mercy which God extends to his followers.

Works Cited

Study Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. rev. 2002. Print.

Rice, Emily. “Breaking Free From Favoritism: Understanding James 2 Through Its Cultural Context.” Mutuality 18.4 (2011): 13-15. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 July 2014.