The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (164 page)

The most likely proposal views James in terms of a more linear structure in which chap. 1 serves as an introduction of major themes but demurs from identifying a chiasm therein. Instead, the structure is viewed as reflecting three stages. First, following the introduction of major themes in chap. 1, the first major unit in the body of the letter (2:1—26) describes the nature of saving faith. Second, 3:1—4:10 contains an appeal to repentance in view of God's opposition to pride. Third, 4:11—5:11 constitutes an exhortation to patience and endurance in light of God's judgment. The book concludes without a formal epistolary closing.

OUTLINE

1. OPENING (1:1)
   
2. INTRODUCTION: THE PATH TO TRUE CHRISTIAN MATURITY (1:2-27)
   
   1. Introduction of Major Themes: Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)
      
   2. Obedience to the “Law of Liberty” as the Mark of True Piety (1:19-27)
      
3. BODY: THE NATURE OF TRUE FAITH AND EXHORTATIONS TO REPENTANCE AND PATIENCE (2:1-5:11)
   
   1. Thesis: Genuine Faith Results in Works (2:1-26)
      
      1. Genuine Faith Is Incompatible with Partiality (2:1-13)
         
      2. Genuine Faith Is Shown by Works (2:14-26)
         
   2. Exhortation to Repentance in View of God's Opposition to Pride (3:1-4:10)
      
      1. The Proper or Improper Use of the Tongue (3:1-12)
         
      2. The Proper or Improper Use of Wisdom (3:13-18)
         
      3. The Results of an Improper Use of Wisdom (4:1-10)
         
   3. Exhortation to Patience in View of God's Judgment (4:11-5:11)
      
      1. God's Judgment of Slanderers (4:11-12)
         
      2. God's Judgment of Arrogant Merchants (4:13-17)
         
      3. God's Judgment of Wealthy Landowners Exploiting the Poor (5:1-6)
         
      4. Exhortation to Patience (5:7-11)
         
4. CONCLUSION (5:12-20)
   
   1. The Matter of Oaths (5:12)
      
   2. Faithful Prayer (5:13-18)
      
   3. Rescue the Perishing (5:19-20)
      

UNIT-BY-UNIT DISCUSSION

I. Opening (1:1)

The writer introduced himself as “James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” As mentioned, this seems to indicate that the author was a well-known figure. If the author was Jesus' half brother, identifying himself as his slave and God's is an exceedingly humble self-identification. The letter is addressed to the 12 tribes in the Dispersion, which may refer to Jewish believers who had been scattered through the persecution of Herod Agrippa I in c. 43 (Acts 12:1-4).

II. Introduction: The Path to True Christian Maturity (1:2-27)

A. Introduction of Major Themes: Trials and Temptations (1:2—18)
James 1:2—12 is best understood as based on a play on the Greek word
peirasmos
, which, depending on the context, can mean either “trial” or “temptation.” James first assured those experiencing “trials” that these serve to test and refine their faith (1:2—4). Asking for wisdom refers to wisdom needed in dealing with trying situations (1:5—8). James briefly digressed to deal with the rich and the poor (1:9—11), an issue to which he returns later (5:1—6). In verse 12 the word
peirasmos
occurs again, but the context makes clear that the meaning has now changed from “trials” to “temptations.” James's major burden here is to exonerate God from any connection with this kind of
peirasmos
(see 1:2—4). God is not the source of temptation; instead, he is the giver of “every perfect gift…from above” (1:17). As will be shown later, this also includes “the wisdom from above” (3:17). The direct address “my dearly loved brothers” (1:16) introduces the transition to the next section, taking its point of departure from the trials/temptations of the previous unit and signaling the topic of the next section, true religion, by introducing its source: the election of God (1:18).

B. Obedience to the “Law of Liberty” as the Mark of True Piety (1:19—27)
The direct address “My dearly loved brothers” (1:19; see 1:16) marks the beginning of the next section and introduces one of the major themes of the letter: true piety cannot be separated from obedience. James 1:19—20 states the general principle: “Everyone must be
quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man's anger does not accomplish God's righteousness.” Thus verse 21 draws the proper inference: believers are to rid themselves of all moral filth and evil excess and to receive the “implanted word,” which is able to save them humbly.
⁸²

The thesis statement of this unit is in verse 22: “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” A person who is a mere hearer of the word is compared to a man who briefly looks at a mirror and then forgets what he saw; he heard the word but forgot it. The section ends with a summary of the nature of “pure and undefiled religion” (1:26—27). Such piety involves controlling one's tongue (a subject developed more fully in 3:1—12) as well as helping orphans and widows and avoiding spiritual defilement by the world (see 4:1—5, esp. v. 4).

III. Body: The Nature of True Faith and Exhortations to Repentance and Patience (2:1-5:11)

The body of the letter consists of three major units. The first (2:1—26) sets forth James's thesis concerning the nature of true saving faith: it is the kind of faith that inexorably issues in specific works that give concrete evidence of this faith. This thesis is followed by two major exhortations that echo significant components of the thesis. Of these the first (3:1—4:10) is an exhortation to repentance and humility in light of the fact that all human pride sets itself in opposition to God. What follows (4:11—5:11) is an exhortation to patience and endurance in view of God's judgment addressed to various groups of offenders.

A. Thesis: Genuine Faith Results in Works (2:1—26)
The general thrust of 2:1—26 is the nature of true saving faith. In essence, the first two paragraphs insist that true faith does not distinguish between people in the church based on their socioeconomic standing (2:1—13). It does not give preferential treatment to the wealthy in the church (2:1—7), since this represents a violation of the commands of God (2:8—13) and exposes those who do so as lawbreakers. This leads to James's second major point that true faith is shown by believers' actions rather than their mere words (2:14—26).

The topic of faith is introduced in 2:1 by way of a warning against showing favoritism in the church. Those who are partial toward the wealthy have become “judges with evil thoughts” (2:4), and, even more disturbingly, they are acting contrary to God's own actions, who has not chosen the rich in this world but the poor (2:5). Moreover, partiality exposes people as lawbreakers because they do not love their neighbors as themselves. Thus they fail to fulfill their obligations toward others stipulated in the law (2:8—13; see Lev 19:18).

Hence James insists that faith is useless without accompanying works, just as telling a hungry and ill-clothed man to “keep warm, and eat well” is inadequate (2:15—17). Faith without works is dead, and works are a natural outflow of faith. James substantiates this
dual thesis with three illustrations. The first is negative: even the demons believe in God, but they shudder (2:19). The reader is left to draw the obvious inference in this case: the “faith” of the demons is not accompanied by works, and hence their bare confession is insufficient.

The second and third illustrations are positive: Abraham was justified by his willingness to offer Isaac on the altar (2:21; see Genesis 22; cf. the citation of Gen 15:6 in v. 23), as was Rahab the prostitute (2:25; see Joshua 2; cf. the commendation of Rahab's faith in Heb 11:31). Each of these three illustrations concludes with a declaration reiterating the basic premise: faith without works is useless (v. 20); faith is the partner of works (v. 24); and faith is dead apart from works (v. 26).
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B. Exhortation to Repentance in View of God's Opposition to Pride (3:1—4:10)
Although 3:1—12 may be a self-contained essay on the tongue, the connection between the teacher (3:1) and the sage (3:13) seems to provide cohesion with the surrounding contexts. By contrast, the section on the tongue ends with completely negative results (see esp. 3:8: “no man can tame the tongue”), while wisdom from above has positive results (see 3:17—18). James then affirmed the central truth that authentic faith results in good works since it flows out of God's work in the believer's life.

The warning about desiring to be a teacher is predicated on the dangers of the tongue (see 1:26). Although very small, the tongue can accomplish great things, illustrated by the bit of a horse, the rudder of a ship, and a spark that starts a forest fire (3:3—5). Regarding the latter, the human tongue “sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell” (3:6). The untamed tongue may inconsistently bless the Lord and curse a fellow human being. Just as a spring cannot produce both fresh and salt water, or a fig tree olives, or a grapevine figs, the untamed tongue cannot be expected to produce any fruit contrary to its own nature; “it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (3:8). Thus James, echoing the teachings of Jesus (Matt 7:16—20; 12:33—37), made clear that a person's speech exposes the contents of his heart.

In contrast to the untamed tongue, wise and understanding church members are to be marked by good conduct and the gentleness of wisdom (3:13).
⁸⁴
The worldly wise person is characterized by bitter envy and ambition that is willing to boast and lie in promoting what James called “truth” (3:14). James identified the source of such worldly “wisdom” as demonic. By contrast, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy” (3:17).
⁸⁵
James affirmed that the end result of this “wisdom from above” is peace (3:17—18).

The call to humility in 4:1—10 flows directly from the section on wisdom in 3:1—18. Thus, in 3:1—4:10 James established the need for a humble, God-centered ministry, and
offered an appeal to repentance. If the “wisdom from above” produces people who are peace-loving, gentle, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, and without partiality, one might ask, “What is the source of disputes among believers?” The answer is that dissension stems from a sinful human heart. Covetousness (4:2), selfishness (4:3), and worldliness
(4:4)
place us in a hostile position toward God. But the good news is that while God resists the proud, he gives grace to the humble
(4:6).
The final three verses of this section constitute a call to repentance, urging people to abandon pride and arrogance and to humble themselves before God.

C. Exhortation to Patience in View of God's Judgment (4:11—5:11)
This final major section of James features three examples of arrogance—slanderers, arrogant merchants, and wealthy landowners exploiting the poor—and issues a stern warning to each of these groups. Like the previous section, the present unit concludes with an exhortation—in the present case, to patience and endurance in a sinful world—based on the exposure of sinful behavior (5:7—11). In essence, this constitutes a call for believers to approach the world by faith.

Taking the discussion into a new direction by the vocative “brothers,” James warned against slandering one's neighbor (4:11—12). Those who act as judges and criticize the law are guilty of the ultimate arrogance. The next warning is introduced by the address “come now.” Merchants presume upon the grace of God by making great plans without submitting them to the will of God. Again James rebuked these people for their arrogance and presumption (4:16—17).

Finally, James described wealthy landowners who, while amassing a large number of possessions on earth, have heaped up a storehouse of condemnation for themselves. Speaking in end-time terms, moths ate those people's expensive clothes, and their gold and silver rusted. By gaining riches in an unrighteous manner, those wealthy landowners “fattened [their] hearts in a day of slaughter” (5:5 NASB). By this sharp denunciation, James took the stance of an OT prophet, which leads naturally into his commendation of the prophets in his ensuing call to repentance.

Closely related to the previous section by the conjunction “therefore,” 5:7—11 represents an exhortation for believers to display patience and endurance. The examples of both the prophets and Job are models for Christians who live in the hostile world around them. The prophets were patient, Job endured, and both received great blessings from God (5:11). Rather than seeking to beat the world at its own game or playing by its rules, believers must commit themselves and all their ways to him and look to him to give them grace. If they are arrogant, they will be judged like the world.

IV. Conclusion (5:12-20)

In staccato fashion, James concluded the letter with a series of short commands. This is marked off by the very prominent vocative, “Now above all, my brothers.” There is no proper epistolary ending (cf. Heb 13:20-25).

A. The Matter of Oaths (5:12)
Rather than making pledges or vows, whether by heaven or by earth, the believer's “yes” or “no” should suffice. Like other pronouncements, this statement echoes Jesus' teaching (see Matt 5:33—37).
⁸⁶

B. Faithful Prayer (5:13—18)
Connected, perhaps, to the previous verse by addressing situations that might lead one to make an oath, 5:13—18 cites specific scenarios involving prayer. Specifically, a call to prayer is issued to the suffering, cheerful, and sick. The teachings in 5:14—16 do not have exact NT parallels, calling for the elders of the church to come and anoint a sick member of the church and enjoining believers to confess their sins and to pray for one another. This passage led to the Roman Catholic sacraments of confession and the “last unction”—a person's anointing with oil on his deathbed. By contrast, both teachings are widely ignored in evangelical churches today. In keeping with the Jewish character of the book, the biblical example cited for persistent prayer is the OT prophet Elijah. Believers today likewise are called to fervent, righteous prayer.

C. Rescue the Perishing (5:19-20)
James concluded his letter with an exhortation for believers to rescue straying sinners, resulting in salvation. The phrase “cover a multitude of sins” in verse 20 closely resembles 1 Pet 4:8, which echoes Prov 10:12. Most likely, James's point is that such a rescue operation is prompted by love. Here the letter comes to a rather abrupt halt. The customary closing features for a letter (such as greetings, benediction, etc.) are absent. It is unclear what accounts for this departure from the standard format for ancient letters.