He says “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire” (James 3:5)! Even worse, in our duplicity or hypocrisy, we use our tongue to both bless and curse people (James 3:10), even though they’re made in the image of God (Gen 1:27 James 3:9). You might think I’m exaggerating, but James compares the tongue to a tiny little rudder directing a massive ship, and that tiny little rudder can ram a ship into the rocks or sail into smooth waters. Most people would not think about the tongue as being the most difficult member of the human body to control, however the tongue wins the prize for being the most unruly, unwholesome, filthy, degrading, and destructive of all physical members of the human body (James 3:6). This section is reminiscent of Galatians 5:22-23 where the Apostle Paul lists some of the fruits of the Spirit.
The book of james study full#
There is no reason why God would not grant a prayer request like that, but the wisdom James wrote about was not about human wisdom, but it was “from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Remember when Solomon could have asked for riches and wealth but he instead asked for wisdom? James writes that we can also ask for wisdom from God, writing, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Most were later expelled from Rome and many even put out of Jerusalem. The Dispersion refers to the Jews who were dispersed throughout all around the Roman Empire due to persecution. Even though the Book of James is written for all of us, it was written specifically “To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (James 1:1b). Christians were losing their jobs, their families disowned them, they were put out of the synagogue, their property was confiscated, and many were being martyred for their faith. He was called that because he spent so much time on his knees in prayer, but James wrote this to encourage the church which was going through great persecution at the time.
James only came to believe in Jesus after His death and resurrection, but James had another name: Old Camel Knees. Many consider the Book of James as “wisdom literature” because so much wisdom is packed into this little book. As we shall read, this book was written primarily to the Jews who had been dispersed amidst the Roman Empire during a time of intense persecution, however there is great application for believers today.
This book may have been the very first book written in the New Testament, making it the oldest of the New Testament books, written anywhere from AD 44 to AD 50. “Slave”) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (James 1:1). Even though James is Jesus’ half-brother, he still identifies himself as “James, a servant (lit. Scholars have little debate about this book being written by James, and he’s the same James which was the half-brother of Jesus. What is the purpose of the Book of James? The Author