Introduction to the fourth quarter lessons: The Book of James
“An Epistle of Straw”?
The epistle of James has been one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible. In the Leipzig Debate of 1519, Roman Catholic scholar Johann Eck used it to challenge Martin Luther’s view of justification by faith alone, insisting that works needed to be added to the equation.
Luther, in response, eventually denied the epistle’s inspired authorship, mainly on the mistaken claim that it taught justification by works. In the introduction to his 1522 German translation of the New Testament, Luther indicated his preference for books like John, 1 John, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and 1 Peter, which reveal Christ and teach everything that is needful and blessed . . . to know.
His preface to the book of James was even more negative. Luther called it really an epistle of straw
because it had nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.
Although Luther never removed it from the canon of Scripture, he separated it from what he considered the core of the canon.
Luther’s emphasis on Paul’s epistles, especially Romans and Galatians, and his rejection of James for anything more than devotional value, has influenced a large segment of Christian thinking through the centuries.
Who was James anyway? Was he a legalist, combating Paul’s idea of justification by faith by teaching that justification is really by works? Or was he simply providing a slightly different perspective on the subject, similar to the several perspectives on the teachings of Jesus that we find in the Gospels? The answer is, clearly, the latter.
Not all of the Reformers shared Luther’s low opinion of James. No less a luminary than Melanchthon, Luther’s closest associate, believed that the writings of Paul and James were not in conflict.
James had a firsthand knowledge of Jesus. In fact, his epistle of all the epistles may very well be the earliest Christian writing in existence, and, of all the epistles, reflects most closely the teachings of Jesus that we find in the Gospels. As in the parables of Jesus, imagery from agriculture and the world of finance are abundant. Other important themes include wisdom, prayer, and above all, faith.
James is unique in other ways, too, thereby opening a window for us into some of the struggles that the earliest Christian congregations faced. With envy, jealousy, and worldliness creeping into the fold, there seems to have been societal and cultural pressures that pitted wealthier Christians against poor ones. We also see the great controversy being played out as James attacks counterfeit forms of wisdom and faith.
Most important for Seventh-day Adventists, the epistle of James exudes confidence in the return of Jesus; it also provides crucial perspectives on the law, the judgment, and the Second Coming. Elijah is even presented as a model for us to emulate. This has special relevance for us, as Seventh-day Adventists, who are entrusted with preparing the way for Christ’s second advent.
Thus, in some ways, our journey this quarter spans the entire Christian era, as it includes some of the earliest preaching, as well as special insights for these last days.
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Thank you for this history. It seems that James might be a little misunderstood at times. I think it is important to realize that the Faith of Jesus in us produces works rather than the other way around. If it does not produce the righteousness of Christ in our life it is not the Faith of Jesus in us.
The study of the book of James to me is important because it deals with issues that are relevant today. As it has been stated many times before there is a tendency in Christianity to set aside law and works in favor of grace but to me both are important and complement one another.
It is therefore unfortunate that Martin Luther felt it necessary to discard the book of James. I am reasonably certain that there is only one verse and possibly a few other associated verses in the book that turned Dr. Luther off. “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:24 NKJV). I think what he saw was a direct contradiction to what Paul preached, “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Gal 2:16 NKJV).
To me if we would only understand the issues that James was addressing rather than the specific theological way that James dealt with them we would be far better off. But for those who dig deeply into the word of God there is treasure to be had in understanding what scripture is and how one writer relates to another. In fact in studying James and the other books of the Bible there is a lot that we can learn about ancient Judaism and how all of that relates to us in our understanding of salvation. There is also the issue of our relationship to God and how he deals with us and the prophets He communicates with.
Paul is telling us how we are saved while James tells us how saved people live. Two sides of the same coin.
As much as there seems to be contradiction in understanding the book of James,the purpose of this book was to expose unethical practices and teaching right Christian behavior.James wrote to Jewish Christians who had been scattered throughout the Mediterranean world because of persecution. In their hostile surroundings, they were tempted to let intellectual agreement pass for true faith.This letter can have reach meaning for us as we are reminded that genuine faith transforms lives.We are encouraged to put our faith in action. It is easy to say we have faith, but true faith will produce loving actions toward others.James is literally taking about what a Christian has, does, says, feels and gives.Regarding wealth, he taught Christians not to compromise with worldly attitudes about wealth. The glory of wealth fades, Christians should store up God's treasures through sincere service. All of us are accountable for how we use what we have.Here, i don't think he was against wealth, remember we should not be impressed by the wealthy nor look down on those who are poor.