James | The Wisdom Letter

James 1:1–18

As I announced last week, I’ve decided that Thursdays are going to be a little different. Rather than simply reading another passage and moving on, we’re going to slow down and spend some time in one of the most practical books in the New Testament:

James.

James is sometimes called the wisdom letter of the New Testament.

James isn’t particularly interested in giving us a bunch of abstract theological ideas that sound good on paper but don’t survive our experience and expectations of the real world.

James wants to know what faith looks like when life gets down to the nitty gritty.

That’s something we all wrestle with.

So, Who Was James?

The James who wrote this letter is traditionally understood to be James, the brother of Jesus.

That’s pretty remarkable, in my opinion.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, His brothers didn’t initially believe in Him. But after Jesus’ resurrection, James became a prominent leader in the early Christian church.

Paul identifies James as one of the people to whom the risen Jesus appeared.

James eventually became a key leader of the church in Jerusalem and was particularly influential among Jewish Christians.

The Jewish historian Josephus later described James as being executed around A.D. 62.

So James wasn’t writing from an ivory tower.

He was a Jewish follower of Jesus writing to other Jewish Christians who were scattered outside Jerusalem.

And they were dealing with pressure. Persecution. Poverty. Conflict Temptation. Discrimination. Uncertainty and even doubt.

In other words…

Life.

When Was James Written?

The exact date is debated, but James is often considered one of the earliest New Testament writings, possibly written sometime in the A.D. 40s or 50s, before James’s death around A.D. 62.

The opening is fascinating:

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…”

James could have introduced himself as Jesus’ brother, but he didn’t. Instead, he called himself a servant. That tells us something about James.

His relationship with Jesus wasn’t ultimately about family privilege. It was about surrender.

Jesus wasn’t merely his brother. Jesus was his Lord.

That’s where James begins.

And that’s a pretty good place for us to begin, too.

James 1:1–18

Faith When Life Gets Difficult

James wastes absolutely no time getting practical.

He begins with trials.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…”

Wait.

What?

Joy?

James, have you actually met people?He’s not saying trials are enjoyable. He’s saying something much deeper is happening beneath the surface.

Trials test our faith.

And tested faith produces endurance. Endurance produces maturity.

In other words, James is reminding us that difficulty doesn’t mean God has abandoned us. Difficulty becomes the very environment in which God develops us. That’s an uncomfortable truth. But it can also be an incredibly hopeful one.

Ask God for Wisdom

Then James says something incredibly practical:

If you lack wisdom, ask God.

I love that.

James doesn’t say, “If you lack wisdom, panic.” He doesn’t say, “Pretend you know what you’re doing.”

He tells us to ask God.

And God gives generously. How often do we make complicated decisions while forgetting that we can simply stop and pray? I’ve certainly done it.

I don’t need another opinion; I need godly wisdom.

And James says wisdom is something we can ask God for readily.

James 1:9–11

Circumstances Don’t Define Your Worth

James then talks about the poor and the rich. That’s an interesting transition. James reminds us that circumstances don’t determine value. The person with little shouldn’t assume they are insignificant anymore than the person with much shouldn’t assume their possessions make them important.

Everything earthly is temporary.

James points us to what lasts.

James 1:12

Blessed Is the One Who Perseveres

James returns to trials.

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial…”

Following Jesus isn’t always about dramatic moments of faith. Sometimes faith looks remarkably ordinary. Faithfulness can look pretty boring from the outside.

But God sees it.

James 1:13–15

Don’t Blame God for Temptation

James makes an important distinction. Trials are not the same thing as temptation. God may use trials to develop our faith, but James makes it clear that God does not tempt us to sin.

Temptation begins within us. Desire becomes enticement. Enticement gives birth to sin. And sin, when fully grown, produces death.

James tells us to pay attention to what is happening inside us.

Temptation rarely announces itself with a marching band. ITV usually begins quietly with a thought or desire. We take one small step that doesn’t seem particularly dangerous and suddenly we’re further down the road than we ever imagined.

James 1:16–18

Remember Who God Is

And then James gives us something beautiful. He tells us not to be deceived. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. God is all good. One hundred percent. All the time.

James reminds us that God gave us new life through the word of truth. After talking about trials and temptation, James brings us back to the character of God. When life gets difficult, one of the easiest things to question is God’s goodness.

Don’t let your circumstances rewrite your understanding of who God is.

Your situation may change but who God is doesn’t.

What James Is Teaching Us

James 1:1–18 gives us a remarkably practical picture of Christian life.

• When life gets hard, persevere.
• When you don’t know what to do, ask God for wisdom.
• When circumstances change, remember where your worth comes from.
• When you’re tempted, pay attention to what’s happening inside you.

And when life gets confusing, remember who God is. That’s wisdom.

Wisdom is learning how to live faithfully with what we know about God.

That’s why James feels so relevant.

James is asking how does knowing Jesus inform how we live?

That’s a question worth sitting with.

We are just getting started.

Next Thursday: James 1:19–27 |Listening, Doing, and What Real Faith Looks Like.

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

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