So by showing mercy you take dominion over judgment!”
James 2:13 - “.and remember that judgment is merciless for the one who judges others without mercy. And be slow to become angry, for human anger is never a legitimate tool to promote God’s righteous purpose.” James 1:19 - “My dearest brothers and sisters, take this to heart: Be quick to listen, but slow to speak. But those who are rich should boast in how God has brought them low and humbled them, for all their earthly glory will one day fade away like a wildflower in the meadow.” James 1:9 - “The believer who is poor still has reasons to boast, for he has been placed on high. We will learn the ways of pure and fruitful communication, proper handling of wisdom, conflict resolution, and even the simple key to victory over spiritual warfare. As we read today, we will be reminded to think of God’s great gift of mercy over our lives and how we can share that with others to point them to Him. We can read this book quickly for a spiritual recharge and reminder to remain close to God in righteousness and as a result, treat others well from that place. Charges of wisdom have no expiration and are not just a passing trend. What Can We Learn from James Today?Īs you will see from the verses below, the teaching of James is as relevant today as it was then. He dispels unfair acceptance within the church while he is at it. To the rich, he reminded them that no amount of deed or wealth could buy what they were freely given. To the poor, he shared that they have been blessed with privilege and love. It says, “You must love and value your neighbor.” Finally, he shares a beautiful message of balance among all socioeconomic statuses. He takes the known Ten Commandments and frames it for the new life through Jesus as summarized in James 2:8. He used this book as encouragement that the trials they would face would not be a waste and that spiritual maturity is born through perseverance. During this time, people were threated daily for this faith. James uses Jewish traditions to draw out the wisdom they are used to hearing and applies it to practical Christian living. Theme 3: Trials and Temptation – 4:13-5:18.Per the Passion Translation Bible introduction, the themes are broken down as follows: There are three main themes in James: Wealth, Wisdom, and Trials. This is based on James’ comment, “I am writing to all the twelve tribes of Israel who have been sown as seeds among the nations.” His goal was reaching those who had converted from Judaism and were scattered throughout the Roman Empire to help them keep their newfound faith and strengthen it. The intended audience of this book is thought to be targeted toward Jewish Christians. It is thought to be written between 45 and 47 AD and broken into three main themes that we will discuss in the next section. The book of James is a New Testament book that falls between Hebrews and 1 Peter. Like Jesus, he was also killed for his faith around 60 A.D. Many scholars believe that James did not become a believer until after Jesus died and rose again. He was an apostle of the church of Jerusalem. Jacob, or James, was a powerful voice in the early church, as well as the younger brother of Jesus ( Galatians 1:9, Mark 6:3). James was not widely accepted until the 1600s when King James sponsored the translation called the “ Authorized Version.” In Exodus 3:15, we read, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors-The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.” If you have ever heard the book of James referred to as the ‘book of Jacob’ that is why. “James” is actually the result of a translation of the Jewish name Ya’akov and the Greek name lakobos.