James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote the Letter of James to Jewish-Christians who lived among the Gentile nations (James 1:1). He became the main leader of the Jerusalem Church after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. This is confirmed by Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived in the first century, and also by Scripture itself (Galatians 2:9).

James, and the other biological half-brothers of our Lord, did not believe in the Messiah-ship of Jesus during His earthly ministry (Mark 3:31-35; John 7:1-5). After Jesus’ ascension, however, we see His brothers in the Upper Room praying with the disciples (Acts 1:14). What effected the change? First Corinthians 15:7 reveals that Jesus appeared to James after His resurrection. This must have convinced James that Jesus was not only the long-expected Messianic King/the Christ of Israel, but also the Savior and Lord of the world. And James must have shared his eyewitness of the resurrected Christ with his biological brothers.

Wisdom For Everyday Life

James was known as a man of prayer who was fearless in witnessing to his fellow Jews that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah of Israel. Tradition tells us that James was martyred in AD 62. His Letter is a great testimony to James’ commitment to not only being a hearer of the Word, but also a doer of the Word (James 1:22). It is a great application of biblical wisdom to the real-life situations of Jesus followers.

For example, in James 3:1-12, we read of excellent teaching on the power of the tongue to bless others or to destroy others. This passage is a great summary of the teaching we find in the Book of Proverbs on the power of our words in people’s lives. Note the vivid imagery in James 3:5-6:

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Given the power of the tongue, despite it’s small size, faithful followers of Jesus should not, on one hand, praise the Lord with their mouth, and then turn around, and curse men with it, who have been made in God’s likeness (James 3:9). This should not be. It is foolishness and not wisdom.

The teaching in James 3:13-18 on the source and fruit of true wisdom, compared to the source and fruit of false wisdom, is priceless. True wisdom comes from heaven, and takes root on earth in a humble human heart, producing righteous and shalom-loving relationships. It results in a good life. False wisdom is really foolishness. And it comes from the devil and the fallen parts of our human nature, producing disorder, evil and broken relationships.

This teaching on true wisdom versus false wisdom leads into the next section of James which deals in an in-depth manner on the pride of the human heart (James 4:1-5:6). Quarrels between Christians (James 4:1-12); boasting of our ambitious plans (James 4:13-17); and wealthy owners taking advantage of their field workers (James 5:1-6), all come from selfish and prideful desires that battle in the human heart (James 4:1-3). We are called to contrition and repentance of this selfishness. We are to: “Humble (ourselves) before the Lord, and he will lift (us) up” (James 4:10).

Waiting In Hope And Faith

This requires us to exercise a patient faith in the Lord, just like farmers need to trustingly wait for their crop harvest, and just like the Old Testament prophets and Job waited for the blessings of God in their lives (James 5:7-12). If we have unmet needs in our lives, we should not rail and battle against others, but pray to God, for “the prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much”.  Just ask Elijah (James 5:13-18).

As we begin reading 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter encourages and strengthens Christians with our great hope in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:3-7).

What God has accomplished in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus should greatly impact the believer’s life on earth. We are called to prepare our minds for action, and through our hope and faith in God’s power and word, we are called to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:13-25). The believer knows God, so his/her life should reflect that knowledge and grace. Our hope in the Lord has power to  purify our hearts. It can enable us to live faithfully to the one who shed his precious blood, to redeem us from the empty way of life handed down to by our forefathers (1 Peter 1:18-20).

QOTD: Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, are you living your life on earth in reverent fear (1 Peter 1:17)?