Introduction

What is the Book of James About?

Read this 3-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to read James!

Videos
on James

Historical Context
of James

Accordion Content

This letter was written by James, the brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55) and leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15).

From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote James for your good and to lead you into joy.

It was probably written about AD 40–45 to Jewish Christians living outside Palestine.

James is writing in 45 AD, less than fifteen years after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. His heart is bursting with the excitement of faith in Jesus just as much as if he was still walking among his people. The Spirit of God has powerfully moved him to write to his Jewish brothers and sisters who have been displaced from their home, their beloved promised land, Israel. Many are the offspring of families who never returned from exile to Babylon in 605 BC. Others, in the first century, have been pushed out of their homeland by persecution for their faith in Jesus and are living in virtually every country around the Mediterranean Sea. They are people whose hearts have been turned to God, and to his Son Jesus, but they are living in the midst of great, pain-filled trials.  

—Frank Yonke  

Source: Frank Yonke, quoted from his book James: A Faith Relationship With God in Turning Hearts Back to Him, published September 20, 2014.

The Setting of James

c. AD 40-45

The letter of James was likely written to predominantly Jewish Christian house churches outside of Palestine, based on its mention of the “twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (James 1:1), its distinctly Jewish content, and its focus on persecution and poverty. This would mean it was sent throughout most of the ancient Mediterranean world. The author has traditionally been believed to be James, the brother of Jesus and an early leader of the church in Jerusalem.

Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Books

Message Series
on James

Themes from James by R.C. Sproul

This phenomenal 15-part message series by beloved Bible teacher R.C. Sproul will challenge you, will answer some of the hard questions you have as you read the book of James, and will leave you edified after every message.

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James Dictionary

As you read through James, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.

To have faith or to trust that something is true. The Bible tells us that we can believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and trust him to keep his promise to forgive sins. We show that we believe that God loves us and wants what is best for us by obeying his commands.

To say bad things against God, to swear using God’s name, or to do actions that show disrespect to God. The Bible says that blasphemy is a sin. The Jews punished blasphemers by stoning them to death. Jesus and Stephen were falsely accused of blasphemy.

To praise or make holy. The word bless is used in different ways in the Bible: (1) When God blesses, he brings salvation and prosperity and shows mercy and kindness to people. (2) When people bless, they (a) bring salvation and prosperity to other persons or groups; (b) they praise and worship and thank God; (c) they give good things or show kindness to others.

The Greek word that means “God’s Chosen One.” “Messiah” is the Hebrew word meaning the same thing. Jesus was the Christ.

An assembly or gathering. The word church is used to refer both to local groups of believers in Christ (church) as well as to all believers (Church).

(1) To find someone guilty of doing something wrong and to declare or pronounce a punishment. (2) To be against or disapprove of something because it is wrong.

Tell or agree about what is true. Confess sometimes means telling God your sins. Confess can also mean to say in front of other people that you believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that he died and rose again to forgive you for your sins.

The deportation of and emigration of Jews from the Promised Land. The term usually focuses on the Assyrians’ forced relocation of people from the northern kingdom of Israel to distant locations throughout the Assyrian Empire. While large numbers of people from Judah who were exiled in Babylon did return, there was no similar restoration for the people of Israel.

(1) To be certain about the things we cannot see or to trust someone because of who he or she is. For example, a Christian has faith that Jesus is God’s Son. (2) The whole message about Jesus Christ—that he is God’s Son and that he came to take the punishment for our sin so that we may become members of God’s family. This describes the faith of a Christian.

(1) In the Old Testament, God’s laws of instructions. (2) Also in the Old Testament, God’s punishment of a person or nation for disobeying him. (3) In the New Testament, to criticize or disapprove of someone. The Bible says Christians are not to judge each other. (4) Also in the New Testament, the end of the world as we know it when God will judge sin and reward those people who have lived for him.

(1) All the rules God gave to help people to know and love him and to live happily with each other. The Ten Commandments are part of God’s law. (2) The first five books of the Bible. These five books are often called the Law. (3) The entire Old Testament. Sometimes the Old Testament is referred to as the Law. (4) Any rule that must be obeyed, whether it was decided by God or by people. (5) God’s rules in the Old Testament plus other rules added by Jewish religious leaders. (6) The conscience of an unbeliever who knows he or she has not followed his or her own moral code (see Romans 2:14-16).

Men and women in the Old and New Testaments chosen by God to tell his messages to people. Also refers to the seventeen Old Testament books written by prophets.

Thinking and doing what is correct (or right) and holy. God is righteous because he does only what is perfect and holy. A person who has accepted Jesus as Savior is looked at by God as being free from the guilt of sin, so God sees that person as being righteous. People who are members of God’s family show their love for him by doing what is correct and holy, living in righteous ways.

Dictionary Source

This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

Tough Questions
from James

We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read James. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?

Insights about James

The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of James.

James is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to Christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in Jesus. It is filled with allusions to and quotations of the teachings of Jesus, and it includes more imperatives per word than any other New Testament book. For these reasons, James has been called “the Proverbs of the New Testament.”

—Greg Gilbert

Source: Content adapted from James: A 12-Week Study by Greg Gilbert. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.

One thing is clear—the dominant theme is, faith that is real works practically in one’s life. That is, true faith is a faith that works. James shows us how to have a living, visible, productive faith in a fallen world. In this respect, it is significant that this brief book has fifty-four imperatives.[1] James is a “Do this! Do that!” book that, taken to heart, will dynamically affect our lives on every level. We will not be the same at the end of this study if we prayerfully ask the Spirit to apply what we learn.

1. Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistle of James and the Epistles of John, p. 5, says in note 6, “I have counted only true imperatives and not the participles that take the place of the imperative. Expanding the use of the imperative, C. Leslie Mitton in The Epistle of James (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1966), p. 235, mentions sixty occurrences.”

—R. Kent Hughes 

Source: Content taken from James: Faith That Works by R. Kent Hughes, ©1991. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

James depends more than any other New Testament author on the teaching of Jesus. It is not that James directly quotes Jesus—although James 5:12 is virtually a quotation of Jesus’ teaching about oaths in Matthew 5:33-37. It is, rather, that he weaves Jesus’ teaching into the very fabric of his own instruction. Again and again, the closest parallels to James’ wording will be found in the teaching of Jesus—especially as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. And the topics he addresses as well as the particular slant that he takes on these topics mimics Jesus’ own emphasis. The author of the letter seems to have been so soaked in the atmosphere and specifics of Jesus’ teaching that he can reflect them almost unconsciously.  

—Douglas J. Moo  

Source: Moo, Douglas J. The Letter of James. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2021.

James constantly engages his readers with rhetorical questions, sometimes in rapid sequences (James 2:4-7; 2:14-21; 3:11-13; 4:1-5; 4:12-14). James raises and answers objections that he supposes his readers may have (James 1:13; 2:18; 4:13-14; 5:13-14). An imaginary figure speaks on four occasions, to articulate a godless perspective toward poverty (James 2:3) or the needy (James 2:16) or business plans (James 4:13), or to object to James’s teaching (James 2:18)…James also engages his people with abundant illustrations, using horses, springs of water, boats, fire, mirrors, farm work, flowers, mist, travel, and Old Testament heroes… Finally, James speaks in paradox: tests are joy (James 1:2), and the rich should boast in their humiliation (James 1:10)… James always puts his rhetoric to the service of his goal: to promote a life consistent with faith in Christ the Lord. 

—Daniel Doriani  

Source: James (Reformed Expository Commentary), Daniel Doriani, Copyright 2007, P&R Publishing, Philipsburg, NJ. http://www.prpbooks.com/.

James has more in mind than the truism “We grow strong through adversity.” He wants us to see the world a certain way. The goal of life is not to find maximum pleasure. Christians do not live for sensual pleasure. Our goal is maturity and endurance, not self-actualization (as popularly understood) and a pain-free life. As James sees it, God fashions maturity and endurance by means of the trials that befall us. Do we take responsibility and endure, or doubt and blame God? Our response to trials reveals our heart condition. This is the first concern of James’s letter to the Christian Jews under his care. His word about trials, therefore, speaks to more than hospital rooms, flooded farmlands, or unemployment lines. He speaks to all of life when he says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” for God brings us to maturity by them. This is James’s first teaching, and it holds for all of life.  

—Daniel Doriani  

Source: James (Reformed Expository Commentary), Daniel Doriani, Copyright 2007, P&R Publishing, Philipsburg, NJ. http://www.prpbooks.com/. 

James insists that the kind of faith that truly justifies results in transformation. It’s a faith that moves beyond believing what is true and even having a fitting emotional reaction. It’s a faith that rests in God’s promises and acts on those promises. It’s a faith that is ultimately inseparable from good works.

—Chris Bruno

Source: Chris Bruno, quoted from his article, “Does James Really Contradict Paul?” This article originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition

Let us be careful where we lay the blame of temptation. Read James 1:14 carefully. Testings of character come from God (see Genesis 22:1), but temptations to do evil never come from him; they come from the adversary through our own corrupt nature (see James 1:13), appealing for us to meet a proper desire in an improper way (see James 1:14). Instead of wrong things coming from God, we find that only good and perfect gifts come from above, from the Father of lights who never changes (see James 1:17). Our God is a God who loves to give. Alexander the Great supposedly said to one of his subjects who was overwhelmed by his generosity: “I give as a king!” Our Father in heaven gives to us as the infinite God.  

—Henrietta Mears  

Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.  

So if someone says they lost their faith because of a certain crisis, then I would say that’s good, because they need to get rid of that faith. It’s worthless. The faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. Anyone can praise God when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. But if you can praise God when the roof caves in, when the bottom drops out, and when things go wrong, it says to me that you’re a true follower of Jesus Christ.

—Greg Laurie

Source: Laurie, Greg. “Still Thankful.” Harvest (November 5, 2020).

There is a tendency in spiritual circles to think that others (and therefore, God) should be impressed by how much we know. Information equals godliness and spiritual value. We might not say it in those terms, but this terse message is preached loudly by how we live… But (this message in itself is not) affirmed by the Bible. In fact, it is quite the opposite. James tells us that we should prove ourselves doers of the Word and not merely hearers “who delude themselves.” In layman’s terms, knowledge alone deludes us or deceives us into thinking we are spiritual because of how much we know instead of how we live.

—Eddie Rasnake

Source: Rasnake, Eddie. The Book of Ephesians. Following God Through the Bible. Chattanooga, Tennessee: AMG Publishers, 2003. Retrieved from Grace Quotes at gracequotes.org.

James Playlist

Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of James.

Seasons
by Benjamin William Hastings | Indie Pop
James 1:1-12 CSB
by Ross King & Matt Papa | Scripture Memory
Lover of the World
by Kelly Willard | 70s 80s 90s
Humble Yourself
by 2nd Chapter of Acts | 70s Rock
JOY INVINCIBLE
by Switchfoot feat. Jenn Johnson | Contemporary
Let It Be Real
by Watermark Music and Shane & Shane | Praise & Worship
When Trials Come
by Keith & Kristyn Getty | Praise & Worship
Submit
by SEU Worship feat. Chelsea Plank | Praise & Worship
More Songs