As Christians, it can be difficult to know what our lives should look like. With a world so different than that of the New Testament writers, how do we reconcile our culture, technology, and society with the example we see from 2,000 years ago? Fortunately, there’s a place where timeless, practical truths are laid out plainly for us. That’s why I recommend that everyone should read the book of James.
Simple. Practical.
The overriding theme of James is how we, as former enemies of God, now live a life of holiness. Nearly every idea he puts forth is able to be implemented today. He addresses so much in a short letter, but God used James to give us a host of ways to take our desire to serve Christ and make it practical for our daily lives. There’s no deep study to be done here, nor much that can be misinterpreted in very strange ways (though it’s not without its controversy!). It’s simple, practical, and a great way for every believer to examine their own hearts.
Worldly living exposed
James pulls no punches when it comes to Christians being influenced by the world. He doesn’t just call it a bad idea, but for us to love the world is to once again act like God’s enemies!
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
We know we’re supposed to reject the world and pursue God. We aren’t meant to find our satisfaction in people or things, but Christ alone. And yet… sometimes it’s really difficult. God can become so lackluster, and the world offers such glorious promises of happiness…
No! God uses James to drill into our heads that we must choose who we serve. There are no “carnal Christians” when you read this book. Either you live for God, or live against Him. It’s a hard reality, but one we so often need.
A New Testament book of wisdom
God prizes wisdom because to desire wisdom is to desire a life full of God-honoring words, thoughts, and actions. James is secretly a book all about wisdom – how what we pursue influences what we do. It’s all about cause and effect, encouraging Christ’s followers to use wisdom. Rather than allowing us to be victims to our sin, God uses James to show us how our actions, and even our temptations, aren’t the root of our problems, but the fruit grown by our hearts.
Poison-free community
A good portion of James focuses, directly or indirectly, on how we interact with those around us. The goal isn’t for us to be nice people, but to recognize how our sinful heart is demonstrated by how we treat others. He deals with people who
- can’t control their mouth
- have anger issues
- show favoritism or prejudice
- deal with jealousy and bitterness
- gossip and sinful judgment
- take advantage of others
And that’s just those who are directly called out! There’s no one who can read this book and not find some way they are loving the world more than God. The bluntness of James gives us no freedom to make excuses or finish reading it feeling like we’ve got it all together.
So much encouragement
I love counseling from this book. If we counted, I’m confident that James would be one of the three most quoted books in my writing (followed by Romans and Hebrews, I’d imagine). That’s because James is not only convicting but also so encouraging for our Christian walk.
Not only is wisdom held in high esteem, but there’s great encouragement for those who suffer. In a world where suffering is just something we have to cope with, James gives hope by showing how our suffering produces spiritual maturity.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)
About that controversy
I will dig deeper into this in the future, but this simple book of living a life of holiness may be one of the most controversial books in all 66 books of the Bible. So controversial, in fact, that Martin Luther himself called it a letter of “straw,” even wondering why it was in our Bible in the first place!
Why? There are really two simple reasons. First, the book never directly says anything about the gospel. At first glance, it can be argued that there’s really no hint of the gospel throughout the entirety of the book. It’s all about action, not repentance and forgiveness through the blood of Christ.
That brings us to the second problem Luther, and many others, have with this book. Consider this verse:
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)
For a man who had just left the Roman Catholic Church, a religion that was so focused on works, verses like this would send up an incredible amount of red flags. And certainly not without cause! So does James break with the rest of the New Testament by insisting that we are justified by works? For now, I’ll leave that for you to decide.
Seriously, go read it
There’s so much I could say about the book of James. Despite being a brief 5 chapters, I read it at last once a month and come away with something new each time. That’s just how practical and applicable it is at every stage of our Christian walk! In fact, I aimed for this to be a very brief article, but it’s so hard not to get excited when talking about all the good found in such a simple book.
I can tell you from personal experience that James can change the life of a believer. It’s worth studying, worth putting into action, and worth letting God use it to expose our hearts and draw us closer to the only one who can truly change them.
