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The Book of James explains how to receive wisdom from God’s Word. Wisdom from God results in a life that is fruitful even in the face of hardships. James applies the teachings of Jesus, especially the Sermon on the Mount, to everyday life. It explains what a life of obedience to Christ looks like.
- God is the source of all wisdom. The Greek word for wisdom (sophia) occurs four times in the letter of James (1:5; 3:13, 15, 17). Wisdom is not a topic or theme of the book of James, but it is an assumed value essential for Christian living and under which all the various topics of the book are subsumed.
- Testing and trials. Our lives are full of trials. James understands the true goal of trials to be perseverance. And perseverance works toward spiritual maturity and wholeness, which James implies are worthy goals for Christians.
- Wealth and oppression. Socioeconomic disparity, both in society and in the church, seems to have been a major concern in James’s mind as he wrote this letter.
- Material things will not last. The poor, without material resources, have also received the riches of God’s grace in Christ. Furthermore, the rich and poor are alike in another way—both will pass away.
So you see, if you hear and fail to do the Word of God and you think, well, that’s pretty harmless, James says, “No, to hear and fail to do the Word of God is to miss the whole plan of God, the whole purpose of God”.
Jacob calls God’s word “the perfect Torah of freedom.” He’s referring here to the greatest command of the Torah as interpreted by Jesus (Matt. 22:34-40), in which he freed us to love God and our neighbor.
(1) James, a servant (or slave, or bond-servant) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. —Bound to Him, i.e., in devotion and love. In like manner, St. Paul (Romans 1:1, et seq.), St. Peter (2Peter 1:1), and St. Jude brother of James (James 1:1), begin their Letters.
Romans 10:17 tells us: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Supernaturally, faith is built in us as we hear, understand, and trust in God’s word. iii. James did not want anyone to think that God sends trials to break down or destroy our faith; therefore, he will come back to this point in James 1:13-18.
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What does James 1:21 mean? James continues to describe what it looks like to truly trust God our Father. How does that show up in our daily lives? Here, he writes that those who trust God reject sin. Sin is what happens when we choose to serve ourselves first, and above all. Because God perfectly provides, what do we need sin for?
