Please read my list of study questions on the Epistle of James (the first nine questions on the link here), and then James itself. Suggest an answer to one or two of the study questions and cite or two a verse from James in support of your answer.
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James 5:1 "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you."
James considered the wealthy people the oppressors of the poor, the majority of his audience. These rich few accumulated all their wealth at the expense of the blood and sweat of the many, and hoarded the accumulated riches that should be shared by all, instead crumbs were left for the labor of the many.
James 5:5 "You have lived...in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."
James sought to persuade people to live with righteous humility which would be their shield against their wealthy oppressors. People are not to judge each other based upon their material circumstances but on their value of the works done by their faith.
This is not to mean that people are to continually try to out-do one another as proof of their "greater" faith, rather than contest against the rich in these games of futile one-upmanship they are to place their works of faith at the feet of the only judge, the Lord.
I think that James's ethical standards are incredibly high. James's advice if followed to the "T" would make you a candidate for sainthood. He talks often about watching your tongue.
James 1:26 "If any man among you seem to be religious, and brideth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart the man's religion is in vain.
James 3:5-6 "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things....verse 6 "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity:so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whols body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on the fire of HELL".
James goes on to talk about oaths, lusts, grudges, how to deal with the sick and afflicted, how to pray and confess sins, the power of prayer, forgiveness and public acknowledgement of sins, suffering and patience, the dangers and corruption of wealth,hearing and not talking, judgement, etc.
It is a how to guide for Christian living. Yet in all sincerity, James is simply telling Christians how they should try to live their lives and what as Christians they must aspire to in order to be strong in their faith and serve the Lord. He knew that nobody would or could be perfect, he was providing a guideline for ethical living by a Christian, with the knowledge that their is forgiveness if you are genuine in your faith and repentence.
Question 6) Why do you suppose Martin Luther called this letter "an epistle of straw"?
This is the meaning of Faith in the Lutheran Church.
Martin Luther was mad not at the book of James, but how the Roman Catholic church interoperates the book. He then wrote how people could not buy their salvation through monetary gifts to the church. This is a key principle in the Catholic Church. (Purgatory) Martin Luther stressed the Bible teaches us that salvation is a gift from God. But, even though it is a gift, something we cannot earn, we are expected to obey God if we are to receive that gift.
James message has three parts. He not only wrote about works (James 2:14-26) but addressed grace (James 4:6) and Christ's "compassionate and merciful" nature (James 5:11).
I will borrow the words from the blue book itself. Paul wrote, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith," and we are "created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (Ephesians 2:8). James summarized this concept simply and concisely, telling us that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).
Brian Johnson
Question 3: "What, according to James, are the main keys of living a life pleasing to God?"
In James 3:17 lists among other things the following qualities as being from "above" - pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, and without partiality or hypocrisy.
Given that it said these qualities are "wisdom that is from above" it seems to be implied that these are the virtues needed in order to live a life pleasing to God.
Are James' ethical standards really high? Is it possible for anyone to meet these standards?
Yes, the ethical standards of James are very high. Chapter two deals with keeping the laws such as, "love thy neighbor as thyself." If you have bone-headed irish blood in you this is a hard task. James goes even further in 2:10,"For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." We are all human so none of us will ever keep all of the laws of God. Wow, that sounded like a politician attempting to defend some sort of illicit behavior. And now I just broke another law by speaking ill of my fellow man.
I don't think anyone could live up to the standards of James. The only way to do so would be to remove yourself from the world and find a nice quiet island to live on. Then again, there may be people out there who could live up to these high standards.
Question number 8 asks if James ethical standards are too high and unreachable. I believe so, but with good reason.
He set incredibly high standards for people so that they realize that they are indeed not perfect. That every human has things to work on and we can never meet exactly what God wants us to do perfectly. In my opinion it is a sort of reminder of Adam and Eve and how from now on no one can be sinless.
James say in 3:2 "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body."
James reminds us to be careful on what we preach because we all have fault, so even though his standards are high and unreachable it is well thought out and useful.
Why do you suppose Martin Luther called this letter “an epistle of straw”?
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? …You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only…? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:14, 24, 26)
I picked the same one as Mr. Jones and I agree with his analysis. It does not fit in with Luther's doctrine that your ticket to heaven is faith based. This passage contradict the belief that you can get to heaven through your faith alone. It does not say that you do not need faith however. You need a combination of faith and works to create your place next to Jesus.
Question 4: What is James’ attitude toward wealth/richer Christians? How is James’ attitude to wealth connected with his concern with ethics?
James says that the wealthy should be careful not to become big headed and overwhelmed by their wealth. It is very easy to have your wealth become your whole life, and if you do so it is very easy for you to lose your faith. Instead of earthly wealth that is only temporary, we should focus on our heavenly wealth, which will last forever. In chapter 5 verse 2 James touches on this when he says "your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes."
He also says that others should be careful that they do not show favoritism to the wealthy. James says in chapter 2 that if you show favoritism to a person based on their wealth "have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" Instead we should treat the poor and humble with more respect than the rich and powerful who flaunt their riches.
This connects with James concern with ethics because he focuses on the good deeds that believers will do out of love for God. He doesn't say we should do these works to earn heaven, instead he says that faith itself will bring about good works, and these good works will in turn praise God for what he has already done for us: sending His son Jesus to die on the cross for all of our sins. These ideas of not letting your wealth become your whole life and not showing favoritism based on wealth are just two ways that our faith will lead us to do good works.
John Rawerts
Dealing with question nine in how James deals with failure and weakness in humans, you can see in James 5: 16 "Therefore confess your sins to each otherand pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Basically here you have James telling people to let others know of your weakness or faults and when you do, not only can you pray for yourself, but others can also pray for you. By doing this you aren't trying to overcome your weaknesses alone, you will have others that will be right there with you to help you a long.
Eric Bengs
What, according to James, are the main keys of living a life pleasing to God?
James speaks of several ways to live a life please to God. He says to: persevere in trial and persevere in temptation, by doing so you will grow closer to God; be doers of the word not just hearers; avoid the sin of partiality; do not have faith alone for faith without works is dead; be careful what you say for your tongue is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:8-10”; ask God for wisdom from above; do not love things of the world; submit yourselves to God; James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you”; do not boast in your arrogance; beware not to be wealthy for it is a deadly evil; have patience; do not swear or take oaths; anoint the sick; confess your sins; pray for one another; convert sinners.
Amanda Imberi
Zach Anderson
Why do you suppose Martin Luther called this letter “an epistle of straw”?
James 2:14
"What good is it, my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"
James 2:24
"You see that a person is justified by what he does not by faith alone"
I feel it is verses like this that Martin Luther would call the book of James “an epistle of straw”, because it does not really reconcile itself with other books. It places great emphasis on works not just faith saying that salvation comes through a combonation of the two, you cannot have faith without works, or works without faith. This was a fundemental problem that Luther faced the struggle between works and faith, and which would lead to salvation. This book stands apart from the majority of others in that it focused much on works where others held the faith as most important. The straw is just a piece it is not the whole picture and that is where I think the label comes from.
What is James’ attitude toward wealth/richer Christians? How is James’ attitude to wealth connected with his concern with ethics?
Joe Adam
ST. James 2:2-10
James attitude toward the richer class is kind of bleak. James kind of puts all the rich people in a group in St. James 2: 6-7 where he says “And do they not draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme the good name that is invoked upon you?” so James does have more of a negative image of rich people more than likely because they are treated better than the average person.
His concern with ethics is treat everyone equally. In St. James 2:8 it says “if then you fulfill the royal law, according to the scriptures: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; you will do well.
Question 4
I think James wants to remind wealthy Christians that money will not get you to heaven, and by isn't a sign of being chosen by God.
James 1:9-11
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exaulted:
but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower oor the grass he shall pass away,
for the sun is no sooner risen with a berning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
Question 5
James seems to advocate patients alot in his letter. He feels that with patients people can learn to solve all problems.
James 1:19
Wherefore, my beloved brethern, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.
I think the message here is to have patients and listen to what people are going to say before you say something, or get angry. Having the patients to listen to people in this way could help people get along much better.
Also he talks alot about being careful what you say, that fits well into this also.
Jon Hepola
What is James’ attitude toward wealth/richer Christians? How is James’ attitude to wealth connected with his concern with ethics?
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days."
-James 5: 1-3
James looks at the meaning of "rich" in two ways. Early in his book, he speaks of richness in terms of faith in one's heart. He states that people who are rich in faith are worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Chapter 5, he puts a negative label on those who are rich in terms of wealth and currency.
He mentions the poor as being wealthy in heart and the wealthy as being poor in heart. Depending upon faith or actual possessions, James either praises or speaks against richness, respectively.
I personally wonder what his views would be on someone who is poor in wealth and heart, or someone who is rich in faith and possessions?
Annie Merkel
With regards to how James treats the wealthy, he pretty much slams them. James tells the rich that they are going to be miserable when it comes to the day of judgment.
James 5:1-3 "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire."
In general, James' attitude towards the wealthy is that they will and should be punished.
The connection between the way James feels about the rich and ethics, I think, is that the wealthy should be helping the poor. Basically, the wealthy should be giving their riches to help out those in need - that would be doing the right thing.
Brett Newton
Are James’s ethical standards especially high? Is it possible for anyone to meet these standards?
I think this is done on purporse because God wants every person to be the very best that each one of us can be. But he knows being perfect and living up to the way Jesus lived is impossible. People sin and he knows this.
the verse that states;
for we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man."
This is God's way in telling that try and do the next thing right, and that is the closest to being perfect that a human can be.
Why is James writing his letter? Who is he writing to? What particular ethical challenges do his readers seem to be facing?
It seems that James is writing to address some of the ethical issues of the time, making sure people check themselves to make sure they cleanse themselves of their wrongdoings. It appears he is writing to a Jewish audience, but more of a special group of Jews. The people seem to be having trouble with is not practicing what they fervently listen to from the Word of God, as well as trouble with differences in social class and treatment of each class.
Chapter 2 talks of this "sin of partiality."
What, according to James, are the main keys of living a life pleasing to God?
Most of the keys seem to be in Chapter 5, where there is talk of having patience. There is more from verses 13-20, the end of the book, that say we should pray and we should confess our sins.
Why is James writing his letter? Who is he writing to? What particular ethical challenges do his readers seem to be facing?
I believe James it writing this letter to the sick or to the sinners. In James 5:14 and 5:15, it is stated, “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”
However, I think this creates a problem, because people do not have to be held accountable for their actions. Instead, if they have sinned, they can ask for people to pray over them and be forgiven.
Question 9 deals with human failure, and weakness.
James 5 16, 19-20 sum up James's way of dealing with failure.
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful."
He is talking about the great gift of reconciliation, and what it will do to help clense the soul of one's body.
Verses 19-20 talk about if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
This is a good description of a way for a person to help out a neighbor in a time of crisis. When a lost soul is looking for help, James says to reach out and help that person try to find their way.
Sam Merkel
ST. James 2:2-10
James has a precieved attitude towards the rich class of people, and his attitude towards them is sort of a bleak one. In the passage2: 6-7 where he says “And do they not draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme the good name that is invoked upon you?” He sort of puts the rich people in their own group. James does have more of a negative image of rich people because they are treated better than the average person.
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