James 3-5

James 3-5
NTS3640A

The book of James was written to encourage a primarily Jewish Christian audience to live out their faith through their actions.

Just as how we act is a reflection of our faith how we speak is a reflection of our heart. Chapter three illustrates the power of the tongue and how what we say can not be different from what we believe. Rather than seeking status or selfish ambition we should humbly live out our faith through the teaching of our words and actions. For if someone speaks out of the wrong motives then they are not honoring God and their word can’t be trusted.

Chapter four reveals the “source of quarrels and conflicts” (James 4:1) that cause us to behave contradictory to our faith. Our problems arise from what we seek pleasure in. This continues the main point of the book by showing that our sin is not just actions but where we derive our pleasure from. Consequently we have skewed the way we pursue our pleasures because we have already placed them above our faith. Likewise we must remain humble and not seek selfish gain while also recognizing that God is sovereign over all the earth and we should never boast of what plans we have or the things we do. A part of this humility is to concentrate on personal obedience rather than judging the acts of others.

Chapter five continues to illuminate the flaw of placing one’s trust in worldly things rather than trusting God. If we really trust God with our lives then we will trust him with our money. Finally as an important way to live out our faith we should treat our fellow Christians with love, respect, and patience. The best way we can show love towards each other is through prayer; both with each other and for each other.

The commentary explained James 5:13-18 in a fresh way. Many have used this passage to argue for faith healing but, as the commentary showed, simply looking at the passage as a whole leaves one with a different interpretation. This interpretation is far more consistent with this passage and the Greek translation of “anoint” was incredibly useful and helpful. The idea of using the oil as a form of refreshment rather than ceremonial tool is a beautiful example of how we are supposed to pray for our brothers who are sick in spirit.

Another theologically significant passage is James 4:4 where it states that “friendship with the world is hostility towards God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Some such as the Amish have taken this to the extreme of shutting themselves off to the outside world and others have used this verse to argue against things from music styles to preaching.