And he also wrote, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us …” (Titus 3:5).Ģ. Paul wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. They give us the two aspects of justification by faith, both of which are clear in the writings of Paul:ġ. Both James and Paul speak a great deal of faith and works. It is clear that James’ theme is not works, but faith-the same as Paul’s theme, but James emphasizes what faith produces. Therefore, even Paul’s first epistle was not written until after the Epistle of James, which was the first book of the New Testament to be written. However, the earliest of Paul’s epistles, 1 Thessalonians, was written about A.D. There have been those who have said that James wrote his epistle to combat the teachings of Paul they argue that James emphasizes works while Paul emphasizes faith. I believe it was this James whom Paul referred to in Galatians 2:9, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” This James is the man whom we believe to be the author of this epistle. At least he made the summation and brought the council to a decision under the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 15 James seems to have presided over that great council in Jerusalem. In Matthew 13:55 we read: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?” In the beginning, the Lord’s brethren did not believe in Him at all, but the time came when James became head of the church at Jerusalem. He was a son of Mary and of Joseph, which made him a half brother of the Lord Jesus. I automatically dismiss him as the author of this epistle.ģ. He is mentioned in the list of apostles, but very little is known concerning him. James, the son of Alphaeus, called “James the less” (see Mark 15:40). He was slain by Herod who at the same time put Simon Peter into prison (see Acts 12:1–2).Ģ. These two men were called “sons of thunder” by our Lord (see Mark 3:17). James, the brother of John and one of the sons of Zebedee. I believe that you can find three who are clearly identified:ġ. There is no question that James wrote the Epistle of James, but which James was the author? Some find at least four men by the name of James in the New Testament. The problem of authorship is a major one. They are designated as general or “catholic” epistles in the sense that they are universal, not being addressed to any particular individual or church, but to the church as a whole. The Epistle of James is the first in a group of epistles customarily called General Epistles, which includes James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude. (Click image for larger view) Introduction
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |