He’s writing primarily to people who are already followers of Christ, exhorting them to put their faith into action. He doesn’t present a systematic theology (the way Paul does in Romans, for example). James is a letter most likely written by James, the brother of Jesus, to Jewish Christians. Sometimes, we don’t know all that information, but whatever we can know is helpful as we interpret and apply the passage to our own lives. But when we’re looking at Scripture, it’s helpful to understand some background first, such as the genre, author (if that is given to us), original audience, and date written (if possible). Okay, James 1:1 might not sound like the most exciting verse to study. “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.” Author, Date, and Audience So with all that said, let’s dig in! James 1:1 Week 12: James 5:13-20, Putting it All Together If you’re starting with me when this series launches, this study will take us three months, from August 10 through October 26. I’ll be posting every Monday, and each post can function as a stand-alone read, but I’d also love for you to join me as we walk through the whole book. I don’t want to serve a finite god.įinally, for those of you who are planners and schedulers, here’s the layout of what the next few months will look like. But if we think we can comprehend every single thing about him, we’ve then formed him in our image and reduced the infinite to fit into our finite minds. God has made himself known to us and has given us resources like the Bible to know him better. We can (and should!) spend our lives diving into Scripture, but even after a lifetime, we won’t plumb the depths of all that there is to learn. For the sake of clarity and word count, I’m going to zero in on certain themes and verses. Secondly, there is so much in these passages that I’m not going to cover. Reading what others have to say about Scripture can be immensely helpful (and I hope you find that to be true here), but nothing can ever replace reading the living and active Word of God. Like the Bereans in Acts 17, we must constantly test what others are saying against the Word of God, “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Read, pray, and study for yourself-don’t just take my word for it. I am working through these passages alongside you, and I am not the final authority on the text. Grab your Bible and dig into the pages of Scripture on your own. Laying the GroundworkĪs we get started on this series, I want to lay some groundwork.įirst, this series isn’t necessarily intended to replace any of your own personal study or Bible reading. We need all of that in 2020-and every year, for that matter. He pushes us out of our complacency, helps us put our faith into action, and brings us to our knees before God. But while James writes hard truths that may be painful to hear at times, he writes words we all need to listen to, understand, and put into practice. In 2020, we may feel like a punch in the gut is the last thing we need. Tim Mackie called it, “a beautifully crafted punch in the gut.” I think that’s pretty accurate. It’s only five chapters long, but it’s such a beautiful, practical book. So, I’m excited to be launching a blog post series on the book of James.īack in January, I started studying James, and now eight months later I’m still in it. Typically, I post stand-alone blog posts, stories, or recipes, but sometimes there are topics I want to look at more thoroughly, but they can’t be covered in one post. I’m starting something new on the blog this week.
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