Introduction to Our Study of James

As we have looked at Paul’s letters, we see where he wrote to different churches in different areas.  The most broad letters would probably be to Galatia and Rome.  But there are other letters in the New Testament where they are written to believers in general and not a specific group.  We are going to look at one of these letters, James.

This letter is written by Jesus’ half-brother James.  This is sometimes contested today because James doesn’t introduce himself using his relationship.  The short history of James is that he was a skeptic of Jesus and it wasn’t until after seeing the risen Jesus that he truly believed.  And we now read that James introduces himself in relation, instead, as a servant of God and of Lord Jesus Christ.  We don’t know who exactly those he was writing to, but it is clear he was addressing believers in Jesus.

James was part of the elders that were a part of Pentecost in Jerusalem.  When the Holy Spirit came upon them and the miracles occurred, it became a hostile environment.  It caused the elders and believers to disperse.  James is writing to those believers wherever they went.

We will be working our way through the letter of James and further explore how it speaks to us.  But we can keep in mind that the guiding principle in James is that in whatever happens, good or bad, we are to respond with joy.