James

Welcome and Context: The Story So Far

Well, it is good to be with you, Well community, once again. Do me a favor: turn to the book of James, because that is where we are going to be spending the bulk of our time together.

While you are turning there, let me just say it is good to be back. For those of you who have been at The Well for maybe just the last couple of years and have no idea who I am—that is fantastic. Good to meet you! My name is Shay Semlin. For those who have been here a bit longer, you remember we took a little absence in Texas to take care of some needed business. The Lord saw fit to bring us back, and we are extremely grateful to be with you.

You have caught us in the middle of a series we have been doing for the better part of the past year on Generations. It is a journey where we are looking at redemptive history—God’s plan of revealing Himself to His creation through Jesus Christ, and redeeming for Himself His creation through Jesus Christ. We have been doing so by taking a snapshot of redemptive history through the lens of the Bible from cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation. We are taking a book at a time—sometimes multiple books at a time—and looking at God’s grand plan through the Scriptures.

Where we have found ourselves for the last couple of weeks is in the book of Acts, covering the first twelve chapters. What we have seen so far in Acts is a handful of significant movements. First, following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, we saw the Holy Spirit coming in power to birth and raise up this new living organism called the church—the people of God redeemed by the blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit moves in power, and soon thereafter, the leaders of this church—the disciples and apostles who were with Christ—rise up in that power and begin preaching and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, multitudes come to faith in Jesus Christ, finding salvation in Him and Him alone.

From that point, the church begins to spread like wildfire. It starts in this epicenter called Jerusalem and fans out to Judea, Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth. But the catalyst the Lord used to propel that progression—and what became a massive challenge for the early church—was persecution. Not long after the church formed, persecution immediately set in.

We saw this first with the stoning of Stephen in Acts chapter 7. Because of his faith in Jesus Christ, Stephen was dragged outside the city and pelted with rocks until he breathed his last.

Acts 7:58-60 (NASB)

When they had driven him out of the city, they [began] stoning [him]; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on [the Lord] and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ Having said this, he fell asleep.

From that point on, we saw beatings and imprisonments, culminating in what we looked at last week in Acts chapter 12: the death of James. James, one of the original twelve apostles, was the first apostle to be martyred, killed by the sword of Herod. Persecution ramped up even higher from there.

Acts 12:1-2 (NASB)

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.

Who Was James?

James the Apostle died in approximately 44 AD. If you have our study charts—which are available online for both Acts and James—you will see that most scholars agree James died roughly ten to twelve years after Christ was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended. Shortly after his death, around 45 or 46 AD, the very first book of your New Testament was written. Long before the four Gospels were penned, long before Paul wrote Galatians, Romans, or 1 Corinthians, and long before John penned Revelation, came the book of James.

However, the author of the book of James is not the James who died in Acts 12. A different James rises up shortly after, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, he pens this letter. This James is the earthly half-brother of Jesus Christ. Shortly after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, James comes to faith. He is essentially one of the few people in human history who could ever claim he put his saving faith in his older brother! The Lord saved him and raised him up in power, and James became the point leader over the Jerusalem church as Peter expanded outward and Paul prepared for his missionary journeys.

The book of James is essentially to the New Testament what Proverbs is to the Old Testament. It is a book packed with wisdom dealing with intensely practical theology. In fact, one out of every two verses in the book of James contains an imperative command—meaning, in light of what you have been given in salvation, now live this out! There are over a dozen references in James to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5 through 7, which is the foundational instruction on what it looks like to live out your faith daily.

Matthew 5:1-12 (NASB)

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and [began] to teach them, saying, ’Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ’Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. ’Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. ’Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. ’Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. ’Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. ’Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ’Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ’Blessed are you when [people] insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ’Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This makes James one of the most practical, punchy books in your entire Bible. As one author once put it: “If you want to go deep, read Paul. If you want to go wide, read Hebrews. If you want to go straight to the heart, read the Gospel of John. But if you just want a good old-fashioned kick in the face, read James.”

James pulls no punches. He goes straight after the issue of hypocrisy in the church. He is writing to an impoverished, blue-collar group of Christians who were being oppressed by the wealthy ruling authorities of the day. They were brand-new converts, very immature in their young faith, and scattered all over the region due to persecution.

James 1:1 (NASB)

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

These believers were having a tough time navigating their faith, finding very quickly that following Jesus was costing them far more than they had anticipated. So starting in chapter 1, James walks through five key areas where, if you are a follower of Christ, your faith must evidence itself. These are five areas where the Holy Spirit will produce fruit, proving that the faith you proclaim with your mouth is genuine in your life.

Chapter 1: Faith in the Midst of Suffering

The first area where faith evidences itself is in how you and I suffer—how we encounter trials and what our trust in God looks like under pressure. An old mentor of mine used to say that suffering is the acid bath that proves whether what you say you believe about God is actually true. Nothing exposes whether a person’s faith is built of straw or stone quite like trials.

In chapter 1, James gives us a robust theology of suffering. He explains that true faith responds uniquely in the midst of hardship. As Christians, we are not to perceive our trials the way the unbelieving world does. When trials come—whether you walk into them or they track you down—you are not to view them as cosmic accidents detached from divine purpose. Nor are we to view them through a lens of anger, holding God in contempt as if He were some malicious puppeteer bringing hardship into our lives to send us into a downward spiral of despair, leaving us bitter for the rest of our days.

Instead, James tells us that a Christian is meant to view trials through a lens of joy. How do you do that? It requires an act of faith grounded in two unchanging anchors: who God is, and what God does.

First, you know who God is: God is good. He is like the celestial lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. He is fixed in His divine character and His dealings toward mankind. He is perfect and infinitely good.

James 1:16-17 (NASB)

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Second, because God is good, He can only give what is good. He cannot author evil, because He is not evil. What He gives is good, even when His gifts come wrapped in harsh packages like suffering and trials.

We also know what He is seeking to accomplish through our trials: He is producing something in us that we could never produce on our own—maturity, steadfastness, and endurance. He is weaning us off our self-sufficiency so that we might rely entirely on Christ’s sufficiency. If we get nothing else out of a trial except more of Jesus, that trial has not been wasted.

James 1:3-4 (NASB)

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

When we find ourselves in deep suffering—where we do not know why this is happening, how it will work for good, or when the light at the end of the tunnel will appear—James tells us to ask God for wisdom, and God will give it generously.

James 1:5 (NASB)

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

God’s wisdom is not like man’s wisdom. Human wisdom would never conclude that trials produce good fruit; only the infinite wisdom of God orchestrates that. But when we come to God, James warns that we must not come half-hearted or double-minded.

James 1:6 (NASB)

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

Being double-minded is like teaching your kids how to swim. You take off the floaties, you stand in the pool, and you say, “Jump to me! I’m your dad. I love you. I won’t drop you. Trust me.” Now, moms and dads handle this differently. Moms stand about twelve inches away: “Just take a little step… Oh, you don’t want to? It’s okay, mommy’s got you.” Dads stand eight feet back in the deep end: “Jump! Come on, jump!”

What is the child doing on the edge of the pool? She is double-minded. She is looking at her father, and she is looking at the water, torn in tension. She knows her dad loves her and will catch her, but she looks at the deep water and hesitates.

James says that when trials hit, do not look at your circumstances and become double-minded. Look straight into the eyes of your Heavenly Father. Know that He loves you, He will not drop you, and He will never forsake you. Take the leap and trust Him. We sit under His instruction in humility, quick to hear and slow to speak, letting Him transform us through our pain.

James 1:19-20 (NASB)

[This] you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak [and] slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

When you walk through the fire and experience God’s comfort, you are then equipped to step out into a fractured world and minister that same grace to others in their pain—namely, to the most vulnerable, such as orphans and widows.

James 1:22-27 (NASB)

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for [once] he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his [own] heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of [our] God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, [and] to keep oneself unstained by the world.

This does not mean we will never struggle, weep, or ask hard questions. But James is warning the fair-weather Christian who treats God like a genie’s lamp—using Him for perks. When hardship hits that kind of superficial faith, the person walks away because their trust was in their circumstances, not in God. But for the one rooted in Christ, the storms will blow and the branches will bend, but they will not break.

Chapter 2: Faith and Gospel-Reflective Love

In chapter 2, James points to a second area where faith must be evidenced: how we demonstrate gospel-reflective love toward others.

A major problem in this early church was that these young believers were showing partiality and favoritism. They were giving preferential treatment to the wealthy. In that ancient culture, being a Christian made it hard to hold a job, earn money, and survive. So imagine a wealthy man walking into their gathering wearing fine clothes and gold rings, dropping significant money into the collection. It was tempting for them to say, “Hey, you in the worn-out thrift clothes, move to the back so this wealthy, influential man can sit in the place of honor!”

James says: Stop. That behavior is completely contrary to the gospel that saved you. The gospel shows no partiality. Jesus did not pour out His blood exclusively for the wealthy, or for one specific race, gender, or social class. Jesus poured out His blood for anyone who would believe. If anything, God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom.

James 2:5 (NASB)

Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world [to be] rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

If you claim to be saved by an unconditional gospel, that reality must show up in how you treat people. It breaks my heart to see racism, elitism, cliques, and social caste systems find their way into the twenty-first-century church. When partiality enters the church, it reveals an utter disconnect between what we say we believe about the gospel and how we actually live.

That is why James lands the central theme of his entire letter at the end of chapter 2:

James 2:14 (NASB)

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

Faith is not merely cognitive agreement; it is active, life-altering trust. The fruit must match the root.

James 2:17 (NASB)

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, [being] by itself.

Chapter 3: Faith and the Power of the Tongue

In chapter 3, James brings another convicting diagnostic: true faith is evidenced in how we speak. One of the clearest ways to measure the depth of your faith is to evaluate what comes out of your mouth.

In verses 1 through 12, James outlines the severe dangers of the tongue. First, the tongue is deceptive; it can make us fiercely dogmatic about everyone else’s sin while blinding us to our own. Second, the tongue is depictive; it is the tattletale of the heart. Whatever is truly inside the heart eventually spills out through the mouth.

Third, the tongue is directive. Just as a small bit in a horse’s mouth controls the whole animal, or a tiny rudder steers a massive ship through fierce winds, this small muscle in our mouth directs the course of our lives toward blessing or disaster.

James 3:2-5 (NASB)

For we all stumble in many [ways]. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and [yet] it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

Fourth, the tongue is destructive. It is a fire that can set an entire forest ablaze. How many marriages have ended, how many careers have been ruined, and how many lives have been shattered simply because someone could not control their tongue?

James 3:5-6 (NASB)

So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and [yet] it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the [very] world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of [our] life, and is set on fire by hell.

Fifth, the tongue is defiling and duplicitous. We can tame wild beasts—we can put a tutu on a bear and make it dance in a circus—yet no human being can tame the tongue on their own strength. With the same mouth we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in the likeness of God.

James 3:7-12 (NASB)

For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; [it is] a restless evil [and] full of deadly poison. With it we bless [our] Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come [both] blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening [both] fresh and bitter [water]? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor [can] salt water produce fresh.

James says this ought not to be! If you have been redeemed by Christ, forgiven of your sins, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, how can your mouth tear down the very people Christ died to redeem? James shows that our speech reveals which wisdom we are listening to: the earthly, demonic wisdom of man, or the pure, peaceable wisdom of God.

James 3:13-18 (NASB)

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and [so] lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Chapter 4: Faith in Our Conduct and Humility

In chapter 4, James shows that faith must be evidenced in our conduct and our motives. He exposes the root cause behind our interpersonal conflict, jealousy, and greed: selfish pride and self-exaltation.

James 4:1-5 (NASB)

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; [so] you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; [so] you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend [it] on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us’?

We fight and quarrel because we are relentlessly committed to building our own mini-kingdoms. We want what we want, when we want it. The remedy is not trying harder; it is radical, humble surrender to God.

James 4:6-10 (NASB)

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore [it] says, ‘GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.’ Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

The way we wage war against the flesh is by falling on our faces before God, saying, “Lord, strip away whatever is in me that is not of You. Wean me off myself so that I may be filled with more of Christ.” When our hearts are truly bowed before Him, our actions will begin to reflect His humility.

Chapter 5: Faith in Patience and Prayer

Finally, in chapter 5, James reveals that true faith is evidenced through patience and prayer.

He begins by warning against the mirage of materialism. Many were consuming their lives trying to hoard wealth and luxury, buying into the lie that material possessions can satisfy the human soul.

James 5:1-6 (NASB)

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, [and] which has been withheld by you, cries out [against you]; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous [man]; he does not resist you.

When we become obsessed with accumulating temporal things, we make a tragic exchange: we trade the infinite for the finite, the eternal for the temporary. We get impatient because eternity seems far away, and we want comfort right now. But James calls us to patient endurance.

James 5:7-12 (NASB)

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and [is] merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

He reminds us of the farmer waiting for the precious harvest, and the prophet Elijah praying earnestly for rain. There is a reward coming in Christ that is beyond anything this world can offer. Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

How do we endure when life hurts? We pray. When we are suffering, when we are sick, when we are weary, we do not cut corners or chase worldly escapes. We gather the elders, we pray, we confess our sins, and we wait on the Lord.

James 5:13-20 (NASB)

Is anyone among you suffering? [Then] he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Faith and Works: Dispelling Two Common Myths

When you read James, it feels like punch after punch. It is deeply convicting. James operates on a straightforward principle: lemon trees produce lemons, apple trees produce apples, and genuine faith in Jesus Christ produces a life that looks like Jesus Christ.

However, we need to clear up two common misunderstandings about this book.

The first myth is that James is teaching that we must work to earn our salvation. Martin Luther famously struggled with James because he was concerned it contradicted justification by faith alone. But Scripture never contradicts Scripture. Paul made it clear in Ephesians that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Works do not produce salvation; salvation produces works. As Paul argued in Romans 6, you cannot embrace the death of Christ for your sins without also embracing the resurrection of Christ for a transformed life. If you are just looking for “fire insurance” so you can keep living however you want, you have believed a false gospel. The true gospel redeems you and begins conforming you to the image of Jesus.

Romans 6:1-4 (NASB)

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

The second myth is that if you struggle with sin, you must not be saved. You read James and think, Man, I didn’t suffer well this week. I lost my temper. I didn’t pray like I should have. Maybe I’m not really a Christian.

Listen to me: if you are in Christ, you cannot lose your salvation. You did not purchase it in the first place—Christ did! And Christ does not lose what He bought with His own blood.

John 10:28-29 (NASB)

and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ’My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand.

God did not choose you based on your performance, and He does not love you today based on your performance. There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more, and nothing you can do to make Him love you any less. His love is anchored in Jesus Christ.

If you struggle with sin, welcome to the club! Paul struggled too. In Romans 7, he writes that the very things he wants to do, he fails to do, and the things he hates, he finds himself doing.

Romans 7:15-19 (NASB)

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I [would] like to [do], but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want [to do], I agree with the Law, [confessing] that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good [is] not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

All of creation groans, waiting for the day when Christ returns, the eastern sky splits open, and the perishable puts on the imperishable.

Romans 8:22-23 (NASB)

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for [our] adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

Diagnostic for the Heart

James is not telling you to pull yourself up by your moral bootstraps in shame. He is not saying, “Just try harder not to gossip or look at porn.” James is giving us a diagnostic for the heart.

When you see your speech, your patience, or your love failing, do not just focus on modifying your external behavior. Turn inward and ask: What am I failing to believe about God right now? Where am I failing to rest in the sufficiency of the gospel?

Run to the cross. Repent, receive His grace, and let the Holy Spirit transform you from the inside out.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank You for the book of James. As convicting as it is, we need this reminder. On any given day, the gravity of our culture and the weakness of our flesh pull us down. We confess today that Jesus Christ is our only hope, and we are in absolute need of Your Spirit to transform our hearts. This is not just a behavior issue; it is a heart issue. Wherever our faith, our speech, or our love is out of alignment with the gospel, remind us that Your grace is sufficient. Lead us in humble surrender, that as Your church, our lives may truly reflect the Savior we proclaim. For the glory of Your name and the good of Your people, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.