Book of James – Bible Study
If you’ve considered starting a Bible study on the book of James, I’d say do it. You wouldn’t go wrong. Actually, I think that would be a great idea.
Even though it’s a shorter book, there’s a lot packed into those five chapters. Your Bible study could be brief enough to cover it in one afternoon. Or you could spend several months unpacking everything in it.
Here are some things that might help you in your book of James Bible study. Beginning with, it’s located toward the end of the New Testament. Between Hebrews and 1st Peter.
In this post, we’ll discuss who James was, whether or not he was one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples, some key verses of the book, and where to go from here.
Who was James?
Technically speaking, James was Jesus’ half-brother. Mary was the mother to both of them (Matthew 13:53-55). But, according to Luke’s gospel, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:26-35).
Gabriel had appeared to her and gave her the news. All that to say, God is Jesus’ father.
For more on Gabriel, read: Angels of the Bible
Wait, I thought Joseph Jesus’ father?
Joseph was the biological father to James’ but raised both of them as his own. And he’s often referred to as Jesus’ earthly father (Matthew 1:18-25) and God as His heavenly Father (Matthew 12:48-50).
God is the Heavenly Father to all of us (Matthew 6:6-13), whether we accept that truth or not.
If this helps, think of Joseph as Jesus’ stepdad. Just remember, Mary got married only once and it was to Joseph.
James was a slave.
In his book, James starts out describing himself as “a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” – James 1:1 Other translations use the word “servant.”
Actually, the word used for slave or servant is Doulos. It was a common word in the New Testament era. The word can mean either slave or servant. The connotation though is that it was a forced position and not voluntary.
- As a side note, to help you further in your study, another word used in the New Testament regarding servants is “Deoconas.” It means “to serve” or “servant.” It’s where we get the word Deacon. The big difference is that deocanas is a form of servitude that’s completely voluntary.
In the book of Romans, Paul uses the same word to describe himself. “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.” – Romans 1:1
Paul and James chose to serve God and Jesus Christ. Yet both of them used the word doulos to describe themselves. Even though the word refers to someone who’s forced into slavery, they used it more like a badge of honor.
It’s extremely important to remember that the word slave as we use it today didn’t mean the same thing as the way it was used in the New Testament time. Back then, being a slave would be similar to buying a car, a house, or that shirt on credit. You have become a “slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
We make payments to the banks until our loan is paid off. Back then, until the debt was paid in full, they’d work for the lender directly. Some would even sell their family members into slavery because of their debt. It was common practice in both the Old and New Testaments to do that (Nehemiah 5:1-5, Leviticus 25:35-55, and Matthew 18:23-34).
Of course, there were those who were forced into slavery (similar to how we understand it today).
Take 1 Samuel 17, as an example. The people referenced would’ve been put into slavery as a result of war.
“Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. ‘Why are you all coming out to fight?’ he called. ‘I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!’” 1 Samuel 17:8-10.
Was James One of the 12 disciples?
No. Although he was Jesus’ half-brother, James was not selected to be one of the twelve disciples. During much of Jesus’ ministry, James was not a believer or follower.
Even after Judas hung himself (Matthew 27:1-5 and Acts 1:15-19), James was still not selected to replace him (Acts 1:21-26). However, he was there at the time of Matthias’ selection.
Nonetheless, Paul described him as a disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:18-19 and Galatians 2:7-10).
What’s the difference between a disciple and an apostle? The Greek word for disciple is “mathetes.” It means to become someone else’s student (Matthew 28:19-20). James undoubtedly became a student of Jesus’ teaching.
Whereas the Greek word for apostle is “Apostolos” which means, “one who is sent.”
Therefore, anyone who learns from Jesus’ teaching could be considered a disciple. Though, only those who are sent would be considered apostles.
In today’s society, we have those who are sent to various regions of the world to do His work. But we wouldn’t consider them apostles. Rather, we typically call them missionaries, evangelists, preachers, etc. The title of Apostle is primarily reserved for those who were part of the apostolic church (the early church).
Is James Referenced Anywhere Else in the Bible?
Yes. In multiple locations, James is either addressed by name or referenced by his relationship to others. For instance, in Matthew 13:55, he’s referenced as Jesus’ brother. “Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas…’”
Paul discusses meeting him in Galatians 1:19, “But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.” He’s referenced again in Galatians 2:9 by Paul as being a pillar of the church.
Peter references him in Acts 12:17, “Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ‘Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,’ he said, and then he left for another place.”
And James most likely showed up when Jesus was teaching in a crowded house. Though it doesn’t name him specifically, James would’ve been one of Jesus’ brothers referenced in Matthew 12:47 (Matthew 12:46-50).
Key Verses from the Book of James
The book of James has a wealth of knowledge nuggets littered throughout it. Actually, my life’s verse is located in the first chapter of James’ book (James 1:12). James has many more nuggets than what I’ve included here.
The Life Application Study Bible I use indicates that the verse of the book is, “Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” – James 2:18
However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Let’s not forget some of the verses that hit us right between the eyes. James 2:14, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” And James 3:13, “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.”
Where to Go From Here?
If you haven’t read through John’s gospel, there’s a ton of great information on Jesus in there. Romans is a great book to read as well. It’s Paul’s magnum opus. Some consider it the best piece of Christian literature.
In this post, we’ve discussed who James was, whether or not he was one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples, some key verses of the book, and where to go from here. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Consider reading some of my other articles, including A Bible Study of the Bible.
All scripture references came from BibleGateway.com
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