The Theme of Doubtlessness in the Letter of James - Essay Example

? A RECURRING THEME IN THE LETTER OF JAMES IS THAT OF "DOUBLENESS'; PEOPLE SAY ONE THING AND DO ANOTHER. IT IS A PROBLEM TIED TO HERESY AND SOCIAL DIVISION IN THE CHURCH. By Name Professor Course Date The Theme of Doubtlessness in the Letter of James The letter of James was mostly highlighting on the double-mindedness of Christians. James in this letter encourages his brothers and sisters in Christ to maintain consistency in their talk and actions. He discourages them from saying one thing and doing the opposite in their actions since this does to win God’s approval in any way. In this epistle (James 3:9-13), James discourages the habit of using the tongue to bless God and curse fellow human beings with the same tongue. In verse eleven, he stresses this point by saying that a fountain does not shed sweet and bitter water at the same since this is a powerful contradiction. Nor can a fig tree bear olive berries (McCartney, 2009, p.243). In (James 2:14-17), he stresses that faith without actions is death. For instance, if a brother is cold, ill-dressed and lacks food and you say to him ‘go well eat and keep warm, you have not actually helped him because you have not provided to him his actual needs. Thus, this is faith without actions and should not be seen among Christians. Just as the body without the spirit is dead, faith without works is also dead (James 2:26). James, therefore, earnestly and unconditionally discourages the act of double-mindedness among Christians. He encourages Christians to put what they say into actions or in other words that Christians should practice their actions (Batten, 2009, p.145). Circumstances and Background of the Letter Some Christian scholars claim that the letter of James was authored by James the Just, who served Jesus Christ and the Lord as a slave. The postulation also describes James to be the brother to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is, however, denied by some other group of scholars who argue that the letter is pseudonymous. Although the book is named after James, it was actually written long after his death. This was written, as they say, by a Christian member of the early church James led before being stoned to death in the ‘60s. The book is purported to have been written and named after James in order to honor and respect him for his works (Johnson, 1995, p. 163). The author of this book could not be one of the disciples of Jesus Christ since one of them was called James, the Zebedee’s son, who was martyred in the year 44 CE. The epistle was not written by then, thus, he could not have been the author. The other was James the son of Alphaeus who was not particularly prominent in the record of the scriptures. This disciple was unusually outspoken and, thus, could he have written the book of James, he would have indicated that he was among the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. There is a strong evidence that the book was written by James the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ to whom the resurrected Jesus had appeared to in a special way (Mathew 13:55; Galatians 1:19, 2:9). This James was also remarkably prominent to the disciples of Jesus and popular among them (Acts 21:15-25). According to the teaching of the book with the Symmachian sect, it is questioned as to whether the teachings of James were heretical (McCartney, 2009, p.265). The greatest portion of the scholars of the Bible has a belief that the book of James was authored by James, who was the brother to Jesus the Lord. However, scholars like Jerome do not marry the idea and think that the book was written by James son of Alpheus (Mathew 10:3). The view of Jerome is widely supported by the catholic believers to date. The protestant community strongly deems that the writer of the book of James is James the brother to the Lord (Mathew 13:55). The Jews of Jerusalem once valued James so much and enthroned him at Jerusalem (Acts 25:11). James is recorded to have supported some of the Mosaic Law, and this might have led him to write that letter which was in conflict with the epistles of Paul (Acts 15:13-20, Galatians 2:12) (Johnson 1995 p.181). The Period during Which the Letter was Written; The Political and Religious Goings on at the Time The epistle of James was written prior to the destruction of the second temple in the 70 A.D. This was after the death of Herod Agrippa 1, which led to the deterioration of the political stability of the land. This came along with the death of proper economic security which occurred due to the large famine that had strike the land during those years. These social and economic conditions of the land influenced the message that James delivered in his epistles. The message that he delivered was tailored to cater for the conditions in the political and economic setup of the society as at that time in the history of the country (Moo, 2000, p.324). James argued that man cannot be fully justified by faith without actions. James also noted that in order to win full approval and please God, it was necessary that man should put his/her words into actions, because, like a body without the spirit, faith without actions is dead too. In this verse, James differed majorly with Martin Luther, the protestant reformist, and made the later dismiss the epistle asserting that the book could not have been authored by any apostle of Jesus Christ. Luther further suggested that the epistles of James should not be accorded full canonical authority and further says that the epistle of James was an ‘epistle of straw’. However, this was meant to justify Martin Luther’s position in relation to his definition of salvation and Christian faith. The message of James is the message of Christ Himself even though it is debated upon and, thus, diluted by Luther. James warns people of this generation against double-mindedness just like Jesus did (Mathew 6:24). He wants his hearers to strive for perfection and be holy just as their heavenly father is holy (Chester & Martin, 1994, p.258). The economic constraints during the time James wrote the epistle are extremely evident when he highlighted that the saints must overcome the economic disparity. This is identified has a significant trial faced in this age by the saints and generally the Christians (James 2:1-10). This is because James was convinced that if the Christians were double-minded in their behavior, this would be displayed even in their isolation of other members of the society on the basis of their economic class. James openly says that God has chosen the poor of this earth and the rich in faith to be heirs of his kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him. He dislikes the acts of the Christians in despising the poor but love the rich and wealthy people even though they blaspheme the name of God who has called them (James 2:5-7) (Hartin, 2003, p.154). James explains that the trials that originate from economic disparity manifest themselves in various ways not only to the rich in the society but to the poor. The manifestations include lack of gratitude, jealousy and resistance to forgive others, the act of envying other people and always finding faults in other people. In this accrue, to the pride that fill peoples’ hearts as a result of pride (Batten, 2009, p.159). James’s mentioning of the trials that surround the saints and Christians in daily life is somehow symbolic of the spiritual consequences of the greed manifested by the people. Politically, this meant that Christians had to contend with the suffering and mistreatment directed to them from the Rome government. This was due to the belief and opinion that the people had that the saints were not to pay taxes to an earthly king/emperor. This was the source of conflicts between the government and the Christian community and, thus, the Christians were subjected to the harsh conditions. James thus encourages them that they should show perseverance in all circumstances as Christians and practice faith with their actions not only in their speech (Bible Gateway, 1987, p.287). Bibliography Batten, A., 2009. What Are They Saying About the Letter of James? New York: Paulist Press. Chester, A. & Martin, R.P., 1994. The theology of the letters of James, peter, and Jude. Cambridge: University Press. Hartin, P.J., 2003. James. Caollegeville: Liturgical. Johnson, L.T., 1995. The letter of James. New York: Doubleday. McCartney, D. G., 2009. James. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. Moo, D. J., 2000. The Letter of James: An Introduction and Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Bible Gateway, 1987. King James Version (KJV Bible).Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More