2. On James

James as a Writer
James was the younger brother of Jesus. If we assume that James was 25 when Jesus was 30, then we know that James knew his brother quite well, having spent all his growing up years working, playing, visiting with, and sometimes even arguing against. Jesus would have been patient with his little brother, but little brothers can be too much at times, both in their high regard for and in their contradictions against.

One of Jesus’ disciples was called “James the son of Alpheus.” Alpheus is the English ‘Joseph.’ It is well possible that James the son of Joseph was Jesus’ brother, James. We have no actual evidence of that, but if true, it would be part of why James rose so quickly in leadership in the church, in spite of the role Peter played. By AD 39, just ten years after the birthing of the church, James had become recognized as the natural leader, a man of gentle wisdom.

James possessed the same Spirit as Paul and knew the same Lord as Paul. He perceived what would be Paul’s gospel far more than we have realized. Everything James wrote came out from the assumption that we are birthed out from God by Christ Jesus planted inside of us as our very nature. 

James was troubled, however, by some of the wrongful expressions taking place inside the church, eight years after the glorious time of Church Life recorded in the first chapters of Acts. As he observed actions that were contrary to Christ, he wrote a correction to those actions based entirely on knowing who we are inside of God, that Christ Jesus defines us. It is only those who neither know Paul’s gospel nor believe that we are birthed out from God who impose on James a ‘contradiction’ of Paul.

There is no ‘James vs Paul.’  That idea exists only in the mind perverted by the serpent’s gospel. James is in no way saying that human doing generates Salvation, but rather, that the faith that is Christ is always reaching out to bless others in meaningful ways. Salvation is wholeness and completion, coming out from Christ our only life. As such, the pure wisdom and the giving faith of which James writes is very much part of being made whole as humans. In fact, much of James’s argument is that the words we speak must be the same speaking of Christ, in full agreement with Paul’s gospel. James shares wisdom; he does not attempt to define the gospel.

Placing James’s Letter - AD 45
James is the first New Testament letter to be written, around AD 45, well before Paul truly understood the gospel as Jesus gave it to him. If we are strict in a chronological layout, then James is the first book of the New Testament. Placing James after Paul and alongside of Peter, as I did in The Jesus Secret II made good sense, however, because doing so allowed James to mean to us as the Spirit of God meant, a natural outflow of wisdom generated by union with Christ as Paul’s gospel would be. When we turn James’s council into statements of faith, we find incredible grace from God in all that he writes.

James is frustrated with Christians who shout “Christ’ yet act in ways so contrary to Christ. He assumes firmly that we are entirely out from God through His word planted in us. He refutes any concept of having two natures or a ‘split-soul.’ Yet Christians do and say very un-Christ things. James is saying the same thing Paul said – “God forbid,” and “Remember who you are.”

Gospel Word
(Coming Soon)