What was the purpose for the book of James to be written?

Answer 1

== == * The main theme of James is 'Is you faith genuine?.' The manner in which James pursues this theme is to stress the necessity of good works on the outside as a sign of an inward change in the heart. He makes it clear that such works do not of themselves save a person. Christianity must not only be believed It MUST be lived. Genuine faith will always produce fruit (good works). == == * The letter of James does not have a theme in the usual sense, as do the letters to the Romans or Ephesians or Galatians. It does not take one central idea and then develop and expound it in some systematic way. But this letter does have an overall purpose that could be thought of as a theme. Throughout the epistle James seems to be showing that once we accept the gospel and have faith, it is expected that we will demonstrate the reality of that faith in our day-to-day living patterns. The book is characterized by a series of staccato mini-sermons showing that the saints are not only to know the word of God but are to live it as well. * In James you see in the very first verse "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting." The twelve tribes are Jews. James is addressed to Jewish believers who are falling back into the bondage of law (the 10 commandments) and neglecting their status as children of God. All of The Bible is for our learning but not all of it is addressed to us. James is great for my learning but it was not written to me (being born again). However Romans, Ephesians, Galations and such are written 'Unto the saints, or Unto the Church of God', which is me!

Answer 2

The book of James is about riches. And the fact that this is a problem in the church James is writing to. He talks about living a pure life, but most of it is about Christian relationships. Faith. Because the congregation is supposed to have faith in God, they are supposed to put faith in what God says, to love their neighbor, and their brother in Christ. Because of their faith in God, that loves them and commands them to do well by their neighbor and brother, they ought to trust in that love and expectation of God, that it is good, and do well by their brother and love them. To take care of the poor and not regard the "man with a gold ring" but treat all those in Christ in their congregation, well, with love, and equally. The rich man should not be given a good seat while the poor man sits at another brother's feet. James says if they are to have faith in a loving God, the author of love, then they have and ought to have love themselves, especially for others in Christ with them.

Answer 3

1 Peter addresses the appropriate response of a Christian to suffering and persecution based in the example of Christ and stresses hope amidst suffering.

2 Peter addresses the way to deal with problems that arise within the Church from false doctrines, and the importance of growing in grace and knowledge of truth using God's Word as the source.

Answer 4

A:The Epistle of James appears not to have been read or even noticed by authors in the centrist tradition before Origen in the third century. It sounds like a treatise written against the Pauline notion that the faith alone is need for salvation, as opposed the "works of the law". James 2:14-16 is a famous tirade against such an idea, arguing for the insight that "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17).

The Letter consists entirely of moral exhortation in the genre of proverbs, maxims, and ethical impereratives. The teaching of the James is not about the Christian faith, but about the importance of living a moral life and the arguments for doing so are set forth as common wisdom. The source and authority for this wisdom are taken for granted by the author. Sayings reminiscent of the teachings of Jesus are not given special privilege and are not even attributed to him as their author or authority. They are interspersed with proverbs and imperatives typical of the Jewish wisdom tradition, as well as many Greek-style maxims, examples and small rhetorical units carefully crafted in the style of the Hellenistic art of persuasion.

Answer

James writes to exhort his readers to show in their lives what they said with their lips. Specifically he wrote:

to explain the nature of trials and temptations 1:2-18

to appeal for right living 1:19-27

to rebuke the readers for their partiality 2:1-13

to warn against the improper use of the tongue 3:1-12

to describe the nature of spiritual wisdom 3:13-18

to contrast worldliness with spirituality 4:1-12

to point out dependence on the will of God for future plans 4: 13-17

to warn the rich against the improper use of wealth 5:1-6

to reinforce the need for patience 5:7-18

to give guidelines for the recovery of a sinning Christian 5:19-20

Answer:The Letter of James is all about true Christian faith. James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote a troubled group of Jewish believers to help them understand how to distinguish true faith in Christ from insincere faith. He called on them to endure persecution to live out true religion.

Answer 5

The Epistle of James could actually have been a pre-Christian letter. It only mentions Jesus twice, and both references are recognised as possible later, Christian interpretations. Instead of calling on the authority of Jesus it claims its authority from the Judeo-Christian God to press its theme of morality.

Answer 6

The Epistle of James only contains two references to Jesus, both of which may be later interpolations, so the book is not really about Jesus. Clearly, it was not written by the apostle James, nor by James, brother of Jesus, so we can not explain its purpose by reference to the author.

Whether written before the time of Christ, or afterwards, James lays down principles of morality.

Answer 7

James 1: 2-3
James 1: 2-18
James 1: 19-21
James 1: 26-27