| Author | Message | ||
| Faith2 Registered user Username: Faith2 Post Number: 38 Registered: 3-2005 |
I ran across theses verses in James today. It seems to me that he is referring to the 10 commandments. Doesn't this mean that God was still holding the Jews accountable to the 10 commandments? This doesn't make sense to me if they were abolished. Anyone acre to shed light? 8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respectï to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the wholeï law, and yet offendï in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, do not commit adultery, said also, do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 1776 Registered: 12-2003  |
James was perhaps the first book written in the NT. It probably was written before 50 AD which would place it fewer than 17 years after Christ's ascension. James was the half-brother of Jesus who did not come to faith until after the resurrection. He became, however, the head of the fledgling church in Jerusalem. His audience was scattered Jewish believers who had left Jerusalem after Stephen's death to escape persecution and had settled as far away as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Syrian Antioch. These are people who were Orthodox Jews until Pentecost or later. They had grown up knowing the law intimately, and they had no Scriptures except the Old Testament. They were far from the nucleus of the church, and Paul had not yet penetrated far into Gentile territory, so they were pretty much alone in their faith. They might have been in areas where there were small communities of other Jews, but most of those would not have been Christians. There they were, expatriots and new Christians with no one to disciple them or encourage them in how to live their lives in this new reality. James sent this letter to encourage these people who were struggling with loneliness and learning to live in their tiny faith communities. James has no Scripture to refer to except the Old Testament, so he calls these Jewish Christians--who obviously knew the OT--to live lives worthy of the gospel. He can only remind them of the principles of the law they knew, but his admonition to them is to live by the "royal law": Love your neighbor as yourself. Right after he admonishes them to live consistent lives, not allowing themselves to show favoritism any more than they would commit adultery, he says this: "Speak and act as those who are going to be juded by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful" (James 2:12). The law that gives freedom is NOT the written code of the Mosaic covenant. That law brought death. James is calling these people to live by the royal law, not the Ten Commandments. Paul had not yet written his epistles (except possibly for Galatians which was, at any rate, for a completely Gentile community) in which he explains the administration of the new covenant in detail; James is simply writing pastoral encouragement and exhortation to a group of people who knew the principles of the OT law, and he was encouraging them to live up to the law Jesus stressed: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This epistle describes what a life lived as a Christ-follower would look like. He reminds them t consider each other and respect their reputations, to submit themselves to God, and He would draw near to them. James writes from a very Jewish perspective; His faith in Jesus was still quite new--but he did understand that they were living now by the law of liberty, not the law that brings death. When I studied this book in our women's Bible study about four years ago, I saw it for the first time as a work of faith instead of as a treatise of law. These new Christian Jews had only an OT framework from which to understand their new life. They could understand Jesus as the fulfillment of the shadows and prophecies of the OT, but as far as how to live was concerned, they only had the OT Scriptures to draw from. I hope this helps--James always upset me before I saw it as the work of a recently converted Orthodox Jew who had only the OT besides the knowledge of Jesus' teachings of the Royal Law to explain to his fellow converted Jews how to live. Colleen | ||
| Sabra Registered user Username: Sabra Post Number: 334 Registered: 10-2001 |
The Royal law is--Love your neighbor. You can't do that without loving God first, so.....my thought is that Love God, Love your neighbor is all it ever was and Israel had trouble being faithful to God so they got a bunch of rules to just basically do the royal law in the flesh without the Spirit to help them. In Malachi (at work, don't have my bible) he is asking God what in the world He wants? Sacrifices?? His first born child?? etc... and God answers and says: what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. That is all it is or was or will be. Love fulfills the law. | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 411 Registered: 7-2004 |
I just returned home from my morning in Bible Study (BSF). The study this week was the first two chapters of James. After reading James 2:14 - 26, we were asked this question: DO YOU THINK THAT EVERY PERSON WHO IS BORN AGAIN WILL PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF HIS/HER BELIEF? WHY? I was shocked at some of the responses. I am curious as to how you here on FAF would respond. Do you mind sharing? | ||
| Esther Registered user Username: Esther Post Number: 210 Registered: 5-2004 |
I would say yes. Belief warrants evidence. I do think that that evidence will vary person to person. Like, Abraham left all when told, and was willing to sacrifice his son. Daniel was thrown into the lions den. Just read the "By Faith" chapter and you get a pretty good picture of what everyone's faith yielded. On the flip side, I guess I'd have to say that that evidence, would sometimes be so only to God. To others, it might not seem like evidence of faith, but you personally would know if God was requiring it of you. Just my off the cuff thoughts  | ||
| Praisegod Registered user Username: Praisegod Post Number: 309 Registered: 3-2004  |
How about this? From the message Bible: 22But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, 23not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. 24Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good--crucified. Praise God... | ||
| Faith2 Registered user Username: Faith2 Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2005 |
Colleentinker, Thank you for your response. I am trying to process what you wrote. I actually have a lot more questions. I am sure that the holy spirit will guide. Faith2 | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 187 Registered: 3-2005 |
Martin Luther called the book of James an "epistle of straw", as he thought James contradicted Paul on Justification by Faith. It was one of the last books that was accepted into the canon of scripture, but I believe that it belongs, and agree with Colleen's assessment stated above. Stan |
