James 1:1

I. INTRODUCTION 1:1

The writer identified himself for the original recipients of this epistle and greeted them to introduce himself to his readers.

James (lit. Jacob) was probably the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ who evidently became a believer late in Jesus’ earthly ministry (cf. John 7:5; 1 Corinthians 15:7). He became the leader of the church in Jerusalem early in its history (Galatians 2:9; Acts 15:13-21).

"Apart from Paul and Peter, no figure in the church of the first days plays a more substantial part upon the historic and legendary stage than James, first Bishop of Jerusalem." [Note: G. H. Rendall, The Epistle of James and Judaic Christianity, pp. 11-12.]

James described himself simply as a bond-servant (Gr. doulos) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only he and Jude, another half-brother of the Lord, described themselves simply as bond-servants in their epistles. This probably indicates that they were so well known in the early church that they did not need to describe themselves in more detail. [Note: Mayor, p. 29.] James did not refer to himself as Jesus’ brother or the church’s leader. He evidently purposed not to know Jesus "after the flesh" (2 Corinthians 5:16) but only as his Lord and God. Being a bond-servant of God was his most important relationship (cf. Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Judges 1:1; Revelation 1:1). He placed Jesus equal with God by saying he was the bond-servant of both God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The term bond-servant did not carry the degrading connotation in the first century that it does today. In the Septuagint doulos described Israel’s great leaders who occupied positions of privilege and honor (e.g., Moses [Deuteronomy 34:5; et al.]; David [2 Samuel 7:5; et al]; and the prophets [Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 44:4; Amos 3:7]). By using this word James was proudly asserting that he belonged to God and to Jesus Christ body and soul. [Note: Burdick, p. 167.]

"It is only his servanthood to the Lord Jesus Christ that matters to him here, for this is the theme of his letter: How shall we live as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ?" [Note: Stulac, p. 30.]

The 12 tribes (cf. Matthew 19:28; Acts 26:7) scattered abroad most naturally refer to Jewish Christians of the Diaspora, those who were living outside Palestine. [Note: Hiebert, pp. 32-34. Cf. Martin, pp. 8-11.] James knew nothing of the ten so-called "lost tribes;" he regarded Israel in its unity and completeness as consisting of 12 tribes. These Jews were very likely members of the Jerusalem church who had left Jerusalem shortly after Stephen’s martyrdom (cf. Acts 8:1; Acts 8:4; Acts 11:19-20). Some scholars believed they lived within Palestine. [Note: E.g., Zane C. Hodges, The Epistle of James, p. 12.] However the location of the recipients does not affect the interpretation of the epistle significantly. What James wrote to them as a fellow Jewish Christian is normative for both Jewish and Gentile Christians since both are one in Christ. It is unnatural to take the 12 tribes as descriptive of the so-called "new Israel," the church, as some interpreters do. [Note: E.g., R. V. G. Tasker, The General Epistle of James, pp. 39-40; Motyer, p. 24; and Sidebottom, p. 26.] "Israel" can and does always refer to the physical descendants of Jacob whenever it occurs in the New Testament, just as it does in the Old Testament. Furthermore there is no other revelation that the church consists of 12 parts as the nation of Israel did.

James wrote in very good Greek; his grammar, syntax, and word choice were excellent. "Greetings" was a common Greek salutation familiar to his readers.