A Biblical Vision, Part II: Mastering the New Testament Witness to Christ

Ses s i on 6: The Ep i s t l es : The I nterpretat i on and App l i cat i on of Chr i s t 195

a. Each of the authors present, interpret, and apply Christ to the Church’s life and vision in a unique way.

b. Their commentary on the life and teachings of Jesus help us understand better the NT’s witness to Christ.

4. The Epistle of James: Christ our moral teacher

a. Written around 45-50

b. Disputed authorship: either James the brother of John (Acts 12.1-2); James the son of Alphaeus (“James the less”), or James, the Lord’s brother (Matt. 13.55; Mark 6.3) and head of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15.13; Gal. 1.18-19). Many hold that James, the Lord’s brother, wrote this epistle .

c. While James mentions Jesus only twice by name in the epistle (1.1; 2.7), he does allude to the Sermon on the Mount, with themes that our Lord taught on repeated throughout.

(1) Inheriting the promised Kingdom

(2) Blessedness of peacemakers

(3) Suffering for righteousness

(4) Showing mercy

(5) Not speaking evil of others

(6) Waiting with patience for the Lord’s appearing

d. No contradiction between Paul and James: “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone” (John Calvin).