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The Africa Bible Commentary is a unique publishing event—the first one-volume Bible commentary produced in Africa by African theologians to meet the needs of African pastors, students, and lay leaders. Interpreting and applying the Bible in the light of African culture and realities, it furnishes powerful and relevant insights into the biblical text that transcend Africa in their significance.

The Africa Bible Commentary gives a section-by-section interpretation that provides a contextual, readable, affordable, and immensely useful guide to the entire Bible. Readers around the world will benefit from and appreciate the commentary’s fresh insights and direct style that engage both heart and mind.

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· Produced by African biblical scholars, in Africa, for Africa—and for the world
· Section-by-section interpretive commentary and application
· More than 70 special articles dealing with topics of key importance in to ministry in Africa today, but that have global implications
· 70 African contributors from both English- and French-speaking countries
· Transcends the African context with insights into the biblical text and the Christian faith for readers worldwide

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Africa Bible Commentary

Zondervan

Chapter One

This letter of James deals with how Christians should behave in the church and in society. It speaks of the conduct that should characterize a Christian. Because of its stress on how Christians should act, some great theologians such as Luther thought that James was teaching salvation by works. This supposed conflict with Paul's teaching that salvation was by faith led them to question the authenticity of this letter. But like the ancient church, these theologians ended up recognizing that James was also divinely inspired. They came to see that the writings of James and Paul complement each other marvellously, for while faith is the requirement for our salvation, works confirm the authenticity of our faith.

Outline of Contents

1:1 Greetings 1:2-18 Trials

1:2-8 A Requirement for Faith

1:9-11 Resisting the Temptations of Riches

1:12-18 Why Does God Allow Temptation?

1:19-4:17 From Hearing to Doing the Word

1:19-20 Learning to Listen

1:21-27 True Religion as Opposed to False Religion

2:1-13 Faith and Favouritism

2:14-26 Faith in Action in the Face of Nominal Belief

3:1-18Considered Versus Hasty Speech

4:1-17 Conflicts and Sin

5:1-6 The Judgment of the Rich

5:7-11 Hope

5:12 Truth

5:13-20 True Christian Communities 5:13 Respond to Joy and Sorrow

5:14-18 Care for the Sick

5:19-20 Care for the Lost

COMMENTARY

1:1 Greetings

The author identifies himself as James (1: 1a). He cannot be James the son of Zebedee, since he died prematurely (Acts 12:2), nor James the son of Alphaeus, about whom the NT gives little information. It is thus likely that the author is James, the brother of Jesus, who was one of the pillars of the Jerusalem church (Gal 2:9; Acts 15:13-21). He and Peter may be thought of as representing Christians with a Jewish background, while Paul represents those Christians who had come from a pagan background. These two groups of Christians complemented each other rather than opposing one another.

The letter is addressed to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations (1:1b), that is, to Jewish Christians living outside Palestine. The conquest of Israel and the deportations of Jews had resulted in there being many Jewish communities in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and even beyond that. It was these communities that had founded the synagogues in which Paul often preached (see, for example, Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1). These communities would also have included Jewish Christians who had fled persecution in Palestine. This Jewish audience is apparent in the language the author uses. He writes in Greek, like all the NT authors, but the images and examples he uses and some of the words he chooses remind us of the OT.

The universal quality of the church is already apparent in the distribution of these readers. Like Paul, James could have addressed his letter to 'the church of Jesus Christ in Europe and in Asia Minor'.

1:2-18 Trials

1:2-8 A Requirement for Faith

The author comes across as a preacher, talking to people in front of him, rather than as an author writing a letter. Each time he tackles a new subject, he begins with the expression my brothers or my dear brothers (see, for example, 1:2, 16). The first subject he deals with is the problem of temptation and trials. But he does not answer the question of how to resist temptations or how to endure trials. Rather, he simply affirms that resisting temptations and enduring trials is a requirement for faith and results in spiritual growth (1:4). It will make us mature and complete, he says. This explanation helps us to understand why we must rejoice when we pass through trials (1:2).

As far as this author is concerned, faith is not a theoretical matter with a list of dogmas to recite or even beautiful doctrine to defend. He sees it as a practical matter that expresses itself in daily life, and especially in how we respond to trials. We can well imagine that the Christians to whom he was writing were constantly exposed to various temptations, perhaps more so than those who remained in Palestine. They were far from the official church leaders in Jerusalem. Thus the author starts his letter with this subject because falling victim to temptation has dangerous effects on a Christian's daily life.

Living a normal Christian life, especially in the face of temptations, demands wisdom (1:5) - that is, the ability to distinguish good from evil, truth from falsehood, and the important from the useless and to make timely decisions that conform to what is right. Wisdom is not natural to human beings; it is learned. Therefore, we must ask for it, without doubting the love of God, who always answers prayer (1:5). It goes without saying that, at the heart of this prayer, we must have active faith (1:6-7). Will God answer the prayer of the person who hesitates or waffles? Does such a person have true faith?

The reference to wisdom makes us aware that in many ways this letter resembles the wisdom literature in the OT. Books like Proverbs also give advice on how to live. But James is less interested in general advice for living than in helping his readers to relate their faith to everyday situations. While his advice may seem to be disjointed at first glance, on rereading the letter one discovers how the different parts are connected.

1:9-11 Resisting the Temptations of Riches

The first everyday situation to which James speaks is that of concern about social status. Some of those to whom he writes are in humble circumstances (1:9); that is, they are poor, with low social status, and may be tempted to envy the rich. James reminds these poor believers that their real value is not based on what they have. God has accepted them into his family, and so they occupy a high position. They need to remember that those whom the world sees as great are not necessarily great in God's eyes. In fact, riches can be a temptation for Christians because it is easy to trust in them for security rather than in God.

Those who are rich and belong to the upper class of society would be wise to be prepared for a fall and a drop in status. The fall of rich people is very common in Africa. James describes the life of a rich person as being like a wild flower that blossoms for a while and then fades for ever (1:10-11). The rich will die, just like the poor.

When the author speaks of the raising of the poor and the bringing down of the rich, he is not endorsing a struggle for a classless society. He does not condemn the rich because they are rich. He simply wants to make it clear that life cannot be based on riches. In the long run, the rich have no advantage over the poor.

1:12-18 Why Does God Allow Temptation?

James next turns to the subject of what is at the root of temptations and why God allows tests. When discussing this subject, it is important to distinguish between two concepts that are both expressed by the same Greek word. The first concept is testing, which God allows to strengthen his children so that they may receive the crown of life (1:12). The second concept is temptation, which comes from the devil and aims to make God's children fail. It was testing that was being dealt with in 1:2, where James said that the goal of trials was to make God's children 'mature and complete' (1:4).

Tempting, however, is a completely different matter. God may test, but he never tempts. There is no way in which God can be the source of evil or of our misfortunes (1:13). On the contrary, he is the source of every good and perfect gift (1:17). He is faithful and does not change, and so he can be trusted to accomplish his plan for our good (1:18).

Temptations come when we entertain evil desires. These desires lead us to commit sin, that is, acts that dishonour God and lead to death (1:14-15). We need to seek out and destroy the seeds of envy and lust and create a healthy environment in which the various kinds of evil desires cannot thrive.

Some may doubt the faithfulness of God in moments of testing and trial, so James reminds them that God has chosen to give us birth through the word of truth (1:18), which means that he has made us his children so that we may be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. We will be the peak of his creation, as we were in the time before the fall! What a privilege!

1:19-4:17 From Hearing to Doing the Word

1:19-20 Learning to Listen Here the author turns to another subject, again introducing it with the expression my dear brothers because he wishes to build a trusting relationship with his readers and to address them directly (1:19). The subject he is dealing with here is the extremely important one of learning to listen when faced with all kinds of ethical confusion. Most of his advice in this letter centres on this subject.

What they are to listen to is the word (1:21, 22), which includes the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. Those who speak quickly are likely slow to listen (1:19). They tend to become angry and do not put the word into practice. They do not accomplish what the word teaches. To accomplish the word is to transform into action what we have heard and understood.

1:21-27 True Religion as Opposed to False Religion The author's theology of listening includes a process: listen ... get rid of all moral filth ... accept the word and do what it says (1:21-22). It is possible to listen to the word without accepting it if we do not pay any attention to what we are hearing or listen only to the parts that please us. The image of a mirror illustrates the point well (1:23). When this letter was written, mirrors were made of highly polished metal, not glass, and so a person's reflection was not as clear and sharp as it is in modern mirrors. That is why someone looking at their face in the mirror would have to do so intently. Moreover, a mirror only gives a flat image, never a three-dimensional one that shows all sides of the object being reflected. If we only glance at the Scriptures in a superficial manner, we will not be able to see what God is showing us there or get a good enough grasp of what God is really saying to be able to put his will into practice. The same truth applies when we walk out of a church service and say, 'That was a good sermon.' Too often we forget the content of the sermon simply because we make no effort to think about it or understand it thoroughly. We need to make an effort to understand what the word is saying (1:25), and after having examined and understood what the word says, we must appropriate it and integrate it into our lives.

If we stop partway through the listening process, we will fail and will live disordered lives. However, if we follow all the steps and put the word that we hear into practice, we will be blessed (1:25). After all, God did not give his law to restrict people's freedom or to estrange them but to regulate daily life and make it joyful.

Most of the Jews 'scattered among the nations' were religious, However, James condemns those who claim to be religious but do not concern themselves with putting their beliefs into practice (1:26). Without action, good doctrine is useless. Pure religion shows itself in behaviour. He gives an example of the type of behaviour he has in mind: looking after orphans and widows (1:27). This example derives from the OT, which commanded God's people to care for those who had no one to support them financially. Orphans had no fathers, widows no husbands and foreigners no land to cultivate. James does not mention foreigners in this letter because the Christian Jews to whom this letter is addressed were all foreigners themselves.

But pure religion is not just a non-governmental organization, an NGO doing social work. The work done by believers is the product of their faith and the religion is characterized by the holy lives of its members. Briefly put, the word must produce in us acts that prove our relationship to God and a way of life that glorifies him.

2:1-13 Faith and Favouritism

As part of putting the word into practice, the author warns his readers against favouritism (2:1). He warns that if they are guilty of discrimination, they are disobeying the word.

The specific issue here is discrimination between the rich and the poor in their meetings (2:2). These meetings were probably held in a synagogue rather than in a church, for at that time most converted Jews still probably attended synagogues. This practice continued until the rabbis met at Jamnia in 90 AD and declared a clear and permanent separation between Judaism and Christianity. (Jamnia was also the place where the rabbis finalized the canon of the OT).

The author presents a hypothetical situation in which a rich and a poor man come into a meeting (2:2). There would be nothing unusual about this, for there were certainly rich believers (1:10). If the attitude of the leaders was to favour the rich to the detriment of the poor, they were guilty of discrimination, which James condemns as offensive (2:3-4). The sin is in the fact that these leaders, whom the author calls my dear brothers (2:5a), have set themselves up as judges by elevating the rich and insulting the dignity of the poor (2:6a). God is on the side of the poor, not because they are poor but because they are responsive to him and are near the Kingdom. If they are rich in faith, they inherit the Kingdom (2:5b). God rejects the rich, not because of their riches but because they commit violent acts: they are exploiting you ... dragging you into court, ... slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong (2:6b-7). The 'name' to which James is referring is the name of Jesus Christ. The rich assume that their wealth entitles them to do what they like and that they are not subject to the same rules as others.

Christian communities in Africa are not immune to this sometimes unconscious discrimination in favour of the rich since the power of money is strong when many are poor. The rich are easily noticed and gain the respect of leaders. Then the poor find themselves shoved to one side because, as the proverb says, 'thin cows are not licked by their friends'. They are ignored because they are 'thin' and cannot make a financial contribution to the community.

The solution to discrimination in the Christian community is to practise the royal law, the one that says love your neighbour as yourself (2:8). This law is royal because it is one of the two greatest commandments (Matt 22:39) and also because it was given by Jesus himself. James' emphasis emerges again: he does not tell his readers to 'obey' the law but to keep it, or in other words, to put it into practice. If they keep this law, Christians will not discriminate. If they do discriminate, they are disobeying the law (2:9). Christians of Jewish origin were eager to keep the law, but had failed to recognize that discrimination is as serious a sin as adultery or murder and that by breaking this one law they were guilty of breaking the whole law (2:10-11).

James encourages the believers to be careful in their relationships because one day they will have to give God an account of what they have done, and will be judged not according to the law of Moses, but by the law that gives freedom (2:12). He warns them that God will judge those who discriminate. Someone who shows favouritism insults the dignity of others and judges them. That person will in turn be judged by God (2:13).

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Africa Bible Commentary Copyright © 1984 by International Bible Society. Excerpted by permission.
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