The Epistle of James > theology . . . love-ology (c:

[com7fy8]

Hi 1 John 4:8&16 says, "God is love". So, I consider that theology, the study of God, is the study of love. So, you are welcome to share how you are blessed as we go through the Epistle of James and all he gives us about real loving.

God bless you, however

 

[com7fy8]

James 1:1 > James calls Jesus, here, "the Lord Jesus Christ". So, this message was written while people knew that Jesus is the Lord of all. And James knows that Jesus is the Lord of all.

This means Jesus has got it all, of all which is good. So, with Him in His love we share all His very own good . . . more and more as we grow and mature in God's love. And this matches with how our Apostle Paul says >

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," (Ephesians 1:3)

In Jesus Christ's love in us, we have His very own spiritual blessedness shared with us . . . more and more as we grow in Jesus (Galatians 4:19). And in this message of James, we have plenty to help us to gain this and grow in this, with God and each other.

So . . . God, please bless us, howsoever You please, while we feed through Your word, here Thank You in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior

 

[com7fy8]

James knows how Jesus has got it all; and so, right away, he starts with >

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials," (James 1:2)

While we go through things with Jesus, in His love, we share with Jesus in His own joy > "My joy", Jesus says in John 15:11, John 17:13. No matter what we go through, we can have the goodness of joy, in God's love. James starts right in with this which is in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount . . . where Jesus says to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when people speak evil of us and speak all manner of accusations against us and revile and persecute us > Matthew 5:11-12. So, right away, James is matching not only with our Apostle Paul, but with Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount ! ! !

Jesus does say, "your joy no one will take from you," in John 16:22. So, yes we can have joy in any trials. And so this means how much I need to get real in God's love. Already, James is confronting my sin and selfishness strongly, but with such an encouragement to so better > to sharing with Jesus in His own joy with His almighty power to keep us in joy, no matter what we go through with Jesus. There is no other joy that James could be talking about, but Jesus' own joy which is sound and safe and secure like this!

 

[Ron Gurley]

Is this author James the half-brother of Jesus...a son of Joseph + Mary?

Epistle of James | Theopedia

 

[com7fy8]

After James says to count it joy when we go through different trials, he says,

"knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." (James 1:3)

So, James knows how there is a connection between joy and patience . . . in God's love. In God's love, we have all His best of everything > "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (in Ephesians 1:3) > in this love, we are

"strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father" (in Colossians 1:11-12).

So, there is joy in godly patience, in various trials. And our Apostle Paul says love "suffers long and is kind", in 1 Corinthians 13:4. So, we are talking about patience which is not worldly and struggling and fighting to hide and hold in nasty anger. But God's patience of God's love is kind with pleasant joy. Love's patience makes us deeply stable and safe.

And this matches, also, with how our Apostle Peter says,

"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

So, James is so strongly confronting sin and its unsoundness, then, but encouraging how we can have loving and kind patience with joy while we go through things God's way.

In God's love we have His almighty power glorious with patience and joy, which keeps us safe from being harmed, deeply in us. This includes immunity against fear >

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

So, we can see how James, right away, is confirming and bearing witness to strong and good things of God's word in the Gospels and Paul and Peter. Right away, here, he is emphasizing how we can become "strong in the Lord", (Ephesians 6:10) then . . . in the patience and joy of Jesus.

And all through this epistle James strongly confronts different sorts of sin and wrong, but also he keeps giving strong encouragements to all which we can have with God, instead. He confronts what is wrong, and shares what we need to do about it . . . including how at the end of this letter James tells us what to do so we can be "healed" (James 5:16) of what makes us able to sin and suffer, and "healed" more and more together in sharing with God in His own love, instead. But this does not come only with some one prayer with magic words, but first he feeds us what is needed, so our mutual confessing and mutual healing prayer can work so well.

 

[com7fy8]

Is this author James the half-brother of Jesus...a son of Joseph + Mary?

In any case, Ron, this James seems to be a very mature person of "faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). And there was a James who it seems to me was in charge of the church in Jerusalem. I would say such a man was very real and mature in Jesus . . . one who could write such a message.

 

[com7fy8]

"But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4)

So, in the patience of God's love we are "perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I see this means "lacking nothing" of "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Jesus in us shares all His own good with us. So, in His patience we have a package deal of all God's best of everything . . . growing and maturing all together. So, James is clearly talking about the blessedness of how "all things have become new" in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is talking about how in true patience of God's love we have all God's things, as new creatures in Jesus; because Jesus in us is the only way to have patience with love and joy and longsuffering and His glorious power all together.

And, right away here, James is telling us not to accept any less.

 

[Ron Gurley]

I view James as a brother of Jesus, "firebrand preacher" type and a leader of the 'early CHURCH"
James 1 (NASB)...e.g.
11. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

 

[com7fy8]

I view James as a brother of Jesus, "firebrand preacher" type and a leader of the 'early CHURCH"

He certainly is fiery

And thank you for the scripture

That is scripture I need . . . no-excuse scripture!!

 

[com7fy8]

Lust is the opposite of love. It might feel good . . . about pleasure . . . but it is only loving pleasure as a treasure. It can include drives of attraction and strategic distraction and of reaction about not getting what it dictates it must have. It is not God's love!!

 

[com7fy8]

Is this author James the half-brother of Jesus...a son of Joseph + Mary?

Well, I see that James could be the James in charge of Jerusalem. And if he had grown up with Jesus, he could have seen how Jesus related as family . . . so he then could know how to rule Jerusalem in our Heavenly Father's family caring and sharing way. So, I see he could have, and how that could be good

And, by the way, in this letter of James . . . right off, he calls the ones he is writing to "My brethren" (in James 1:2) > so he is talking as family, not just trying to come down on people, like he is a lord over them; but he is nurturing us and has such hope for us.

And this is my example, of how I need to share and lead and care.

 

[tz620q]

Well, I see that James could be the James in charge of Jerusalem. And if he had grown up with Jesus, he could have seen how Jesus related as family . . . so he then could know how to rule Jerusalem in our Heavenly Father's family caring and sharing way. So, I see he could have, and how that could be good

And, by the way, in this letter of James . . . right off, he calls the ones he is writing to "My brethren" (in James 1:2) > so he is talking as family, not just trying to come down on people, like he is a lord over them; but he is nurturing us and has such hope for us.

And this is my example, of how I need to share and lead and care.

I heard a talk the other day about the word "homily" which is what Catholics call the sermon by the priest. This word is used once in scripture when the two men are walking to Emmaus talking about what had occurred. It means an informal and cordial talk, like that which occurs in families. Jesus entered into this "homily" not as though he were commanding a pulpit; but as another member of the family. In light of that, we can see why Paul, Peter, John, and now James relate to the people they are corresponding with as "brethren" in the same way as the KJV called James the "brethren of the Lord".

 

[com7fy8]

In light of that, we can see why Paul, Peter, John, and now James relate to the people they are corresponding with as "brethren"

Thank you; this is good, I think, for anyone to feed on, whether they believe Jesus had a brother named James or not.

in the same way as the KJV called James the "brethren of the Lord".

I have not meant to prove or disprove or argue about if James who wrote the epistle was Jesus Christ's brother. I'm saying that in case James who wrote this epistle was a cousin or brother of Jesus, this could give him opportunity to share personally with Jesus while Jesus grew up, so he could feed on how Jesus related as family with whoever were His family people. And then . . . just in case . . . if he also was the James who was in charge of the church in Jerusalem, his background upbringing with Jesus could help him to know how Jesus related in His family . . . so he could relate as family with the church in Jerusalem while being in charge of them >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

I did expect a Catholic to have something to say about this, of course. And your input about the "homily" way of communicating is one thing I have not been told before; so thank you

 

[W2L]

Hi 1 John 4:8&16 says, "God is love". So, I consider that theology, the study of God, is the study of love. So, you are welcome to share how you are blessed as we go through the Epistle of James and all he gives us about real loving.

God bless you, however

Loveology. I love it. Thank you.

 

[com7fy8]

Loveology. I love it. Thank you.

Thank you, too . . . for the encouragement

 

[W2L]

Thank you, too . . . for the encouragement

Your welcome.

 

[tz620q]

Thank you; this is good, I think, for anyone to feed on, whether they believe Jesus had a brother named James or not.

I have not meant to prove or disprove or argue about if James who wrote the epistle was Jesus Christ's brother. I'm saying that in case James who wrote this epistle was a cousin or brother of Jesus, this could give him opportunity to share personally with Jesus while Jesus grew up, so he could feed on how Jesus related as family with whoever were His family people. And then . . . just in case . . . if he also was the James who was in charge of the church in Jerusalem, his background upbringing with Jesus could help him to know how Jesus related in His family . . . so he could relate as family with the church in Jerusalem while being in charge of them >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

I did expect a Catholic to have something to say about this, of course. And your input about the "homily" way of communicating is one thing I have not been told before; so thank you

I probably should have clarified my comment more. Kinship was important back then and usually referred to someone within your extended family, a kinship of the flesh. When Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were outside (his brethren) and he answered that his disciples were his brethren, he was not dishonoring his family but pointing out a new spiritual kinship. It seems that the disciples communicated this value to new Christians as they evangelized them. So for James, calling Jewish Christians in the "twelve tribes scattered abroad" that he had never met "brethren" was showing this common kinship through Jesus Christ. So I think that it doesn't matter whether James was Jesus' brother from Joseph and Mary, which is nowhere shown in the Bible, or a son of Joseph's from another wife or an adopted son of the family or a cousin, the point is that he is expressing a spiritual kinship with his interlocutors. Did he learn this from Jesus? I think we agree on this.

 

[W2L]

It always struck me as strange that love threads never take off in theology forums.

 

[com7fy8]

It always struck me as strange that love threads never take off in theology forums.

Well, W2L, the LORD willing, I plan to share about every verse in the Epistle of James, with others welcome to join in; so in case we do this and are sharing about the love meaning of each scripture . . . this should keep our thread going for a while

God bless you . . . it is good to see you

Bill

 

[com7fy8]

So for James, calling Jewish Christians in the "twelve tribes scattered abroad" that he had never met "brethren" was showing this common kinship through Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your other comments to make yourself clear

Now, yes, he was writing to some number of people whom he did not get to know personally. So, we could think this means he did not have personally loving relationships with the ones he never even met. But he does call them "brethren", even so. But does this mean he does not have personal and family love with ones he has never even seen?

I consider how Peter says we love Jesus, even though we have never seen Him > 1 Peter 1:8.

So, I can see that James does personally love all the "brethren" he is writing to, and this is for us, too. We might consider how parents, even before they get married and have their children, can already be deeply loving and caring for their children whom they hope to have after they get married. Family love is not all by sight