James 1:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

NIV: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

NASB: James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

CSB: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings.

NLT: This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the 'twelve tribes' — Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!

KJV: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

NKJV: James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

Most conservative Bible scholars—but not all—agree that this letter was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, was born to Mary while she was still a virgin (Matthew 1:25), before she had ever slept with Joseph. This makes Joseph Jesus' stepfather, but not his biological father. Future children of Mary would then be Jesus' half-siblings.

John 7:5 tells us that even Jesus' own brothers did not believe in Him during His earthly ministry. It's likely James came to trust in Jesus as the Son of God either late in Jesus' ministry or after the resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15:7, Paul writes that after Christ was raised from the dead, He appeared to James.

James became one of the prominent leaders among the Christians in Jerusalem. While other Jewish Christians scattered to escape persecution, James remained to help lead the church there. Now he begins his letter by identifying himself as a bondservant, from the Greek word duolos, also meaning "slave," of both God and of Jesus Christ. He doesn't mention his unique family relationship to Jesus, only his role as Jesus' servant.

James' letter is written to all the scattered Jewish Christians, referred to as "the Dispersion."

James 1:2–18 begins with a challenging command for Christians. We are to classify hard things in their lives as ''joyful,'' because those ordeals help us develop a deeper trust in God. Christians who trust God also seek wisdom from Him—and not from ungodly sources. We continue to trust Him through difficult experiences, in part, to receive the crown of life promised to those who don't stop. We don't blame Him for our desire to sin, but we do credit Him for every good thing in our lives.

How important is it for Christians to trust God? It's so important, James writes, that we should call our worst moments joyful things, because trials help us trust God more. People who trust God ask Him for wisdom—and then take what He gives. People who trust God make a bigger deal about their rewards in the next life than their wealth in this one. People who trust God don't blame Him for their desire to sin; they give Him credit for all that is good in their lives. They look into His Word, and they act on what they see there.

This first chapter in the book of James sets the course for the rest of his letter to Christians worldwide. God wants us to trust Him more, and more deeply, as we learn more of Him. This is so important to God that He calls on us to find joy, even in hard times, because hardship helps us trust God more. Those who really trust God will ask Him for wisdom, will be excited about their status in eternity, will recognize Him as the source of all good in their lives, and will work to act on what they find in His Word.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.