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JAMES - Be Doers of the Word, and not Hearers Only
Studies in the Letter of James (by Dr. Richard Thomas)

Chapter I

Salutation (James 1:1)

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JAMES 1:1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

There is a striking verse in Jeremiah, God speaks and warns princes and prophets: “Is not my word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). Many of the texts in James sound like hammer strokes and testify to a vigorous personality, but the apostle begins with gentle words of cheer and encouragement for God’s people. His greeting is brief yet inclusive. Whereas Paul generally introduces himself as ‘an apostle of Jesus Christ’, James and Jude are content to be known as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, though Jude reminds us of his close family link with James. Are we not all servants of Jesus Christ and brothers or sisters in one family? The style ‘brother’ is equally suited to the most endowed of Christians and the humblest of believers.

The letter is addressed to ‘the twelve tribes scattered abroad’. Christ’s Church consists of pilgrims moving towards the heavenly homeland; at present strangers in every earthly land, yet everywhere at home among God’s people. The greeting itself chairein is significant, while it was the usual word for saluting the recipients of letters, the original meaning of the infinitive would be ‘cheer up’ or ‘be glad’. Thus at the outset of his epistle James calls upon us to rejoice; after all what he has in store for us is a message from the Lord.

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