Mexico Missouri message., 1909-05-27
BELIEVING
AND DOING
sasl,y seho.l L.s,sa for Nay %, 1904


N dead. "-Jatncn 2.O.
TiME-It IL not known when this
epistlo was written. but probably be
tween A. y. 70 and s0--not later than A.
D. G."-Hastings' Bible Dictionary.
PLACE-lt was written at James
home. Jerusalem.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Three disciples named James are
found In the New Testament: l..
James the son Of Zebedee, sometimes
called the Great He was the brother
Of John. was very close 10 Jesus at
tho crises OF his life. and was the first
of the twelve TO suffer martyrdom
(Acts ~: -.
., James the son OF Alphaeus, one OF
the twelve apostles, probably a broth.
er Of Matthew. who also In called son
OF Alphaeus. He Is usually Unidentified
with James the Little Tor the Lessl,
and nothing Is known Of his life.
3. James the brother OF our Lord,
the author Of the Epistle.
Luther. mistakenly thinking that,
especially in the passage we are to
study, II opposed Paul's great doc.
trine OF Justification by faith once
called II "a letter OF straw" but after.
ward he saw his error. THE tone Of
the whole Epistle is practical. earnest
and stern In parts. Maclear,
ID. ID. DIR. Deems called IL the Gospel
OF common sense" and with the
Sermon on the Mount) the most vaiu.
able textbook ON morals In possession
of the world" Roswell ID. Hitchcock,
Ill. D., once said that the application
OF the Eplstle OF James In the region
OF economy Is that which alone can
save our civilization. and II IL re-
ported Of the third earl Of Baicarras
that he was accustomed 10 express
himself as delighted with the Epistle
OF James Rs the production OF a gen.
tleman. deems. THE structure OF
the Epistle Is altogether informal and
unsystematic. "-Plumptre. Il Is one
OF the seven Catholic Eplstles, 80
called because written to the whole
church, to correct common faults and
give the comfort and inspiration
needed by all in those times OF trial.
James has been speaking OF those
that take credit TO themselves for
hearing the law and observing the out
ward forms of religion. while at the
same time they bow down before the
rich and scorn the poor. In this pas.
cage he goes on to insist that all such
religion is empty. amerc profession OF
faith without the deeds that prove It.
Faith, as Paul defines II. "worketh
by love" (Gal. 8: 81. Faith, az Luther
said. rs a lively. busy. active thing,
30 that II Is impossible for II not TO DO
ceaselessly working good; II does not
ask II good works are TO be done, but
before II asks Il has done them, and
is ever doing" Such faith does save
a man.
But throughout James's discussion
the name faith Is taken In a broad
and general sense. covering any de.
gree OF acceptance of Christian truth"
Prof. tombstone. James was writ
ing to the Jews Of the dispersion"
(Jas. /: -. Men dwelling as those
Jews dwelt, In the midst of heather
population. were tempted TO trust for
their salvation to their descent from
Abraham compare Matt. 3: % and to
their maintaining the unity OF the
Godhead as against the polythelsm
and idolatry OF the nations. They re-
peated their creed known. from It's
first Hebrew word. as the Shema),
Hear. o Israel. the Lord our God is
one Lord (Deut. @: a. II entered into
the morning and evening services of
the synagogue. II was uttered by tho
dying as a passport to the gates Of
paradise. II was TO this that they re-.
ferred the words Of HabakkHk that
the just should live by faith (Hab.
2: D."-Cambridge Bible.
Such faith, which was merely out
ward and formal religion. did some
good. II preserved It's subject from
the defllements OF heathenism; but In
their place It established a pride and
exclusiveness that were almost as bad.
Paul distrusted II as much as James,
and would have Joined In the question.
What doth II protit?"
v. 20. James closes the discussion
with forcible simlle: AS the body
without (literally. apart FROM tho
spirit is dead. 30 faith without (''aDart
irony works 10 dead also" "Of our
own human wisdom we had been
rather inclined to say that works were
likest 70 the body. and faith 20 the
breath or animation thereof. ELI.
colt. But the apostles view seems
rather TO be this: Faith II the body.
the sun and substance of the Chris
tian life; works (obedience). the NOV.
ing and quickening OF that body, just
as the spirit Is the moving and quick.
ening principle Of the natural body"
Dean Afford. James does not enter
into the question which must come
first. faith or works. IL Is perfectly
plain that he considers both to be
necessary tsee also v. 24). SO does
Paul There IL no contradiction be-
tween the two. only a difference OF
emphasis.
Roberthon's illustration Is the light.
ufmar ana fha fhuuAaW EMar4Iva Ifwst