Exegesis Paper

Exegesis Paper

James 1:1-5

Passage

James 1:1-5 (KJV)

“1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.”

Introduction

During the first century, many believers in Christ struggled with temptations and the testing of their faith such as is mentioned in the general epistle of James. What, then, is the author’s purpose in writing the first five verses of James to his audience? Did he simply want to inform his audience that they would indeed encounter trials and temptations as followers of the faith? Did he wish to warn his readers of the hardships to come? Did he want to share his personal story as a believer who had already experienced such happenings? Even though these are good questions and possible arguments, they are not the best conveyors of the author’s true purpose. A much better purpose may be that James wrote the first five verses of his New Testament book in order to encourage his audience so that when they were tempted to commit wrongs, such as adultery, or when they were suffering, such as from religious persecution, they might find joy.

Socio-Historical Background

The author and the date of the epistle of James were disputed during the first century and are still disputed today. Many Bible scholars have proposed four different men from the Bible named James as possibilities for the author. However, through the process of elimination, research has named James, the brother of Jesus and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, the most likely author. As for the date, some sources say...