Early Christians suffered persecution at the hands of the Jews who rejected Jesus. Remember that before Paul became an apostle, he was a Pharisee determined to hunt out and kill followers of Jesus. Because of these and other pressures, many believers left Jerusalem looking for safer places to live. Such scattering because of hard times is referred to as a “diaspora.” Because many of these Christians had come from Jerusalem, and James was the head of the Jerusalem church, it would be natural for him to write a letter to members of his congregation. The purpose of the letter is to help people handle hard times. In the midst of hard times, people begin believing wrong things about themselves, their circumstances, other people, and God. They are tempted to do things they might not normally do in order to fit in and get by in a dangerous world. James writes this letter to help people understand how to live as true and faithful followers of Jesus during dangerous times.
Jesus didn’t consider His position as something to be exploited, rather He humbled Himself, became a servant, and was obedient to God. Because of this God exalted Him. The same is true of James. James didn’t consider his relationship with Jesus as something to be exploited. He sees himself as a servant, being obedient to what God has for him to do. We should pattern our lives after this example.
This study is about a man who stay’s faithful…