Chronos: James #3 Series

Last week, we started a year-long journey chronological study of the New Testament today. Hence the reason we are calling this message series Chronos. It's a word that means “time.” We will be journeying through time back to the start of the early church. We will be doing this by walking through the books of James, Thessalonians, Galatians and Corinthians. We will take a few detours along the way for the major Christian holidays. However, we will be opening up our bibles each week to unpack the scriptures as they were present in the early church.

We start with the book of James because it is the earliest writing determined by present day scholarly dating.

It is the first book or letter written to this new ‘church’ or gathering.

It was written by Jesus to his first half brother, James.

It was written to the messianic Jews who had come to believe Jesus was the Messiah and those first followers who weren't Jewish called Gentiles who had become aware of and believed in Jesus.

It was written to the first bad actors and their practices that were stunting the movement’s growth.

As Dr. W. A. Criswell wrote in his book “Getting Down To Brass Tacks”; “to hear and read what James has to say about the Christian faith is an open door into the light of Heaven.”

It is the most practical New Testament book because of its relevance to the issues of our culture.

For the first few years after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the “way” as it was called, was considered a breakaway sect. It was a time in which the word that we have today was passed from one person to another through story from those who knew Jesus. The movement grew by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The movement really took off after Steven was killed outside the gate of the old city of Jerusalem, the Christians were scattered (diaspora) throughout the Roman world (Acts 8:1-3). God permitted this test of the Jerusalem church for a purpose. Had there been no diaspora, the Christians would have stayed in Jerusalem and the growth of the church would have been stymied. Instead, in one generation the Gospel spread throughout the known world-all the way to the confines of Rome itself.

For almost 20 years without a comprehensive account of what had taken place. There were no gospels written by Mark, Matthew, Luke or John. It was a messy spirituality powered by the Holy Spirit, personal testimony and strong relationships. It was spirituality marked by an indifference to government and pursuit of a fully committed life to God and his creation.

Each week this year we will be walking through small sections of the scriptures. I’d encourage you to read ahead. Read all six books a few times this year and get ready to mark up your bible. This is going to be a great year!

Let’s pick up where we left off last week with chapter 1, verse 18. But before we do, let me remind you that James has just been emphasizing temptation is part of life and perseverance is possible with the belief of God’s goodness and love for all who call Him Lord.

James now turns our attention to the issue of true religion. The word religion in our context has taken on some bad connotations. “I’m not religious. I’m spiritual.” is an acceptable comment today but in the past religion meant more than consistency or rules. The 1828 Webster's American dictionary defined religion as: “a godliness or real piety of practice, consisting of the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men, in obedience to divine command, or from love to God.” The word meant to be fully committed. Unfortunately in a society where individuality is prized more than conformity, Western Christianity is often perverted for human gain which in turn creates an even greater longing to see true faith. There is a lot of counterfeit Christianity around. If you are a new believer it can be a little overwhelming. God wants a personal relationship with all of us but not at the expense of His will for all of us. If you are looking for the barometer of the real thing, James is about to help. Let's look at Verse 18

18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

Some Bible readers believe James held to an understanding of God that was opposite of Paul’s. I’ve even heard people say James promotes the idea a person needs to earn their place in heaven. But nothing could be further from the truth. Before James ever talks about works, he makes sure we know that he believes, as Paul does, our connection to God is in Christ alone. The words in this verse “birth through the word of truth” means our new life begins with our belief in Jesus as our Savior. James doesn’t add anything to the idea. He only suggests the proof is in the outcomes of a person’s life. Using part of PT Barnum quote: “Talk is cheap” but action requires expense and effort.”