What is saving faith?

the mission of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology…

…so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed.

MAF operates a fleet of 52 light aircraft from 15 bases in six countries in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America.

Each year, they fly over two million nautical miles to speed the work of some 600 Christian and humanitarian organizations.

MAF flights support indigenous churches and local evangelists, create access to medical care, provide disaster relief, ...

…and make community development projects possible ... in some of the most remote places on earth.

Practical Christianity:
What is saving faith?

JAM 1:1-25

1. Of all the letters, James is the most saturated with the teaching of Jesus from the gospels.

Look for the frequent echoes of the teachings of Jesus , as in JAM 1:5-6; JAM 2:8; JAM 3:17-18; JAM 5:2-3; JAM 5:5; JAM 5:9; JAM 5:12.

JAM 5:12,
for example, is a restatement of
MAT 5:33-37.

2. The author of the letter of James is James the brother of Jesus, called the Just.

He is a younger brother of Jesus, MAT 13:55.

As a younger brother, James must have been very familiar with his older Brother and His teaching.

Yet it appears as if he did not believe in Jesus until after Jesus rose from the dead.

Jesus appeared to James after the resurrection before He appeared to the full apostolic company, 1CO 15:3-8.

By the time we meet James again in the New Testament, he has become the leader of the Jerusalem church.

You can read about this in the book of Acts: ACT 12:17, ACT 15:1-29, ACT 21:17-18. Also GAL 2:6-12.

So James the brother of the Lord was a well-known figure in the early church. His name carried great authority.

JUD 1:1

James suffered a martyr’s death at the hands of the high priest Annas the Younger in AD 62.

The letter was composed by James in the mid-40s AD.

The original audience for the letter of James, and the situation they found themselves in.

1. They were Jews.

There are references to distinctively Jewish institutions, figures, and beliefs.

Illustrations in James include Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, Job, and Elijah.

The saints met in a synagogue, JAM 2:2.

They believed that the law is central to God’s dealings with His people, JAM 1:21; JAM 1:24-25; JAM 2:8-13; JAM 4:11-12.

The opening address provides more evidence that the recipients of the letter were Jewish.

JAM 1:1 b

2. They were poor (most of them) and oppressed.

Wealthy landowners were taking advantage of them, JAM 5:4-6.

Rich people were hauling them into court and blaspheming their Lord, JAM 2:6-7.

JAM 2:5-7

James was the perfect person to write a letter to Jewish Christians who had been forced to flee from Jerusalem .

ACT 11:19

The letter was probably written to Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem because of persecution.

One reason that James writes is to encourage them in the midst of their suffering and difficulties.

He reminds them that God’s righteous judgment is coming (JAM 5:7-11).

JAM 5:7-11

And he exhorts them to be obedient to the Lord in the midst of their trials (JAM 1:2-4; JAM 1:12).

JAM 1:2-4; JAM 1:2