It has been said, and by people not a million miles away from this blog, that the bible can be a little hard to understand. If you can manage to understand what is said, it is a whole different ball-game as to whether it is applicable today. However, I have now arrived at the letter James wrote to the church, and the difficulty factor has been reduced by a factor of several million.
Easy as A B C
Meet the boss
The writer of the letter is identified as James. He was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem and was a brother of Jesus, although John 7:2-5 identifies his brothers as not believing. So there seems to have been a change of mind somewhere along the way, and 1 Corinthians 15:7 may have had something to do with that. So it all turned out nice and religious for James in the end, although he was martyred in AD62, so perhaps not completely rosy.
Faith works
Anyway, back to the letter. We have several chapters of good, plain and practical advice. Unlike Paul’s letters, James is clear and precise in what he says. As to whether you want to follow his advice that is down to you, but the it is there for all to see and understand. He points out the importance of prayer and also confession. He also emphasises the importance of doing good stuff in relation to faith. And before you think this could be a plant by Rome into the New Testament his take on this faith and works is something any follower of the Galilean should note.
James isn’t about works being more important than faith, or faith being more important than works. As I read through this letter it is clear that neither can exist without the other. For a letter that is so clear and practical it is a shame so many get that simple fact wrong.
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