The New Testament in 90 Days

The tone of James' letter gets even more serious in this section.  He exhorts and he warns.  James becomes not just a wisdom teacher, but a prophet as well, warning people about what will befall them if they do not repent and live humbly, as friends of the poor.  He warns as well about conflicts in the church, diagnosing that the source of conflict is our greed and our cravings.  I'm not sure that this is the only source of conflict among us -- but it certainly is one.  And in our particular context here in North America, there is so much to want, and so much temptation! James spends quite a bit of time chiding those who are wealthy, warning them that there is more to life than making a profit, and that "they can't take it with them."  What do you think of James' words? Are they relevant to us today? James ends his letter with instructions about how to pray, and especially how to pray for those who are sick.  "If any of you are sick, they should ca...

Here's a little secret:  Lutherans are not supposed to like the book of James, much.  It might be because the author seems to be arguing with the apostle Paul (someone Lutherans really LOVE) regarding salvation by faith alone.  The author of James (and some people think he might have been James, the brother of Jesus) seems to be picking a fight with Paul, saying, "Oh yeah?  Faith alone?  I say faith plus works!  Faith without works is DEAD!" But the argument is overstated, I think.  If we think of faith the way Luther (and Paul) did, faith in Christ Jesus is what raises us from the dead.  And, people who are alive do things.  They act.  Because they are alive.  But the works do not save us.  They are just what we do because we are alive. At least, that's what Paul would say. Even though I'm Lutheran, and even though I'll grant that the book of James wouldn't be the one book of the Bible I'd take with me if I could only ta...