"There's Purpose in your Pain" - Part II
Charting James

We now embark on a wonderful journey through the book of James, the Proverbs of the New Testament; it has been compared with the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, particularly the book of Proverbs, because of its direct, pungent statements on wise living. James’s strong condemnation of social injustice (cf. chaps. 2, 5) has prompted some to call him “the Amos of the New Testament.”

When you read the book of James the emphasis of this book is on preparing Christians for living the Christian life. Since these young Christians were experiencing suffering, James was trying to help them make some sense of their suffering. James approached the problem of suffering among these young Christians in a very practical way.

James addresses himself to half a dozen basic issues of the Christian life. He discusses the Christian and his battles (1:2-16), the Christian and his Bible (1:17-27), the Christian and his brethren (2:1-13), the Christian and his beliefs (2:14-26), the Christian and his behavior (3:1-4:12), the Christian and his boasting (4:13-5:6), and the Christian and his burdens (5:7-20). He begins with the testings and temptations that assail the godly. As to our temptations, they are for a purpose (1:2-l1) and for our profit (1:12). James could see three reasons why God allowed His people to be tested: for our enlargement (1:2-4), for our enlightenment (1:5-8), and for our ennoblement (1:9-11).

James was also profoundly influenced by the Sermon on the Mount; in fact, his epistle may be viewed as a practical commentary on our Lord’s sermon. The extent of the Sermon on the Mount’s influence on James may be seen in his many references and allusions to it (see table).