View this page in 103 different languages!
Teaching Outline:
- Introduction
- Jesus Christ: the Royal Law
- The Law of Liberty
- Love your neighbor as yourself
- 14 Point Summary
Introduction
James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
So the very first verse in the book of James clearly tells us who it was written to: the 12 tribes [of Israel] during the age of grace, after the day of Pentecost in 28AD. This is one of the many keys on how the bible interprets itself - to whom are the various books of the bible written to. There's a huge difference between a book of the bible written directly to you and a book of the bible written directly to somebody else, but the information is still beneficial enough for you to learn from, apply in your life, and see the positive results.
I Peter 1:1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, [Modern-day Turkey]
In James 1:1, the phrase "are scattered abroad" and in I Peter 1:1, the words "scattered throughout" are the same Greek word diaspora, which literally means the dispersion. It refers to Judeans that have been dispersed throughout the Roman empire, due to persecution.
So the unique overview is that the book of James & I Peter are the only books of the bible written directly to the dispersed Judeans.
Look at God's heart for his people! They were persecuted to the point of being exiled in foreign lands, divided up all over the Roman empire, yet God did not forsake them. He had not one, but two letters addressed specifically to them to take care of their needs and comfort their hearts, letting them know they are still loved and not forgotten. Even the book of Ephesians, the greatest revelation to the church, the body of Christ, includes them in the household.
Ephesians 2:19
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
The following image is a screenshot from E.W. Bullinger's companion reference bible notes on the book of James, which many scholars date about 45A.D., making it the very first book of the new testament ever written.
Jesus Christ, the Royal Law
The phrase “Royal Law” is only used one time in the entire bible, and God chose to put it in the book of James.
James 2:8
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
So what does it mean to do the Royal Law? The word of God interprets itself right in the verse - Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. This phrase is only used twice [which establishes it], from Romans to Thessalonians, which are written directly to Christians today. It also has 7 words in it, which is the biblical number for spiritual perfection. That is the love of God perfected in our mind.
Jesus Christ is the royal law, which is the fulfillment of the Mosaic law.
Definition of royal
adjective
1. of or relating to a king, queen, or other sovereign:royal power; a royal palace.
2. descended from or related to a king or line of kings:a royal prince.
3. noting or having the rank of a king or queen.
4. established or chartered by or existing under the patronage of a sovereign:a royal society.
5. (initial capital letter) serving or subject to a king, queen, or other sovereign.
6. proceeding from or performed by a sovereign:a royal warrant.
7. appropriate to or befitting a sovereign; magnificent; stately:
How fitting it is that Jesus Christ is the royal law in the book of James!
- In Micah he is the Lord of kings
- In Chronicles he is the King's son
- In Matthew he is the King of the Judeans
- In Revelation he is the king of kings and lord of lords
Matthew 22
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Romans 13
8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Galatians 5
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
I John 2
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect [complete] love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect [complete] in love.
When we have fear, we are not made perfect or complete in love, which is in direct contrast to the law of liberty in James 1:25 below, which is perfect [complete].
The Law of Liberty
The phrase “law of liberty” is used only twice in the entire bible, and both of them are in the book of James.
When you think about it logically, the phrase “law of liberty” seems like a contradiction of terms. Law refers to the bondage of the Mosaic law of the old testament. Liberty is freedom from the bondage of the hundreds & hundreds of old testament laws. So the phrase “law of liberty” has to be a figure of speech, emphasizing our freedom in Christ by practising the Royal law, which is to love your neighbor as yourself.
James 1:25
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 2:12
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Below is a image taken from the Companion Bible by E.W. Bullinger [from the bottom of the book of Hebrews at the end] that illustrates 2 figures of speech, [introversion and alternation], so you can get a bird's-eye overview of the structure of the book of James. This reveals meanings of words and connected concepts that normally would not be seen.
As you can see in the top half, the letter G - the Royal Law [Jesus Christ in the book of James], corresponds to G, the Law of Liberty. In Luke 4, we can see that it was Jesus Christ who delivered deliverance & liberty to mankind.
Luke 4
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
In verse 18, the words “deliverance” & “liberty” are the same Greek word aphesis [Strong's #859], which literally means to release somebody, to pardon them, from obligation or debt.
Galatians 2:4
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
Our spiritual liberty in Christ is so important that Satan tries to send in his top henchmen to infiltrate the body of Christ with counterfeit christians to steal their liberty away with false doctrines to put us back into the bondage of the old testament law.
Galatians 5
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
The book of James in light of the Royal Law, to love your neighbor as yourself
James 2
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay [from Greek work lampros = shining, magnificent, bright, splendid; elegancies or luxuries in dress and style] clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
Now look at how this partiality ties into not walking in the love of God and James, the royal law, Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 13 [the characteristics of the love of God]
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
In James 2:4, the word “thoughts” & in I Corinthians 13:5. “thinketh” have the same root word, the Greek word Logizomai, which means to reason to a logical conclusion.
In James, chapter 2, they were showing favoritism & partiality [which contradicts God's wisdom], which caused divisions amongst them because they were not walking in the love of God. They were not living the Royal Law, which is to love your neighbor as yourself with the love of God.
It is interesting that partiality & favoritism were demonstrated in chapter 2, then we see the consequences in chapters 3 & 4.
James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
James 4:1
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Here is a second example in the book of James associated with not applying the royal law in their lives, which is to love your neighbor as yourself.
James 1
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity [great excess] of naughtiness [from Strong's #2554 /kakopoieo, "a wicked disposition"], and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
In the context of the "perfect law of liberty" in verse 25, as well as the greater context of the entire book of James as Jesus Christ, the red thread, the Royal Law, the doing of the word in James 1:22 is to love your neighbor as yourself.
One of the characteristics of the love of God that we looked at earlier is that it believes all things that are according to the word. Therefore, that believer will believe, or be meek to, and carry out, the word of God.
These two examples of knowing who Jesus Christ is in the book of the bible you are reading can enlighten and deepen many verses in that book.
The phrase "multitude of sins" occurs only twice in the entire bible: one is in the book of James and the other in I Peter.
James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
How can we hide a multitude of sins?
I Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
The word "hide" in James 5:20 & the word "cover" in I Peter 4:8 are the exact same Greek word Kalypto, to keep secret, hidden, conceal.
The word "charity" is the Greek word agape', the love of God. Look at the definition of the word "fervent", where this is the only place in the bible it is used.
Strong's Concordance #1618
ektenes: stretched, fig. zealous, earnest
Part of Speech: Adjective
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-ten-ace')
Definition: intent, constant, strenuous, intense; met: earnest, zealous.
HELPS Word-studies
1618 ektenes (an adjective, derived from 1537 /ek, "wholly out" which intensifies teino, "to stretch" which is also the root of English terms, "tension" and "tense") - properly, stretch out, i.e. fully because completely taut; (figuratively) at maximum potential, without slack because fully extended to its necessary outcome.
By practicing the royal law of loving your neighbor as yourself, you can hide a multitude of sins. This is a third example in James where knowing who Jesus Christ is in this book provides additional enlightenment.
James & I Peter, the only books of the bible specifically addressed to the scattered Judeans, both end with the love of God, which is the application of Jesus Christ, the royal law – to love thy neighbor as thyself. This is only the 4th example of many where we can see the depth of the word, its beauty, symmetry, and integrity to a greater degree because we know who Jesus Christ is, the red or scarlet thread of the bible.
James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
I Peter 5:14
Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Summary
- The book of James was written to the 12 tribes of Israel during the age of grace.
- James & Peter are the only books of the bible written to the dispersed christians scattered abroad as a result of the dispersion or persecution from the Roman empire
- The phrase “Royal Law” is only used one time in the entire bible, and God chose to put it in the book of James
- Jesus Christ is the Royal Law in the book of James, of which the theme verse is James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
- Jesus Christ condensed the hundreds of old testament laws down to two: love God and love your neighbor as yourself
- Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself contains 7 words. Seven is the number of spiritual perfection in the bible
- According to I John 2:5 & Galatians 5:14, if we love our neighbor as ourselves, the love of God is perfected in us
- The phrase “law of liberty” is used only twice in the entire bible, and both of them are in the book of James.
- There are 7 different definitions of "Royal", the first of which is: of or relating to a king, queen, or other sovereign:royal power; a royal palace.
- There are 2 figures of speech in the book of James [introversion and alternation], that give you a bird's-eye overview of the structure of the book of James. This reveals hidden meanings of words and enables you to connect concepts that normally would not be seen
- The Royal Law in James 2:8 corresponds to the Law of Liberty in James 2:12,13. In Luke 4, we can see that it was Jesus Christ who delivered deliverance & liberty to mankind.
- Many different verses in the book of James are enlightened and seen in a deeper way due to knowledge of Jesus Christ as the royal law
- The application of the love of God, which is to love your neighbor as yourself, hides the multitude of sins
- Both James and Peter end with the love of God