- Preaching in the New Testament - On Faith and Works - A Workshop requirement in the Institute of Preaching (1st semester 2012-13)

1. PREACHING IN THE
NEW TESTAMENT

2.  Imagined Context for Preaching
 Introduction
 Context
- Historical Context
- Literary Context
 Text
- Chosen Pericope
- Lectionary Readings
- Text Before the Chosen Pericope
- Text After the Chosen Pericope
- Explanation of Chosen Pericope
 Theology
- Keywords and their Explanation
- Themes / Motifs
 Preaching Points and Possibilities

3.  When - Recollection (Point of
Reflection)
 To Whom - Dormitorianas
 Age Bracket - From 18 to 25
years old (College
students and Young
Professionals)
 Gender - Female

4. The Letter of James is one of
the most significant,
yet generally overlooked, New
Testament books. Since Martin
Luther, leader of the
Protestant Reformation,
disliked this letter for its
emphasis on good deeds, the
book has come to be viewed as
being in opposition to Paul’s
letters, which emphasized faith
in God. This study aims to
rectify such views.

5.  Authorship – In 1:1 the author identifies
himself as “James, the servant of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” No other
identification is given. The NT
mentions four men bearing the name of
James. It is probable, though not
certain, that the writer of this epistle is
to be identified with one of them:

6.  James, the father of
Judas (Luke 6:16;
Acts 1:13), “possibly
otherwise identified
with Thaddaeus or
Lebbaeus, to
distinguish him
from Judas Iscariot
(Mark 3:18; Matt.
10:3).”

7.  James, the son of
Alphaeus
(Matt. 10:3;
Mark 3:18; 15:40
[here called
James the Younger
or James the Less];
Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13)

8.  James, the son of
Zebedee and
brother of John
(Matt. 4:21; 10:2; 17:1;
Mark 1:19, 29; 3:17;
10:35; 13:3; Luke 9:28;
Acts 1:13; 12:2)
is an important figure
in the Gospels

9.  James, the Lord’s
brother (Matt. 13:55;
Mark 6:3; Gal. 1:19;
called simply James in
Acts: 12:17; 15:13; 21:18;
and in 1 Cor. 15:7),
mentioned only twice
by name in the Gospels
(Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3),
he rises to prominence
after Pentecost

10.  The author’s self-identification points to
this James, “for it is evident that a wellknown James must have been intended,
and as far as the biblical record is
concerned, the Lord’s brother is the only
James who appears to have played a
sufficiently prominent part in early
Christian history.”

11.  The author’s Jewish background,
both in terms of his use of the OT
(including a few quotations,
numerous allusions, and several
illustrations),
and in other,
more subtle
ways

12.  Similarities
between James
and Acts: James’
speech in Acts 15
contains many
striking parallels
in language with
the epistle of
James.

13.  Similarities with the
teaching of Jesus: “there
are more parallels in this
Epistle than in any other
New Testament book to
the teaching of our Lord
in the Gospels.” The
parallels to the Sermon on
the Mount are especially
acute...

14. James
Teachings
Jesus
1:2
Joy in the midst of trials
Matt. 5:10-12
1:4
Exhortation to perfection
Matt. 5:48
1:5
Asking for good gifts
Matt. 7:7ff.
1:20
Against anger
Matt. 5:22
1:22
Hearers and doers of the Word
Matt. 7:24ff.
2:10
The whole law to be kept
Matt. 5:19
2:13
Blessings of mercifulness
Matt. 5:7
3:18
Blessings of peacemakers
Matt. 5:9
4:4
Friendship of the world as enmity against God
Matt. 6:24
4:11-12
Against judging others
Matt. 7:1-5
5:2ff.
Moth and rust spoiling riches
Matt. 6:19
5:10
The prophets as examples
Matt. 5:12
5:12
Against oaths
Matt. 5:33-37

15.  The Greek is too good for a
Galilean peasant. Greek
grammarians generally
recognize James‘ Greek as
among the most refined in the
New Testament. It is indeed
“paradoxical that one of the
most Jewish letters in the New
Testament should have been
written by an author apparently
so much at home in the Greek
language . . . ”

16.  The author does not claim to be the Lord’s
brother.
 The author makes no reference to the great
events of our Lord’s life.
 The concept of the law in this epistle is said
to differ from what might be expected from
James.

17.  James writes to the ‘twelve tribes in
the Diaspora’. The Greek word in
the verse Diaspora was used mainly
to describe Jews living in the
outside of Palestine. James then
wrote this book to Jewish
Christians living outside Palestine,
and the following evidences will
further support this claim.

18. - He mentioned the
twelve tribes
of Israel
- He used the Greek
word for Synagogue

19. - Several quotations and
allusions from the
Old Testament
- Jewish Idioms “Lord of
Sabaoath”
- Stressed several principles of the Jewish Law
- There is no mention of idolatry as this did
not characterize first century Jews. Whereas
if it were pagans there would have certainly
been mentioned as to conduct with idols.

20.  That James’ audience is made up largely of
poor folks is obvious from his warnings in
2:1-13 (especially v. 5) and passim. They are
either poor “dirt farmers,” tenants who
worked the land of the rich (5:1-6), or
merchants (4:13-17).

21.  The audience apparently lacked maturity in
the faith, as is evidenced by James’
intimation of (1) their failure to “practice
what they preach” (1:22-27; 2:8-11); (2) their
partiality toward the rich and unwillingness
to help the poor believers (2:1-26); (3) their
inconsistent speech patterns (3:1-12); and (4)
their tendency toward confidence in self
rather than confidence in God (4:13-17).

22.  James’ audience was also an oppressed
group. Indeed, it was more than likely
because of their poverty, combined with
their Christian conviction, that they were
oppressed. Further, their inappropriate
response to the oppression, rather than the
oppression itself, is what James condemns,
pointing out that they should seek in such
circumstances the wisdom and gifts of God.

23.  The date of this short epistle is
intrinsically bound up with its
authorship. If this letter is by James,
the brother of the Lord, then it must
have been written before 62 CE (the
date of James’ death). The following
circumstances support this claim:

24. - There is no mention
of the fall of
Jerusalem, perhaps
implying that James
was written either
before Jerusalem’s
destruction or
considerably after it.

25. - There is no mention
of the Gentile
mission, nor of
Gentiles being
admitted into the
church. This seems to
suggest a date before
the Jerusalem Council
of Acts 15 (49 CE).

26. - The simple church order (only teachers [3:1]
and elders [5:14-15] are mentioned, and in an
unadorned way) tends to suggest an early date.
- The assembly of Christians is called synagōgē
(2:2), a term everywhere else in the NT used for
a Jewish congregation, the usual term is
ekklēsia. This very terminology implies an early
period (when Christianity was still very much
regarded as a Jewish sect), confirming a date
before 49 CE.

27. - The relation of Jas. 2:14-
26 to Paul seems to be
pre-literary. If the
author seems not to have
had any exposure to
Galatians or Romans, the
most satisfactory reason
for this is that neither
Pauline epistle had yet
been written. Hence, a
date no later than 49 CE.

28.  The letter of James was not written to a
specific church but to a specific audience.
Now there is not much evidence as to
James’ relationship with the recipients.
But because James was the Leader of the
Church, he, therefore, had the authority
to write to the ‘twelve tribes’. James may
have also found common ground because
he was a Jewish writing to Jews.

29.  The persecutions by Saul
(34 CE) and especially by
Agrippa (44 CE) separated
James from his audience via
the diaspora. The
subsequent diaspora raised
the need for
correspondence; the reason
for the diaspora shaped its
contents. The trials these
believers were facing would
need to be addressed.

30.  The worldwide famine, which
seemed particularly acute in
Judea (Acts 11:27-30). The
resultant (deepened) poverty
was doubly bad for Christians
living in Palestine, for the
wealthy landowners and
religious aristocracy would certainly side with
Agrippa’s attitude toward Christians. These
Jewish Christians’ inadequate response to the
rich would call for instruction/correction from
their spiritual leader.

31.  The believers’ inadequate response to other
believers who were particularly hard hit by
the famine was fueled by their
misappropriation of the Pauline slogan, “a
man is justified by faith alone.” “Under
financial pressure people tend to hold
orthodox belief, but also to grasp tightly to
whatever money they have.” These believers
used the slogan as an excuse for not
practicing their faith.

32.  The general immaturity of these believers,
as evidenced already in their inappropriate
responses to trials, the rich and the poor,
would help James to fill out the letter with
other paraenetic advice. Agrippa’s
persecution, coupled with the famine,
however, would be the final catalyst which
prompted the leader of the Jerusalem
church to write to his scattered flock.

33.  Majority of scholars
suggest that the
purpose of this letter
was to encourage
suffering Christians in
the face of hardship
and to strengthen
them for faithful
Christian living.

34. 1. Lectionary Readings
- Jas 1:1-11
- Jas 1:12-18
- Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22
- Jas 1:19-27
- Jas 2:1-5
- Jas 2:1-9
- Jas 2:14-18
- Jas 2:14-24, 26
- Jas 3:1-10
- Jas 3:13-18
- Jas 3:16—4:3
- Jas 4:1-10
- Jas 4:13-17
- Jas 5:1-6
- Jas 5:1-6
- Jas 5:7-10
- Jas 5:9-12
- Jas 5:13-20
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Week 6 – Year II
Week 6 – Year II
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Week 6 – Year II
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Week 6 – Year II
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Week 6 – Year II
Week 6 – Year II
Week 7 – Year II
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Week 7 – Year II
Week 7 – Year II
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Week 7 – Year II
3rd Sunday of Advent – Cycle A
Week 7 – Year II
Week 7 – Year II

35.  The letter of James can actually be classified
into a more specific category
of paraenesis which is Greek for
“encouragement.” James is encouraging the
poor and oppressed by telling them to stay
strong through the hard times and also
teaching them how to act during the hard times
 Being written to the Jews of the dispersion, it
contains general advice, and no dealings with
specific issues such as is often found in Paul's
epistles.

36.  James is more of a lecture than a letter, and was
obviously prepared for public reading as a
sermon to the scattered congregations.
 The tone of the book is authoritative and
includes 54 imperatives (volitional mood of
command in the Greek, "Do it now!") in 108
verses; this is on average one call for action in
every other verse.
 James' used more figures of speech, analogies,
and imagery from nature than all of Paul's
epistles together.

37.  . James conveyed profound
concepts with well-chosen
words. His sentences are
short, simple, and direct. The
epistle of James has been
called a literary masterpiece
that is both picturesque and
passionate, and combines the
beauty of Greek with the stern
intensity (earthiness) of
Hebrew.

38. 14 What
good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have
works? Can that faith save him?15 If a brother or a sister has nothing to wear and has no
food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat well,”
but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? 17 So also faith of
itself, if does not have works, is dead.
18 Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.”
Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you
from my works. 19 You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe
that—and tremble.
20 Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless[a]? 21 Was not
Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You
see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.
Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to
him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called the friend of God. 24 See how a person is
justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she
welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? 26 For just as a body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.

39.  24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B /
 Week 6 – Year II (for the Chosen Pericope)

40.  In the Christian community, there must be
no discrimination or favoritism based on
status or wealth. The Divine favor rather
consists in God’s election and promises.
The rich who oppress the poor blaspheme
the name of Christ. By violating one law of
love of neighbour, they offend the whole
law. But conscious awareness of the final
judgment helps the faithful to fulfil the
whole law.

41.  The use and the abuse of the most
important role of teaching in the church are
here related to the good and bad use of the
tongue, the instrument through which
teaching was chiefly conveyed.

42.  The theme of these verses is the relationship of
faith and works (deeds). It has been argued
that the teaching here contradicts that of Paul
especially on Romans 4:5-6. It does seem likely
that James is interacting with Paul’s doctrine of
justification. It is rather doubtful that Paul is
reacting to James, for not only did he claim to be
in agreement with James on this issue (Gal. 2:910), but Paul’s doctrine of justification is not
isolated to a single passage, but is interspersed
throughout his letters.

43. On the other hand,
James’ discussion of
the issue is in one
pericope and has all
the earmarks of a
polemical diatribe.
Some scholars argue
that James and Paul
are not at all talking
about the same thing.

44.  Some scholars believe that James is reacting to a
perverted “Paulinism”—i.e., the slogan of the
Pauline churches that faith alone saves. But if
none of Paul’s letters had yet been written, Paul’s
true doctrine could easily have been garbled,
especially when it was heard second- or thirdhand. (Indeed, since the Pauline slogan is so
garbled in Jas. 2:14-26, it is all the more likely
that neither Galatians nor Romans had yet been
penned.) James is thus not reacting to Paul, but
to a perversion of Paul’s teachings.

45.  In its context, James has just warned against
partiality toward the wealthy. The temptation to
appease the rich (perhaps both rich merchants
and the wealthy high-priestly families) was all
the greater because James’ audience was
apparently on the financial fringes of society. In
light of this, it would be quite convenient to
adopt Paul’s slogan of sola fide without
embracing its true content—as an excuse for not
helping the poorer members of the believing
community.

46.  To highlight what James is addressing and not
addressing, eight theses are given:
(1) James does not deny the necessity of faith,
only its adequacy.
(2) James is addressing the fruit of salvation,
while Paul is addressing the root of salvation.
(3) In keeping with other biblical writers, James
does not use “works” as a criterion for judging
others, but as a criterion for judging oneself.

47. (4) For James, the faith which does not save is
intellectual assent; for Paul, the faith which
does save is a heart-response to God’s call—it is
trust in, not just belief that. Thus, they are not
talking about the same thing.
(5) For James, “justified” means either
“vindicated” or “eschatologically justified”; for
Paul, it means “declared righteous.” Thus, they
are not talking about the same thing.

48. (6) For James, “works” means good deeds—
charity, Christian love, etc; for Paul, it means
works of the Law which some see as necessary
for salvation, rendering the cross-work of
Christ as less than adequate. Thus, once again,
they are not talking about the same thing.
(7) James seems to look at how our spiritual
status is seen and approved/disapproved by
others, while Paul looks at how it is seen and
initiated by God.

49. (8) Both James and Paul would agree with the
statement that genuine, saving faith results in
works. Or that sola fide, properly understood,
means that we are saved by faith alone, but the
faith that saves is not alone.

50.  The book of James contains no personal
references, but rather James refers to his readers
as "brethren," fifteen times (1:2; 16, 19; 2:1, 5, 14;
3:1, 10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19).
- The brotherhood of man — or the people hood
of humanity – is but a corollary of the
parenthood of God. One God created all of us in
the Divine image. And as long as there are Jews to
proclaim that there is a God in this world, there
will be Jews who have to hold themselves up to
the ideals of brotherhood.

51.  It makes thirty references to things & nature
(1:6, 10, 11,17, 18; 3:3-8, 11, 12, 18; 4:14; 5:2-5, 7, 14,
17, 18)

52.  James makes references to:
[a] Abraham (2:21, 23)
[b] Isaac (2:21);
[c] Rahab (2:25);
[d] Job (5:11)
[e] Elijah (5:17)

53.  James used his terms deeds and righteous in
2:14-26 with a purpose different from Paul's.
James is writing about how one is shown to be
righteous; Paul writes about how one is
declared righteous.
 Jas. 2:14-26 can be broken down into three
sections: one illustration (vv. 14-17), and two
arguments: one rational (vv. 18-20), the other
biblical (vv. 21-26).

54. 1. Illustration: A Poor Christian (14-17). James
first argues that one who lives by the slogan of
sola fide, if he does not care for the
misfortunate within the believing community,
cannot be saved.

55. 2. Rational Argument: Demons’ Faith (18-20).
Although there are numerous problems with the
content of what the supposed objector says, it seems
best to see him as arguing that one can be saved either
by faith or by works. James rebuffs this view (v. 18b) by
saying that it is impossible to divorce the two. He then
argues that demons divorce the two in that they only
do one—believe. Yet, they have hell as their eternal
home. Here he defines what “unsaving” faith is
(implicitly, at least): a faith which cannot save is one
which is doctrinally correct (demons’ belief), but one
in which there is no personal relationship, nor any
works.

56. 3. Biblical Argument: Abraham, Rahab (2126). For his positive argument, James uses two
illustrations from the OT. First, Abraham was
justified by works when he offered up Isaac (21).
His faith could not be divorced from works, but
cooperated with it (22). That Abraham’s faith
preceded his works is implicit in two ways: (a)
works perfected his faith (22) and (b) the
scripture which said he had faith (Gen. 15:6; Jas.
2:23) was fulfilled by his works.

57. That saving faith is more than intellectual assent, and
indeed more than faith + works is seen in James’ last
comment in v. 23—“he was called God's friend.” Thus,
saving faith implies a relationship to God—it involves
“trust in,” not just “belief that,” or even “belief that,”
plus “work for.” By “faith” James distinguishes
unsaving faith from saving faith, while Paul seems to
speak primarily or exclusively of the latter (both
would agree that “belief in” and not just “belief that”
is the essential ingredient of saving faith). Lest one
think that heaven is reserved only for those with the
moral qualifications of Abraham, James hastens to
add another illustration.

58. Rahab, too, was saved when she helped the spies
get away (25). James reminds his audience that
Rahab was a prostitute—yet she was saved.
There is no evidence in the text that her lone
deed erased her sins; rather, her belief in God
did—and it is evident that this was a genuine
belief because she acted on it. Both illustrations
link faith and works together in such a way that
it is unthinkable that one could please God
without both.

59. Although not clearly demarcated in the book
there are several themes/motifs that James
alludes to. These are as following:
- Trials and Christian Maturity – James in
verses (1:2-18) attacks several issues where
Christian suffering (which leads to maturity)
is the most prominent. Words used in this part
are peirazao and peirasamos used to connote
“trials” or “temptations”.


60. - True Christianity seen in its works – (1:19-
2:26) He focuses on three key words “Word (of
God)”, “law” and “works”. Here James insists
that true faith is always marked with
obedience.
- Dissensions within the community – (3:14:12) Here he talks about the Dissension in the
community of Christians which in this case
find their roots in envy. He uses several images
to illustrate the power of the tongue.

61. - Implications of a Christian Worldview –
(4:13 -5:11) Here he deals with how Christian
should see the world involving God in all the
plans they make.
- Concluding Exhortations – (5:12-20) He
signs off also talking about the responsibility
of Christians in keeping each other spiritually
healthy

62.  James wrote to Jewish Christians who had been
scattered throughout the Mediterranean world
because of persecution. In their hostile
surroundings they were tempted to let
intellectual agreement pass for true faith. This
letter can have rich meaning for us as we are
reminded that genuine faith transforms lives. We
are encouraged to put our faith into action. It is
easy to say we have faith, but true faith will
produce loving actions towards others. These can
be elaborated through the following preaching
points:

63. 1. Living Faith - James wants believers not only
to hear the truth, but also to do it. He
contrasts empty faith (claims without
conduct) with faith that works. Commitment
to love and to serve is evidence of true faith.
Living faith makes a difference. Make sure
your faith is more than just a statement - it
should also result in action. Seek ways of
putting your faith to work.

64. 2. Trials - In the Christian life there are trials
and temptations. Successfully overcoming
these adversities produces maturity and strong
character. Don't resent troubles when they
come. Pray for wisdom; God will supply all
that you will need to face persecution or
adversity. He will give you patience and keep
you strong in times of trial.

65. 3. Law of Love - We are saved by God's gracious
mercy, not by keeping the law. But Christ gave
us a special command, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19). We are
to love and serve those around us. Keeping the
law of love shows that our faith is vital and
real. When we show love to others, we are
overcoming our own selfishness.