Whether or not we get the wisdom we are seeking hinges on whether or not we truly trust God as the best source of wisdom. Of course, this is not a simplistic promise, as the next two verses will show. But the ultimate source of all wisdom is God Himself. The emphasis in James is on the works which are produced by faith. James will really bear down on some practical issues, but the theme of faith is also seen throughout his entire epistle. So ingrained in the Mosaic Law and its system of works were the Jewish Christians to whom James wrote that he spent considerable time explaining the difficult truth that no one is justified by the works of the law (Galatians 2:16). Other Scripture encourages us to seek God's wisdom in wise and godly counselors (Proverbs 11:14) and through observing His creation (Psalm 19:1), for example. McGee Introduction: The Epistle of James is a very practical book which deals with the ethics of Christianity rather than with doctrine. Connections: The Book of James is the ultimate description of the relationship between faith and works. But the written Word is not the only way God supplies us with wisdom. One way God reveals His wisdom to us is in His Word, the Bible. The intended audience of this book is thought to be targeted toward Jewish Christians. It is thought to be written between 45 and 47 AD and broken into three main themes that we will discuss in the next section.
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What an amazing promise! The God of the universe stands by ready and willing to give abundant wisdom to those who ask based only on their trust and confidence in Him, not on their track record. The book of James is a New Testament book that falls between Hebrews and 1 Peter. In other words, He doesn't look at all of our previous foolish choices and decide we are not worthy of receiving wisdom from Him. In fact, God gives wisdom away without "reproach" or finding fault.
#EXPLAIN THE BOOK OF JAMES HOW TO#
He's not stingy in providing insight to those who ask how to make the best choices. James states that God gives wisdom generously. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans, which many consider to be the most rich theological treatise in Scripture. Asking God for wisdom is evidence that we trust Him. What's the best choice? Which way should we go? How do we decide between two different paths? Those who truly trust God will ask Him for wisdom. This is a reference to those times when we just don't know what to do. In this context, James is speaking of wisdom for a particular moment.
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Here, James begins to describe what it looks like to trust God in a wide variety of circumstances. In fact, those trials are exactly what we need in order to learn to trust God more.
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He revealed that the Christian life is about cultivating a deeper trust in God as trials come our way. In verses 2 through 4, James laid the foundation for the rest of his letter.