Day 155 – March 22, 2024: James 1-5 and Psalm 47

You can understand why Luther felt like James should have been left out of the canon of Scripture. If you look at chapter 2 starting at vs.14 you read an argument which lifts up works as a manifestation of faith. But it is really this verse, vs.24 where it states that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone which screams loudly against our Protestant understanding which emphasizes that we are saved by grace through faith alone. In that formula nothing is mentioned of works, and that is on purpose.

Aside from this somewhat, okay very, controversial theological matter, James is filled with precious bits of wisdom that would do us well to remember. He addresses our preferential treatment in the church of those who have material means and that God would be disappointed if this continued. He highlights the role that elders serve in healing and in bringing people to a saving knowledge of Christ by recognizing that God is still at work today. There is so much in James. If you were into memorizing Scripture this book of the Bible would be a good one to memorize. Don’t tell Luther I said so.