In our last visit we introduced the book of James. Today let’s begin a biographical study of the author. To do this, collect all the references to him in the Bible. Use a concordance for this. Once you gather this information about James, correlate it into an outline. Then crystallize what you learn from his life into some personal applications.
When I did this I developed the following outline.
First, James before becoming a Christian. He was the oldest half brother after Jesus according to Matthew 13:55. He demonstrated a genuine concern for Christ’s welfare as seen in Mark 3:21. It’s clear that he didn’t understand or believe in Christ, John 7:5.
Second, James becomes a Christian. Jesus met him after his resurrection according to 1 Corinthians 15:7. He must have made a decision at that time or soon after because he soon became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. There are a number of references to James in the book of Acts which help us understand something about James as a mature Christian.
Third, He was a leader of the Jerusalem church as seen in Acts 12:17. Compare this with his mention in Galatians 2. He was the moderator and mediator at the first church council as described in Acts 15. He is seen as maintaining a strong conviction regarding his Jewish heritage in Acts 21:17. Paul refers to him as being married in 1 Corinthians 9:5.
In summary, James was known as a just man, and a man of prayer. Tradition has it that he prayed on his knees so much that he had calluses, and was nicknamed, “Camel Knees.”
