James begins his short letter by acknowledging how life in this fallen broken world is hard (1:1-4). But he moves quickly to his “big idea,” which is that only a faith that is put into action can save you in the trials you face—only a faith that expresses itself in visible, tangible, “love God/love others” actions can “save” you through the trials and show others the reality of your faith (cf 2:14-17). The trouble with the book of James is that, for many years, many people have read “saving faith” in James to mean the kind of faith that takes you to heaven when you die. Even Martin Luther struggled to make the way James talks about “being saved by works” fit with Paul’s explanations of salvation as “faith alone, apart from works.” What about that? Well, we need some new “lenses” through which to read James that make James and Paul fit together with no contradiction.

READ James 1:1-4, 2:14-17

James is not answering the question: How can we go to heaven when we die? James is answering the question: “How can we be “saved” through trials?”

Faithfulness, (living out your faith in the midst of trials and temptations), is how you experience life with God. Water will not quench your thirst unless you drink it; bread will not satisfy your hunger unless you eat it; medicine will do you no good unless you take it as prescribed. James is saying the same thing about faith. Faith will not “save” you from the power and consequences of sin now; faith will not keep you “safe” in trials unless, it expresses itself in visible, tangible actions. 

• The first lens through which to read James is not the lens of eternal salvation, but the lens of experiential salvation. 
• The second lens is this: James is not talking so much about belief, but behavior—not so much about the content of your faith, but the character of your faith. 
• The third lens we need is understanding that James is calling for a public faith, not just a private religion. Only a faith that expresses itself publicly can “save” you through trials and be of benefit to others in their trials. Gospel faith must be applied in the midst of troubles and trials in order for it to make a difference in your life and in the lives of others. That’s what James' letter is all about.