The Book of James

James, the Lord’s Brother

Lesson #1 for October 4, 2014

Scriptures: [John 7:2-5; 1 Corinthians 15:5-7; James 1:3; 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 7:24-27][i].

1.    It would be informative if we could be transported back in time and spend at least a few weeks living under the conditions in Judea and Galilee in the 1st century as Jesus and His disciples did. However, that is not possible. The next best thing is to do our best to try to understand their situation. During the first one or two decades after the death of Jesus, the Christian church was limited almost exclusively to Jewish Christians and especially those living in Palestine. But, eventually, a very remarkable thing happened in Antioch of Syria. Read Acts 11:19-21ii. For the first time, the gospel was intentionally preached to Gentiles. Soon, Barnabas came from Jerusalem; and later, with the help of Paul, the church at Antioch grew by leaps and bounds.

2.    Not long thereafter, Barnabas and Paul were anointed by the church at Antioch and sent out to evangelize both Jews and Gentiles. During that first two decades or so, the Christian church with its headquarters at Jerusalem was going through some very tough growing pains. After persecution began immediately after the stoning of Stephen, (Acts 8:1)iii most of the Christians in Judea scattered. But, wherever they went, they preached the gospel to Jews only. During this turbulent time, a man by the name of James rose to a prominent position in the Christian church. What do we know about that James? Was he the one who wrote the letter in the New Testament named after him?

3.    It seems clear that this James was well-known by Christians because at the beginning of his book, he simply mentioned his name and assumed that everyone knew who he was. The English name James is derived from the Latin “Jacobus,” coming from the Greek ‘IaKw^og, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew name “Jacob” Although James identifies himself as the author of his epistle, we do not have the specific identity of this individual within the Epistle, but must rely upon Church history. There were at least four men by the name of James in the New Testament: (1) James the father of Judas [Judas the disciple of Jesus but not Judas Iscariot; this disciple was also known as Thaddaeus] (Luke 6:16)iv, (2) James the apostle, the son of Alphaeus (Luke 6:15)[v], (3) James, the apostle, son of Zebedee and brother to John the apostle, who was martyred in A.D. 44 (see Acts 12:1-2)vi, and (4) James the brother of the Lord (Matt 13:55)vii.—Everett, G. H. (2011). The Epistle of James (p. 9). Gary Everett. [Content in brackets is added.]

4.    For some reason, the early English translators of the Bible decided that in order to distinguish the “Jacobs” of the New Testament from the “Jacobs” of the Old Testament, every Jacob in the New Testament would be called James instead of Jacob. So, the James that we are talking about in this series of lessons never heard the name James; his real name was Jacob.

5.    Of the four people in the New Testament by the name of James, almost all scholars agree that the James who is mentioned in the book of Acts and also the author of the book by that name was the older brother of Jesus, apparently a son of Joseph by a former marriage. He was probably the firstborn son of Joseph because in both Matthew 13:55viii and Mark 6:3ix, he is mentioned first in the list of names although it could be that he is mentioned first because he had became so prominent in the church before those Gospels were written. Do we know anything about the other brothers of Jesus besides James (really Jacob) and Jude (really Judah)?

6.    There are two common reasons why we believe that James and His brothers and sisters were older than Jesus. 1) While on the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of His mother to John His beloved disciple. (John 19:26-27)[x] This would have been very unlikely if Mary had other children. 2) In Mark 3:21,31xi, Jesus’s mother and brothers acted as if it was their responsibility to tell Him what to do. In an oriental setting, this would be virtually impossible if Jesus’s brothers were younger than He was.

7.    It is quite clear from these passages (Compare John 7:2-5xii.) that His own family did not accept Him as the Messiah during His early life or even during His ministry. Why do you think that was?

It was a false conception of the Messiah’s work, and a lack of faith in the divine character of Jesus, that had led His brothers to urge Him to present Himself publicly to the people at the Feast of Tabernacles.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 485.4-486.0.

8.    It was and is very difficult for people to change the paradigm in which they have come to believe.

9.    Read 1 Corinthians 15:5-7xiii and Acts 1:14xiv. Incredibly, following His death and resurrection, the brothers of Jesus seemed to have been convinced about His Messiahship. What do you think could have brought about such a change? Jesus died one of the most despised kinds of death that one can possibly imagine. Why would His brothers accept Him as a result of that rather than denouncing or disowning Him? In any case, James-apparently the oldest of His brothers-had a real change of heart. Read Acts 12:16-17; 15:13-14,19; 21:17-19xv; Galatians 1:18-19; 2:9xvi. Based on these verses, it seems clear that James was regarded as the leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.

10.    Assuming that this James was the older brother of Jesus, what evidence is there that he was the author of the book we call James?

1.    The author identified himself only by the name of James. (James 1:1)xvii He expected everyone to know who he was. He did not need to further identify himself.

2.    The author declined to call himself an apostle of Jesus Christ. If he had been one of the disciples, he would probably have used that title as Peter did in his letters.

3.    There are striking similarities between the vocabulary in the epistle of James and the vocabulary of the letter ascribed to him. See Acts 15:13-21xviii. (The letter is recorded in Acts15:23-29xix.)

4.    The emphasis of the letter of James seems to be on religious piety and living the religious life. This is consistent with extra-biblical materials talking about James the Bishop of Jerusalem. See, for example, Eusebius. (Ecclesiastical History 2.23.1-25)

5.    In this letter the author spoke with an authoritative tone which would be appropriate for the Bishop of Jerusalem.

Most scholars accept that these reasons are sufficient enough to believe that James, the step-brother of Jesus and the Bishop or Elder of Jerusalem, was the author.

11.    What about the external evidence for the book of James? First, we should note that James was the first of the so-called “catholic epistles” of the New Testament. By catholic we do not mean that it was associated with the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, we mean that it was a “general” epistle or letter addressed to all churches and not just to an individual or an individual church. These small catholic epistles did not receive the wide circulation that the letters of Paul and the Gospels received in early church history. This probably explains why they were not as often quoted by the early church fathers.

12.    However, by the 3rd century, the book of James was generally accepted by Christian churches. Iranaeus (A.D. 130-200) clearly quoted from James 2:23xx. Tertullian (A.D. 160225) called Abraham “a friend of God” a phrase which is found only in the book of James in the New Testament and in one or two places in the Old Testament. (See 2 Chronicles 20:7xxi, and compare Isaiah 41:8xxii.) Origen (A.D. 185-254) referred to the epistle of James on a number of occasions making some of the clearest, earliest, and direct quotations from the book of James. On one occasion, Origen actually mentioned the phrase, the book of James.

13.    However, some other early church leaders mentioned the fact that the authenticity of the book of James and its authorship was still disputed. Gregory Nazianzen (A.D. 329-389) actually called James “the brother of God.” Finally, in 397 A.D., the Council of Carthage gave its approval to the book of James, ratifying it as a canonical book of the New Testament. That cemented its place in Scripture.

14.    Flavius Josephus (A.D. 37-100) mentioned that James was the Bishop of Jerusalem and that he was later stoned to death, probably around A.D. 62-63.

Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned. (Antiquities 20.9.1, see also Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23.21-24) [Note that brackets are present in the original.]

15.    Eusebius also preserved the narrative of Hegesippus, which gives us the lengthy story of the martyrdom of James. (Ecclesiastical History 2.23.4-18) Eusebius tells us that the death of James took place just before Vespasian besieged the city of Jerusalem.

So they went up and threw down the just man, and said to each other, ‘Let us stone James the Just.’ And they began to stone him, for he was not killed by the fall; but he turned and knelt down and said, ‘I entreat thee, Lord God our Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And while they were thus stoning him one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, the son of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet, cried out, saying, ‘Cease, what do ye? The just one prayeth for you.’ And one of them, who was a fuller, took the club with which he beat out clothes and struck the just man on the head. And thus he suffered martyrdom. And they buried him on the spot, by the temple, and his monument still remains by the temple. He became a true witness, both to Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ. And immediately Vespasian besieged them. (Ecclesiastical History 2.23.15-18)

Vespasian, general and later emperor of Rome, first besieged Jerusalem in A.D. 66. His son Titus destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

16.    Jerome, the translator of the Latin Vulgate (A.D. 342 to 420), wrote about the holy manner of James’s life and the history of his death as a martyr. He is said to have been the leader of the church in Jerusalem for thirty years up until the time of his death.

[He was] “cast down from a pinnacle of the temple, his legs broken, but still half alive, raising his hands to heaven he said, ‘Lord forgive them for they know not what they do.’ Then struck on the head by the club of a fuller such a club as fullers are accustomed to wring out garments with—he died.” (Lives of Illustrious Men 2)—Everett, G. H. (2011). The Epistle of James (pp. 22-25). Gary Everett.

A fuller’s club is similar to a baseball bat.

17.    It seems clear that James was chosen by the Christians as the Bishop or Elder of Jerusalem. Was that simply because he was the stepbrother of Jesus? Could it have been because he was older in age? Could it have been because of his close association over his life with Jesus? Did they believe that he should have that position for that reason? Or, could it have been because he was less well-known to the Jewish leaders and would be able to move around Jerusalem without calling as much attention to himself?

18.    While we applaud James for standing firmly for the right as recorded in Acts 15, how do we explain his apparent capitulation to the Jewish believers when Paul and his group arrived in Jerusalem in A.D. 58 with that enormous offering? Shouldn’t James have prevented them from encouraging Paul to take on that ceremonial task which led to his arrest and, eventually, his death? See Acts of the Apostles 403-406.

19.    Unfortunately, many modern Christians look down on the book of James because of the statements made by Martin Luther. But, we cannot depend on Martin Luther for all our understanding of Christianity.

Luther and his co-laborers accomplished a noble work for God; but, coming as they did from the Roman Church, having themselves believed and advocated her doctrines, it was not to be expected that they would discern all these errors. It was their work to break the fetters of Rome, and to give the Bible to the world; yet there were important truths which they failed to discover, and grave errors which they did not renounce. Most of them continued to observe the Sunday with other papal festivals. They did not, indeed, regard it as possessing divine authority, but believed that it should be observed as a generally accepted day of worship.—Ellen G. White, 4Spirit of Prophecy 180.1; SR 353.2.

20.    Read James 1:3; 2:5,22-23; 5:15xxiii. What is the correct understanding of the relationship between faith and works? Wouldn’t it be correct to agree with Jesus that faith produces works? Didn’t Jesus say that a tree is known by its fruits? (Matthew 12:33)xxiv In actual fact, the small book of James refers to faith many more times than it talks about works! So, in our day, how do we demonstrate that our faith works? Shouldn’t it be shown by our faithful Bible study, prayer, witnessing, and loving and caring for others-especially family members but also other believers?

21.    Read James 1:1xxv; Acts 11:19-21xxvi; and 1 Peter 2:9-12xxvii. What do you think James was referring to when he talked about the “twelve tribes”? What tribes? The “ten” tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel were taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and were scattered throughout their empire and were never heard from again. We need to remember that James was writing at a time when virtually all Christians were Jewish Christians.

22.    Why was it necessary for the council in Jerusalem to be called? (Acts 15:1-29)xxviii Remember that this problem arose because the church at Antioch had anointed Paul and Barnabas to evangelize Gentiles without first requiring them to become Jews and following all the Jewish rites. This alarmed some of the believers (from the party of the Pharisees-Acts15:5)xxix who feared that the Christian church might become dominated by Gentile believers!

23.    A number of scholars have noted how closely the teachings of the book of James parallel the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels and especially in the Sermon on the Mount. Read James 1:22xxx with Matthew 7:24-27xxxi. Compare James 3:12xxxii with Matthew 7:16xxxiii. And compare James 4:12xxxiv with Matthew 7:1xxxv. What do you see in these passages? The book of James was not focusing on how to become a Christian as Paul was when speaking to so many non-Christian Gentiles; James was focusing on how to live the Christian life.

24.    What a contrast this was from his attitude toward Jesus during His childhood and youth.

His brothers often brought forward the philosophy of the Pharisees, which was threadbare and hoary with age, and presumed to think that they could teach Him who understood all truth, and comprehended all mysteries. They freely condemned that which they could not understand. Their reproaches probed Him to the quick, and His soul was wearied and distressed. They avowed faith in God, and thought they were vindicating God, when God was with them in the flesh, and they knew Him not.

These things made His path a thorny one to travel. So pained was Christ by the misapprehension in His own home that it was a relief to Him to go where it did not exist.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 326.

25.    Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be a brother or sister of Jesus? Would you have been embarrassed by Him? Would you have fought with Him? Would you have felt uneasy around Him? Do you think Jesus had a lot of sibling rivalry?

26.    We believe that we know something about James the older brother of Jesus and a little about Judah, His second oldest brother, who also became a Christian and wrote the small book of Jude. But, what about His other two brothers and His sisters? Do we know anything about them? Did they become Christians?

27.    In our daily lives, what is the relationship between our professed beliefs and our actions? Do our actions represent our real beliefs as opposed to our professed beliefs? The small book of James, which was written about a decade and a half after the death of Jesus, is important for Christians in its understanding and description of moving from doubt and disbelief to belief and faithful action.

28.    One other aspect of the context in which Jesus and later James, His elder brother, ministered can be seen from the following paragraph from the Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, page 13.

Two thousand years ago when the Roman Empire ruled the Western world, pretenders to the Jewish throne, madmen, and false messiahs abounded.

Simon of Peraea (also known as “the son of Joseph”), a former slave of Herod the Great, rebelled and claimed to be king, successfully burning and plundering a palace and several royal homes before he was captured and killed. Athronges, a tall, strong shepherd, led a temporarily successful rebellion against Herod Archelaus and the Romans. Although claiming to be the Messiah, Athronges was cruel to Romans and Jews alike. Then there was Judas of Galilee who preached that God alone was Israel’s ruler. He led a violent resistance against the Roman census, claiming that Jews should not pay taxes to the Romans. Josephus, the well-known Jewish historian, links this group with the Zealots and blames them for the Great Jewish Revolt that led to the destruction of Herod’s Temple (also known as the “The Second Temple”). Judas of Galilee is mentioned in the book of Acts, where he is identified as a failed Messianic leader (see Acts 5:37)xxxvi.

29.    Didn’t Jesus warn us in Matthew 24xxxvii to be aware of false prophets and false messiahs? Are the events of the first coming of Jesus being repeated in our day? Under the circumstances, is it any surprise that some people were skeptical about Jesus’s claims about Himself?

30.    Finally, notice this important point from the Dead Sea Scrolls as noted in the Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, page 14.

As a result of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we now know that the phrase “works of the law” was a technical expression referring to specific works that distinguished “genuine” Jews from Gentiles. [Martin G. Abegg Jr., “4QMMT, Paul, and ‘Works of the Law’ ” in The Bible at Qumran: Text, Shape, and Interpretation, ed. Peter W. Flint, Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2001), pp. 203-16. James D. G. Dunn, “4QMMT and Galatians,” New Testament Studies, vol. 43 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), pp. 147153.]

31.    Paul talked much about the works of the law. (See Romans 3:20,28xxxviii; Galatians 2:16; 3:2,5,10.xxxix Compare Deuteronomy 27:26xl.) Are these the works that James was focusing on? Apparently not. James was not talking about such details involving circumcision, etc., but rather about living a practical Christian life. In this series of lessons, we will see what James recommended. Do you think we have something to learn?

© 2014, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.

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Last Modified: September 1, 2014

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The Book of James - #1 - page 6 of 6

i-John 7:2 The time for the Festival of Shelters was near, 3 so Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing. 4 People don't hide what they are doing if they want to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you! 5 (Not even his brothers believed in him.)

1 Corinthians 15:5 that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles.

James 1:3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.

James 2:5 Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light. 10 At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.

Matthew 7:24 "So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. 26 "But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!"

ii-Acts 11:19 Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only. 20 But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

iii-Acts 8:1 And Saul approved of his murder. That very day the church in Jerusalem began to suffer cruel persecution. All the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria.

iv-Luke 6:16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became the traitor.

v-Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon (who was called the Patriot),

vi-Acts 12:1 About this time King Herod began to persecute some members of the church. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death by the sword.

vii-Matt 13:55 Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?

viii-Matthew 13:55 Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?

ix-Mark 6:3 Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't his sisters living here?" And so they rejected him.

x-John 19:26 Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, "He is your son." 27 Then he said to the disciple, "She is your mother." From that time the disciple took her to live in his home.

xi-Mark 3:21 When his family heard about it, they set out to take charge of him, because people were saying, "He's gone mad!" 31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside the house and sent in a message, asking for him.

xii-John 7:2 The time for the Festival of Shelters was near, 3 so Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing. 4 People don't hide what they are doing if they want to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you! 5 (Not even his brothers believed in him.)

xiii-1 Corinthians 15:5 that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles.

xiv-Acts 1:14 They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

xv-Acts 12:16 Meanwhile Peter kept on knocking. At last they opened the door, and when they saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned with his hand for them to be quiet, and he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell this to James and the rest of the believers," he said; then he left and went somewhere else.

Acts 15:13 When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends! 14 Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. 19 "It is my opinion," James went on, "that we should not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God.

Acts 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and gave a complete report of everything that God had done among the Gentiles through his work.

xvi-Galatians 1:18 It was three years later that I went to Jerusalem to obtain information from Peter, and I stayed with him for two weeks. 19 I did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord's brother.

Galatians 2:9 James, Peter, and John, who seemed to be the leaders, recognized that God had given me this special task; so they shook hands with Barnabas and me, as a sign that we were all partners. We agreed that Barnabas and I would work among the Gentiles and they among the Jews.

xvii-James 1:1 From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.

xviii-Acts 15:13 When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends! 14 Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. 15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says, 16 "After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again. 17 And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own. 18 So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.' 19 "It is my opinion," James went on, "that we should not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter telling them not to eat any food that is ritually unclean because it has been offered to idols; to keep themselves from sexual immorality; and not to eat any animal that has been strangled, or any blood. 21 For the Law of Moses has been read for a very long time in the synagogues every Sabbath, and his words are preached in every town."

xix-Acts15:23 and they sent the following letter by them: "We, the apostles and the elders, your brothers, send greetings to all our brothers of Gentile birth who live in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. 24 We have heard that some who went from our group have troubled and upset you by what they said; they had not, however, received any instruction from us. 25 And so we have met together and have all agreed to choose some messengers and send them to you. They will go with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We send you, then, Judas and Silas, who will tell you in person the same things we are writing. 28 The Holy Spirit and we have agreed not to put any other burden on you besides these necessary rules: 29 eat no food that has been offered to idols; eat no blood; eat no animal that has been strangled; and keep yourselves from sexual immorality. You will do well if you take care not to do these things. With our best wishes."

xx-James 2:23 And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God's friend.

xxi-2 Chronicles 20:7 You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs forever.

xxii-Isaiah 41:8 "But you, Israel my servant, you are the people that I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, my friend.

xxiii-James 1:3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.

James 2:5 Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. 22 Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. 23 And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God's friend.

James 5:15 This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven.

xxiv-Matthew 12:33 "To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.

xxv-James 1:1 From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.

xxvi-Acts 11:19 Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only. 20 But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

xxvii-1 Peter 2:9 But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light. 10 At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy. 11 I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul. 12 Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.

xxviii-Acts 15:1 Some men came from Judea to Antioch and started teaching the believers, "You cannot be saved unless you are circumcised as the Law of Moses requires." 2 Paul and Barnabas got into a fierce argument with them about this, so it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others in Antioch should go to Jerusalem and see the apostles and elders about this matter. 3 They were sent on their way by the church; and as they went through Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported how the Gentiles had turned to God; this news brought great joy to all the believers. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them. 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses." 6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this question. 7 After a long debate Peter stood up and said, "My friends, you know that a long time ago God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, so that they could hear and believe. 8 And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us. 9 He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed. 10 So then, why do you now want to put God to the test by laying a load on the backs of the believers which neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry? 11 No! We believe and are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are." 12 The whole group was silent as they heard Barnabas and Paul report all the miracles and wonders that God had performed through them among the Gentiles. 13 When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends! 14 Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. 15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says, 16 "After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again. 17 And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own. 18 So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.' 19 "It is my opinion," James went on, "that we should not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter telling them not to eat any food that is ritually unclean because it has been offered to idols; to keep themselves from sexual immorality; and not to eat any animal that has been strangled, or any blood. 21 For the Law of Moses has been read for a very long time in the synagogues every Sabbath, and his words are preached in every town." 22 Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, decided to choose some men from the group and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose two men who were highly respected by the believers, Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, 23 and they sent the following letter by them: "We, the apostles and the elders, your brothers, send greetings to all our brothers of Gentile birth who live in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. 24 We have heard that some who went from our group have troubled and upset you by what they said; they had not, however, received any instruction from us. 25 And so we have met together and have all agreed to choose some messengers and send them to you. They will go with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We send you, then, Judas and Silas, who will tell you in person the same things we are writing. 28 The Holy Spirit and we have agreed not to put any other burden on you besides these necessary rules: 29 eat no food that has been offered to idols; eat no blood; eat no animal that has been strangled; and keep yourselves from sexual immorality. You will do well if you take care not to do these things. With our best wishes."

xxix-Acts15:5 But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses."

xxx-James 1:22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.

xxxi-Matthew 7:24 "So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. 26 "But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!"

xxxii-James 3:12 A fig tree, my friends, cannot bear olives; a grapevine cannot bear figs, nor can a salty spring produce sweet water.

xxxiii-Matthew 7:16 You will know them by what they do. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briers do not bear figs.

xxxiv-James 4:12 God is the only lawgiver and judge. He alone can save and destroy. Who do you think you are, to judge someone else?

xxxv-Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you,

xxxvi-Acts 5:37 After that, Judas the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; he drew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followers were scattered.

xxxvii-Matthew 24:1 Jesus left and was going away from the Temple when his disciples came to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Yes," he said, "you may well look at all these. I tell you this: not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down." 3 As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in private. "Tell us when all this will be," they asked, "and what will happen to show that it is the time for your coming and the end of the age." 4 Jesus answered, "Watch out, and do not let anyone fool you. 5 Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, "I am the Messiah!' and they will fool many people. 6 You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away; but do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. 7 Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines and earthquakes everywhere. 8 All these things are like the first pains of childbirth. 9 "Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. 10 Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will appear and fool many people. 12 Such will be the spread of evil that many people's love will grow cold. 13 But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come. 15 "You will see "The Awful Horror' of which the prophet Daniel spoke. It will be standing in the holy place." (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) 16 "Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills. 17 Someone who is on the roof of a house must not take the time to go down and get any belongings from the house. 18 Someone who is in the field must not go back to get a cloak. 19 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! 20 Pray to God that you will not have to run away during the winter or on a Sabbath! 21 For the trouble at that time will be far more terrible than any there has ever been, from the beginning of the world to this very day. Nor will there ever be anything like it again. 22 But God has already reduced the number of days; had he not done so, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, God will reduce the days. 23 "Then, if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Messiah!' or "There he is!' - do not believe it. 24 For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible. 25 Listen! I have told you this ahead of time. 26 "Or, if people should tell you, "Look, he is out in the desert!' - don't go there; or if they say, "Look, he is hiding here!' - don't believe it. 27 For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west. 28 "Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather. 29 "Soon after the trouble of those days, the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and all the peoples of earth will weep as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other. 32 "Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin. 34 Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 "No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come - neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows. 37 The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. 38 In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat; 39 yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40 At that time two men will be working in a field: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. 41 Two women will be at a mill grinding meal: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. 42 Watch out, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come. 43 If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house. 44 So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him. 45 "Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant? It is the one that his master has placed in charge of the other servants to give them their food at the proper time. 46 How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home! 47 Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property. 48 But if he is a bad servant, he will tell himself that his master will not come back for a long time, 49 and he will begin to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 Then that servant's master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. 51 The master will cut him in pieces and make him share the fate of the hypocrites. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.

xxxviii-Romans 3:20 For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned. 28 For we conclude that a person is put right with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands.

xxxix-Galatians 2:16 Yet we know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the Law requires. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires. For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires.

Galatians 3:2 Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it? 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it? 10 Those who depend on obeying the Law live under a curse. For the scripture says, "Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law is under God's curse!"

xl-Deuteronomy 27:26 " "God's curse on anyone who does not obey all of God's laws and teachings.' "And all the people will answer, "Amen!'

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