Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
Well the book of James itself is showing partiality. This is because James 1:1 makes clear it is written to believing Jews not Gentiles.
So why is James treating Jews and Gentiles differently?
Paul writes there is no Jew or Gentile and they are not to be treated differently (1 Cor 10:32, Gal 3:28).
James was in the habit of differentiating between Jew and Gentile. Paul had the revelation from God that there is no difference. Peter was on the fence, sometimes siding with Paul and sometimes with James. Paul called Peter out for his hypocrisy.
This proves that James did not have the same revelation as Paul that Jew and Gentile were to be treated the same.
Why did God give this revelation to Paul and Peter about the Gentiles but not James? Because James was not as important in the sense of being chosen by God for the purpose of carrying the gospel to the Gentiles.
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OK, great point, it is hard to read James if you can't get past the first verse.
Do "tribes in the dispersion" and the use of the word "synagogue" indicate that these must be Jewish believers and not Gentile believers?
Let us use the Lord's Recovery Church as an example since that would be the most appropriate for this forum. Also, although there were some Jewish believers in the LRC let's say that this for the most part were Gentile believers, especially since WN and WL are clearly Gentiles.
Lord's Recovery -- That refers to the Jewish believers who returned from Babylon. This term has a very Jewish flavor.
Meeting hall -- Everyone in the LRC is very clear to not refer to the meeting hall as the church but as a meeting hall. That word is equivalent to the word synagogue.
Ground of the Church -- This teaching is based on the OT type of the temple and is built on commandments in the books of Moses concerning the temple. This is a doctrine that comes straight from the OT, just as the woman at the well said. Like the Mormons it has a very OT flavor.
Minister of the Age -- this doctrine comes straight from Deuteronomy where Moses says that there will be a minister like him. Of course Moses was referring to Jesus, not to Watchman Nee. Once again OT flavor used to build key doctrines of this sect. Quite similar to the Mormons and Joseph Smith.
Mingling -- this word is based on a word in the book of Leviticus.
So I would argue that James is written to believers, like those in the LRC. The fact that false prophets will lead the believers astray by using the OT typology will of necessity, give these "tribes in dispersion" an OT flavor. It doesn't mean that the background of the believers was Jewish, but rather the background of the false teachings was the OT.