Matin Luther, “… James builds on the foundation all right, but he uses only straw, in contrast to the gold standard of John, Paul, and Peter.”

James 1:1

KJV ¹ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered [diaspora] abroad, greeting.

Strong’s: διασπορά – diaspora – dee-as-por-ah’
From G1289; dispersion, that is, (specifically and concretely) the (converted) Israelites resident in Gentile countries

KJV Usage: (which are) scattered (abroad).

James may be the first letter that was written after the transition out of the old covenant got started. James wrote to the post-pentecost Hebrews. The letter to the Hebrews was written to the same people that James was written to, but Hebrews was written after their covenant transition was well underway. The Hebrews addressed in the letter to the Hebrews were nearer to their salvation then when they first believed (Romans 13:11). The sabbatism that remained for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9) was the fulfillment of the Autumn feasts that commenced the final jubilee.

Martin Luther was not too fond of the so called ‘Jews’ of his day. And he didn’t like the letter written to the transition Jews either, because they were still in their old covenant law. There weren’t actually any old covenant Jews in Martin Luther’s day. The Jewry of his day was merely a self proclaimed non-biblical religious group who were confusedly still claiming to be hung over under the law of the old covenant, even though all God’s chosen people are forever in the new covenant. There is no way to transition from the new back into the old. The transition of covenants was a one time, One Way, Jewish event. Jewish Jesus fulfilled all the Jewish laws. AD 70 was the completion of the old covenant and it’s laws.

Moses didn’t come to save God’s people out from their old covenant. Jesus did. If Martin Luther would have understood the first verse of James, he would have seen that Jesus’ brother addressed the 12 tribes. Hebrews was written to the same 12 tribes as James was but at a later date in their covenant transition event. James is more concerned with works. Hebrews is concerned with the sabbatism that remained.

The unbelieving Jews initially accused the believing Jews of drunkenness (rather than new covenant transition) on the fulfillment day of Pentecost. They were blind to the covenant in rebirth. People with an old covenant hangover today are also blind to that reality. Their cosmology is in the spin zone. The transition of covenants is over, not perpetually ongoing or about-to-be reversing. I’m feeling nauseated trying to picture it. God’s people did not get stuck in transition nor are they going back in time for a redo. Jesus accomplished salvation for all his chosen people. It was a One-Way ticket to paradise.

The true Jews, who were still under law in the old covenant, were the audience addressed by James. In fact, the name James is not a very good interpretation of the Greek name better known as Jacob. We would be more accurate to call this The Epistle Of Jacob. Jacob to the 12 tribes in diaspora was the fulfillment of Jacob’s typical blessing and cursing to his 12 sons in the flesh. Both blessing and cursing were being fully realized by the 12 tribes in diaspora. Brother Jacob said as much.

Post-pentecost Jacob/James calls himself a brotherly servant rather than a father to the 12 tribes. Their old covenant father Jacob had typically addressed the 12 before they even received the law at Sinai. The 12 tribes scattered were the progeny of Jacob’s 12 sons. The new/old covenant epistle from James/Jacob was written post-Sinai and post-pentecost. The 12 tribes Jacob/James wrote to were already given both: the law of God written on stone by the finger of God and the law of Christ being written on the heart by the Holy Spirit sent by the Son. This post-pentecost Jacob/James wrote to both the old and the new covenant people at the same time. That will never happen again. It doesn’t need to. Jacob, the brother of Jesus from the tribe of Judah, tells the 12 tribes to rejoice during their transition of covenants, because their mutual faith was coming into full maturity through their many trials. Jacob, the brother of Jesus in his flesh birth and in his Holy Spirit birth, was suffering with them through their shared covenant transition fulfillment. The true Jewish faith did not fail. The One True Jew saw to it.

Jesus’ Holy Spirit conception rendered Jacob His half brother in the flesh. They were brothers in the flesh by the same mother. Jesus shared the Holy Spirit enablement with His half brother during the first 3 1/2 years of His old covenant ministry. Jacob became a full Spirit-born brother to Jesus by way of the same Holy Spirit that conceived, empowered and resurrected Jesus. After pentecost, Jesus and Jacob became brothers with the same heavenly Father. All Hebrews were brothers in the flesh by the same father (Jacob) in the old covenant. Everyone was Jesus’ half brother in the old covenant, considering Jacob was the typical father of all 12 tribes. Jesus came to serve the Jews as their half-brother in their flesh and blood covenant. James/Jacob continued building on the foundation of the new covenant as a born-again full brother of Jesus. The born again Jews became the all time super evangelists.

Anyone who claimed to be keeping the old covenant laws in Martin Luther’s day should have been seen by Luther as the ultimate strawy claim to salvation by works. The new Jewish foundation was completed long ago. The only sure foundation to build upon was Jesus from the tribe of Judah. The builders addressed in the first century scriptures were encouraged to go for the gold that lasts, not the typical gold in old Jerusalem. James may have been the first letter written after Pentecost. The supernatural enablement to build on the new covenant foundation was given to the Jews on Pentecost. The foundation of the celestial city is still the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes. The original witnesses were all Jews. James/Jacob put no straw in their new foundation, even if Martin Luther saw it differently. The 12 Jewish apostles supernaturally worked to complete their transition of covenants. All true Jews are in the new covenant of gold now. All the typical Jewish gold was taken from the unfaithful Jews by the Romans. The old covenant foundation was removed and the new Jewish only foundation remains. The 12 Hebrew tribes and the 12 Jewish apostles are forever named in their new covenant foundation. Their covenant transition works were all done while the law still had standing. Their works didn’t burn up like straw, because the Holy Spirit was sent to the Jews in old covenant Jerusalem to enable the new covenant builders.

If the epistle of James is strawy for urging the transition Jews to keep fulfilling the law before their old covenant ended, then how strawy is the modern “Jewish” claim to salvation? Returning the so called religious “Jews” to the old covenant dirt won’t save anybody. If it was possible to return Jews to their old covenant before their resurrection started, it would just be to condemn them under law again. All God’s people moved into the new covenant that He graciously provided for their salvation. The transition deadline was AD 70. Those Jews who remained in the land at that time claimed to be keeping the old covenant law. That claim did not keep them in covenant with God. That was the real strawy claim that burned up in the fire. Those Jews lost their salvation. Salvation could only be lost by those Jews in the covenant transition who refused to mature in their belief. They missed their golden thousand-year-anniversary in their Messiah by refusing to work with the Holy Spirit He sent to enable them.

τελειότης
teleiotēs
tel-i-ot’-ace
From G5046; (the state) completeness (mentally or morally)

KJV Usage: perfection (-ness).

Hebrews 6:1-11

YLT ¹ Wherefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Christ, unto the perfection [teleiotēs] we may advance [the faith of the Hebrews in diaspora was being matured through suffering, just as James 1:4 already told the 12 tribes], not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works [reformation from fallen old covenant works], and of faith on God, ² of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead, and of judgment age-during, ³ and this we will do, if God may permit, ⁴ for it is impossible for those [Hebrews] once enlightened, having tasted also of the heavenly gift, and partakers having became of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and did taste the good saying [gospel] of God, the powers also of the coming age, ⁶ and having fallen away, again to renew them to reformation [they can’t come out of the old covenant and into the new covenant again], having crucified again to themselves [the Jews] the Son of God, and exposed to public shame. ⁷ For earth [land], that is drinking in the rain many times coming upon it, and is bringing forth herbs fit for those because of whom also it is dressed, doth partake of blessing from God, ⁸ and that which is bearing thorns and briers is disapproved of, and nigh to cursing, whose end is for burning [straw burns gold does not]; ⁹ and we are persuaded, concerning you, beloved [Hebrews], the [new covenant] things that are better, and accompanying salvation, though even thus we speak, ¹⁰ for God is not unrighteous to forget your work [in the Holy Spirit], and the labour of the love, that ye showed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering; ¹¹ and we desire each one of you the same diligence to show, unto the full assurance of the hope unto the end [telos or fulfillment],

James 5:7

CLV ⁷ Be patient, then, brethren [the 12 tribes were both flesh and blood brethren and born again brethren like James/Jacob was to Jesus], till the presence of the Lord. Lo! the farmer is waiting for the precious fruit of the land, being patient about it, till it should be getting the early and late showers.”

Be patient while you wait for Jesus to keep His promise of a new covenant for His chosen people. Waiting seems like forever when you’re suffering. James/Jacob uses the analogy of a farmer receiving rain from heaven to encourage the 12 tribes to keep cultivating. He asks the diaspora believers to remember how the hard work of a farmer eventually pays off. He wants to encourage the 12 tribes to endure their present hardships until their old covenant ends and their new is enabled to stand: the telos of the day in Jesus. Jesus was begotten to wrap up His old covenant day.

Hebrews 1:5-8 – written to convince the Hebrews

YLT ⁵ For to which of the messengers said He ever, `My Son thou art—I to-day have begotten thee?’ and again, `I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son?’ ⁶ and when again He may bring in the first-born to the world [orderly arrangement], He saith, `And let them bow before him—all messengers of God;’ <sup>7</sup> and unto the messengers, indeed, He saith, `Who is making His messengers spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire;’ ⁸ and unto the Son: `Thy throne, O God, is to the age of the age [the thousand year fulfillment of their present age was the age they were aiming for]; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy reign; [Jesus reined in the golden jubilee with the first century Jews, thus consummating the old covenant with His life-giving reformation]