Jesus is God According to James 1:1: A Theological and Scholarly Exposition

Jesus is God According to James 1:1: A Theological and Scholarly Exposition

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

---

Abstract

The epistle of James, traditionally attributed to James the Just, the brother of Jesus, offers in its opening verse a subtle yet theologically profound testimony to the divine identity of Jesus Christ. This article provides an exegetical and doctrinal analysis of James 1:1, with a focus on its Christological implications. Through a close reading of the text and its contextual relationship with other New Testament affirmations, this study argues that James 1:1 presupposes the deity of Jesus Christ by positioning Him alongside God the Father as an object of devotion and servitude. This article further examines early Jewish-Christian monotheism, the semantic weight of the title Lord, and the theological implications of James's high Christology within a first-century Judeo-Christian framework.

---

1. Introduction

The doctrine of the deity of Christ remains central to Christian theology. While explicit affirmations such as John 1:1 or Colossians 2:9 are frequently cited in support of Christ’s divinity, more implicit declarations, such as that found in James 1:1, also contribute to the mosaic of New Testament Christology. This passage states:

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings." (James 1:1, ESV)

At first glance, this may appear as a customary salutation. However, upon closer examination within its historical, linguistic, and theological context, it reveals James’s recognition of Jesus as more than a mere human figure or moral teacher, but as co-equal with God, worthy of servitude, devotion, and authority in a manner consistent with divine status.

---

2. Textual Analysis of James 1:1

The Greek text reads:

Ἰάκωβος θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς ταῖς ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ χαίρειν.

The phrase θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ) is of particular significance. The Greek construction uses a kai (καὶ, and) to conjoin God and the Lord Jesus Christ, both as objects of James’s servitude.

2.1 The Title "Lord" (κύριος)

In the Septuagint (LXX), κύριος regularly translates the Tetragrammaton YHWH, the covenant name of God in Hebrew Scripture. In New Testament usage, κύριος when applied to Jesus, carries with it this divine connotation, especially when paired directly with God. Paul’s doxological formulas (e.g., 1 Corinthians 8:6) likewise attribute lordship to Jesus in a divine sense.

In James 1:1, placing the Lord Jesus Christ in syntactical parallel with God suggests a shared status of divine sovereignty and authority. James, writing from a strict Jewish monotheistic background, would not lightly ascribe servanthood to both God and another person unless that person possessed divine nature.

---

3. The Theological Implication of Servanthood

James refers to himself as δοῦλος (doulos), a servant or slave. In biblical usage, being a servant of God is a designation of submission to divine will and authority. To extend this servitude to Jesus Christ implies recognition of His divinity. Nowhere in Second Temple Judaism would a devout Jew declare servitude to a mere human teacher alongside God.

Moreover, the joint servitude expressed here places Jesus in a divine context. Similar pairings in Pauline greetings (e.g., Philippians 1:2) support the understanding that early Christians viewed Jesus not as a demi-god or exalted angel, but as Lord in the fullest divine sense.

---

4. Christology in the Context of Early Jewish Monotheism

James’s assertion challenges modern assertions that high Christology was a later development. As Bauckham (2008) and Hurtado (2003) argue, early Jewish Christians included Jesus within the unique divine identity without compromising their monotheism. This inclusion is evident in James 1:1. The author, presumed to be the biological brother of Jesus and a leader of the Jerusalem Church, would be an unlikely source of divine ascription to Jesus unless rooted in conviction arising from post-resurrection appearances and the apostolic consensus.

---

5. Intertextual Affirmations

James 1:1 aligns with other New Testament texts asserting Jesus’ divine status:

• John 20:28: Thomas confesses Jesus as “My Lord and my God.”

• Philippians 2:10-11: Every knee bows to Jesus, echoing Isaiah 45:23, where Yahweh declares the same.

• Hebrews 1:8: The Father addresses the Son as “O God.”

• 1 Corinthians 8:6: Paul redefines Jewish monotheistic Shema to include Jesus.

These affirmations form the doctrinal foundation upon which James’s address is built.

---

6. Conclusion

While James 1:1 may at first appear to be a conventional epistolary greeting, its theological implications are profound. By designating himself a servant of both God and the Lord Jesus Christ, James testifies to Jesus’s divine identity, placing Him in an exalted status alongside God the Father. Within a first-century Jewish-Christian context, such an affirmation underscores the early and pervasive recognition of the deity of Christ.

This study affirms that James 1:1 contributes meaningfully to New Testament Christology and provides further evidence that the divinity of Jesus was not a later ecclesiastical invention but a foundational conviction of the earliest Christian community, including those who were closest to Him in His earthly life.

---

References

• Bauckham, R. (2008). Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament's Christology of Divine Identity. Eerdmans.

• Hurtado, L. W. (2003). Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. Eerdmans.

• Wright, N. T. (2012). How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. HarperOne.

• Keener, C. S. (2014). The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. InterVarsity Press.

• Marshall, I. H. (1976). The Epistle of James: An Introduction and Commentary. Eerdmans.

---

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

---