Should Jimmy Be Thrown Into The Stove?

Martin Luther was one of the great theologians of the Reformation movement. He sought to drift away from the political nature of the Catholic church and desired to get back to the Bible. Luther, like many others wanted to reform religion at large to get back to early church practice.

Luther’s commentary on James, Licentiate, was written in 1520 in the monastery of St. Augustine. It was regarded by many as the gold standard of commentary of James’s epistle in that day. Yet, in reflecting upon his work, and his grasp of the letter, he made this comment on the half-brother of Jesus: “[James] is a straw man… it t’would be best if Jimmy were thrown into the stove” (Licentiate, 317). Why would Luther want to get rid of “Jimmy”? Simply put, James disagreed with the doctrines that Luther so adamantly adhered to. Luther believed that salvation was by faith alone, in the saving work of Christ on Calvary. James, in the second chapter would directly disagree, saying, “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone” (James 2:24 NLT). Luther struggled with these passages that plainly opposed his theological bias. Luther could supposedly solve his issues by just throwing James away altogether.

As we have finished studying James recently, what would we lose in “throwing Jimmy into the stove?” I want you to notice two vital parts of this letter that every Christian, young and old, needs to understand.

If we get rid of James, we lose secular teachings. There is a great practical nature the writing of James. James wants us to know how we ought to live in the world around us. As chapter one concludes, James makes a plea for us to do good unto others, specifically orphans and widows in affliction (Jam. 1:27). In chapter two, James’s plea is for us to treat others with equal respect not lifting anyone higher than another (Jam. 2:1-3). In Chapter three, James discusses how we speak unto others and unto God (Jam. 3:2). James calls us to get along with one another, remembering the body that we being to in chapter 4, saying, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? (Jam. 4:1 NASB). As he concludes the letter, he asks us to steer clear of riches for they will make us spiritually rotten (Jam. 5:1-2). James is a practical book, and in each chapter he gives us lessons to use in the secular world.

If we get rid of James, we lose spiritual teachings. James would be lacking if he didn’t tie the secular to the spiritual. James would often use his practical teachings to make spiritual applications like his half-brother, Jesus. In chapter one, James calls us to look to the wisdom which is from above (Jam. 1:5) in chapter two, he calls us to have a real faith, that works and motivates our spirituality (Jam. 2:20). James calls the audience in chapter three to recognize the holiness and power of the Word of God (Jam. 3:17). One of the highlights of the book come from the key passage, pleading with the audience to “draw near to God” (Jam. 4:7-8). As he makes his final remarks, he asks us to keep the wayward in mind, and to bring them back to the fold (Jam. 5:19-20).

Truly, James imitates the sentiment Peter gave of our heavenly father, writing, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2 Pet. 1:3 KJV). James wants us to see both sides of the coin; to live a moral life with a spiritual life. Let us all appreciate the beauty of this epistle, and instead of throwing “Jimmy into the stove,” let’s invite him into our hearts! -Parker Webster