What is gin.o.mai?

gin.o.mai is a college age ministry designed to equip young adults with the principles and mechanics required for living the Christian life. From the Koine Greek verb ginomai

gin.o.mai (gihn-o-my) Verb:to become into existence through

transition from one state into another.

2 Corinthians 5:21

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Introduction to The Epistle of James

Author: GodWriter: James (brother of Jesus)Time Period: ~45-50 A.D.Written To: Those scattered from Jerusalem.

Introduction to The Epistle of James

James deals with one topic which he addresses through four evidences.1. True Spirituality:

a. Faith in action.b. Self-Control.c. Unselfish, Generous, Impartial,

Patient.d. Submits to God through Prayer.

James teaches what True Spirituality means, and also teaches the mechanics needed in order to be “Truly Spiritual.”

Introduction to The Epistle of James

Verse 1 establishes an introduction through identifying the writer, the audience, and the book’s purpose.

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings!”

We can note four important things from this book’s introduction.

Four Things to Note from Verse 1

1. “James, a bond-servant...”Jesus’ brother James writes that he is a bond-servant.

douloV (doo-loss) is the word used for bond-servant.

It references a free man who submits to slavery through a contract for a time period (typically 7 years).

Four Things to Note from Verse 1

2. “and of the Lord Jesus Christ…”James uses all three of the titles which we have for Jesus.

1. Lord - Used to emphasize the kingship or rulership aspect of Jesus.

2. Jesus – Used to emphasize the humanity of Jesus.

3. Christ – Used to emphasize Jesus’ role as the Messiah, or anointed sacrifice.This is consistent throughout the New Testament.

Four Things to Note from Verse 1

3. “to the twelve tribes who are dispersed…”The twelve tribes are a reference to the Israelites, therefore James is writing predominately to Jews. However they are Jewish believers called the diaspora (dee-ah-spor-ah).

Because of immense persecution during the years immediately following Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the believing Jews in Jerusalem fled to different parts of the world.

This is one of the greater reasons for the rapid expansion of Christianity during the second half of the first century.

Four Things to Note from Verse 1

4. “Greetings!”James uses the word cairein (kai-rein) to greet the Jews of the dispersion.

cairein means “to rejoice.” However, because of its grammatical construction as a present active imperative infinitive, it commands the scattered Jewish believers to “continuously perform the action to rejoice.”

It is less a “hello” and more a command.

Voice in Koine Greek

Voice is used in Koine Greek to express how the subject operates in relationship to the verb. There are three types of voice in Koine Greek:

1. Active Voice – the subject performs the action.2. Middle Voice – the subject participates in the action.3. Passive Voice – the subject is acted upon by the

action.

“ginomeqa” is in the Middle Voice. This identifies the subject as participating in the action of becoming.

Mood in Koine Greek

Mood is used in Koine Greek to establish the atmosphere of an action or state of being. There are four types of mood in Koine Greek:

1. Indicative Mood- identifies reality2. Optative Mood- identifies desire3. Imperative Mood- identifies command4. Subjunctive Mood- identifies possibility

“ginomeqa” is in the Subjunctive Mood. This identifies the possibility of becoming.

Introduction to The Epistle of James

Verse 1 establishes the purpose for the book being written. Its principles can be greatly effective in our lives today if we understand them and choose to depend upon them.

As we study the Epistle of James, it is important to remember the following concepts.

Introduction to gin.o.mai

Two Terms to know:

1. Positionally: A reference to one’s position in relationship to something else.

2. Experientially: A reference to one’s experience in relationship to something else.

Introduction to The Epistle of James

The Epistle of James is written to Jews who are positionally sanctified because they have been placed into Jesus Christ through their dependency upon Him as their personal savior.

They are therefore declared positionally righteous by God because they are positioned or placed into Christ.

Introduction to The Epistle of James

While the Jews written to by James are positionally sanctified, James is calling them to experiential sanctification by explaining to them what True Spirituality actually is.

Therefore, the majority of the epistle is dedicated to the believer’s experiential sanctification, which is their spiritual growth within their relationship with God.