So James did not know what He was writing about, but God has revealed it to you?
what authority do you claim to tell us this lofty revelation.
James was an Apostle to teh Jews. He was part of the early diaspora and knew of many Jews who converted to the faith throughout the empire! It is said James was flayed alive in India!
James was the titular head of the church headquartered in Jerusalem. Paul accepted His decision about gentile believers. The term in Christ means that there is no advantage being anything. all have equal access. It never was designed to be that one lost their ethnic heritage. James wrote to Jews and His Epistle has a very Jewish flavor to it! JUst as Paul focused on Gentiles (though He always went to the synagogue first in a town if there was one) Peter and James focused much on Jewish people to spread the good news to them.
what authority do you claim to tell us this lofty revelation.
The only authority that counts: Scripture written for us by God, not the minds of the prophets and apostles that wrote it, nor them that have read them since and made comment.
1. There are no more Jews after the flesh with God, neither is that circumcision that is outwardly. (Rom 2:25-19)
2. The old seed of promise by flesh made themselves
uncircumcision and were all cast away from the holy olive tree, so that only seed of faith of Abraham and circumcision of heart and are all in Israel of God. (Gal 6:16)
And so, God could not have been writing new covenant Scripture of Christ to a seed of promise by flesh that did not exist, especially not as His children of promise by faith (Gal 4:28).
Therefore, why would God call them the 'twelve tribes'?
Either God was writing
exclusively in James to a church of believers made solely of those who were grafted in again, along with a long-used customary title of the 'twelve tribes', that is now in name only.
Or, God is bestowing upon all believers in Christ the honorary title of the twelve tribes, since after all they are all come in to Israel by faith.
Or, James the 'apostle to the Jews' is now bestowing that old honorary title upon
all believers of Christ, and declaring with God's will, that since they are now the Israel of God, and so altogether they are the 12 tribes, not by particular name of tribal head after the flesh, such as Judah, Benjamin, Levi, Isachar, etc..., but by inheritance of faith:
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise...But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe...And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3)
Who is the seed of Abraham and of promise as Isaac was (Gal 4)? Then, being the seed of Christ with seed of God, they are not only the children and inheritance of Israel, but in Christ they are before Jacob, as Abraham and Isaac.
What exactly have the Gentiles be come in to? What is the holy olive tree? What have they of the unbelieving flesh been cast away from ,and grafted in again by repentance and faith in jesus?
Is not the holy olive tree of God the Israel of God? It is the Israel of God; otherwise, them cast away from and grafted back into were not of Israel in the first place.
The claim of inheritance by Christians in Christ Jesus, whether grafted in or grafted in again, is not given by Israel, but rather by God Himself as Father, and the King and God of Israel, who was before Abraham. Israel is simply the name given us as prince with power of God (Gen 32:28), and twelve tribes is the title born of the name.
The name 'Israel' is not some mystical name that has been elevated above and apart from the One who made it and gave it to a man of faith. That name does not exclusively belong to a people of flesh, that proved themselves once and for all to not be worthy of it, by having crucified the Lord and God who gave it in the first place.
'Israel' has become an idolized name by them that claim sole ownership thereof by birth of flesh, as well as them that support them in it to sustain interpretation of prophesy that they cherish above all things, even Scripture itself.