James, the brother of the Lord (according to tradition). Written: Around AD 45–50

General letters · New Testament · 5 chapters

The book of James

Faith you can see

Author: James, the brother of the Lord (according to tradition)
Written: Around AD 45–50
Time covered: The earliest years of the church, after the scattering of the believers from Jerusalem (Acts 8:1; 11:19)
Key word: Faith in action

James speaks as a sage and as a prophet. He begins with trials: they produce patience, and wisdom is asked of God in faith (1:2-8). He demands that we do the word instead of being content with hearing it, like the man who forgets his face after seeing himself in a mirror (1:22-25). He condemns favoritism toward the rich (2:1-13) and shows that faith without works is dead, with Abraham and Rahab as examples (2:14-26). He teaches how to tame the tongue (3:1-12), contrasts two kinds of wisdom (3:13-18), denounces friendship with the world and the pride of our plans (4), then warns the oppressive rich and calls for patience, prayer, and the restoration of those who wander (5).

Main theme

Genuine faith is proved by actions: it perseveres in trial, controls the tongue, refuses favoritism, and cares for the poor. James wants believers who are “doers of the word” (1:22).

Outline

James 1 — Trial and the Word
Tested faith matures in patience and proves itself by doing the word.
James 2 — A faith that acts
No favoritism; faith without works is dead faith.
James 3 — The tongue and wisdom
Taming the tongue and seeking the wisdom that comes from above.
James 4 — Humility before the world
Quarrels, friendship with the world, judging a brother, and proud plans.
James 5 — Patience and prayer
Woe to the oppressive rich, patience until the Lord’s return, the prayer of faith.

Key points

Trials are cause for “all joy,” because they produce patience and lead to maturity (1:2-4).
God tempts no one: sin is born of our own lust and brings forth death (1:13-15).
Hearing without doing is like looking at yourself in a mirror and straightway forgetting your face (1:22-25).
Pure religion: to visit the fatherless and widows, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (1:27).
Favoring the rich over the poor violates the “royal law” of love for one’s neighbor (2:1-9).
Faith without works is dead: Abraham and Rahab showed their faith by their actions (2:17-26).
The tongue, a little member, acts like the helm of a ship or the spark that sets a forest ablaze (3:4-6).
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (4:7-8).

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:2–4 — Trial is not senseless: God uses it to mature our faith.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

James 1:22 — The heart of the letter: do the word, not merely hear it.

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:17 — James’s central principle: a living faith produces works.

Jesus in James

James names Jesus only twice (1:1; 2:1), but his letter breathes Christ’s teaching: the poor as heirs of the kingdom, the refusal of oaths, and treasures eaten by moths echo the Sermon on the Mount (5:12; Matt 5:34-37; 6:19). He calls him “the Lord of glory” (2:1) and awaits his coming as that of the Judge who stands “before the door” (5:7-9). Faith in Christ is not an opinion: it is a transformed life.

Did you know?

James, the half-brother of Jesus, did not believe in him during his ministry (John 7:5); the risen Christ appeared to him (1 Cor 15:7), and he became a pillar of the Jerusalem church.
James (2:23) and Paul (Rom 4:3) quote the same verse, Genesis 15:6: Paul shows how God declares the believer righteous, James how that faith proves itself. Luther, who saw a tension, called it an “epistle of straw.”
In only 108 verses, James strings together more than fifty imperatives in the Greek text: it is one of the most direct letters of the New Testament.

Quiz on James

To whom does James address his letter?

According to James, what does the trying of faith produce?

To what does James compare someone who hears the word but does not put it into practice?

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start your free trial.