If we eliminate two or three passages containing references to Christ, the whole epistle might find its place just as properly in the Canon of the Old Testament as in that of the New Testament, as far as its substance of doctrine and contents is concerned. That could not be said Of any other book in the New Testament. There is no mention of the incarnation or of the resurrection., the two fundamental facts of the Christian faith. The word “gospel” does not occur in the epistle There is no suggestion that the Messiah has appeared and no presentation of the possibility of redemption through Him. (ISBE)
WRITER
A Jew wrote it to other Jews … The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:19) and the brother of Jude, the writer of the epistle that bears his name (cf. Matt. 13:55).[1] This was the opinion of many of the early church fathers and writers.[2] … The fact that the writer wrote this epistle in very good Greek should not rule this James out. He would have been fluent in both Aramaic and Greek as a gifted Galilean. (Constable)
DATE
It appears to many scholars and to me that the epistle of James was probably the first divinely inspired one and that James composed it in the middle or late 40s, perhaps A.D. 45-48.[5] (Constable) … “All the evidence left of his life suggests that he clung throughout his Christian life to Jerusalem and did not undertake such missionary labours as would entitle him to the designation of Apostle.”[8]
SPECIAL FEATURES
And there are very many imperatives in the letter, about one for every two verses. ¶ “No other New Testament book contains such a concentration of commands.”[11] … One commentator observed that this book “has a more Jewish cast than any other writing of the New Testament.”[13] (Constable)
There are many references to nature in James. This was characteristic of the Jewish rabbis’ teaching in James’ day as well as the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are also many allusions to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount—more than in all the letters of the New Testament combined, according to G. Campbell Morgan.[14] Yet there are only two references to Jesus (1:1; 2:1), which was one factor that led Martin Luther to question whether this book was worthy of being in the New Testament.[15] ¶ “… in his [Luther’s] preface to the New Testament of 1522 James was stigmatized as ‘an epistle of straw.’ Once Luther remarked that he would give his doctor’s beret to anyone who could reconcile James and Paul.”[16] ¶ Luther’s problem was that he thought James was writing about becoming a Christian (justification). James was really writing to Christians about how to live the Christian life (sanctification). (Constable)
“The epistle of James is no more anti-Pauline than is the Sermon on the Mount.”[25]
The margin of the Nestle Greek Testament version of James identifies 38 references to statements in Matthew. Both books seem to have been written about the same time, namely, in the late 40s A.D. ¶ “Both writers [Matthew and James] seem to have to do with a similar type of community …”[18] (Constable)
“… one of the characteristics of the Epistle is the straightforward, transparent way in which things are put.”[22] (Constable)
“The Epistle of James is without doubt the least theological of all NT books, with the exception of Philemon.”[23]
PURPOSE
“The design of the Epistle is on the one hand to encourage those to whom it is addressed to bear their trials patiently, and on the other hand to warn them against certain errors of doctrine and practice.”[27] ¶ “The purpose of this potent letter is to exhort the early believers to Christian maturity and holiness of life.”[28]
MESSAGE
The teaching of this epistle has its roots in Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. That was, of course, His great ethical discourse. James made no fewer than 18 references or allusions to Matthew 5—7 in his epistle. (Constable)
By the way, when James and Jesus spoke of righteousness, they usually meant right conduct. This is the more common Old Testament use of the word. Paul, on the other hand, usually used righteousness when referring to one’s right condition, namely, the believer’s standing in Christ. (Constable)
We must challenge the spirit (popular philosophy) of our world. The world system says: Avoid trials (ch. 1). Give preference to those who can help you (ch. 2). Promote yourself by what you say (ch. 3). Demand your rights (ch. 4). Grab all the money you can (ch. 5). (Constable)
James wrote that we must also deny the lusts of our flesh. The flesh is the second source of peril that we face. By the way, the New Testament writers used the word flesh (Gr. sarx) in three ways, one literal and two metaphorical. Literally it refers to our bodies. Metaphorically, it refers to all that we were in Adam before our regeneration, or it refers to our human nature that is sinful. Here James was speaking of our sinful human nature. The flesh says: Indulge yourself and give in to the temptations that often accompany trials (ch. 1). Love yourself rather than others (ch. 2). Glorify yourself rather than promoting others and God (ch. 3). Assert yourself rather than submitting to God (ch. 4). Serve yourself rather than serving others (ch. 5). ¶ James also cautioned us to resist the devil, the third source of opposition to God’s work of producing righteousness in our conduct. Satan says: God hates you, and your trials are an evidence of that (ch. 1). Satan says: God is withholding good things from you that you would surely receive if you showed favoritism to those who are able to favor you (ch. 2). Satan says: God has abandoned you, so you need to speak up for yourself (ch. 3). Satan says: God will not defend you, so you must be more self-assertive (ch. 4). Satan also says: God will not provide for you, so you must hoard your money rather than distributing it as a good steward (ch. 5). (Constable)