James

James, who was the half-brother of Jesus, is the author of this book. His story can be found in Acts 12-15 and Galatians 1-2. James had succeeded Peter and became the leader of the Jerusalem church.  At his time, the church went through famine, poverty and oppression from the Jews. Despite the challenges, James was affirmed as the pillar of the church, who led the church with extraordinary wisdom. 
 
The book of James was for Jewish believers who were living outside of Jerusalem. It is a summary of the wisdom sayings from James. 
 
James was influenced deeply by Jesus’ teaching (especially from the Sermon on the Mount) and by Proverbs (particularly Chapters 1-9). Allusions to the teachings of Jesus and Proverbs can be found throughout the letter. 
 
The purpose of the letter was to challenge and encourage the Jewish Christian community to have wisdom in their living, so that they can live out God’s love. 
 
There are five themes in the book which James introduced in Chapter 1: 

1. Challenges in life cultivate our perseverance, and make us complete. “Complete” means we become integrated people, whose behaviour is aligned with our thoughts and values.
   
   
2. When people ask God for wisdom, He will give and demonstrate His goodness in all situations.
   
   
3. Poverty can drive us to trust God for His provision. 
   
   
4. God is generous. He shows us His generosity through Jesus who gave up everything and made us alive. 
   
   
5. We need to show God’s love through our actions, including speaking in love to others, serving the poor and being devoted to God.