The epistle of James is one of the most controversial included in the canon of the New Testament. Why the controversy? James (almost certainly Jesus’ brother) sets out in his letter to deal with the problem of a church that does church – yet really does nothing! James is forthright in spelling out some home truths to his readers.
"James's letter addressed real-life churches with real-life problems. The church that James addressed had a tendency to substitute the performance of religion for a life devoted to Jesus and obedience to His commands… This church had people whose words were so vicious that James points to hell as their source, so vindictive that James equates their words with murder, and so slanderous that he reminds them of the future judgment that will take into account their actions and their speech." Chris Morgan.
This devotional commentary has three sections:
* James in Context – enables you to understand who wrote it and the situation that it addressed.
* Commentary – divided into the major divisions of the epistle ('pericopes') so that you can see the structure of the teaching as well as a verse-by-verse explanation.
* The Theology of James – sets out the larger themes (eg justification) of the epistle and how it relates to the rest of scripture.
