This letter is addressed to "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" from "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 1) It concerns issues of Jewish law, and is in eloquent Greek, which suggests that it was not written by James, the brother of Jesus, as there is no evidence that the family of Jesus or any of the disciples from Galilee spoke and wrote Greek. Perhaps the letter was sent under his name during the time James was head of the church in Jerusalem.
The letter says, "Blessed is anyone who endures temptation." (v. 12) It explains that temptation comes from our desires, not from God. In a sense, of course, all things come from God. But the Christian Bible affirms that men and women are responsible for the choices they make. They can blame neither the devil nor God, if they act in a way they know to be wrong. This is sin, and the only answer for sin is repentance and faith in the love of God. The good news of the gospel is that God forgives all those, who repent and live in faith.
Grace and peace . . . Bob
