James is a unique book. It belongs in the category of an “epistle” but within that familiar category it has some uncommon features.

The special quality of James is it’s structure. At times it seems to be a book filled mostly with one moral instruction after another -almost like the book of Proverbs. In that way, it seems to lack the kind of personal quality of a book like 1 Corinthians, for example, which is loaded with the conversational “back and forth” tone of an actual letter. James is a letter, but at times it feels more like a collection of wise statements without context.

Fueling that feeling is the grammar itself. The book of James has more imperative commands “per capita” than any book in the New Testament giving it the feel of a stern lecture from a Father or a boss. Still, in spite of it’s authoritative style, James addresses a common pastoral concern- the problem of suffering.

Another unique feature of James has to do with the way the book addresses the relationship of faith and works. At times James appears to directly contradict Paul’s view of faith alone by stating, “faith without works is dead” (2:17). Most evangelicals have concluded James does not advocate a “works gospel” but is instead expressing truth about faith and works from a practical perspective not in contradiction to Paul’s teaching.

James mentions Jesus only twice (once in the first verse of the book where the author identifies himself as the servant of Jesus) so the book never develops doctrines of the cross or the second coming or other specifically Christological doctrines. Instead, Jesus is “heard” rather than “seen” since, at times, James feels like a loose commentary on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, clearly reflecting the language and style of the famous teaching.

James is demanding, straight forward, and instructive for the Christian life. It is definitely truth for our times.

JKB