As we move towards the end of the letter, James is continuing to help us to see what true faith is all about.
Read James 4:13-5:20.
Faith can easily be confused with confidence and so there is a warning against boasting. This is particularly given to the wealthy who may be tempted to go around talking with pride and confidence about their business and travel plans. They are reminded about the fragility and uncertainty of life (4:13-17). Not only that, but because material gains are momentary and will corrode away, even their possessions and achievements will stand as testimony against them in the future, exposing the shallowness, greed and corruption of their hearts and their methods (5:1-6).
In contrast to the way of the wealthy, James encourages patient faith. This kind of faith is not seen in grand boasting or swearing of oaths but the kind of patient perseverance which means that you keep your word (5:7-12). This enables the believer to face the world around them, secure in their relationship with God and so respond to all circumstances whether suffering, happiness or illness with prayer and praise. Believers are to recognise that what matters is not their circumstances but the state of their heart and so healing and wholeness is as much about forgiveness as it is about physical wellness. This kind of patient faith is exemplified by Old Testament prophets like Elijah. To save someone out of a sinful lifestyle is just as much life saving and medical intervention (5:13-20).
Faithroots 