Far from sitting in contradiction to the rest of the New Testament, particularly Paul’s epistles, the letter of James can be seen to compliment and flesh out both Paul’s teaching and that of Jesus. James offers us a vision of the practical Christian life with obedience to God flowing out of and demonstrating our faith so that works/deeds and faith/grace are not in tension.
The evidence of our faith is our deeds because words and actions result directly from the state of our heart. This means that we shouldn’t see the practical instructions here as a kind of check list. You know, if you manage to give to the poor, keep your temper and remain humble then you are saved, if you fail in any of these things then you are not. This protects us against legalism and is vital because it is so easy for us to tempt ourselves into thinking we are doing okay when we have a long way to go. For example, I may congratulate myself for managing to bite my tongue and hide my emotions when seething with anger and to be sure, it is perhaps better to hold my counsel than to lash out with an angry outburst. However, Jesus consistently put the focus on the heart and I’ve still got a lot of work to do if I’m simply suppressing my emotions but harbouring frustrating, bitterness, envy or even hate. Similarly, it is not enough for me to set up a standing order to give to charity if my heart is left unmoved by the plight of the poor. James’ letter should encourage us to serious self-examination.
Faithroots 