James, one of the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem and likely the brother of Jesus, writes to the Jews in the Diaspora to remind them that there is a difference between claiming to have faith in God and actually having a genuine faith. While other writers of the New Testament make clear that Believers are saved through faith alone and not by works, James wants to make clear that the type of faith that saves is a faith that works. He also reminds the Jews that if they think they can be justified by the law and not the grace of Christ, they need to remember that breaking even a single commandment makes one guilty of breaking the whole law - a standard that only Jesus Himself could live up to.
CHAPTER 1 (Verses 16–17)
CHAPTER 4 (Verses 5–8)