The Book of James
The New Testament's most practical letter on living out genuine faith.
Written by James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church, this letter is the New Testament's most hands-on guide to Christian ethics, addressed to Jewish believers scattered across the Roman world. Its five chapters press readers to control the tongue, resist favoritism, and prove their faith through visible action. Begin at James chapter 1.
About James
James is the fifty-ninth book of the Bible, written by James the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church around AD 45-50 -- possibly the earliest letter in the New Testament -- and spanning 5 chapters. Written to Jewish Christians scattered throughout the Roman world, James is intensely practical and ethics-focused, emphasizing that genuine faith always produces visible fruit in a life of righteous action. Martin Luther famously called it an epistle of straw because he felt it contradicted Paul's emphasis on faith alone, but James and Paul are addressing different errors -- Paul fighting legalism (works without faith), James fighting easy-believism (faith without works). Major themes include the testing and growth of faith through trials, the danger of favoritism and partiality in the church, the power and danger of the tongue, the hypocrisy of faith unaccompanied by action, prayer as the response to all circumstances, and the coming judgment on the wealthy who oppress the poor. Key chapters include James 1 (trials and temptations, hearing and doing), James 2 (faith without works is dead), and James 5 (prayer of faith, the elders anointing, Elijah's prayers). Famous verses include James 1:2-3 -- Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds -- and James 2:17 -- In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James KJV Bible reading is a bracing call to authentic faith. Read the Book of James online here in full.