C. God

the theological genius and broad theological interests of Paul. James’s letter “does not develop theories but reminds readers of accepted truths; it does not expound theology but exhorts to virtue.”95 In that sense, James is of course less “theological” than Paul. Moreover, Paul himself, at certain points and for specific purposes, can write much like James does. The closest parallel to the style of James in the NT is found in Rom 12:9–21, where Paul quickly touches on key components of the “sincere love” that believers are to exhibit. For the purposes he has at that point, Paul does not need to allude directly to the great doctrines that are taught elsewhere in Romans. This is the style that pervades all of James. And so the judgment of Johnson, while perhaps an overreaction in the other direction, is worth noting: “It is not far wrong to consider James one of the most ‘theological’ writings in the NT.”96

Furthermore, we must not minimize the contributions that James does make to certain specific topics of Christian theology. In addition to the obvious importance of his teaching about faith and works in their relationship to the believer’s final salvation, James also contributes significantly to our understanding of God, temptation, prayer, the law, wisdom, and eschatology. To be sure, all these arise in a practical context. But it will be a sad day for the church when such “practical divinity” is not considered “theology.” Therefore, while the brevity and specific purposes of the letter prevent us from sketching a “theology of James,” we are able to note briefly the contributions James makes to certain specific theological topics.

C. God

If we use “theology” in its strictest sense—the doctrine of God—then James has a lot of theology. For he is very concerned to relate the kind of conduct he expects of his readers to the nature of God. Christians, James implies, are to live and act in full consciousness of the character of the God they serve. Hubert Frankemölle is not far off when he claims that the overarching theme of the letter is the nature of God and that James closely ties all his key concepts back to his understanding of God.97

95. L. T. Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament, 3rd ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010), 452. 96. Johnson, 85. 97. H. Frankemölle, “Das semantische Netz des Jakobusbriefes: Zur Einheit eines umstrittenen Briefes,” BZ 34 (1990): esp. 190–93.

Context of Thought and Theology

It is because God gives “generously to all without finding fault” that Christians should not hesitate to ask him for wisdom (1:5). James’s invitation is similar to, and perhaps dependent on, Jesus’s encouragement of his disciples to ask God for what they needed—an encouragement that is also anchored in the nature of God, the Father who gives his children good things (Matt 7:7–11). The goodness of God’s gifts is emphasized in 1:17 also, where James also stresses the invariability of God’s character. This emphasis is needed as a counter to those who would attribute to God the evil of temptation. Not only does God give everything that is perfect, James asserts, but he is not even capable of being enticed by evil. How foolish, then, to think that God could be the author of temptation (1:13). He may test his servants for their own good, but he must never be associated with the enticement to evil that is a product of humanity’s own sinfulness (1:14–15). Never can we excuse sin by trying to shift the blame onto God.

Theology proper is also at the heart of one of the key texts in the letter, 4:4–10. This passage contains a stinging indictment of the readers for their worldliness along with a strongly worded summons to repentance. Both the indictment and the invitation are based on God’s character. Verse 5 is difficult to interpret, but I prefer to think that it reminds the readers of the “holy jealousy” of God for his people (see the notes on this verse). In this way, it provides the perfect foundation for James’s accusation that his readers are spiritual “adulterers” who are tarnishing their relationship with God through entanglement with the world (4:4). But, James reminds his readers, God’s grace is able to meet fully the demands of God’s jealous holiness. Only those who humbly submit to God will experience that grace, however (4:6). Thus the gracious character of God becomes the basis for James’s earnest plea to his readers to humble themselves before the Lord (4:7–10).

That James is a monotheist goes without saying, but the emphasis he places on this point is interesting. We have not only the confession of the oneness of God used for illustrative purposes (2:19) but also the reminder that “there is only one Lawgiver and Judge” (4:12). Although not strictly related to monotheism, James’s interest in the idea of “oneness” may also be seen in the description of God as giving “generously” (haplōs, 1:5), since the word may have the connotation of “simple, undivided” (see the notes on this verse). The oneness of God also underlines James’s reminder that all the commandments must be obeyed (2:10).

The question may well be raised about the relationship between these statements and what James says about Jesus. How does James’s emphasis on the “one Judge” square with the plain implication of 5:7–9 that Christ, the coming one,