This is the last session in the Epistle of James, a very practical study for living the Christian life. FAITH and SUFFERING are two themes that stand out in the text. A lot of people will claim to have faith but not a faith that works. James wrote, "If faith hath not works, it is dead." When Jesus preached the Gospel, it resulted in disciples, not couch potatoes. Genuine faith will be manifested in service. The suffering was the result of persecution which caused many believers to scatter to other countries. Being a child of God is not a guarantee of freedom from suffering. Those that endured were counted as happy in as much as their suffering caused them both to identify with Christ and to advance in their likeness to Christ (James 2:11).
