The Book of James in the New Testament

There always has been much debate as to whether or not this book belongs in the New Testament.  It is generally agreed upon that this James, was the brother of Jesus.  The Apostle Paul names him as one of the three pillars of the Church;  Peter, James, and John.

It was written to those Jews who were still living in Jerusalem, before it was destroyed in 70 AD. 

James lived to be 62 years old and finally was thrown down from the top of the Temple.

He writes that those Christian Jews should not revert to violence to the poverty and injustice that they were suffering and to stay focused on living a holy life, in the face of continued persecution.

Martin Luther said that this book was a "book of straw" because it seemly contradicted the writings of the Apostle Paul who wrote the justification is achieved by grace alone, aside from any works of the Law of Moses.  James stresses that "faith without works is dead".

I think that the Book of James belongs in the New Testament because it shows the struggle the early church was going through, trying to accept that the Law of Moses was fulfilled by the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Think about it; if you had been a Jew most of your life, and along comes this new teaching that the Law of Moses is no longer needed for salvation, I know I probably would have seriously questioned such a new teaching.

Well, done through the years, all the Christian churches have accepted this writings as inspired writing.

I have noticed that some Christians only use this Book; and they tend to be legalistic in the way the live.  They argue that Paul's writing makes it too easy to be a real Christian.  This is one of the concerns of many Christians today, because they think that it could cause a major division in the whole Christian community.

This Book and the Letter to the Hebrews were one the two which were to be last accepted in the New Testament.  Hebrews, because no one identifies themselves as the writer.

This blog shows how earnestly our Bible was put together.  Down through the years it has given me more confidence in the New Testament itself; it's history doesn't hide the struggles it went through, nor does it try to cover over the honesty of those who were involved...real people, struggling to understand, debating, arguing and finally reaching a consensus on what we have now.