Excerpt from The Kingdom Life
The entire book of James was written with the kingdom in view. And the way to understand the book of James is simply to understand the Sermon on the Mount, which is Matthew 5-7. The Sermon on the Mount and the book of James run parallel. Both are focused on the kingdom life. You can see this if you compare the verses in the book of James with those in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Sometimes we call these chapters in Matthew "the Teaching on the Mount" or "the Sayings on the Mount." There is a direct correlation between James and these sayings that the Lord spoke in Matthew 5-7.
We must remember that James was the Lord's flesh brother, and he was also the same James who was a leading apostle and an elder in the church in Jerusalem. So this James who wrote the book of James had an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus in the flesh. And no doubt when the Lord was speaking in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, James was taking in every word. This is confirmed by the fact that James in his Epistle virtually gives us the Sermon on the Mount once again in his own words. Some words are verbatim from the Lord's mouth. So before reading the book of James, first read Matthew 5, 6, and 7 over and over again. Then you will discover that the Epistle of James is directly related to the Sermon on the Mount. The more time spent in these two sections of the Word, the more correlation will be found between them.
Christians have had trouble with the book of James, feeling that his speaking about works contradicts Paul's speaking about being justified by faith. But when works are understood in the light of the kingdom as taught by the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount, then all apparent contradiction is cleared up. To understand the nature of the book of James, it is imperative to understand the nature of the Sermon on the Mount. We will see that what James says about works is identical to what the Lord said in Matthew 5-7 and to what Paul says in his writings.
A Comparison between James and Matthew 5-7
| Inheriting the kingdom | James 2:5 | Matt. 5:20 |
| Perfect | James 1:4 | Matt. 5:48 |
| The crown of life | James 1:12 | Matt. 7:13-14 |
| Hearing and doing | James 1:22-26 | Matt. 7:24-27 |
| How the Father gives | James 1:5, 17 | Matt. 7:9-11 |
| How to pray | James 1:5-8 | Matt. 7:7-11 |
| Lusts and pleasures | James 1:13-15; 4:1-5 | Matt. 5:27-32 |
| Good gifts through prayer | James 1:17 | Matt. 7:11 |
| Anger and wrath | James 1:19-20 | Matt. 5:22 |
| The perfect law of freedom | James 1:25 | Matt. 5:17-19 |
| Religious deception | James 1:16, 22, 26-27 | Matt. 7:21-23 |
| Purity | James 1:27; 3:17; 4:8 | Matt. 5:8 |
| The rich man | James 1:9-11; 5:1-6 | Matt. 6:19-34 |
| Being led into temptation | James 1:13 | Matt. 6:13 |
| The realm of the poor | James 2:5 | Matt. 5:3 |
| Heirs of the kingdom | James 2:5 | Matt. 5:3-10 |
| Loving our neighbor | James 2:8 | Matt. 5:43-48 |
| The royal law | James 2:8 | Matt. 7:12 |
| Keeping the whole law | James 2:10 | Matt. 5:17-19 |
| Adultery | James 2:10-11 | Matt. 5:27 |
| Being merciful | James 2:13 | Matt. 5:7 |
| Reciprocal forgiveness | James 2:13 | Matt. 6:12, 14-15 |
| Reciprocal judgment | James 2:13 | Matt. 7:2 |
| Merciful | James 2:13; 3:17 | Matt. 5:7 |
| Exceeding righteousness | James 2:14-26 | Matt. 5:17-22 |
| Good works as a testimony | James 2:18; 3:13 | Matt. 5:14-16 |
| Responsibility of teachers | James 3:1 | Matt. 5:19-20 |
| Speaking negatively | James 3:2-12 | Matt. 5:22 |
| Knowing things by the fruit | James 3:10-12 | Matt. 7:16-20 |
| Grapes and figs | James 3:12 | Matt. 7:16 |
| A kingdom disposition | James 3:13, 17-18 | Matt. 5:3-12 |
| Meekness | James 3:13 | Matt. 5:5 |
| Peacemakers | James 3:17-18 | Matt. 5:9 |
| Asking and receiving | James 4:3 | Matt. 7:8 |
| Conflict between God and the world | James 4:4 | Matt. 6:24 |
| Mourning | James 4:9 | Matt. 5:4 |
| Dealing with pride | James 4:6-10 | Matt. 6:1-6 |
| Taking thought about tomorrow | James 4:13-17 | Matt. 6:25-34 |
| Judging | James 4:11-12 | Matt. 7:1-2 |
| Living one day at a time | James 4:13-16 | Matt 6:25 |
| The corruption of riches | James 5:2ff | Matt. 6:19 |
| The Lord's coming to judge | James 5:7-9 | Matt. 7:21ff |
| Persecution | James 5:10-11 | Matt. 5:11-12 |
| Swearing | James 5:12 | Matt. 5:34ff |
| Yes! Yes! And No! No! | James 5:12 | Matt. 5:37 |
| Forgiveness | James 5:15-16 | Matt. 6:12-15 |
| Restoring a brother | James 5:19-20 | Matt. 5:23-26 |
| The judgment seat | James 1:12 | Matt. 21-22 |
| James 2:12-13 | Matt. 5:25-26, 46 | |
| James 3:1 | Matt. 6:1, 4 | |
| James 4:12 | Matt. 6:6, 18 | |
| James 5:9, 12 | Matt. 7:21-23 |
 |
The Kingdom Life by Bill Freeman (paperback) $10.95 |