James, the Apostle of Faith

Book excerpt: The epistle of James is often poorly understood. Beyond questions of authorship and dating, its contents are troubling. Its powerful accusations of sin seem to overshadow the Gospel. For this reason Luther called it an epistle of straw and questioned whether it should be in the Bible at all. Author David Scaer thinks differently, and he shares his insights with us in 'James, the Apostle of Faith'. As the title indicates, faith in Christ and the comforting Gospel are prominent in many places throughout this epistle. Far from being a dreary series of moralisms, James is filled with references to the atonement, faith, and forgiveness - the sublime Gospel themes of the New Testament. Particularly revealing are many parallels between the Epistle of James and the Gospel of Matthew, especially the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' agricultural parables. In this study of James, Dr. Scaer makes exciting discoveries, some of which will surprise you. You may not agree with everything he says, but your thinking will certainly be stimulated. Dr. Paul Maier, Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University and author of several best-selling studies of the New Testament, provides a most interesting and informative Foreword, giving valuable historical background about James, the brother of our Lord, and the times in which he lived.