Today's lesson is from the book of James. James identifies himself only as a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." In the early church it was thought by some to have been written by the Lord's brother. It was written later than most of Paul's letters because, James says, of "foolish fellows" whom he describes as the "ignorant and unstable." They had distorted Paul's message of love and faith. They were twisting Paul's words to justify their own lack of hard work in the mission of the church.

James message is not justification by works, but justification that works. He insists that righteousness involves performance, not merely perception of truth. Piety that is devotional but does not have practical application in life is counterfeit.

In fact, the entire book of James is a pract…