Letter by James

“In his Galatian letter, Paul refers to James as ‘the Lord’s brother,’ and he indicates that he is a leader in the Jerusalem church.  So it would not be surprising that James, ‘the Lord’s brother,’ would be the author of one of the inspired letters of the New Testament.

Unlike Paul, James does not struggle with deep issues of doctrine or comment upon any specific problems which a particular local church might be facing.  Rather, he addresses himself to the crisis of persecution facing all the churches during this time.

After discussing the nature of temptation, James writes at length concerning the need for consistency between faith and conduct.  In context, James appears to be saying that only those who demonstrate true faith can endure the sufferings of the times, and that faith can be measured by conduct.  Despite its immediate relevance to times of widespread persecution, James’ writing contains words of practical advice for every Christian’s daily walk.”

Read:  James 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

Letter by Jude

“Little is known of Jude (Judas) or his work, although some believe he is mentioned on two occasions, not only as a brother of Jesus, but also as a church leader and prophet in Jerusalem.  In his letter, Jude is trying to combat a widely believed philosophy which denies that the sins of the flesh can affect the soul — a philosophy which, naturally enough, has led to flagrant immorality.  In order to stress the potentially dangerous consequences of such teaching, Jude uses both Old Testament and extrabiblical writings (the book of Enoch) to remind his readers of God’s judgment upon the ungodly.”

Read:  Jude

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.