Why does the book of James seem so legal and hard to understand from a grace perspective?
The book of James seems legal because it was addressed to the twelve tribes, meaning Jews rather than Gentiles. It is likely the earliest New Testament epistle, written before Paul’s revelation of the Gospel of Grace, so it remains predominantly legal and contains much law. Difficult passages must be read in that Jewish context.
Les explains that when a question from James is hard to understand from our position in God’s grace, the solution is to go back to James 1:1. There James writes as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes, not Gentiles. Because James is probably the earliest New Testament epistle, it is still predominantly legal and has much of the law in it. It was written before Paul’s revelation of the Gospel of Grace. Les says not to tear James out or fight it; there are still good tidbits, and some principles, such as the tongue being a fire, apply to any age. But where it throws a curve, recognize it was written to Jews in particular and leave that passage alone for the time being.