The first chapter of James is sort of an expanded introduction to the rest of the letter. In the first chapter he foreshadows much of the rest of the book.
- James 1:2f points forward to James 5
- James 1:9f points forward to James 2
- James 1:26f points forward to James 3
At the same time, James 1 points us back to the OT (The only inspired scriptures available at the time James was writing)
- James 1:2f reminds us of Job
- James 1:9f reminds us of Ecclesiastes
- James 1:21f reminds us of Micah 6:8
And what's more, I think you'll find that James 1-2 is largely parallel with Matthew 7 (which would be written later) - so in a sense, it seems James foreshadows the later NT texts. This makes sense, because as a part of the canon, James would have to be consistent with the rest of the Bible.
So, James is not just an introduction to the rest of the epistle (and even the rest of the NT), but it serves as a link between the OT and NT.
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Patrick Parker, is a Christian, husband, father, judo and aikido teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282
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