James has told us that the Church has been brought forth by the word of truth (1:18), and that God's Law, which is also the word of truth, is to be practiced by us. We are not merely hearers but doers of God's truth, or, we are doers of God's truth because we have truly heard his truth. Thus, God's truth is to be, and will be, revealed in the life of God's people. God's truth is revealed in the covenant community through our prayers, our praise and proclamation.

Life is a spiritual trial or test that requires supernatural patience and perseverance. James calls us to be patient and persevere by means of God's revelation of Jesus. In particular, James emphasizes that patience and perseverance are empowered by knowing of Jesus' coming judgment and past compassionate faithfulness.

How we use wealth or riches reveals what or whom we worship. The wise person not only uses wealth in a way that demonstrates their worship of God, but also evaluates their use of wealth so that they know whether they are truly worshiping God. Toward this end James invites us to ask three questions: 1) Does our use of wealth corrupt and condemn us? 2) Do we take advantage of others in order to indulge ourselves with wealth? 3) Do we trust in God's vindication of the righteous and vengeance against the unrighteous?

Our arrogance results from failing to receive God's truth regarding who he is and who we are. When we act arrogantly we conduct ourselves as if we are God by speaking condemnation against others, planning presumptuously and failing to obey God in the circumstance of our lives. James not only commands us not to do such things but also reveals why we have no business thinking so highly of ourselves. Along the way he reveals how we ought to think about God and why there is no need to act arrogantly.

All that we do is, first and foremost, done before and in relation to God. We only interpret ourselves and all things rightly when we understand ourselves and all things in relation to God. To humble ourselves, then, means we focus on our duty to God and our sin before him. This stands in contrast to our culture that teaches us to interpret all things in relation to ourselves without recourse to anything outside the material realm. The result is self-absorption. God's word written and made flesh rescues us from this arrogance.

In chapter 2, James described salvation in terms of friendship with God. Now, he describes sin as "friendship with the world." To be friends with the world is to allow ourselves to be controlled by desires that 1) set us against others, 2) lead us to try and use God, and 3) set us against God and God against us. When God humbles us with his grace we become his friend and have lives marked not by the exertion of our will in striving against others, trying to manipulate God and opposing God, but a will transformed to do God's will.

Those who receive God’s character from above are distinguished by wisdom in their rejection of human fighting and cultivation of human flourishing. Human fighting is revealed in bitter envy and selfish ambition by people focused on their powers to get what they want in their employment of a particular method. Human flourishing takes place when we recognize and submit to God's control to give us what we need.

Our actions reveal the progress we are making in maturing as Christians. James raises our awareness to the direction our speech provides to our life and the destruction it produces, both of which reveal the condition of our soul. Our words, then, point us beyond ourselves and to God and His Word for the maturing that we need.

True faith in Jesus produces salvation and thereby a life changed by God, because such faith is alive as a result of resting in Jesus.