Known for its declaration, "Faith without works is dead," (2:26), the letter of James is not addressed to a single church or community. Rather it is addressed to the “diaspora” or Jews who were scattered among the nations. James, however, is not merely writing to Jews, but Jewish Christians living outside Israel specifically scattered among the nations (also Hellenistic Jewish Christians). As to the location of his audience, there is no mention of it in the book, though the book mentions that these believers meet in a synagogue (2:2), and had somehow experienced persecutions, harassment and “trials of various kinds”, were forced out of their homeland, taken advantage of by their rich neighbors by dragging them to court(1;2; 2:6), and driven to poverty by abusive wealthy landowners (1:9-11; 5:4-6).

After James introduces himself as the slave (bond-servant) of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and encourages his readers to respond with “great joy” to “various trials” because GOD has appointed that faith be tested so that believers would endure and mature(1:4), he now teaches them wisdom and how to ask of it from God while correcting their natural reactions to trials (vv.5-8), and encourages the believers who are “humble” in circumstances to rejoice in the Lord because they are exalted in God’s sight (V.9). It should be noted that in addressing the poor, his encouragement is set against the backdrop of the “rich” who who are well-off, and are able to travel on business and brag about their hopes to make money (4:13-17), but persecute the poor (2:6-7) and exploit them (5:2-4). In spite of how substantial the "rich" see themselves, in God’s eyes, they are humiliating (1:10-11).