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).

In our passage (2:1-13) James goes back to the theme of the “humble” in circumstances (1:9) and specifically addresses the problem of discrimination / partiality within their assemblies (Vv.2-4). James wants to show his readers who have been “brought forth by the word of truth” (1:18) that such an attitude is inconsistent with God’s character (Vv. 5-7) and in violation of the royal law (law of the kingdom; Vv.8-11), and tolerating such behavior is sin. So as citizens of the kindom, Christians are expected to live in a manner consistent with their faith in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ (V.1) by speaking and doing as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty as they look into it (cf.1:25) in an attitude of compassion / mercy (Vv.12-13).