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 chapter 4, James picks up on the the problems he mentioned on disorder in the community in 3:14-16 as products of self-seeking, demonic wisdom or false wisdom, and specifically rebukes them ( the absence of “my brethren”; cf. James 1:2; James 2:1; James 3:1 ) in this chapter for pursuing those things they were warned to avoid. In 4:1-3, James addresses the quarrels and conflict, teaching them the source of these divisions are their uncontrolled desires (V.1) and its effect in their personal relationships (V.2) and their personal life (V.3). In Vv. 4-6, James rebukes them that their compromises have affected their relationship with God, signifying that their friendship with the world is hostility toward God. So James calls them to repentance by teaching that God’s grace is greater and able to overcome our sins, and demands an appropriate response from His people(Vv.7-10).