Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Violence brings only temporary victories; violence, by creating many more social problems than it solves, never brings permanent peace. James did not want violence as the means of reaching a desirable end, but he wanted peace because it is nonviolent. He was announcing that a social revolution was underway – the messianic reign of shalom had begun.
James takes for granted the world’s present social and economic situation that had been established, as it had to ensure that the righteous would grow and mature spiritually through suffering. He writes about hope, however, he knows that the social structures will not offer to the poor the promise of a radical change that Jesus instilled in all his followers. Violence always provokes violence and irresistibly engenders new forms of oppression and enslavement. James desired freedom in all of humanity, Gentile or Jew.
The church was not fostering social or economic justice. The oppressed were tempted to become bitter and angry. James develops his thesis under the premise of loving people. He challenged the community to foster love through the channels of economic and social justice.
