James is correcting the worldly thinking which is influencing his distant Christian friends. They are living in Jewish communities where too much respect is paid to the rich and the poor are too easily dismissed.
The triumph of mercy
The missing cross
Although he doesn’t mention it directly, what happened on the cross to the Lord Jesus feeds into the ideas which James presents in his letter.
Pollution
Our behaviour in tough times of life shows the real state of our faith in the Lord.