If you go to most dictionaries today, they will define religion as, “an organized system of beliefs and rituals centering on a supernatural being or beings.” Is that all religion is or meant to be, an organized system of beliefs or rituals?
There is a long and protracted focus on our faith resulting in works in the book of James. The emphasis on works has caused some people to put the apostle Paul’s view of grace at odds with the views James, but nothing could be further from the truth. James is most likely the earliest letter written in the New Testament and as such show a strong pastoral care for how to live out our faith in Jesus in practical ways.