287 THE IMPLICATIONS GRACE THE ETHICS JAMES OF FOR OF “ received ” and of which people must become “doers” lest it be self- deception and a cause for judgment. Because God is generous, his people ought to be generous. Because God opposes the proud, his people ought to strive for humility. Because God is pure and single-minded, his followers ought to shun the things of the world that taint and lead them to double-mindedness. Because God speaks grace and truth to his people, his disciples’ speech ought to be gracious and considerate, not judgmental. Because God loves the poor, his people ought to love the poor. These are not options for how one might live; James roots his imperatives in the very character and nature of the God who in his grace initiated a covenant relationship. This depth of theological grounding to James’s moral vision ought to make this epistle central to discussions of New Testament ethics. Regent College Mariam J. KAMELL 5800 University Blvd. Vancouver, BC V6T 2E4, Canada SUMMARY The Epistle of James has been considered one of the most practical pieces of writ- ings in the New Testament, and yet it has been consistently neglected in the writ- ings of both New Testament scholars and ethicists. This neglect most likely derives from a failure to understand the theological underpinning for the imper- atives in James, perceived as ethics in a vacuum. Understood correctly, the three areas of James’ ethical concern: speech ethics, social justice, and moral purity, stem from God’s own character and his redemption of his chosen people, making his ethics among the most theologically developed of the New Testament.