James was adamant about keeping Jewish law, Acts 21:17-26, and clearly didn’t understand the process of sanctification and that believers of Paul’s gospel were under grace, not the Mosaic law. James only knew of the OT prophetic program and wrote his epistle before Acts 15.
James was Jesus' brother and likely didn't become a believer until after the resurrection. He wasn't one of the disciples who'd followed Jesus for 3 years and he hadn't had the benefit of Jesus' words like the apostles. After he was saved, he quickly rose to become the leader of the Jerusalem church. The book of James was written to saved Jews, not gentiles, and it states that in the 1st sentence. It seems to contradict other passages of the Bible but it was written to those under the fulfilled law. The gentiles have never been under the law at all, fulfilled or not. It's one of the earlier books written and it's generally believed that the church was still mostly Jews at the time. He said that faith without works is dead. That's often misused to say that works are necessary for salvation. However, James was writing to those already saved. He wasn't telling them how to be saved but rather how to live with the salvation they already had. That distinction is very important.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
