A Faith that works. The heart and soul of the book of James is found in the words of 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.” James wants the believer to turn his or her profession into practice. What we believe is to be fleshed out in our behavior. As believers we are to have more than a knowledge of God’s word. We are to learn how to apply the word to our everyday life and allow the word to enable us to be all that we should be as believers and equip us to meet the everyday demands of life. In the opening verse of James we are told who the author is and from his greeting we learn some things about him. He introduces himself as, “James, a servant of God.” What an interesting way for James to introduce himself. The word “servant” literally speaks of a “slave.” The word is descriptive of a slave who has completed his term of service and could have been set free, but instead chose to remain a slave. It is a word that speaks of someone who is a slave by choice.