Scholars are divided as to whether James is addressing believers or unbelievers in his mention of the rich in 1:9-11; 2:1-7; and 5:1-6. This paper argues that James is addressing the same group of people in all three passages, namely, the professing false believers within the believing community.
The reason why scholars believe that James is addressing unbelievers in these passages is that James pronounces judgment and does not offer to them any hope of repentance or restoration. On the other hand, many scholars hold that James is addressing the rich believers at least in 1:9-11 because “the rich” in v. 10 is contrasted to the “lowly brother” in v. 9 indicating that the word “brother” is implied in “the rich” in v. 10. However, these scholars still hold that the rich in 2:1-7 and 5:1-6 are unbelieving outsiders because they oppress the believers and drag them into court (2:6), blaspheme the name of the Lord (2:7), defraud their workers’ wages (5:4), and condemned and murdered the righteous (5:6), so the judgment day will be the day of their “slaughter” (5:5).
Such a view of mixed referents (believers in 1:9-11 and unbelievers in 2:1-7 and 5:1-6) in James’ mentions of the rich in the letter is not the most natural reading of the letter. I argue that an important theme of the letter, a warning against self-deception, strongly supports the view that James is addressing self-deceived rich false believers within the believing community throughout the letter. I also argue that a call to repentance is implicit in the warnings themselves and is also present elsewhere in the letter (e.g., 2:14-26; 4:4-10).