#BibleStudy Thoughts on the Questions from James Ch 1 on 02-09-2020


For as many Sundays as needed, my Sunday school class will explore the context and content of the practical content of the Letter from James. 

This is Wednesday. What follows are bits and pieces of the discussion in class on the questions posted two days ago.

If you miss getting the questions on Mondays, I invite you to copy and paste the questions from those posts into a word.docx and fill in blanks or answer questions on your own. You can compare your thoughts to those of my class members each Wednesday. If your answers don’t match my class’s answers, that doesn’t make your answers wrong. If you like more information about what was said in class, email me at the address at the end of this post.

I hope you enjoy exploring this practical book along with us. Each Sunday's discussion ends at the last question in black print. Photos included are of the "whiteboard" list I generated during the discussion and are nothing but time savers for me.

Questions in this print are yet to be answered.

I invite you to check this blog site on Friday when my Expressions of Faith posts are from James. Here's last week's link's URL.
I also invite you back to these "Questions" blogs next week!

Chapter 1

Verses 1-8
V1: Opening greeting. 
Who are "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations"? 
V2-3: Why "pure joy"? 
What does James mean by that? 
How do trials test our faith? 
What are some other examples of those who faced trials? 
Is there evidence of joy on their part? 
V3-4: What progression of the Christian life is illustrated in these verses? 
What do other Scriptures have to say about trials and suffering?  We changed this into a broad discussion of trials vs suffering.

  • "Count it all joy" means it's a choice you make.
  • Look at trials and suffering from a "what can I learn" aspect.
  • God's forgiveness enables us to let it go and move on.
  • Biblical Characters with Trials (outward circumstances): Noah, Job, Moses, Daniel
  • Biblical Characters who Suffered: Job, Moses, Daniel, Old Testament Joseph, John the Baptist.
  • Both trials and suffering come. Don't complain. Don't doubt.
  • Here's James 1:2-4 from The Message Bible. This is thought-provoking.

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

 Why is suffering THE only way to mature?
  • It helps us to help others.
  • God has to get our attention.
  • We have to realize we can't to it by ourselves.
  • It makes life doable.
  • We pray more during suffering.
  • We have long memories of suffering, but short memories of blessings.
  • Suffering is like a refiner's fire.
  • I Peter 4 offers more perspectives 


V5-8: How does the word "lack" tie vv4-5 together? 

Why is it so nice that God gives "without finding fault"? Can you think of an example of when you got something from a "fault-finder" - how did you feel when you finally got it? 


What does wisdom have to do with facing trials? 

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