The Letter of James, Part 1
What does living wisely for Christ look like? James, the brother of Jesus wrote a letter to the churches that gives us God’s divine insight into living faithfully every day.
James the Apostle, Rembrandt 1661
Anchor Texts:
The letter James wrote to the early church was general, not addressed to any one location. Some have called it “the ‘Proverbs’ of the New Testament” because he discussed wisdom in many different facets. Of course, James lays out wisdom in light of the specific Revelation of God’s ultimate purposes in Jesus Christ.
In our new series this fall we are going to ask questions, and dig deep into God’s Word in the Letter of James to see what living wisely and faithfully looks like in the trials and temptations of our own day.
Questions to Ponder:
1. Can we live “wisely” without knowledge of Jesus Christ? What kinds of “wisdom” are there?
2. Is the Old Testament book of Proverbs lacking something necessary for wise living today?
3. Read James 1:1-18, preferably out loud—what is “testing of faith” and why do you think God “tests” us? What’s the difference between God testing vs. tempting us (which James says he never does in v. 13)
4. James 1:8 talkes about a “double-minded” person- another way to translate this word is to say they are “two-souled” or “two-lived.” Ponder these phrases - what do you think they mean? How do your thoughts affect what “doubting” means?
5. What do the anchor texts tell you about God? What do they reveal about human beings?
The Theme in Song:
The song below touches on many of the key points in James 1. Trials, suffering, wisdom, and faith all play a part in the stories depicted in this music video. The refrain, “My help is from you” echoes the poetry of Psalm 121:2 “my help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.”
The Theme in Art:
Normally a single painting is the center of this section of the blog, but I encourage you to read this inspiring story of perseverance through trials and a living example of practical wisdom and hope in the life of Samuel Banda. Click here for the story.
It can be very hard to keep living for Jesus in our schools or with our friends of families. Douglas (our puppet friend from this week’s video) wants to encourage you to PERSEVERE, just like James encourages us to do in vv. 1:2-4.
