James
Connecting the d
ots ...
James connecting the dots
Introduction
James writes to those in the dispersion – those who are dispersed in the
world and away from their true home. This is how we should read it as well,
as those who have set their eyes, not on this present world, but on the
world to come. In the introduction, James provides something of an over-
view of the major themes and issues he is going to address in the exposi-
tion. He begins with a life of joy in the midst of adversity, and ends with a
definition of true religion (highlighting how contrary to the world religion is).
Faith in Jesus Christ entails a reversal of the world, such that Christian wis-
dom understands struggles, faith status, temptation, and values as directly
opposed to the worlds. In the context of this study, ‘connecting the dots’
refers to the central Christian truth that our faith in Christ Jesus must per-
meate all areas of our lives.
12 Studies in James
1) 1: 1-12: ‘Getting the right perspective’.
2) 1: 13-27: ‘Where is your heart?’
3) 2: 1-13: ‘God’s unconditional love in an unjust world’.
4) 2: 14-26: ‘Faith in action’.
5) 3: 1-12: ‘The power of the tongue’.
6) 3: 13-18: ‘Two kinds of wisdom’.
7) 4: 1-10: ‘Drawing near to God’.
8) 4: 11-12: ‘Repentance: Don’t judge each other’.
9) 4: 13-17: ‘Repentance: Don’t boast in arrogance’.
10) 5: 1-6: ‘Repentance: Don’t trust in wealth’.
11) 5: 7-11: ‘Reason for hope’.
12) 5: 12-18: ‘Prayer – A way of life’.
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James | connecting the dots
The Aim of this book:
The Aim of this book is to understand wisdom as a posture of humility be-
fore God and to call Christians to a life of integrity between word and
deed.
Important themes:
• Wisdom – wisdom is, for James, a way of life based on an
allegiance – to the way from above. Christian wisdom en-
tails a dependence upon God from the heart to love him
and our neighbours as ourselves. Main image for lacking
wisdom: being tossed to and fro like the waves.
• World – the world should not simply be seen as an entity
(“earth”), but as a structure and value system which seeks
to undermine the gospel by imposing values, judgements
and hierarchies. The church’s response is the wisdom from
above which is the kingdom of God.
• Poor – the poor have a very strong presence in James’ writ-
ing, probably because they are the perfect example when
worldliness sets in – the poor are undervalued, judged and
neglected. They are seen through worldly eyes rather than
through the eyes of Christ.
• Heart – this is central to James but can be overlooked. He
weaves it throughout so that is the foundation of the whole.
By one’s heart wisdom flows forth, and therefore the world
cannot be blamed as something external to us – but evil
flows from us to create “the world”.
• Tongue – speech matters. Judging others, teaching falsely,
being quick to speak, claiming your future, are held in con-
trast to prayer, confession and admonishing one other.
Sharp contrasts: above/below, Godly/demonic, humble/
prideful, wise/ foolish, light/darkness, single-minded/double-
minded, perfect/imperfection.
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James | connecting the dots
1: Getting the Right Perspective
[James 1: 1-12]
1) James is writing to Christians scattered throughout the
world away from their spiritual home. In what ways as a
Christian can you relate to this experience of being dis-
persed in the world (1:1)? Throughout the book of
James you will come across the concept of the world
(1:27). What do you think James is talking about? How
do verses 9-11 help answer this question?
2) How have trials/difficulties that you have come through
shaped your perspective on life?
3) What is wisdom?
4) James uses our inevitable death (1:11) to put our pur-
suits in perspective. How does death orient your life?
5) If someone was to ask you ‘What is life all about?’ how
would you go about answering this question?
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James | connecting the dots
2: Where is your heart?
[James 1: 13-27]
1) What does it look like to accept responsibility for sin in
your own life? (1: 13-14)
2) How can we start to prepare to deal with temptations
that are a reality in our lives?
3) In your own opinion what is religion?
4) What kind of picture of God do verses 17 & 18 give
you? Why does James focus on these attributes of
God?
5) Re-read James 1: 19-27; what does it mean to be a
good listener to the Word?
6) What is good fruit according to James? (19, 25, 27).
Why does James focus on the tongue? What does the
tongue tell us about our heart?
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James | connecting the dots
3: God’s unconditional love in an unjust
world.
[James 2: 1-13]
1) How would you define Justice? Give some examples
of injustice that you are aware of both on a small
scale and larger scale.
2) One of the major themes in James is that the poor in
society are most often on the receiving end of injus-
tice (2:2-3). Does God preferentially love the poor?
3) How can our friendships or social structures dishon-
our God’s Royal Law of Love (2:8)? What about our
Church community, what would it look like to love
impartially? (2: 2-4)
4) What parallels do you see in James’ teaching with
that of Christ’s?
5) Why does James use our capacity to show mercy to
others as an indicator of the reality of our walk with
God (2: 12-13)?
6) Having identified areas of injustice (Q 1), what do
you think God would have you/us do to address
these areas in such a way that we minister his
mercy?
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James | connecting the dots
4: ‘Faith’ in Action
[James 2:14-26]
1) What is Faith?
2) What is your initial reaction to reading this em-
phasis on works? (2: 14-19)
3) What kind of response is James seeking to elicit?
4) Practically speaking, in what ways does dead
faith manifest? Write down specific areas of your
life in which you see God least at work.
5) Can you think of passages where Paul expresses
a similar sentiment to James?
6) In light of this passage, how would you describe in
simple terms to a non-believer what biblical
faith is all about?
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James | connecting the dots
5: The Power of the Tongue
[James 3: 1-12]
1) Read 3:1 in parallel with 1:19-20. Think about the
emphasis in the New Testament on unity among
God’s people in light of these passages. Have you
seen the damage the tongue can do in the church?
2) How does our speech give insights into the condition
of our heart?
3) Where in your own life does your speech lead to di-
vision and broken relationships?
4) Read Matthew 12:33-37. How do your words help
shape your life?
5) Why do you think the tongue is so hard to “tame”?
STUDENT GUIDE MOBILISE
James | connecting the dots
6: ‘Two Kinds of Wisdom’
[James 3: 13-18]
1) Hand out a sheet of paper to each person, and have
them draw a vertical line down the middle. On the left
side, have them list specific ways wisdom from above is
currently bearing fruit in their relationships. On the right
side, have them list specific ways wisdom from below is
manifesting in their relationships.
2) How would you sum up James’ teaching in this pas-
sage? How does it relate to what James says in 1: 18-
19?
3) What are some ways you have seen ‘wisdom from be-
low’ in your church experience?
4) What do you want church to be like? How could this
become a reality?
5) How would you describe what sort of community group
you are becoming?
6) What needs to change? What needs to stay the same
or develop further? What needs to stop?
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James | connecting the dots
7: Drawing Near to God
[James 4:1-10]
1) James locates the origin of conflict and evil within the
human heart (4:1). What are some of the implication of
this for the Christian life?
2) How can we discern if our desires are good or not
(4:2-3)? James suggests there is a wrong form of prayer;
how can we guard against praying like this?
3) How do you deal with temptation? How should we deal
with ongoing temptation in our own lives in light of this
passage?
4) What is the difference between ‘saying sorry’ and re-
pentance (4:7-10)?
5) How can we avoid ‘self-help spirituality’ when it comes
to dealing with actual sin and brokenness in our own
lives?
6) How can we play our part in conforming to the work of
the Holy Spirit in our lives? (4: 7-10)
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James | connecting the dots
8: Repentance - Don’t judge each
other
[James 4: 11-12]
1) Why is criticism and slander so offensive to God?
2) What is the difference between judging one another (in
the sense of this passage) and assessing/analysing one
another’s actions?
3) Can you think of biblical guidelines for challenging
each other’s behaviour?
4) James encourages his readers to see themselves as
brothers and sisters in the Lord. Why is this significant?
5) Re-read these verses. What are four lines of argument
James uses to reinforce his prohibition of Christians
slandering/judging one another?
6) How can community groups strengthen your church fel-
lowship in this regard? What is your experience of get-
ting close to other Christians?
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James | connecting the dots
9: Repentance - Don’t boast in
arrogance
[James 4. 13-17]
1) Think of one small and one large decision you have
made within the past couple of months...Discuss how
you went about making these decisions. How did your
attitude compare to this passage?
2) What exactly is James warning against in this passage?
3) What is the difference between sinful presumptuous-
ness and sensible planning?
4) What steps can we take in our lives to stop presumptu-
ous planning?
5) How do we discern God’s will in our lives in such a way
that allows room for His sovereignty?
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James | connecting the dots
10: Repentance: Don’t trust in Wealth
[James 5: 1-6]
1) “An affluent culture turns our hearts towards fleeting
satisfactions and away from God, while unprece-
dented prosperity has left our lives full but not neces-
sarily fulfilled”. How strongly could you agree with
the above statement? Why do you think this is/is not
the case?
2) What issues today are you aware of that relate to
this lack of concern for the poor’s needs? How does
this relate to you personally? How does this relate to
community groups at large in church?
3) Are there aspects of capitalism that oppose the
gospel? In your opinion, how immune are churches
from the allure of wealth and prosperity?
4) Are you aware of any injustice in Aberdeen? Give
some examples? How does the gospel answer these
needs?
5) What is the difference between social justice in
Christian terms and professional social work?
6) How can we build practices and place safeguards in
our life to protect our faith against: Greed (5: 2-3),
dishonesty (5:4) and self-indulgence (5:5)?
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James | connecting the dots
11: Reason for Hope
[James 5: 7-11)
1) In one sentence re-state James’ thought on the nature
of Christian hope?
2) What is the difference between Christian patience and
any other sort of patience? How does impatience
manifest in your life?
3) How does this passage help us deal with suffering, pain
or injustice?
4) Are there answers for every form of suffering or just
some? If so what are some of these reasons?
5) Is this patience that James calls for active or passive?
What does it look like in practice?
6) How are Job and the other prophets an example to us
today?
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James | connecting the dots
12: Prayer: A Way of Life
[James 5: 12-18]
1) In smaller groups identify some ways you think you have
grown in single-mindedness. Encourage one another in
ways you have seen growth in each other.
2) How would you describe the role of prayer to a non-
Christian?
3) How would you answer someone who suggested with
the advent of modern medicine, those are sick should
call in their doctor rather than their church leader?
4) What aspects of prayer in this passage do you find most
challenging?
5) James finishes with this section on prayer because of
the centrality and necessity for prayer. How does your
life reflect James’ emphasis?
6) How would you describe your prayer life? What can
help your prayer life develop?
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