Wisdom is not just facts and information. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt…” 1:5-6a. “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. He doesn’t want us stumbling through our trials. Understanding our trials and sufferings of life is hard! But James tells us we can ask God all our questions. What is your usual response to trials? What gets in your way of seeing trials as opportunities for growth? God’s Wisdom It’s also the joy of comfort that God is present with us in all our trials and that we are never alone. The “pure joy” James mentions is not happiness in our trial, but the perseverance and wisdom we learn through our hardship. But instead of asking God “ Why is this happening” we need the strength and faith to say, “ What am I supposed to learn from this?” This turns us away from the worry and stress and towards His peace. We all experience trials- we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people.
THE BOOK OF JAMES BIBLE STUDY HOW TO
Therefore, we should expect them, and know how to deal with them in a positive way. Notice James says “when” you face trials, not “if” you do.
James’ words could not be more relevant to us today!
THE BOOK OF JAMES BIBLE STUDY FULL
I don’t know about you, but this year has been chock full of trials. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” 1:2-3. He gets right to the heart of their issues- Trials and Temptations James wanted to encourage them in their faith during their difficult church times (and this year, perhaps?) He was writing to support the scattered and persecuted early believers. James wastes no time getting down to business. Some call it the “how-to” book on Christian living.
James tells us we can’t just talk about our Christian faith- we have to show it with our actions. It focuses on practical actions and answers to life’s problems that we will encounter. He was writing to First Century Jewish Christians and the same principles apply to Christians today. James leads us on a journey of how to live out our Christian life. Paul wrote upon his first visit to Jerusalem as a Christian – “I saw none of the other apostles- only James, the Lord’s brother.” Gal 1:19 NIV. But he later believed and became an important leader in the Jerusalem church. Jesus’ brother James was not a follower of Jesus when He was alive. We see James, the brother of Jesus, however, mentioned significantly in the New Testament. The Romans killed one, and the other has little written about him. Seems like a trick question, right? There is some debate because Jesus had two apostles named James, but neither one is a strong candidate as the author. Even though this book has only 5 chapters, I’m going to break it into a two-part study. Since writing that post, God’s been bombarding me with verses from the Book of James! James focuses on the interaction of our faith and works and gives practical ways to live as Christians. The letter discusses true religion, true faith and true wisdom.We recently learned about the power of one person’s faith lived out in our world. Its main concern is to provide practical wisdom for everyday living. There is a greater emphasis on the practice of the Christian faith than on its truths. The primary theme of the letter is on living out one’s faith, being a doer and not just a hearer of the word.
The recipients of the letter are Jewish Christians of the Diaspora who fled Jerusalem during the persecution of Stephen. As leader of the Jerusalem church, James wrote in his capacity as a pastor to encourage and exhort his people who were dispersed in the face of their difficulties. The writer identifies himself as James, and he was probably the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the Jerusalem church/council. The book of James was written around the period of A.D.45-49, with many scholars estimating it to be before A.D. This suggests that it was composed when the church was still predominantly Jewish.
It has a distinctively Jewish nature-as can be seen from its many references to Old Testament characters such as Abraham, Rahab, Job, and Elijah and also through its references to nature, which was characteristic of the Jewish rabbis’ teaching in James’ day. The book of James is known as one of the seven General Letters in the New Testament (addressed to Christians in general and not to a particular church).