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Bible study book on james trial#

We can talk to others to see how we can do better. Once we acknowledge them, then we can correct our course.

We have to unlearn our prejudices.We all have learned prejudices.

I have to be brutally honest with myself. If I am unwilling to self-examine, then I am like the person in James 1 who looks in the mirror and forgets their face. This may begin by simply asking the other person what I did wrong. But I have to objectively look at the facts. If someone accuses me of being racist, my initial temptation is to dig my heels in and deny it.

We have to admit to our prejudices. I cannot make any progress if I am unwilling to admit that I have indeed discriminated at times.

When we see each other as God sees us - as souls in need of His grace - then we can be gracious to each other and look past whatever differences that may otherwise come between us. If we start with love and mercy as a foundation, then it’s easier to let go of our prejudices. Verse 13 says mercy triumphs over judgment. The cure is in verse 8 - love your neighbor as yourself. It is not a matter of politics or cultural preservation. In verse 9, he says that we commit sin when we discriminate. How can we ever hope to bring people to Christ if we discriminate against them? When we do so, we betray the righteous judgment Christ says we ought to exercise in John 7:24, and we become judges with evil thoughts, pushing people away from salvation based on our own fears and mistrust. But anyone should feel welcome and cared for among Christians. This is not to say we never teach about difficult or controversial topics. This is not to say we never deal with sin. A Latino man versus a white man, a homeless mom versus a business person, a gay person versus a straight person, a pacifist versus a veteran, a Democrat versus a Republican - if we make one person in any of these pairings feel less welcome in our congregations, then we are showing the exact prejudice that James describes.

In this book, James uses economic status as the basis for prejudice, but we could replace this with any form of discrimination, and it would work just as well. Most translations read “favoritism” in verse 1, but what James describes comes down to prejudice. The first way we put our faith into action is by letting go of our prejudices. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in.

My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. I’m working from the Christian Standard Bible. When we put our faith into action, we will lose all prejudice and learn to treat others with grace and fairness regardless of any worldly differences that might otherwise separate us. This theme transitions directly into the thoughts of James 2. This maturity leads us to put our faith into action, and James says we are blessed when we look into the perfect law of liberty and then do what we find there. Enduring them makes our faith and relationship with our Savior all the stronger.

Bible study book on james trial#

He asserts that every trial we overcome helps us mature as Christians.

When James opens his letter, he challenges his readers to view trials as opportunities to grow rather than obstacles to lament. James 2 continues the theme of maturity presented at the beginning of the book.