Download discussion questions:  James 1:1-11

Our discussion last week barely got through the first four of the eight verses in the selected passage.  This week we picked up where we left off.

Three Themes

We started by looking at the first three paragraphs after the greeting in the letter.  The guidelines were:  What similar words or phrases are repeated?  What contrasting words or phrases do you see?  Based on those observations, we looked for titles for each of the paragraphs.  (If you were not with us, stop here and read the first chapter of James and write down the titles you would apply to those three paragraphs.) Continue reading →

Download discussion questions:  James 1:1-8

Last week we started our study by looking at two passages that mention James, the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the early church in Jerusalem.  After our usual beginning (each group member reading and thinking about the passage), we discussed the authorship of the letter.  A second handout (Notes for James 1:1-8) included additional information. Continue reading →

Download discussion questions:  Acts 15; Galatians 2

Our group began studying the letter that James wrote by first looking at two other New Testament passages that mention him.

Acts 15 records a meeting of the early church held in Jerusalem, probably around AD48-49.^[1]  The council was led by James and addressed the very real question of the relationship between the law practiced by Jews and the gospel being preached, especially by Paul.  “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” (Acts 15:1). Continue reading →

Sola Fides – Faith Alone – was and is one of the slogans summarizing the Reformation.  But then what do we do with the letter that James wrote, saying, among other things, “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone”?

Can we trust Scripture to provide us with a consistent, coherent message?  Or do we need to be selective in choosing the parts that we like best?  If we believe that all parts of the Bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit, how do we fit together such seemingly contrasting ideas?

Starting November 3, 2019, our study will be exploring the book that James wrote.  Join us as we discuss this book and all the questions it raises.  If God is telling a Larger Story throughout His Word, how are all the pieces of that Story woven seamlessly together?