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Questions and Answers
Which James is traditionally attributed as the author of the Book of James?
Which James is traditionally attributed as the author of the Book of James?
- James the son of Alphaeus
- James, brother of John and son of Zebedee
- James, father of the apostle Judas
- James the Just, half-brother of Jesus (correct)
The author of the Book of James identifies himself as 'the brother of Jesus' in the opening greeting.
The author of the Book of James identifies himself as 'the brother of Jesus' in the opening greeting.
False (B)
What Greek word is translated as 'bondservant' in James 1:1, and what is its more accurate translation?
What Greek word is translated as 'bondservant' in James 1:1, and what is its more accurate translation?
doulos, slave
In James 1:1, the letter is addressed 'To the twelve tribes which are ______ abroad'.
In James 1:1, the letter is addressed 'To the twelve tribes which are ______ abroad'.
Match the following individuals named James with their distinguishing characteristic.
Match the following individuals named James with their distinguishing characteristic.
According to James 1:2, how should believers respond when they 'fall into various trials'?
According to James 1:2, how should believers respond when they 'fall into various trials'?
According to James, trials produce faith in believers.
According to James, trials produce faith in believers.
What is the ancient Greek word for 'patience' used in James 1:3, and what does it signify?
What is the ancient Greek word for 'patience' used in James 1:3, and what does it signify?
James 1:4 states, 'But let patience have its perfect ______, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing'.
James 1:4 states, 'But let patience have its perfect ______, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing'.
Match the following terms with their descriptions according to James 1:2-4.
Match the following terms with their descriptions according to James 1:2-4.
According to James 1:5, what should a person do if they lack wisdom?
According to James 1:5, what should a person do if they lack wisdom?
According to James, God gives wisdom grudgingly and with resentment.
According to James, God gives wisdom grudgingly and with resentment.
According to James 1:6, how should one ask God for wisdom in order to receive it?
According to James 1:6, how should one ask God for wisdom in order to receive it?
James 1:6-7 describes a person who doubts as being like a ______ of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6-7 describes a person who doubts as being like a ______ of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Match the following characteristics with their descriptions according to James 1:5-8.
Match the following characteristics with their descriptions according to James 1:5-8.
According to James 1:9-10, what should the 'lowly brother' and the rich man glory in, respectively?
According to James 1:9-10, what should the 'lowly brother' and the rich man glory in, respectively?
James suggests that earthly riches are a permanent source of security and identity.
James suggests that earthly riches are a permanent source of security and identity.
According to James 1:11, what happens to the rich man in his pursuits?
According to James 1:11, what happens to the rich man in his pursuits?
James 1:11 compares the rich man to a ______ of the field that withers away.
James 1:11 compares the rich man to a ______ of the field that withers away.
According to James 1:12, what is promised to the man who endures temptation?
According to James 1:12, what is promised to the man who endures temptation?
According to James, God directly tempts individuals to do evil.
According to James, God directly tempts individuals to do evil.
According to James 1:14, what is the source of temptation?
According to James 1:14, what is the source of temptation?
James 1:15 states, 'Then, when desire has ______, it gives birth to sin'.
James 1:15 states, 'Then, when desire has ______, it gives birth to sin'.
According to James 1:17, where do every good gift and every perfect gift come from?
According to James 1:17, where do every good gift and every perfect gift come from?
According to James, God is subject to change and variation, like the shifting shadows.
According to James, God is subject to change and variation, like the shifting shadows.
According to James 1:18, how does God bring us forth?
According to James 1:18, how does God bring us forth?
According to James 1:18, believers are a kind of ______ of His creatures.
According to James 1:18, believers are a kind of ______ of His creatures.
According to James 1:19, what three things should every man be in relation to hearing, speaking, and wrath?
According to James 1:19, what three things should every man be in relation to hearing, speaking, and wrath?
According to James, the wrath of man produces the righteousness of God.
According to James, the wrath of man produces the righteousness of God.
According to James 1:21, what should believers lay aside?
According to James 1:21, what should believers lay aside?
According to James 1:21, believers should receive with ______ the implanted word.
According to James 1:21, believers should receive with ______ the implanted word.
According to James 1:22, what should believers be, and what should they not be?
According to James 1:22, what should believers be, and what should they not be?
According to James, simply hearing the word of God is enough to transform a person's life.
According to James, simply hearing the word of God is enough to transform a person's life.
According to James 1:25, what law should one look into?
According to James 1:25, what law should one look into?
According to James 1:25, the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it will be ______ in what he does.
According to James 1:25, the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it will be ______ in what he does.
According to James 1:26, if someone thinks they are religious but does not do what?
According to James 1:26, if someone thinks they are religious but does not do what?
According to James, external religious observances are sufficient to demonstrate genuine faith.
According to James, external religious observances are sufficient to demonstrate genuine faith.
According to James 1:27, what are two examples of pure and undefiled religion before God?
According to James 1:27, what are two examples of pure and undefiled religion before God?
According to James 1:27, true religion involves keeping oneself ______ from the world.
According to James 1:27, true religion involves keeping oneself ______ from the world.
Flashcards
Who was James?
Who was James?
Half-brother of Jesus, leader in Jerusalem church.
What is a bondservant?
What is a bondservant?
A servant or slave, denoting a permanent servitude relation.
What is 'Lord' (Kurios)?
What is 'Lord' (Kurios)?
The master of a doulos. James considered Jesus as God.
What does 'Greetings' mean?
What does 'Greetings' mean?
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What are Trials?
What are Trials?
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What is patience (hupomone)?
What is patience (hupomone)?
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What is important about tested faith?
What is important about tested faith?
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How does God give wisdom?
How does God give wisdom?
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What is a doubter like?
What is a doubter like?
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What is a double-minded man?
What is a double-minded man?
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Why are trials valuable for the rich?
Why are trials valuable for the rich?
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Why is it worth it to endure temptation?
Why is it worth it to endure temptation?
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What is the motive for resisting temptation?
What is the motive for resisting temptation?
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Where does temptation come from?
Where does temptation come from?
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What is the progression of sin?
What is the progression of sin?
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What is Satan's strategy in temptation?
What is Satan's strategy in temptation?
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Where do good gifts come from?
Where do good gifts come from?
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What is God like?
What is God like?
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How is salvation given?
How is salvation given?
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How does God bring us forth salvation?
How does God bring us forth salvation?
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How can we be slow to wrath?
How can we be slow to wrath?
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What does human wrath accomplish?
What does human wrath accomplish?
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What is the opposite of filthiness?
What is the opposite of filthiness?
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What is meekness?
What is meekness?
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What happens if you hear God's word but don't do it?
What happens if you hear God's word but don't do it?
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What is the one who hears the word without doing it?
What is the one who hears the word without doing it?
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What is 'observing his natural face'?
What is 'observing his natural face'?
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How will we be blessed?
How will we be blessed?
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What does the perfect law of liberty do?
What does the perfect law of liberty do?
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What's useless religion?
What's useless religion?
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What does a real walk with God show?
What does a real walk with God show?
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What is the meaning of 'unspotted from the world'?
What is the meaning of 'unspotted from the world'?
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Study Notes
A Greeting from James
- James identifies himself as a bondservant (slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, not emphasizing his familial relation to Jesus
- The letter is addressed to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, likely Jewish Christians before the large-scale inclusion of Gentiles
Author James
- James the Just, half-brother of Jesus, is the attributed author
- He led the church in Jerusalem
- He was initially unsupportive of Jesus's ministry
- Was converted after a resurrection appearance of Jesus
- Was known for devotion and prayer
- Was martyred in Jerusalem
- He did not proclaim himself as Jesus' brother, but a servant of God
Bondservant
- Bondservant translates doulos, meaning slave in a permanent state of servitude
- Lord translates kurios, the master of a doulos, signifying James considered Jesus as God
To the Twelve Tribes
- A Jewish figure of speech for the Jewish people is used to reference the twelve tribes
- Jewish people were scattered across the world at the time of writing
- Some considered James a leader to the circumcised in ministry
Trials and Joy:
- Trials are inevitable and should be greeted with joy because they produce patience
- Trials test faith, they do not produce faith
- Faith comes by hearing the Word of God
- Trials reveal the faith we have
Patience
- Patience is active endurance, not passive waiting
- It helps one remain under a heavy load rather than escaping it
- Philosopher Philo called patience the queen of virtues
- Patience must be allowed to fully develop in order to be complete
Receiving Wisdom
- Trials prompt the need for wisdom from God
- Ask God, who gives generously and without reproach
- Requests for wisdom should be in faith, without doubting
- Doubting leads to instability
- The Bible is the place to begin and end when seeking wisdom
The Double-Minded
- Doubting when asking God indicates double-mindedness
- The double-minded are unstable
Perspective on Wealth and Poverty
- The lowly should glory in their exaltation by God
- The rich should glory in their humiliation through trials
- Material riches are temporary, like a flower of the field
Enduring Temptation
- Blessing comes to those who endure temptation, proving their love for God, because they will receive the crown of life
- God allows temptation to approve of us
Origin of Temptation
- Temptation does not originate from God, who cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone
- Temptation arises from one's own desires drawing them away
- Desire conceives sin, and sin brings forth death
- One should not be deceived about the progression of sin to death.
God's Goodness
- Every good and perfect gift comes from God, the Father of lights
- There is no variation or shadow of turning with God
- Salvation is given by God's will, not earned by works, so that one might be as firstfruits of His creatures.
Managing Anger
- Develop being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.
- Human wrath does not produce God's righteousness
Resisting Fleshly Desires
- Lay aside all filthiness and wickedness.
- Receive the implanted word of God with meekness, which is able to save
- This purity of God's word can preserve thru impure age
Hearing and Doing
- Be doers of the word, not just hearers, to avoid self-deception
- Hearing without doing is like looking in a mirror and forgetting what was seen
- Study, penetrate, and continue in God's word
The Perfect Law of Liberty
- Called "The law of liberty" because this law is written on transformed hearts by the Spirit of God
- It is a way to describe the Word of God under the New Covenant
Examples of True Religion:
- True religion involves bridling the tongue, visiting orphans and widows in their trouble, and keeping oneself unspotted from the world
- True religion helps the needy and keeps itself unstained by the world's corruption.
- Lot from Genesis is an example of a man being spotted by the world
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Description
Explore the introduction to the Book of James, identifying James as the author and a bondservant of God and Jesus Christ. This lesson also examines the audience of the letter: the twelve tribes scattered abroad.
