James 3:13-18

Read the passage here.

The wisdom that comes from heaven sounds awesome.  If you want some of that wisdom put your hand up. Yup – I thought so.

More than that; I want the people around me to have that wisdom.  It sounds very attractive and like my life would be a lot simpler and pleasant if folk were ‘first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.’

The wisdom of this world seems to be quite the opposite; angry, selfish, argumentative, proud, ruthless, judgemental and insincere.  And this is what is celebrated.  We should of course yearn after the wisdom that comes from heaven for ourselves but also for others.  We should also, perhaps, be slower to lift-up those who revel in the world’s wisdom as good examples.

Possible areas of discussion

Do you have this wisdom from heaven?

Why would people boast about their selfish ambition?

What is a peace-maker?

Is it possible to ‘get on in the world’ without joining in its ways?

Feel free to talk about whatever is on your heart.

James 3: 1-12

Read the passage here.

The tongue is small yet has great power.  It sings praise to God and curses our neighbours. It cannot be tamed.

James really doesn’t mince his words does he?!  I feel pretty convicted when I read this.  I have the opportunity to preach/teach from time to time and I am guilty of this hypocrisy.  On one occasion I’ll be sharing with people God’s words and another I may be gossiping or criticising someone harshly.

The challenge is not to tame our tongues (because it cannot be tamed James 3:8) but to tame our thoughts.  2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to ‘take captive every thought’.  Our tongues simply give expression to our thoughts so it is there, in our ‘hearts’, that we must be disciplined.

Possible areas of discussion

Is it fair that teachers are to be judged more strictly?

Does hypocrisy matter?

Should swearing matter to Christians?

How do can we ‘take captive every thought’?

Feel free to talk about anything that’s on your heart.

James 2:14-26

Read the passage here.

Faith in Christ is what saves us, nothing else.   Our faith produces in us the desire, ability and opportunities to do good works.  If our faith does not produce good work or a practical change in us for the good, then is it real faith?  James says no; if our faith doesn’t produce what faith should produce, it’s not faith.  An apple tree that doesn’t grow apples isn’t truly an apple tree.

We can’t separate our faith from our lives or our lives from our faith.  There is no point filling our heads with knowledge about theology and doctrine if we are not prepared to let that impact how we live.  However just as faith without works is dead so works without faith is nothing.  Without a relationship with a God who we know and love we have no life.  We have to be careful not to let our service replace our relationship.

Possible areas of discussion

Is it easier to ‘have faith’ or ‘do work’?

Is it possible to be ‘so heavenly minded that we’re of no earthly use’?

What are the dangers of a ‘works gospel’?

Feel free to talk about these or anything else you like. 

James 2:1-13

Read the passage here.

There is an obvious teaching about the dangers of favouritism in this passage but I’d like to mention the first and last verses in particular because I think they are awesome.

I love how James describes his Lord and brother in 2:1 – Glorious.  Yes He really is glorious.  I rarely talk about Jesus in those terms outside of talks or prayers.  Conversations I have with Christians rarely talk about Jesus with such affectionate awe and yet there are million reasons why Jesus is truly glorious, maybe we should list them?!

Then in 2:13 there is a great statement of truth that just emphasises the glorious nature of Jesus. Mercy triumphs over nature because He chooses to be merciful; He is our glorious example of how to deal with others when they wrong us.  Be merciful because Christ is glorious!

Possible areas of discussion:

In what ways is the Lord Jesus Christ glorious?

Is there favouritism shown in our churches?

2:6 is this still true today?

Is it fair that showing favouritism is equated with adultery and murder?

Is showing mercy easy?

Feel free to talk about these things or anything else the passage throws up.

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James 1:19-27

Read the Passage here.

I get angry too quickly.  There is some simple but effective advice in this passage to help me overcome that – listen.  We listen because it reminds us that we are not more important than others and we listen because it prevents us from becoming angry quickly.

We shouldn’t be angry, therefore, we should get rid of all moral filth and evil and accept the word that’s in us (v21).  The cause of our anger is moral filth and evil! This passage says if we do not control our evil desires, our tongue or our temper then any ‘religion’ we have is useless. As Christians we can be quick to become angry about ‘righteous’ things but perhaps when we take into account what James says we should examine our hearts to ensure we are not simply bringing the ugliness from inside us out into the open.

Possible areas of discussion

Is it possible to have ‘righteous anger’?

We love a debate but is listening difficult?

How often do you have your mind changed by someone?

Is perhaps listening to the word in order to do what it says the most difficult form of listening?

Feel free to talk about these things or anything else the passage throws up.

James 1:9-18

Read the passage here.

James is pretty straight talking.  There's a lot in this passage and it doesn't appear to have a strong theme through it (or maybe I'm missing it). But in these verses James tells a few home truths.

Hey poor person - be glad that you are relying on God.
Hey rich guy - be glad that your God is so much bigger, better and stronger than you.
Hey person who's under trial and persevering - you are blessed and will receive the crown of life.
Hey sinning person - that's your fault, stop blaming God or others.
Hey saved person - God chose you for Him and not the other way round.

Something for everyone you might say but through all this advice the passage is saying that God is in control here, He is good and everything that comes from Him is good.  I find this both challenging and reassuring (especially vv13-15).

Possible areas of discussion


Which of these areas are you most challenged by?
Do you see a theme in the passage?
How does this passage point to Jesus?
Is James saying that the rich are less loved than the poor?

Feel free to discuss anything else you like.

James 1:1-8

Read the passage here.

I love this passage because it shows the immense generosity of God.  Verse 2 could be seen as unreasonable, expecting us to be joyful in the midst of trials, but if we can do that then surely the burden of those trials would be a heck of a lot lighter.

It's not just a command to 'O for goodness sake cheer up would you'.  No we are given an explanation of why trials should be viewed as joy - because they produce perseverance which grows our faith.  So these trials are ultimately for our good!

Then in verses 5-8 there's more generosity.  Ask for wisdom and you'll get it.  Just make sure you're not double-minded when you ask and you'll get the wisdom you're asking for.  I love this because at times when I don't know the wisest course of action I can ask and -  boom! - there's some wisdom from God. Immense.

Possible areas of discussion

Is this sort of attitude to trials actually possible in the real world or is it just wishful thinking?
Is it fair that God uses trials for our good instead of just more pleasant experiences?
Have you ever undergone a trial through which you have experienced 'pure joy'?
Do we ask for wisdom? Do we need it?

Plus anything else you want to talk about.

Ready... set...

Our little bible study will begin on Monday 2nd April starting with James.  For details about the passages and how to join in have a little browse through the 'Reading Plan' and 'Contribute' tabs along the top of the blog post.

As ever feel free to comment/make suggestions/ask questions about how it's going to work.  Also this is an open thing so by all means invite who you like to join in the conversation.  Please don't rely on facebook updates to tell you when a new post is up, probably the most reliable way to keep track is to join by using the button on the right hand side.

Remember too that this is not about reading a blog but about reading the bible.  Pray that God may use something like this to deepen our relationship with Him and each other as we read, study and discuss together.

God bless.

Getting going

Perhaps we don't talk about Jesus enough or discuss the impact of being His disciple on our lives.  If you feel this is the case in your world or you would simply like to take part in a biblical discussion then this blog could be of use to you.

The plan is to read through a book of the Bible together discussing the meaning and application of each passage as we go using the 'comments' section; a kind of on-line Bible study if you like. It would obviously be better to meet together and work through it in person but that isn't always possible and so I hope this blog will be a useful alternative for those keen to get into the word.

This is something new for myself and probably a few others.  It could potentially be very useful although it will be of greatest worth if people are brave enough to comment and discuss.  This means that we must be careful in our discussion and ensure our conversations are 'full of grace, seasoned with salt' (Colossians 4:6) so as not to put contributors off and to enable us to learn from one another.

So... are you up for it?  Comment below to see if there is a want for this and/or to make suggestions on how we could make it work.