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(James 1:1-8)

James’s themes in chapter 1 include: Suffering in trials; perseverance; faith; and wisdom. Which would you most like to understand better? Why?

 

Read James 1:1-4. How would your non-Christian friend take this advice, if you gave it: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds?

 

Is considering something all joy the same as feeling joyous? If not, what is the difference and why does it matter?

 

Can a person consider trials a joy if he does not know that God is using them for good? What good does God bring out of trials (v. 3)?

 

What must we know about trials in order to consider them all joy?

 

Does steadfastness (NIV, “perseverance,” v. 3-4) automatically lead to maturity and wholeness? Explain your answer.

 

How do I know if I should remain steadfast (persevere) on the course I’m on?

 

Why should you count your current trial(s) joy? How can you count your current trial(s) joy?

 

How would a lack of wisdom manifest itself? What evidence in our lives might reveal a lack of wisdom? (Consider also James 3:13-18.)

 

Read verse 5: “Do you think most people think of God this way? Explain your answer.

 

Is faith a condition of receiving wisdom? Why would God attach such a condition? Is it an arbitrary condition or is it intrinsic to the answer?

 

What does James mean by saying the petitioner must not doubt (King James, “nothing wavering”)? Is this intellectual doubt or something else?

 

What is the double minded (literally, two-souled) man (v. 8) like? Why would such a person be “unstable in all his ways”?

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