JA MES

EPISTLES
 R EAD THIS FIRST

This Bible Companion is a summary of Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s teaching of

the book of James heard on THRU the BIBLE. These summarized lessons
get to the heart of Bible passages and are intended to stir your own
thinking, prayer, and study.

Begin with prayer. Dr. McGee said, “We are living in the day of the
ministry of the Holy Spirit, the day of grace, when the Spirit of God
takes the things of Christ and reveals them to us.” Before you start
each lesson, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as He is revealed
in that section. Dr. McGee said, “This is the secret of life and of
Christian living.”

As you study, read the Bible passage first. Invite God to open your
eyes and deepen your understanding of His Word. That’s a request
God loves to answer!

If you want to listen to Dr. McGee’s complete teaching on any

specific passage, go to TTB.org/James (or any book of the Bible).
The corresponding audio messages are listed at the top of the
summaries. You can also use this Bible Companion to follow along
and take notes while you listen to Dr. McGee teach a book of the
Bible on the radio or online.

After every lesson, several questions are listed for your

personal consideration or, if you’re reading this as a group,
for your discussion. Ask the Spirit to help you take to heart what
He wants to show you.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you

richly in all wisdom and teaching….
COLOSSIANS 3:16A
 TABL E OF CONTENTS

LESSON 1 WHY DOES GOD TEST OUR FAITH?..................................1

LESSON 2 EVERY GOOD GIFT. . ........................................................9

LESSON 3 FAITH ALIVE.. .................................................................. 17

LESSON 4 GOD BUGS YOUR CONVERSATION...........................25

LESSON 5 THIS IS WAR....................................................................32

LESSON 6 RICH MAN, POOR MAN. . .............................................. 40

 L E SSO N 1

WHY DOE S GOD

T E S T O U R FAITH?

Begin with prayer

Read James 1:1-18

Listen at TTB.org/James to James 1:1-3, James 1:3-11, James 1:3-13,

James 1:13-15, and James 1:14-19

Of all the books of the New Testament, the Epistle of James was written first,
sometime between 45-50 a.d. Some say it was written to argue with Paul’s
book to the Thessalonians, but in fact, James wrote his book years before.
He wrote this letter to the Jews, all twelve tribes who were scattered abroad.
The early church was 100 percent Jewish in those early years.

Although James was Jesus’ half-brother, he never refers to himself as such;

instead, he calls himself Jesus’ bondservant—His slave. Perhaps he never
boasted about his relationship with Jesus because before the resurrection,
James didn’t believe Jesus’ claims to be Messiah. Once he believed, however,
he followed the Lord faithfully. In fact, James likely became head of the
church at Jerusalem, and in Acts 15 he presided over the history-defining
great council there.

James wrote this very practical letter to the Jews living abroad about what
it means to walk by faith, specifically how we should be characterized by our
good works. Faith prompted our salvation, but our works are the result of our

1
 THRU the BIBLE

salvation. God looks down and sees our hearts, and He knows whether we
believe or not—that is justification by faith. But our neighbors next door don’t
see our hearts; they can only judge by our works, the fruit of our faith. James
urges us to act on what we believe—to let God’s Word inform the way we
live. Tradition says his nickname was “Old Camel Knees” because he spent so
much time in prayer.

The Epistle of James deals with the ethics of Christianity rather than
doctrine. James bears down on some practical issues but weaves the theme
of how faith produces these good works into every chapter. He talks about
how to prove faith is real and illustrates some of the ways God tests faith.

“Count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” he begins. Trouble will
come, so don’t think it strange that something terrible is happening to
you. Instead, rejoice that God is testing you in this way. James isn’t saying
Christians will necessarily experience joy when we go through trials. Trials
are meaningless, suffering is senseless, and testing is irrational unless there’s
some good purpose for them. God assures us there is (see Romans 8:28).

When you stand under the pressures, be alert to your heart’s attitude toward
your trouble. Believe that God has permitted this trial for a purpose. Be
confident He is working something out in your life. You may not understand
His purpose, but it pleases Him when you walk by faith and not by sight.

What are some of God’s purposes in these tests of faith?

James urges us to let patience develop us into mature and well-developed

Christians. Patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. You won’t become patient
by trying to be patient, but neither will the Holy Spirit deliver it on a silver
platter. Patience comes through suffering and testing. Testing and trials
produce patience in our lives so we might develop into full-grown children of
God. This is so relevant to today!

God allows trouble so that we learn patience, which will then produce real
hope and love in us. We’ll also gain wisdom related to our trials if we ask Him
for it.

Wisdom is the exercise and practical use of knowledge. Wisdom is knowing

how to act under difficult circumstances, or when you face problems or
questions. Life is filled with these situations, and we clearly need God’s

2
 THRU the BIBLE

wisdom to navigate them. God is in the business of giving out wisdom

“liberally”—that is, pure, simple giving of good without mixing in evil or
bitterness. If you lack wisdom, go to God who will hear and answer your
prayer. Just believe Him when He says He will help you.

Turn these problems over to Him. You don’t have the brains to meet the
problems of life, but you do have a heavenly Father who can supply the
wisdom you need. Tomorrow you’re going to be tempted to solve the
problem yourself, but that’s a mistake. When you’re tempted to doubt God’s
purposes, turn the problem back over to Him. Start each day by giving Him
your issues and trust Him that He’ll give you the wisdom you need to face the
challenges.

Rejoice today that you have a Savior who is not only going to save you for
heaven—that’s certainly good enough—but who will help you this very day. It
doesn’t matter if you are the humblest saint or the poorest person on earth;
you are rich in Christ, and you have something to rejoice over.

The book of James is sometimes compared to the book of Proverbs, which is

written like a college curriculum on wisdom. Here in the Epistle of James, we
find a different school—the “School of Hard Knocks.” God wants to bring His
own to full Christian maturity. He tests His children to weed out the phonies
and the fake saints and to assure His true children that He will help. Our
trials are proof positive of our faith. If you are having trouble, that’s a good
sign you belong to Him. He also wants to produce patience in your life and
confidence that God is working out His purpose in your life.

When faith is tested and surrounded by darkness, when the waves are rolling
high and all seems lost, the child of God knows this is not the end. It may
be gloom now, but it will be glory later on (see Psalm 30:5). James says
someday the one who has suffered “will receive the crown of life which the
Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

James says the person who endures and overcomes in this kind of test
(sometimes called a “temptation”), yet still believes God is allowing it for
a definite reason, this Christian will be awarded “the crown of life.” Testing
of any kind tends to create pessimism, bitterness, and cynicism; it’s easy
for people to get caught in the “why?” or “why me?” loop. But God tests
us to grow our faith and develop our patience, and He has something very
specifically in mind for the future.

3
 THRU the BIBLE

People who have suffered a great deal often enjoy a closer, more loving
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Suffering causes them to look
forward to the day when the Lord welcomes them into His presence, when
He will reward them with the crown of life.

Scripture mentions a half dozen different crowns given as rewards to

believers. The crown of life is a reward for those who endure trials in their
lives, yet they still love the Lord. Testing will either drive you to the Lord or
it will drive you away from Him. So many Christians become bitter when life
gets hard. But keep thinking about the moment you will stand in the Lord’s
presence. Don’t let the very thing your heavenly Father was using to develop
your character and to bring you into a loving relationship with Him make you
bitter. We will each endure trials, but if you emerge from them, still loving the
Lord Jesus Christ, then there’s going to be a reward waiting for you.

Someday you will stand before Jesus Christ—everyone will. If you do not
know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, you will stand before God at the Great
White Throne judgment that will determine your eternal destiny. If you do
know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will go beforehand to the
Bema seat of Christ. Here, your life will be evaluated to determine rewards.
It is here you will be awarded the crown of life which Jesus Himself offers to
those who, after they have endured the testings of this life, love Him.

People often blame God for many things for which He is not responsible.
Does God tempt you to do evil? James says no. God can’t be tempted with
evil, nor does He tempt with evil (vv. 13-14). God tests, He doesn’t tempt.
Jesus was tested to prove we have a Savior who could not sin. God cannot
be tempted with sin, and God will not tempt you with sin. There is no evil in
God. In Him all is goodness and all is light and all is right (see 1 John 1:5).

From the beginning of time, mankind has blamed God for his own faults and
failures and filth. Remember the Garden of Eden? Adam blamed God for
tempting him to sin, then he blamed the woman (whom God gave him), and
then she blamed the serpent (see Genesis 3:12-13). But who causes you to
sin? You choose it. Who draws you away to do evil? Who makes you yield to
evil temptation? God doesn’t. The devil doesn’t. You are responsible. Every
person is drawn in our own way to sin.

One person may be tempted to drink. Another may be tempted to overeat.

Another may be tempted in the realm of sex. The problem is always within
the individual. No outside influence can make us sin. The trouble is within us;

4
 THRU the BIBLE

it’s our old nature. We may try to rationalize it away, but the Bible calls them
sins. James says it’s your own lust (an uncontrolled longing) that draws you
away into sin. Our old nature joins with the outward temptation, and we act
on it. On its own, temptation is not sin. But when sin in our hearts becomes
an action, our fellowship with God is broken—and that is a death
(see 1 John 1:6).

“Do not be deceived,” James warns. The word “deceived” here means to
wander or to stray, like the lost sheep the Lord Jesus said the shepherd went
after. “Don’t wander. Don’t think that somehow you can get by with sin.” If
you have never been born again, you are a habitual and perpetual sinner
who doesn’t have a line of communication with God. If you can live in sin and
enjoy it, you are not a child of God—it’s just that simple.

Test your own heart today. Ask the Lord to show you if there’s anything
between Him and you (Psalm 139:23).

NEXT: What happens when you obey God’s Word?

5
 THRU the BIBLE

L E SSO N 1

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION

1. At the core of the book of James is the idea that genuine faith will
produce good works. What works would you point to in your life which
others might observe and conclude that you have faith?

2. Why do you think God might find it necessary to test a person’s faith?

3. Our attitude matters a great deal when it comes to enduring trials.

When a trial comes, is your initial reaction one of faith or something else?

6
4. The process which ends with wisdom begins with patience, but patience
has to grow. Are there areas of your life where you are resisting growing
in patience?

5. Wisdom is so important that we can never just rely on our own.

Who do you know who has wisdom you can turn to when you need it?

6. Trials will come. What can you do before they arrive to help make sure
they produce patience in your life rather than anger and bitterness?

7
 THRU the BIBLE

7. James tells us that, when we sin, we have only ourselves to blame.

He reminds us of Adam blaming God and then Eve for his sin. If you could
ask Adam, what reason do you think he would give for blaming Eve?

8
 L E SSO N 2

E VE RY GOOD
GIFT

Begin with prayer

Read James 1:19-27

Listen at TTB.org/James to James 1:19-22, James 1:22-25, and James 1:25—2:2

It’s been the custom down through the centuries to blame God for such
things as tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods (“acts of God”). But if you have
a good gift, it also came from Him. Count your many blessings today: The
sunshine, the rain, the cloudy day, the bright day, the green grass, the water
you drink, and the air you breathe. We really don’t understand how good
He is.

In fact, it’s God’s will that every person be born again—that’s how good He
is. It’s our choice whether we are or not. When God’s will joins with our will,
we will be born again. When you willingly come to Him and believe His Word
and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will be born again.

And that’s just the beginning. After we’re saved, we need to be quick to hear
the Word of God. This is how you will grow in your Christian life. You take
something that is living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword
(see Hebrews 4:12) and then listen to the Spirit of God who indwells you and
who wants to teach it to you. The Creator of this universe and the Redeemer
of lost sinners wants to talk to you—so be alert and quick to listen.

James also tells the child of God to be “slow to speak.” God gave us two ears
and one mouth—there must be a very definite reason for that. Talking too

9
 THRU the BIBLE

much puts us in danger. Next, be “slow to wrath.” Don’t argue about stupid
stuff. An uncontrolled temper wrecks your testimony. You may feel you are
angry because you are defending the faith, but the wrath of man simply does
not work with the righteousness of God. Don’t kid yourself that you are angry
for His sake, because He’s not angry—He’s in the saving business.

God is pleased when we leave the “filthiness” of the flesh behind us and
instead receive with a humble spirit the Word of God, which is rooted in our
hearts. This is the Word that introduced you to Jesus your Savior. It is also
the Word that will keep you from sin. The Word has already brought salvation
to you; now it shows you how to live as a Christian. Salvation is in three
tenses: You have been saved, you are being saved, and you will be saved.

The child of God can never get away from the Word of God. Every child
wants to hear his father’s voice, especially if it’s comforting. Correction is OK,
too, when it’s delivered with encouragement. If a Christian isn’t interested in
the Word of God or doesn’t stay near it, they’re going to get into trouble.

James really likes to get practical with faith issues. Prove yourself to be a
“doer of the word,” he says. Obey the Word, don’t just listen to it without
really pondering what it means. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re
following God if you ignore what He says.

The Bible is different from any other book. You can read most books to
gain information, knowledge, intellectual stimulation, spiritual inspiration,
amusement, or entertainment. But the Word of God demands action.

A book about history asks nothing of you. You can read literature, but
you’ll have no imperatives, no declarations, and no explanations to follow.
Science books make no demand on you whatsoever. A cookbook gives you
a recipe, but it doesn’t say you have to cook. However, the Word of God is a
command. It is a trumpet, an appeal for action. Here’s an example. John 3:36
says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not
believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” The
message of the Lord Jesus Christ is (1) “repent,” (2) “come to Me,” and (3)
“believe” (see Matthew 11:28 and Mark 1:15). The Word of God demands belief.

God isn’t asking anything of you until you become His child. But to those of
us who have become children of God, He says, do the Word. God doesn’t ask
the unsaved person to do anything at all; He wants to tell them that He has
done something. God just asks the unsaved person to believe.

But we who know Him should hear the Word of God and then go do it. God
intends the Word to produce creative action in us and to make for practical

10
 THRU the BIBLE

application, exciting living, and a thrilling experience. If we are motivated by

an inner desire and enjoy Spirit-filled living, we can enjoy life and all its thrills,
and then enjoy Bible study equally as well—in fact, it will be thrilling to us.

We won’t just hear the words, like we’re just auditing the class. No, we’ll be
students of the Word. We’ll take notes, go through exams, write papers, and
be rewarded with a diploma. Faith leads to action.

It’s too easy to fall into the trap of rationalizing our inaction and rationalizing
our sin (see 1 John 1:8). Have you ever looked in a mirror, noticed the big glob
of ketchup on your cheek, and then ignored it? James says if you don’t do
the Word, it’s like you see a reflection of yourself in a mirror—the you as you
really are—and yet do nothing about the flaws you see.

James says, in effect, Take time in front of the mirror. Give it your attention,
be alert to the Word of God. Don’t treat it casually. Instead, let God’s Word
remind you of Him and call you back into a relationship with Him.

God saves us by grace. He calls us to live in that grace, too. It’s “the perfect
law of liberty,” James said. This isn’t Moses’ Law that other books of the Bible
talk about. This is the law of faith and of love. The Lord said, “If you love Me,
keep My commandments” (John 14:15), and John says in his first letter, “For
this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).

When you drive down a freeway, you notice all the traffic. If anyone wants
the freedom to drive down that freeway, they had better obey the laws. The
freedom we have in Christ is in obeying His laws of love and faith and grace.
If we love Him, we’ll want to obey them. But His laws aren’t hard or rigorous.
Your freedom doesn’t entitle you to break the Ten Commandments. Those
laws are for the weak, for the natural man. Laws are for lawbreakers: What to
do, where to go, and how, with a punishment prescribed for those who break
over. Honest citizens don’t need the law.

Today God has called His children to a higher level. A child of God has a
spiritual spontaneity, a high and lofty motive, an inspiration of God. The
believer has no desire to murder. He lives above the law. He is now motivated
by the love of the Savior, and he wants to obey Him. The more we read and
study the Word, the more we will learn, we will love, and we will live. Joy fills
and floods the soul. We are not like galley slaves, whipped and chained to a
bench and doing that which we don’t want to do.

If we are to live for God, then we need to know His Word. As a healthy,
growing child of God, you keep learning what pleases Him.

11
 THRU the BIBLE

Next, James tells you a specific way to please the Lord—and it may not be
what you think. James uses the words “religious” and “religion” more than
any other New Testament writer. The word “religion” comes from a Latin
word which means “to bind back.” It means to go through a ritual
or ceremony.

Many religions today have faithful, zealous followers. But Christianity is not a
religion; it is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ—you either have Him
or you don’t have Him. James says to live a pure life before God means to live
out the Word. That’s the kind of religion that pleases the Lord. Christianity
certainly ought to produce this kind of compassion and mercy. We need to
practice a “religion of the street” where we are in contact with the world in a
personal way, with tenderness and kindness and helpfulness.

But contact with the world doesn’t mean we should act like the world or let
its ugly mark rub off on us. As believers, we are in this world but we are not
of this world. Go ahead and touch those around you with love and kindness
and grace, but be careful not to be sucked into its mold. You belong to Jesus.

NEXT: What genuine faith looks

like in the life of a believer.

12
 THRU the BIBLE

LESSON 2
FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
1. Most Christians know they need to be immersed in the Word of God, but
that doesn’t mean it is easy to do. What do you need to change or do
differently to be in the Word more than you are right now?

2. Being slow to speak isn’t just a matter of verbalization, it has to be a

change in mentality. And most of us find talking comes more naturally
than listening. Who do you know who is a good listener? What can you
learn from them?

3. Are there any practical steps you can take to put the command to be
“slow to anger” into practice?

13
4. What does it look like for a person to be a “doer of the Word?”

5. One of the reasons we struggle to apply the Bible’s teachings is that we

have no process for doing so. What are some principles for you to use
when applying the Bible?

6. What are some ways we can be more attentive to the voice of the Holy
Spirit when we are in God’s Word?
 THRU the BIBLE

7. If you could go back and ask James, “In one sentence, what is the
difference between a religion and Christianity?”, what do you think his
answer would be?

15
 The Creator of this
universe and the Redeemer
of lost sinners wants
to talk to you—
so be alert and
quick to listen.
 L E SSO N 3

FAIT H
ALIVE

Begin with prayer

Read James 2

Listen at TTB.org/James to James 2:1-13 and James 2:14-26

Both poverty and riches can be a curse. Proverbs 30:8 says, Give me neither
of them. What then is God’s solution to the problem of poverty?

God’s war on poverty and riches does not march under the banner of the
dollar, where millions are appropriated for relief. And it is not aimed primarily
at the head or at the stomach, but at the heart. This is a war against class.

In this section, James talks about distinctions and divisions among believers
brought about by money. Don’t say you love Jesus Christ and be a spiritual
snob, he says. All believers are your family in the body of Christ, whatever
their denomination. There is a fellowship of believers—the rich, the poor,
the common people, the high, the low, the bond and free, the Jew and the
Gentile, the Greek and the barbarian, male and female. We are one when the
Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship hangs over us like
a banner.

Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers. If you belong
to the Lord Jesus Christ and another person belongs to the Lord Jesus
Christ, he is your brother. Furthermore, if a sinner comes into your church or

17
 THRU the BIBLE

you otherwise come into contact with him, remember he is a human being
for whom Christ died. He stands at the foot of the cross, just as you do.

Some people walk into church in fine clothes and lots of bling. They look like
peacocks strutting their stuff. Others come in with torn, shabby clothing.
James contrasts these two people at the extremes of the social ladder. Be
careful not to tell the poor man to stand up in the rear and put the peacock
down in front. Don’t be partial in yourselves or act like a judge discerning
motives. Who knows if the poor believer may be the most spiritually rich
person in that church?

God has made it very clear from Genesis to Revelation that He has a special
concern and consideration for the poor. They have been despised by the
world. Their only hope is in Jesus Christ. When you mistreat the poor, you are
blaspheming the name of Christ.

If you want to please God, obey Him and act responsibly. James makes it
very clear what you are to do: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Moses’ Law condemns discriminating between the rich and poor. Some will
say, “Well, at least I didn’t commit murder or adultery.” But James writes that
we are guilty of breaking the commandments no matter which one it is that
we broke. We all stand before God as lawbreakers.

The Lord Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments…. This is My
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”
(John 14:15; 15:12).

In addition to how we treat each other, God also tests us by our works, our
actions. For generations, Bible teachers have argued that James’ discussion
of good works contradicts the apostle Paul’s assertion that faith alone can
save you (Galatians 2:16). But James and Paul are in perfect agreement; they
are discussing the same subject from different viewpoints. They stand back-
to-back, fighting opposite foes.

In that day, some religious people said you had to come to the Law to be
saved. Paul answered that by saying only faith in Christ can save you. Saving
faith—a faith which is genuine and real—will transform a person’s life. If it
doesn’t, it was just an empty faith. James says the faith which saves you will
produce works of faith. The faith that doesn’t produce good works is phony
and counterfeit. Doing follows believing. As John Calvin put it, “Faith alone
saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.”

18
 THRU the BIBLE

James says the works you do are the fruit of your faith. Paul talks about the
root of faith being Jesus alone; you can’t ever be good enough to work your
way into heaven. In spite of their different focuses, both Paul and James say
that faith alone saves and saving faith shows up in your life by good works.
This is faith alive!

You can tell when faith is genuine, just look at someone’s life. James gives
the practical illustration of a phony Christian who meets someone in need—
whether it be for food or clothing. They bless the needy person with flowery
words but send them on their way still naked and hungry. What good is that?
There must be a vocation to go along with the vocabulary. You can say pious
words and sound very spiritual, but unless you follow through with action, it
means nothing. A living faith produces something—you can identify it.

You cannot say you are a child of God and live completely unto yourself. Let
your actions speak for you. You are telling by your life whether your faith
is genuine or not. Lip service is not the evidence of saving faith—even the
demons believe. Saving faith produces living faith. Without evidence of a
changed life, your faith is empty and futile, as far as the world is concerned.

James gives two illustrations of this from familiar Old Testament people.

Remember Abraham? (Of course, they would.) Both the apostle Paul and
Genesis say that Abraham was saved by faith (see Genesis 15:6; 22:1-14). Was
Abraham justified when he offered his son Isaac? Did he offer his son Isaac?
No. Then what was Abraham’s work of faith? His faith caused him to lift that
knife to do a thing which he didn’t believe God would ever ask him to do.
But since God had asked him, he was willing to do it. He believed God would
raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham never actually offered Isaac, because
God provided a substitute, but he would have done it if God had not stopped
him. What saved Abraham? He believed God.

The second person James described was Rahab, known as “the harlot”—
hardly someone you would consider “religious.” But Rahab also believed
God and this faith saved her, as she proved with her actions. Rahab lived on
the walls of Jericho at the time when the Israelite spies were planning on
attacking the city. Rahab received the spies, hid them from her own people,
then told them how to escape without being detected (see Joshua 2 and
Hebrews 11:31). She turned her back on her old life and did something. She
said in effect, I will hide you because I believe God is going to give the people
of Israel this land. We have been hearing about you for forty years, and I

19
 THRU the BIBLE

believe God. She was justified before God by her faith. However, before her
own people and before the Israelites, she was justified by works.

Faith is the root, and the root produces the kind of fruit that the root itself
is. If you have the root of a plum tree, it will grow and produce plums. If
you have a living faith in God, you will produce godly fruit in your life. Faith
without works is like a dead body in a morgue. But faith alive shows us in
whom you believe.

NEXT: What our words say about us.

20
 THRU the BIBLE

L E SSO N 3
FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
1. Applying James’ words about friendship and fellowship means putting
effort into relationships with other members of God’s family. Who do you
think the Holy Spirit might be leading you to pursue a relationship within
the body of Christ?

2. Are a person’s economic status and their level of spiritual maturity

related? Why or why not?

3. Why are members of the family of God so susceptible to the temptation

to discriminate against others, even fellow believers?

21
 THRU the BIBLE

4. Given what James has taught about the relationship of good works and
faith, what does the presence of discrimination in the body of Christ say
about our faith?

5. What does the example of Abraham teach us about living a life of faith
we can implement in our own lives?

6. Rahab may not be the first person who comes to your mind when you
think of examples of faith, but James points to her as a prime example.
What does Rahab’s faith show us about God’s grace?

22
7. If you were James, would you have used Rahab as an example in your
letter? Why or why not?

23
 THRU the BIBLE

Faith alone saves, and

saving faith shows up in
your life by good works.
This is faith alive!

24
 L E SSO N 4

G OD BU GS YOUR
CONVE RS ATION

Begin with prayer

Read James 3

Listen at TTB.org/James to James 3:1-4 and James 3:5-18

God has the right to bug, or listen in on, our conversations. He has had
that right for a long time and has heard everything you have ever said. The
average person says about 30,000 words every day. That’s a decent length
book. In a lifetime, we could fill a library with our words.

This is just one of the ways God tests if our faith is genuine. Previously we’ve
studied how God watches how we act when we’re going through trials, how
we treat people, especially the poor, and how much our lives blossom with
good works. All this is evidence of saving faith.

James now has quite a bit to say about the use and abuse of the tongue—the
words we say and what they say about us.

James has already told us he was going to get to this. In James 1:26 he said
that if anyone thinks he’s religious yet can’t control what he says, then he’s
fooling himself. James also told us we have two ears, and God gave them to
us so we can hear twice as much as we can say.

The tongue is the most dangerous weapon in the world. More deadly than
the atom bomb, no one makes a careful inspection of it. Someone has put
it like this: “Thou art master of the unspoken word, but the spoken word is
master of you.” Once you have said them, they are beyond your control.

25
 THRU the BIBLE

Teachers should be especially mindful of this because they have a greater

responsibility in that they are in grave danger of teaching the wrong thing.
Listen up, those who teach God’s Word: God will judge us for what we teach
and the way we teach. The more opportunity you have to give out the Word
of God, the greater is your responsibility to God Himself.

We all stumble and fail, but the mature, godly person is “able also to bridle
the whole body.” In other words, if he can control his speech, he can control
his entire body—in fact, his whole life. The tongue lifts man from the animal
world. A person can put thought into words; he can express himself; he can
be understood; he can communicate on the highest level. The tongue is a
badge we wear—it identifies us. It is the greatest index to life, the table of
contents of our lives.

James will first deal with the unbridled and unrestrained tongue. Just
imagine if everything you said this past month was recorded and shared with
the world. Now you’re ready to listen to the various ways James describes
someone who doesn’t have control over what they say.

First, James describes how to control your speech like a horse being
controlled by a bridle in its mouth. The bridle bits are not big, but they can
hold a high-spirited horse in check and keep him from running away.

Large ships are also controlled by a little rudder that few people even see.
A fierce storm may drive a ship, but a little rudder can control it. The tongue
can also change the course of our lives. People have been ruined by gossip.

The tongue is more dangerous than a runaway horse or a storm at sea. The
tongue is like the one little animal no zoo has in captivity, no circus can make
it perform, no man can tame it. Only a regenerate tongue in a redeemed
body, a tongue that God has tamed, can be used for Him.

The tongue is like a spark that lights a forest fire. Our words can burn
through a church, burn through a community, burn through a town, and even
burn through a nation. It might be little, but it can defile the whole body.

Of course, fire has been one of the greatest friends of man and nature. Some
historians say civilization began when man discovered fire. When it is under
control, it warms our bodies, it cooks our food, and it generates power to
turn the wheels of industry. When it’s under control, fire is a blessing; when it
is out of control, it is devastating. It can be a cure, or it can be a curse.

You remember how Simon Peter’s tongue betrayed him? On the night before
Jesus went to the cross, Peter spoke affirming words to the Lord, and later

26
 THRU the BIBLE

that night he denied he knew Him. But on the Day of Pentecost, what was it
the Lord used? It was Simon Peter’s blundering, stumbling, bumbling tongue.
He was a man set on fire for God.

Isn’t it interesting that Romans 10:9 says that to be saved we are to confess
the Lord Jesus with our mouths and believe in our hearts that God raised
Jesus from the dead? In other words, our tongues and our hearts are to
sing a duet in tune. Even the Lord Jesus Himself says our mouths will speak
whatever the heart is full of (Matthew 12:34). What is in the heart will come
out sooner or later.

With our words, we can both praise God or blaspheme God. We can be two-
faced, double-minded, and forked-tongued. We can say both good and bad.
James reminds us that no fountain on this earth will give both sweet and
bitter water, nor will a tree bear both figs and olives. But our words can also
reveal genuine faith. We testify for God. We can speak wisdom. That is, if our
hearts are right with God.

If we aren’t right with God, our words can stir up bitterness. James contrasts
the tongue of the foolish believer and the tongue of the wise believer.
First, it’s important to note that an uncontrolled tongue raises the question
whether or not a person even is a child of God. Can a genuine believer curse
six days a week and then sing on the worship team on Sunday? Can he tell
dirty jokes all week at work and then teach about the love of Jesus to a
Sunday school class? Your tongue can do either one, but if it does both, it
will stir up strife. A lying tongue is one that denies the Lord during the week
by its conversation.

This kind of strife isn’t from God but is “earthly, sensual, demonic”—and it’s
confusing. Scripture makes it very clear God isn’t the author of confusion.
The confusion we find in the world today is brought about by the work of the
devil who uses our little tongues to cause so much trouble. The wickedness
of the world is not merely human, it’s human plus the evil supernatural from
below, causing divisions and strife in our homes and churches. This is pure
worldliness, as we’ll discover in our next study. Worldliness in the church
produces the cults, denominations, factions, divisions, and cliques. It fosters
a spirit of rivalry and jealousy. This is “earthly”—that is, it is confined to the
earth. It is “sensual”—that is, psychological. And then it’s demonic.

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure”—that is, it’s not mixed or
diluted. It comes directly from God. It’s “peaceable, gentle, willing to yield,
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
These are the fruits of faith. Works of faith develop meekness or humility, and

27
 THRU the BIBLE

humility leads to submission. You cannot have peace without this

righteous chain.

How do we discern genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? We’ve learned
that saving faith produces good works and perseverance through trials, and
it also affects how we treat people and how to control what we say. These
all clearly point to genuine faith, obvious in the life of someone who follows
Jesus Christ.

NEXT: The solution to worldliness and war.

28
 THRU the BIBLE

L E SSO N 4
FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
1. Why do you think James spends so much time talking about the tongue
and the danger of using it for evil?

2. How can our ability to control our tongues show our maturity in Christ?

3. Think about the words you have spoken over the last week. What have
the words you have spoken told the listener about the condition of
your heart?

29
 THRU the BIBLE

4. Why should teachers pay special attention to the words of James about
the tongue?

5. James talks about a sinful tongue being “unrestrained.” What are some
practical ways you can restrain your tongue?

6. How can we tell if the words we want to say are spiritual or earthly?

30
 THRU the BIBLE

7. If you were the one writing the book of James, would you have written
this much on the tongue? Why or why not?

31
 L E SSO N 5

THIS IS
WAR

Begin with prayer

Read James 4

Listen at TTB.org/James to James 3:14—4:4 and James 4:5-17

What is worldliness?

Some say worldliness is a matter of how you entertain yourself. What kind of
movies you go to, if you drink, etc. The book of James wouldn’t agree.

Others say worldliness is the kind of crowd you run with. If you are with a
worldly crowd who engages in these things, then you are worldly. Or is it the
way you dress? The words you say? If you learn to throw in “Praise the Lord”
and “Hallelujah” at the right times, perhaps you’re not so worldly.

The worldly person must be the one who wants to make money to the
exclusion of all else and who neglects the church. Or maybe the worldly
person doesn’t go to church at all but spends their Sundays on the golf
course, fishing, boating, or watching their favorite team play baseball.

None of these define worldliness. They may not be good practices and might
be sins of the flesh—but they’re not worldliness. They may be symptoms of
the disease, but nobody ever died of symptoms—they die of the disease.
These are simply evidence of the deeper, actual problem.

James, the writer of this letter, says worldliness is strife and envy which
produce “confusion and every evil thing” (3:16). And what do these produce?
Wars and fighting. Big, global conflict as well as that little skirmish you had

32
 THRU the BIBLE

at church last week. You wanted to have your own way. So did they. The
“desires for pleasure that war in your members” speak to the overwhelming
demands of the members of your body for satisfaction.

James makes it very clear: Selfish desires lead to war. What James describes
here is the spirit of the world. This spirit of strife is worldliness, and it
represents your old nature. When the spirit of the world gets into the church,
you have a worldly church. It may be bad on the global battlefield, but it’s
just as bad inside some churches and inside some hearts.

The dog-eat-dog competition in the business world—worldliness. Political

parties split, and one group is pitted against another—worldliness. As capital
and labor meet around the conference table—worldliness. In the social world,
some climbers on the social ladder step on the hands of others. In your
neighborhood, one family doesn’t speak to another. Then this same spirit
gets into the church. That is worldliness.

So what is the cure for this disease of worldliness? Surprisingly, it’s prayer.
It’s expressing your faith in God. The apostle John says it’s our continuing,
persistent faith in Jesus the Son of God that is the victory that conquers and
overcomes the world (see 1 John 5:4). The answer is to trust God absolutely,
go to Him in prayer and commit to Him what’s on your heart. When you find
strife and envy there, talk to Him about it.

Many of us go to the Lord to tell Him how good we are, but that doesn’t help
anything. Tell Him where you need help, don’t ask Him for something selfish.
If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get,
you end up with God as your enemy. This is the way the world works: Take
by force what you want, by hook or by crook lay hold of it, be envious and
jealous of other folk, and cause strife.

James says the solution to the problem of worldliness is to go to the Lord

Jesus and tell Him about our problem, tell Him everything. God is overloaded
with grace. We can’t even fathom the depth of His grace.

Grace has been defined as unmerited favor, but it’s really love in action. God
didn’t save us by love, He saved us by grace. He has so much of it. God gives
abundant grace—but we must carry it around in a humble container. We also
must be ready to submit to Him.

When you go to a doctor for medical care, you submit yourself to him.
Submit yourself also to God. We are surrounded by evil influences. We can’t
resist the devil in our own strength. Temptation, as we have seen, is on every

33
 THRU the BIBLE

hand. But God supplies His grace as needed, and His supply never runs out.
“This is yours,” God says. “You are to lay hold of it.”

God is a gentleman. He only comes as far as the door of your heart. He

knocks, and you have to let Him in. But draw near to Him and He will
draw near to you. When you’ve sinned, get clean again by confession and
repentance. If you’ve been unfaithful, get your heart made true once more.
Don’t ever treat sin lightly. Mourn over your sin.

The devil will not get to you unless you get too far away from God. A wolf
never attacks a sheep as long as it is with the rest of the sheep and with the
shepherd. And the closer the sheep is to the shepherd, the safer it is. Our
problem is that we get too far from God.

Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up. He will. Too often
we think we are smart or strong or skilled. We think we are good enough,
but God says we have no good in us. Nothing in us attracts Him but only our
great need draws Him to us. If we are willing to humble ourselves and get
down where He can lift us up, He will.

Don’t bad-mouth each other; don’t act like you’re the judge. If you judge
your brother, you put yourself above the law and treat it with contempt.
Seriously, who do you think you are? When you talk about your brother, you
put yourself in God’s place.

Two types of people seek to take the position of God. One is the sinner who
says, “I’m good enough to be saved. Lord, I don’t need your salvation. You
just move over and I’ll sit beside you. I am my own savior.” Then there’s the
other one who sits in judgment on everyone else. James says judgment is
God’s business (see also John 5:22). We are to judge ourselves and go to
God in humility.

We also like to make big plans for the future, but James reminds us we don’t
know what tomorrow holds.

Human life lived apart from and without God is the most colossal failure
in God’s universe. Many of us never learn to really live down here on earth.
Good thing our lives are in God’s hand. We can’t brag about a thing. We even
mess up and don’t even know it. If you know you should do a certain thing or
help a certain cause—and you do not do it, that is sin.

Our lives are brief. Let’s not spoil it with strife and envy. Come to Jesus
Christ, put your life down before Him, and really start living. He wants to give
you a life that’s out of this world.

34
 THRU the BIBLE

NEXT: What the Bible has to say

about the rich and the poor.

35
 L E SSO N 5
FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
1. Worldliness is a desire in our heart for things that are not of God. What
might worldliness produce in our lives?

2. How can strife and envy in our hearts play out in our actions?

3. Why do we fail to take our problems to Jesus in prayer?

36
 THRU the BIBLE

4. If grace is love in action, who are some people you need to show grace
to you?

5. The way to resist temptation is to submit to God. What are some ways
you can intentionally submit to God in your life?

6. Do you know anyone who is an example of humility in your life? How can
you follow their example?

37
 THRU the BIBLE

7. Think about what life was like in the first century. Do you think
worldliness is more of a temptation now, back then, or is it the same?
Why?

38
 THRU the BIBLE

God supplies His

grace as needed,
and His supply
never runs out.

39
 L E SSO N 6

R ICH M AN,
PO OR M AN

Begin with prayer

Read James 5

Listen at TTB.org/James to James 5:1-6 and James 5:5-20

Being rich isn’t the problem. But neither does being poor make you more
godly. The lesson isn’t in the coin, it’s the heart, says James. The Bible doesn’t
condemn money—only the love of it (see 1 Timothy 6:10).

In the Roman world of James’ day, there was no middle class. There was only
the filthy rich and the filthy poor. Most of the Christians came from the very
poor and slave classes.

James addresses now our wrong relationship to money, how we get it, and
what we do with it after we’ve got it. The Lord Jesus Christ had a great deal
to say about money. He taught three parables which help illustrate
James’ point.

Jesus tells the story of the poor man, Lazarus the beggar, who sat at the rich
man’s gate and what happened when they both died. In another parable, the
Lord Jesus told about a rich man who hoarded his money, built big barns,
and never gave a thought about eternity. The Lord called him a fool. In Jesus’
third parable, the unjust steward teaches us that God holds us responsible
not only for how we make money but also for how we spend it.

When James talks about money, he warns the rich to see money properly—a
lesson appropriate for every generation. The rich of James’ day lost all their

40
 THRU the BIBLE

wealth when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, just a couple
decades after they received this letter from James.

But at Jesus’ second coming, all of the world’s wealth will mean nothing
anyway. Regardless, riches are uncertain in any age. You always face a danger
of a panic, a crash, a drought, or a depression. This is the way it’s been since
people started minting money.

“Don’t you know that your silver and gold are going to rust?” Why? Because
we are going to rust out, too. Death separates a rich man from his money.
God gave us wealth to be dispersed, not hoarded.

Just like in Jesus’ parables, James condemns the godless rich not only for
hoarding money but for making it in a dishonest way. They robbed the
poor to get rich. They made their riches by stepping on the hands of those
beneath them (see also Proverbs 22:7). But be assured, God may do nothing
about this now, but He says you are a fool. If you’ve decided to live for this
life only, be sure to live it up now, because He will judge you in the future.

There’s a lesson here for the rich man who is a Christian. How big is your
bank account? If Jesus should come right now, would you be willing to let
Him look into your safety deposit box? He’ll do that someday. How are you
making use of your riches? Just remember that riches never bring
mankind happiness.

The Word of God has a lot to say about when Jesus Christ sets up His
kingdom on earth. The poor are going to get a right and honest deal for the
first time in history. All of the prophets emphasized this (see Isaiah 11:4 as an
example). Christ Himself made it clear in the Sermon on the Mount (which
will be the law of His kingdom) that He intends to give the poor a square
deal under His reign (see Matthew 6:19-24).

Today, no political party will surprise us with a good deal for the poor. You
can’t look to mankind, to people who grasp for power and money, and
expect them to act righteously. Our only hope is in Jesus Christ. “Be patient.
The harvest is coming,” James says.

Throughout Scripture we are taught we should live in the light of the coming
of Christ. James tells us to get our affairs straightened out before He comes,
because if we don’t, He will. This is a good word to each of us.

“Look at the prophets,” James says. They are an example to us in how they
were patient even in suffering. Job was an impatient man, but he learned
patience. At the end of Job’s trial, you’ll see he learned a great lesson about
how compassionate and generous the Lord was with him.

41
 THRU the BIBLE

Since the Lord is compassionate, let your promise to Him be like an oath—
like you were in a courtroom and swore an oath to tell the truth. All your
conversation with others ought to be like that.

And speaking of conversations, your prayer life with God ought to have
great passion and enthusiasm, too. James was a great man of prayer. He was
nicknamed, “Old Camel Knees” because, having spent so much time on his
knees in prayer, his knees were calloused.

“What do you do when someone is sick among you?” James asks. Call for the
elders of the church and let them pray over him. That’s the first thing. Then
they are to anoint him with oil in Jesus’ name. James is practical—get some
medicine, then get people to pray. The prayer of faith will save the one who is
sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will
be forgiven.

We are to confess our sins to God and our faults to each other. If you have
injured someone, then you ought to confess that to them. But confess
your sins only to the Lord. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins [to
God], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” Man cannot forgive sins; neither can any clergyman forgive
sins—only God can do that.

But man’s prayers can do a lot. The prayer of a person living right with God is
powerful. Another great man of prayer, Elijah, a regular guy just like any of us,
prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t for three and a half years. Elijah
wasn’t a superhero; he was just like us, but he prayed with passion, and God
answered him.

Then as a closing thought, James asked them if they knew an unsaved

person who had not yet come to the truth. Don’t write them off. Go after
them. It doesn’t matter if they’re blatant, obvious sinners. When they come
to a saving knowledge of Christ, their sins—though they be great—will be
covered by the blood of Christ. The wonder of justification by faith is that
once God has pardoned our sins, they are gone forever—removed from us as
far as the east is from the west.

This is a wonderful conclusion for this very practical Epistle of James.

42
 L E SSO N 6
FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
1. What would a good relationship to money look like for the Christian?

2. If God intends for money to be used as a tool, not hoarded, what are
some specific ways you can use your money for the kingdom of God?

3. How can our use of money show our level of spiritual maturity
and priorities?

43
 THRU the BIBLE

4. Should we just wait for Jesus’ return to one day treat the poor
appropriately, or are there things we should be doing now to minister to
those in poverty?

5. Jesus’ example of compassion is all too often ignored. Who are some
people you need to show compassion to, even if it is hard?

6. Many times, it is easier to confess our sins to God than those we have
sinned against. Why is that, and is there anyone to whom you need
to confess?

44
 THRU the BIBLE

7. If you could go back and ask James why he ended his epistle talking
about pursuing unsaved people who needed the truth, what do you think
his answer would be?

45
 LEARN HOW TO SHARE
THE MOST
IMPORTANT
MESSAGE OF
YOUR LIFE.
TTB.org/HowCanIKnowGod

GET ANSWERS TO YOUR

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
BIBLE AND LIVING THE
CHRISTIAN LIFE.

TTB.org/booklets
KEEP YOUR BIBLE BUS JOURNEY
GOING ANYWHERE AND ANYTIME.

TTB.org/listen

GET THE GOSPEL TO THE

ENDS OF THE WORLD
WITHOUT LEAVING
YOUR HOME.

TTB.org/give
 Connect with THRU the BIBLE

Box 7100, Pasadena, California 91109-7100

P.O. Box 25325, London, Ontario, Canada N6C 6B1

1-800 65-BIBLE (24253) TTB.org BibleBus@ttb.org

/ThruTheBibleNet /TTBRadio