Study Questions for Groups
1. What opportunity or challenge were you presented with over the past week?
2. What did you do last week to put your faith into action?
Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read James 2:1-13 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions.
Ask the third person to summarize the main points of the passage.
3. If we as a group were writing a book about “practical Christianity,” and James 2 formed the basis for one of the chapters, what bits of wisdom should we include?
4. Let’s dig deeper into this Bible passage:
• Look at each word that describes Jesus: our, glorious, Lord, Jesus, Christ. What do these terms tell you about whom we believe in?
• With that in mind, why is it incompatible for a believer to show favoritism?
• What do the contrasts in this passage—worldly rich/spiritually poor vs. worldly poor/spiritually rich, love vs. favoritism and discrimination, mercy over judgment, royal law keepers vs. lawbreakers—demonstrate to you about God’s kingdom?
• What changes in perspective does this passage provide for how we should view and treat the rich and the poor?
• What changes of heart does this passage demand of believers?
5. What do you learn about God from this passage?
6. What do you learn about yourself?
7. In what specific way or with what specific people (or people group) will you act with mercy and love rather than judgment, favoritism, or discrimination? (Note: you might include not only people with a different skin color or ethnic background than yourself, but also people from different areas of your city or town, people with different political views, people with different religious views, etc.)
8. Based on our study and discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .”
9. What challenges do you anticipate this week as you speak and act with love and mercy?
For Next Week: Read and reflect on James 3:1-12 as we continue in the book of James. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
