Renee

Q2. (4:4) Why does James refer to church members as "adulteresses"? Well, the church is the bride of Christ and if we are loving the world more than Christ then we are adultresses. What does the adultery consist of? Loving the world and things that are in it more than God and all of the things that He wants us to do. Who is the aggrieved husband? Christ. What is wrong with friendship with the world? When we put things of this world before the things of God then it is wrong. A lot of the time I think of my job when I think of the world. I work for Wal-mart and I really like it but my family and God come first. Wal-mart, the world, wants to be first and formost in my life but it's just not going to happen. God and my family come first and I know that He will bless me for that commitment

Q1. (4:1-3) Is God against pleasure? No, God is not agains me having pleasure, the thing is if my pleasure is hurting someone then it is wrong. I am God's daughter and He enjoys watching me have pleasure but not at the expence of someone else, nor if it is in sin. That is completely out of the question. What wrong in living to increase one's pleasure? As long as our eyes are on our Father first then there is nothing wrong with it. When it becomes wrong is when our eyes are on self first.

Q4. (3:17-18) With what tool do peacemakers sow peace? Looking at the good in whatever is going on, listening to others, ... , basically it's all about LOVE. Why does this produce a ripening crop of righteousness? Because when we love one another it turns our out look towards what's good for the other person instead of looking at what would be good for me. In whom does this crop grow? I would think that it should grow in Christians.

Q3. (3:13-16) In what ways are "bitter envy" and "selfish ambition" (3:14) direct opposites of "humility" (3:13)? Humility is looking at others first and bitter envy and selfish ambition is putting 'me' first. It's a real hard thing to do sometimes to look at others before yourself, especially if that 'other' person has or is hurting you but that's what humility does. I think that you can protect yourself but not 'attack'. How does denial of "bitter envy" and "selfish ambition" prevent healing? Anytime you deny something you haven't made it better you are just trying to cover it up. It will show it's ugly face and it can be real bad once it's uncovered like that. If you admit that you have it and ask God to help you to get rid of it then you can heal. How does boasting about these prevent healing? Boasting is normally just feeding it. The more you feed it the bigger it gets and there is no healing in that.

Q2. (3:7-8) Read Matthew 12:34 and 15:18. In light of these verses, why is the tongue untamable? These verses tell us that basically what comes out of our mouth is what is in our heart. What has to happen before it can be tamed? So that means we have to protect our heart. We need to be careful of what we watch, listen to and meditate on.

Q1. (3:1-2) Why does James discourage people from aspiring to be teachers of the Word? Because teachers either encourage or discourage their students. If they don't 'live what they teach' they can turn people away from Christ and that is not what James is wanting. Why is greater strictness appropriate? For the same reason as I just said. It really bothers me to listen to someone that I know is not practicing what they preach but they are telling me to do it, even if I know that it is true. He/she shouldn't be teaching on it. Should you set higher standards for your pastor than you do for yourself? Yes, because they are over me. But in the same instance if they stumble, and some of them do, we need to love them back into the fold. I don't mean that they should continue to be in that position but I have known a pastor that messed up. And half of my church turned on him. It still hurts me to think of how they did that and in some self-righteous way they believe that what they did was right. We are to love, not turn our backs on sinners and the last time I looked even pastors fit in that group. We are all saved by grace.

Q4. (2:20-26) How does James' point about the necessity of works jive with Paul's emphasis on salvation by grace without works (Ephesians 2:8-10)? Paul's 'works' are talking about being saved by and James is talking about doing the 'works' after being saved. As I said before the works won't save you but we have to do the works after we have been saved by grace.

Q3. (2:18-19) What is the difference between the "belief" of a demon and the "belief" of a practicing Christian? The "belief" of a non-practicing Christian? The 'belief' of a demon is easy. They believe, and KNOW, that there is a God because they have seen Him. They are fallen angels. They have no doubts that He exists. A practicing christian believes because they have accepted Him into their life and He lives in them. The belief of a non-practicing christian is just words not a life thing.

Q2. (2:15-16) To what degree are we responsible for the poor and needy in the church community? How about our responsibility for those outside the church, in the community at large? I think that we are responsible for helping the poor and needy. I know for myself that I don't do nearly enough. I live in a very small town so I don't see a lot of poor people but I try to give when I hear of a problem and not just in the church community. I don't think that it's all about the 'church community'. He said to love, He didn't specify only church people.

Q1. (2:14-18) In what sense is faith dead if it is unaccompanied by action? In what sense might (if that were possible) it be alive? Like the bible says if we see someone that is hungry and just tell them God bless you, what's that going to do for them? We are the light of the world through Jesus and it's through our actions that they see that. So then it is alive by our actions. That doesn't mean that you can be saved by doing good things because if that were true then Jesus wouldn't have had to go through all of the pain and suffering that He did but once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour then we need to, have to, show the world His love.

Q3. (2:9-11) Why does James refer to the Great Commandment as the

Q2. (2:4) In what way does favoritism make one a judge? How does favoritism make one a judge with

Q1. (2:1-3) What kind of person or what kind of sinner do you tend to discriminate against? What kind of people are you (or your church) trying to make a good impression on? What bothers me most is people that "say" they are Christians and treat other people like they are trash. I don't really try to make a good impression on any kind of person. I try to love people as Jesus wants me to. The above seem to be the hardest for me to deal with though.

Q4. (1:5-8) What is the promise to claim in verse 5? What is the condition attached to this promise in verse 6? How do trials help us receive this wisdom? Wisdom is the promise but we have to be sure that we really want it. I think that's one of the reasons James says not to doubt. If we do the right thing during these trials we will be leaning on Him and listening to Him.

Q3. (1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? How do trials help us grow in faith? Well, as far as trials helping me not be doubleminded, I really don't know how to answer that. I hope that I'm not doubleminded but I'm sure that I am at times. As far as trials helping me grow in faith that's an easy one, when I lean on God through the trial then I am increasing my faith.

Q2. (1:13-15) Why do people blame God for evil? Does God tempt us with evil? Does he tempt sinful people with evil? Why does he allow people to sin? Why does he allow evil to exist at all? It seems that it's easier to blame someone else rather than ourself and God is the easiest to blame for everything. No, God does not tempt us with evil. The reason that He allows us to sin is because He gave us freewill to be able to love Him and with that same freewill we can do wrong too. When He created all of this, us, there was no evil but when people fell from grace with that wonderful apple then evil was let in. That was not God's fault but, praise God He had a plan to get us back in His grace through Jesus Christ.

Q1. (1:2-4) What value have trials had in your life? Have you let Satan destroy you with those trials? Or allowed God to refine you? How have you changed? I have to admit that as far as value goes I'm not sure that I have really grown much with my trials as of late but I also will not, by the grace of God, let satan destroy me.

Hi, my name is Renee' and I live in Alabama. I'm a widow of three years, I have two grown children and two beautiful grandchildren. I love Jesus and want to meet other people that do too. This is my first online bible study. I am looking forward to growing in the Lord while learning more of the wonderful book of James. Remember Jesus Loves You Renee'