1. Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2014 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2014 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com

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3. Carlos Steger, Principal Contributor

4. The Book of James Contents 1 James, the Lord’s Brother 2 The Perfection of Our Faith 3 Enduring Temptation 4 Being and Doing 5 Love and the Law 6 Faith That Works 7 Taming the Tongue 8 The Humanity of Heavenly Wisdom 9 One Lawgiver and Judge 10 Weep and Howl! 11 Getting Ready for the Harvest 12 Prayer, Healing and Restoration 13 The Everlasting Gospel

5. The Book of James Our Goal O ur journey this quarter spans the entire Christian era, as it includes some of the earliest preaching, as well as special insights for these last days. Let us not miss these insights.

6. The Book of James Lesson 5, Nov 1 The Book of James Lesson 5, Nov 1 Love and the Law

7. Key Text James 2:13 NASB 1995 “ F or judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy, mercy triumphs over judgment.”

8. Love and the Law Initial Words W e are to love even in potentially dangerous or unpleasant circumstances, and we are to love even those we don’t like. True love involves a substantial amount of risk and calls us to tear down barriers that separate us as people, both outside and (especially) inside the church.

9. Love and the Law Quick Look 1. Fulfilling the Law—1 (James 2:2-4) 2. Fulfilling the Law—2 (James 2:8, 9) 3. Judged by the Law (James 2:12, 13)

10. Love and the Law 1. Fulfilling the Law—1 James 2:2-4 NKJV “ I f there should come into your assembly a man...in fine apparel, and...a poor man in filthy cloths, and...to the one wearing the fine clothes...say...‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor...‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality...?”

11. 1. Fulfilling the Law—1 Class Struggle T he description is not a very pretty one, especially because it is depicted as happening in a worship service! The Greek word for “gathering” or “assembly” in verse 2 is synagōgē, probably an early reference to a Jewish-Christian Sabbath service, many of which would have taken place in private homes (see Acts 18:7, 8).

12. 1. Fulfilling the Law—1 Class Struggle Any large gift to public or religious projects obligated the receiver to reciprocate to the giver in some way. Kindness was repaid with loyalty and generosity with public appreciation. The few upper-class people who attended Christian services expected privileged treatment.

13. 1. Fulfilling the Law—1 Class Struggle It is not a sin to be poor or rich, but one barometer of our Christian experience is how we treat people who are different from us in age, wealth, education, and even religious convictions. We tend to give more respect to those “above” us on the social ladder and less respect to those “below.”

14. 1. Fulfilling the Law—1 Class Struggle What makes bad action worse is when those who profess the name of Jesus do them. And even worse would be those who, in the name of Jesus, use their wealth or power to gain advantage over others in the churches, which often leads to divisions and quarrels.

15. Love and the Law 2. Fulfilling the Law—2 James 2:8, 9 NKJV “ I f you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

16. 2. Fulfilling the Law—2 Loving Our Neighbor J ames calls God’s law “the royal law” (James 2:8) because it is the law of the “KING OF KINGS” (Rev. 19:16). The law of His kingdom is given in detail in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), which includes the first of nine references in the New Testament to loving our neighbor.

17. Loving Our Neighbor The Desire of Ages 504 “Sin is the greatest of all evils, and it is ours to pity and help the sinner. There are many who err, and who feel their shame and their folly. They are hungry for words of encouragement. They look upon their mistakes and errors, until they are driven almost to desperation. These souls we are not to neglect.

18. Loving Our Neighbor The Desire of Ages 504 If we are Christians, we shall not pass by on the other side, keeping as far as possible from the very ones who most need our help. When we see human beings in distress, whether through affliction or through sin, we shall never say, This does not concern me.”

19. Love and the Law 3. Judged by the Law James 2:12, 13 NKJV “ S o speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

20. 3. Judged by the Law The Whole Law A lthough Jesus seems to have affirmed every “jot” (the smallest Hebrew letter, Matt. 5:18) as important, He also taught that love to God and love to our neighbor were the most important commandments because they sum up all the others.

21. 3. Judged by the Law The Whole Law Jesus’ teaching shows that obedience is always relational, or it is meaningless. In other words, if I tithe because I am afraid of being lost if I don’t, it is not relational. On the other hand, if I tithe out of gratitude for how much God has given me, then my actions are based on my relationship with God.

22. 3. Judged by the Law The Whole Law Jesus also spoke about the “weightier matters” of the law as being “judg- ment, mercy, and faith” (Matt. 23:23). These revolve around relationships too—with God and with other people. James is not saying anything different than did Jesus or Paul: transgression of God’s law damages to some extent our relationship to God and to others.

23. Love and the Law Final Words W e will be judged based not only on what we have done but also on what we have not done. It is not about doing more things. That is a recipe for discouragement and self-defeat. James describes it in verse 13: “judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy”(NKJV). It is a relational definition of “doing.”