Fantastic thanks mate, much appreciated. Where to next?
2025 Bible Study Group
- Thread starter Bizet
- Start date
I wanted to set up a poll on here.
Personally, I would like to do James, 1,2,3 John, or Jonah next.
I’m easy, but I’ll vote John 1,2 and 3.
Job 40-
Job responds to the lords
"I am nothing - how could I ever find the answers?"
The Lord challenges Job again
God doesn't let this slide and goes into another rant about animals and so on
Job 41
The Lord's challenge continues
It's not done yet and the Lord has a lot more to say
Job 42:
Job responds to the LORD
Job takes it all back and then...
Job gets even more than he had before aha!
Nice twist and everyone lives happily ever after (I guess)
Hmm kind of a sudden ending and I guess the biggest problem here is that most of us DON'T get our answer from God and we don't get obvious rewards and so have to live with our uncertainty.
Job responds to the lords
"I am nothing - how could I ever find the answers?"
The Lord challenges Job again
God doesn't let this slide and goes into another rant about animals and so on
Job 41
The Lord's challenge continues
It's not done yet and the Lord has a lot more to say
Job 42:
Job responds to the LORD
Job takes it all back and then...
Job gets even more than he had before aha!
Nice twist and everyone lives happily ever after (I guess)
Hmm kind of a sudden ending and I guess the biggest problem here is that most of us DON'T get our answer from God and we don't get obvious rewards and so have to live with our uncertainty.
Our rewards and answers from God in this life are indeed not always noticeable. But we’ll receive them with full clarity when we get to heaven.
Looks like it's James. I like the shorter books because I feel more justified to really comb through them. We'll get through it faster than Job.
James 1
For the authorship, this is James, the Lord's brother. Not James the Apostle, who would've been John the Apostle's brother:
https://www.gotquestions.org/who-wrote-the-book-of-James.html
Ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you. The Giver is not stingy, but very generous to His covenant people. If you are in Christ by faith, then you are a son of the covenant, and because you are sons, He will give you everything you need, even the deep longings of your soul. If you are not in Christ by faith, then you do not belong to Him or His covenant, and God will prove to be very exacting indeed. The faithless are a double-minded people, wanting God's blessings, but not wanting Him. In the words of the Johnny Cash song, "they want the Kingdom, but they don't want God in it." They want to earn their way or to buy it, but you only need to ask and God will be happy to give. What James is impressing on us here is what Peter and Paul call a good conscience.
For the authorship, this is James, the Lord's brother. Not James the Apostle, who would've been John the Apostle's brother:
https://www.gotquestions.org/who-wrote-the-book-of-James.html
James is writing to "the twelve tribes." In other words, the Church is Israel. The Dispersion is translated from Diaspora. There have been many diasporas in the history of the Jews. In a high theological sense, Christians are also dispersed from their homeland, heaven, spread abroad across the face of the earth. We are sojourners in a strange land on our way home.
James is telling you to do the opposite of what the world does. The world, being under Satan's tyranny, complains and grumbles against God and Providence when they encounter trials. They blame Him and God destroyed many of them on account of their grumbling in the Old Testament. But since you have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of His beloved Son, it befits His reign that you should be of a joyful character, not a somber one, especially when it doesn't make sense in the world's eyes. The world may try to mimic the joyful character, they may try to fake it till they make it, but they'll never make it and they're stuck faking it. In Christ, you have already made it and you don't have to fake it.
Ask and ye shall receive. You've heard that in Matthew. The Four Gospels categorize the entire New Testament. James corresponds to Matthew. Peter's Letters and Jude correspond to Mark. Paul's Letters, Acts, and Hebrews correspond to Luke. John's Letters and Revelation correspond to John.
Ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you. The Giver is not stingy, but very generous to His covenant people. If you are in Christ by faith, then you are a son of the covenant, and because you are sons, He will give you everything you need, even the deep longings of your soul. If you are not in Christ by faith, then you do not belong to Him or His covenant, and God will prove to be very exacting indeed. The faithless are a double-minded people, wanting God's blessings, but not wanting Him. In the words of the Johnny Cash song, "they want the Kingdom, but they don't want God in it." They want to earn their way or to buy it, but you only need to ask and God will be happy to give. What James is impressing on us here is what Peter and Paul call a good conscience.
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James 1-
Says some advice about seeing troubles as an opportunity for great joy which umm...easier said than done...we probably do need a modicum of calm and comfort to make progress. We can't just be relentlessly anxious and miserable and all humans have limits.
'When sin is allowed to grow it gives birth to death' - powerful quote in this section on resisting temptation
Reminds us not to get angry - didn't Jesus get angry that one time turning the tables?
'refusing to let the world corrupt you' sometimes I think this is already too late for me!
Says some advice about seeing troubles as an opportunity for great joy which umm...easier said than done...we probably do need a modicum of calm and comfort to make progress. We can't just be relentlessly anxious and miserable and all humans have limits.
'When sin is allowed to grow it gives birth to death' - powerful quote in this section on resisting temptation
Reminds us not to get angry - didn't Jesus get angry that one time turning the tables?
'refusing to let the world corrupt you' sometimes I think this is already too late for me!
Today I was reminded of some really basic but wonderful things. Be quick to use my ears, slow to use my mouth and keep a lid on my temper (verse 19). To not just hear and read Gods word, but to get out amongst the world and be a doer of His word (verse 22). To “bridle my tongue” (verse 26 which kind of relates back to verse 19). And to care for those less fortunate than me eg widows and orphans (verse 27). This book and chapter really “spoke” to me this morning. Thanks again @GodfatherPartTwo great choice.
Calisto
Catholic
From a prologue: Jacob (James) was a very common name among Jews. We know of three James in the Gospels. James the Great, who sealed his faith in Christ with death (Acts 12, 2); James the Lesser, another apostle (Mark 3, 18); and James, son of Mary (Mark 16, 1), who some identify with Mary of Cleophas (John 19, 25). The Eastern Church thinks of the second and third James as different people, while the Latin Church as the same person. This James, brother of the Lord, was bishop of the Church of Jerusalem and respected even by jews. He was killed by orders of the jewish High Priest Ananus, taking advantage of the death of roman governor Festus.
Verses 9 to 12 remind me about the Ecclesiastes wisdom on the ever changing nature of the world.
14 and 15. It is the concupiscence of man's fallen state which leads us astray.
In 17 he gives us another title for God, the Father of all light and mentions His immutable nature.
Verses 9 to 12 remind me about the Ecclesiastes wisdom on the ever changing nature of the world.
I have seen some people talk about the English version of the Lord's prayer giving this idea with "lead us not into temptation".
14 and 15. It is the concupiscence of man's fallen state which leads us astray.
In 17 he gives us another title for God, the Father of all light and mentions His immutable nature.
The chapter ends with a sentence which reminds me of Exodus 22. What the Lord said in a negative way suited to the violence of Antiquity is now expressed in a positive way inspired by the new commandment of love.
James 1
As all the Prophets and Apostles did, James has a good sense of divine irony. Like I said before, worldly wisdom may try to mimic this irony, this wisdom, but it only truly has meaning in God.
God does not tempt anyone. For temptation, we have the world, the flesh, and the devil to thank. What God does is restrain man's evil nature, or work in them to bring them to a complete salvation.
We are not saved because of our will but because of God's Will, which brought us forth through the means of the Gospel to the resurrection life. All of this is a gift from God, the Father of lights, who does not change.
As God says, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." Vengeance is a divine right. For God, Vengeance and Righteousness are the same. For us, vengeance is a form of self-idolatry. Our vengeance never accomplishes God's righteousness. Though, God in His Providence may apportion the right of vengeance to the government in varying degrees, according to Romans 13.
The implanted Word. Once more, all true believers have the Word of God implanted in their heart by the Holy Spirit. If that Word remains external to us, we will never be saved.
The Word of God is a mirror. It shows you who you are. It is the standard that you will be judged by. The best way to be a doer of the Word is to have that Word inside of you, dictating your every action.
The law of freedom is an ironic term. Paul calls it the New Law or the Law of Christ. What is it? It is not a new set of external laws that you are under a begrudging obligation to follow, but it is a renewing of your inner man to follow God's Law that has already been given. You know you are in the Lord when doing His Word feels freeing to you, not when it feels like a begrudging obligation as it did to the Pharisees. Love the things that God loves and hate the things that He hates.
All of this is right out of the Old Testament. It is the character that the Old Testament Law commended to us, but could not impress into us.
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13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
I like John MacArthurs’ commentary note on verse 13.
“God purposes trials to occur and in them He allows temptation to happen, but He has promised not to allow more than believers can endure and never without a way to escape. They choose whether to take the escape God provides or to give in”.
Countless times in my life have I thought that I can’t continue on, or I feel like sin has overcome me. But I always found that somehow I managed to stagger across the finish line. Glory be to God.
I read the whole book in one shot. I was happy to find that the whole thing is familiar to me. I've read it several times before, but it has been a long time. I think this might be one of the most quoted books. Even if a sermon or a bible study isn't based on James, people will drop verses from James all the time.
It seems like the primary theme is on practical Christian living. I plan to go back through it more slowly now and break down all the topics that are addressed.
I think this has become one of my favorite passages of scripture.
It seems like the primary theme is on practical Christian living. I plan to go back through it more slowly now and break down all the topics that are addressed.
I think this has become one of my favorite passages of scripture.