Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (145 page)

Why did the author say what he did? Why is his message important? Why does his writing style seem so different than, say, the letters of Paul? (Add your own whys as you go along.)

Wherefore? (So what?) What’s going to happen if you begin to practice everything the author challenges you to do?

R
ead James 1 imaginatively. At this point you should be observing only the text. Later you will do some consultation to find out more about what was happening during this part of church history, but an important clue is provided in James 1:1. The faithful people of God are “dispersed abroad” and James’s letter begins with a challenge to endure trials.

Put yourself in the place of someone forced to move away suddenly from your usual friends, community, and church. You’re in a new place where worship isn’t a priority—in fact, many people are hostile toward your beliefs. Your life is in complete turmoil.

Read James 1 with this mind-set. Make notes of everything you would find significant under such circumstances.

I
n James 2 the author makes some bold statements about the importance of “works,” which can be confusing if sufficient thought isn’t devoted to this matter. You may know that Paul wrote: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Is James contradicting Paul in this portion of his book? At first reading, it may sound as if he is. Yet we have confidence that the Bible contains no contradictions—that it is a single, cohesive unit even though many different authors and styles are included.

Your assignment today is to read James 2 meditatively. If James and Paul are not saying different things, then what conclusions can we draw about the connection between faith and works?