What word is repeated several times in this section?
Do you think that the first readers of this letter were living in good times or hard times?
Who did James hold up as good examples for his readers?
From what James said, did Job feel that God was solving his problems quickly?
What did James want us to learn about the nature of God?
Read: 2 Chronicles 36:11-19
Was Zedekiah a good king?
Did Zedekiah obey the messages God sent to him by Jeremiah the prophet?
Did the religious leaders (priests) or the people obey God?
What did God do to try to change the heart of his people?
What was the emotion that God wanted to feel toward his people?
What things do we find out about God in this section which show his patience?
Does God have a limit to his patience?
What happened in the lives of the Jews because they refused to obey God?
Read: Matthew 7:12
Is this verse concerned with our attitudes or actions?
Does this verse teach that we are to treat others the same way they treat us (do good to people that treat us nice, and mistreat those who mistreat us)?
Do you know when people make you upset, and what they do to make you upset? What does this verse tell you about acting that way toward others?
How important to Jesus was this simple rule of behavior?
At what physical age do children know what they like or dislike about other children's behavior? At what age do you think that a parent can start to teach a child the principle of this verse?
Is the concept of this verse hard to understand?
Is this verse easy or hard for you to do?
Read: Romans 13:8-10
What is the only type of debt that Paul wanted the Christians to have?
Where did the commands come from that Paul mentions in verse 9? (See Exodus 20, Lev. 19:18)
What simple rule of behavior allows us to obey all of the other commands?
According to Paul in these verses, what is the core concept that the Law was to teach man?
Read: Matthew 22:15-23, 34-40
Were the Pharisees and Sadducees interested in learning what Jesus could teach them about God?
What was the motivation they had for asking questions?
How sucessful was their attempts?
Why do you think that the Pharisees sent an expert against Jesus (vs. 34).
What did Jesus say was the "greatest commandment"?
What, in Jesus' mind, was a commandment only slightly less important?
What do these commands have in common?
What significance is there to the fact that Jesus said that there existed a priority to commandments.
How are these two commands related to all of God's teachings?
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Paul mentions several actions in verses 1-3, which if our society saw people doing them they would be impressed with the quality of their religion. List those you find.
What ingredient, if missing, makes all of these actions useless in God's view?
List the behavior that love does.
List the behavior that love avoids.
What is the problem with prophecy, knowledge and tongues?
What three things does Paul consider enduring aspects of our religion?