James 5:7-12
Intro: • Are the persons addressed in vss. 7-12 different than those addressed in vss. 1-6?
• Which of these best summarizes the primary subject of these verses?
- endurance?
- patience?
- judgment?
- second coming?
Vs. 7 • Does the “coming of the Lord” refer to...
- the coming final judgment of God?
- the coming judgment of God upon Israel?
- the coming of Jesus to earth a second time?
• Did the early Christians expect Jesus to return in their lifetime?
• Was this a false-hope fostered by early Christian teachers and writers?
• What were James’ readers becoming impatient about?
- the continued suffering, oppression and persecution of Christians?
- the extended interim of time without consummation of Christ’s work?
- that Jesus had not returned as had been promised?
- that God did not act in determinative judgment to punish the wicked and vindicate
the righteous?
• How does the agricultural analogy of the farmer illustrate the need for patience?
- the farmer waits in hope between the time of sowing and reaping?
- the farmer waits for God’s timetable, and can’t speed up the process?
- the farmer knows how to endure prolonged periods of expectation?
- the farmer knows how to endure failures, infestations, hard times and shortages?
- the farmer expects that there will be consequences and results of his actions?
Vs. 8 • What does James mean by “strengthen your hearts”?
- “be emotionally and psychologically strong”?
- “do not grow wearing of doing good”? (cf. II Thess 3:13)
- “do not force the issue with external actions”?
- “find your strength in God’s grace” (cf. Heb. 13:9; Phil. 4:13)
- “find your patience in the ‘fruit of the Spirit’”? (Gal. 5:22,23)
- “take courage in that God will execute and enact His justice in judgment”?
• Does the “coming of the Lord is at hand” mean...
- that the second coming of Jesus is imminent? ...expected? ...impending?
- that God’s coming in final judgment is assured? ...imminent? ...drawing near?
- that God’s judgment of Israel is just around the corner? ...imminent?
Vs. 9 • In what ways might the readers have been “complaining against one another”?
- faulting one another in the frustration of waiting through difficult circumstances?
- blame-shifting, or “turning one another in” for expressions of impatience?
- murmuring that others did not have as much adversity as they did?
• Will Christians be judged by the divine Judge? For what?
- for final destiny of heaven or hell?
- for actions such as false-teaching? (cf. 3:1)
- for impatience? (cf. vs. 8)
- for complaining? (cf. vs. 9)
- for swearing? (cf. vs. 12)
- for their “works” of misrepresentative Christian behavior?
- for actions and behaviors not derived from the grace of God in Christ?
Vss. 10 & 11
• How were the prophets and Job examples of suffering? endurance? patience?
• Does the “outcome of the Lord’s dealings” refer to...
- God’s dealings with Job?
- Jesus’ suffering, endurance and patience in death?
• What does it mean to “endure”?
- passive resignation?
- stoic resolve?
- resolute perseverance?
- abiding acceptance?
• In what way are those who endure “blessed”?
- they feel happy?
- they receive the rite of “blessing”?
- good words are invoked upon them?
- they are recipients of God’s rewards?
Vs. 12 • How does this verse relate to vss. 5-11?
• What does it mean to “swear” or utter an “oath”?
- cursing? swear words? foul language?
- judicial, legal sworn oaths in courtroom?
- religious oath of orthodoxy?
- invoking something to ensure or assure truthfulness?
• When James writes, “let your yes be yes, and your no, no”, does he mean...
- “say what you mean and mean what you say”?
- “speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”?
- “don’t try to circumvent honesty by using
- verbal ambiguities?
- language loop-holes?
- half-truths?
- mental reservations?
- crossing your fingers?
- “your word should be your honor”?
- “a Christian’s straight-forward verbal expression should evidence the integrity of
an integral oneness with the One who is Truth”?
• How does a Christian “fall under judgment”?
- judged to hell for swearing?
- condemned for falsehood or dishonesty?
- consequences of failing to allow character of Christ to be expressed in our
behavior?
Conc. • Are there situations in your life that you must patiently endure?
• Are you tempted to...
- take matters into your own hands?
- try to speed up the process?
- try to force the issue?
- try to escape, avoid, or be delivered?
• Does the interim until God deals with the situation become frustrating?
• Is it easy to complain about others, or to others in such situations?
• Are we tempted to sacrifice the integrity of our integral oneness with Christ?
• Do you ever get exasperated that the wicked seem to prosper in the world today?
• Do you wonder how long it is going to take for God to make things right?
• Does the present world situation pose an “enigma of the interim” between the Christian
assertion of Christ’s victory and the expected consummation of Christ’s work?
