"Who is my Neighbor?”

James 2:1-13

 

 

1.     Into Our History

 

Suggested Icebreakers

 

·         Relate a time in your life that you were discriminated against (due to age, race, religion, appearance…).

·         Relate a time in your life that you discriminated against someone.

·         Do you think discrimination occurs in Christian churches?  If so, in what areas?

 

 

2.  Into Our Bibles

 

  1. Read James 2:1-7 - Show No Partiality

 

1.      Question:  Is James saying that it’s wrong for there to be a particular group within the church with which you have a special bond of friendship?  What’s the difference between friends and factiousness?

 

2.      Commentary:  Many of us have not experienced the sharp social distinctions of upper and lower classes.  Most of us would fall into the same socioeconomic group, typically the middle-class.  This is not the case for Israel when James was writing his letter.  The disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots” was like a chasm.  The rich had the power, and the powerful were rich—whether they used legal or moral means to get it seemed irrelevant.  In fact, the wealth and power of the “haves” was often at the expense of the “have nots.”  So why would James have to warn the church not to show favoritism (or partiality) to the rich who oppressed them?  Simply put—to keep self-centeredness and personal gain out of the church.  As Christians, we are to accept people for who they are not what they can do for us.   There is no room for selfish clamoring in God’s economy.  Christ is our living example…

 

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” 2 Cor. 8:9

 

          In God’s economy, faith is the gold that drives the system, not material

     wealth or worldly power.  That was the stumbling block for the rich young

     man in Matthew 19.  He asked Christ what he needed to do to have eternal life. 

     Christ responded with (paraphrased), “sell your possessions, give all to the

      poor, and follow me.”  The bible says, “he went away sorrowful, for he had

      great possessions” (Matt 19:22).  Jesus was also grieved and told his disciples,

      “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom… it is easier for a camel to go

      through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 

      The disciples were astonished.  If a rich man can’t be saved then who can?    

      They also did not understand that God’s economy operated on faith—faith,

      not money, power, or even benevolent works could open the doors of heaven. 

     As we often say at Oasis, “It’s by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ

     alone, that we are saved.”

 

  1. Read James 2:8. -  Show Love

 

1.  Questions:

 

·         Discuss this question:  What is it to truly love your neighbor?  What is it not? (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

 

·         Discuss this question:  Who is your neighbor? (Read Luke 10:29-36; James 2:27) 

 

2.  Commentary:  James calls, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” the royal law according to Scripture.  Love makes the hard times bearable, the good times sweeter, and does no harm to anyone.  Extending love to others also keeps us out of trouble…

 

“He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.  But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:10-11

 

   It was love, God’s love for us, which sent Christ to the cross.  Nothing can separate us from God’s love because it is His very nature.  If God is the definition of love and God lives in us, should not the extension of love to others be a natural outpouring from His vessels?  Unfortunately, we wrestle with selfish desires that hinder our love for others but we must continue in spiritual growth, and hopefully, day by day, being more loving than we were yesterday.

 

  1. Read James 2:9-13 - Extend Mercy

 

    1. Question:  Why do you think James speaks so harshly against those who violate the royal law by not extending mercy? Answer:  Those who persistently violate the royal law probably have not experienced salvation.

 

1 John 3:14-18  14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.  15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

 

2.   How can James say that the law is so interconnected that to violate one is to be guilty of them all (Read James 2:10-11)?  Illustration:  The 10 commandments are like the links of a chain that you’re hanging on to (perhaps you are suspended 10 stories up).  If one link breaks, its over; the entire chain becomes ineffective to suspend you.  

           

3. Into our Lives

 

Take the following test as a group.  Discuss how the results reflect the condition of your heart.  What steps can you take to change?

 

1.  What did you do the last time you saw a homeless person with a sign that said, “Will Work For Food?”

 

a. I gave the person money/food.

b. I gave the person money/food after “employment”

c. I ignored or avoided the person.

d. I purposely didn’t give him/her money, not wanting to contribute to people who   

    don’t want to put in the effort to find real work.

 

2.  What did you do the last time a cashier gave you too much change?

 

a. I kept it

b. I resolved to give back, but have never got around to doing it.

c. I gave it back.

 

3.  If two people stood in the church foyer, one noticeably poor and the other well-off, which one would you engage in conversation first?

 

4.  In the last conversation that you had with a friend about another person, did you

 

a. Speak kindly about the person

b. Criticize that person

c. Recognized that the conversation was taking a bad turn, so you changed the   

    subject.

 

5.  Do you find that most conversations that you have with friends about other people or friends tend to be negative rather