GOING DEEPER
06.06.2021 | FAITH THAT WORKS | Wk 4: “Love Knows No Partiality”
Join the community and go deeper with this Bible study.
Breaking Ground
What was your friend group like in high school or college?
The Dig
This week, we continue our journey through the Book of James.
Read James 2:1-4. James describes two people entering a church community & receiving far different treatment. The rich, well-dressed man is given a seat of honor; while the poor, shabbily dressed man is told to stand or sit at their feet.
Why do you think the two men are treated differently by the church? What does this reveal about the intentions, attitudes, & values of the community?
Next, read James 2:5-7. James now interrogates this treatment with a series of rhetorical questions.
Why does James find this behavior to be troubling on a spiritual & pragmatic level?
Finally, read James 2:8-13. James urges the community to recognize that in picking-&-choosing how/when to apply the “royal law” (love God, love neighbor as ourselves) they’ve actually broken the entire law.
How do you respond to this all-or-nothing view that James insists on with this commandment?
How should the “royal law” change their attitudes & behaviors towards the poor? How will it lead mercy to triumph over judgment?
Where do you tend to struggle with favoritism, partiality, & prejudice?
How can we better identify & shrink our prejudices & biases?
How might holding ourselves fully accountable to the “royal law” help us discover mercy triumphing over judgment in this area?
Getting Out of the Hole
Throughout this series, sit with each section of James. This week, reflect on James’ teaching this week:
- Take this implicit bias test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
- What prejudices & biases came up for you?
- Instead of immediately rejecting these findings, take time to sit with, interrogate, & reflect on what they might show you about yourself.
- How could you shrink one area of bias/prejudice by reading new resources, engaging different perspectives, or seeking out challenging dialogue?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through this week’s passage of James. Sit with each week’s message & how it speaks to how you tangibly live your life. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
Simply Christian by NT Wright
The Letter of James by Scot McKnight
Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, June 20: Join us for week five of our summer series “Faith That Works” – where we will be exploring how the Book of James challenges us to more actively care for others.
* Please see mye3.org for details.