NT#42 JAMES

Ponderize proposal: 

           "[T]he wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). 

 Study/Discussion Questions

(drawn mainly from New Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual [NTGDTM]).

James is believed to have been written by the brother of Jesus. After Jesus’ ascension, James served as an Apostle and important leader in the Church. 

James 1:2–3 & footnote 2a) What did James teach about facing afflictions?

What counsel does James (1:5) give?

How can we apply that counsel in our lives?   

James 1:19-20) What can we do to follow James’ counsel about anger?

James 1:26) What can we do to make sure our works are not in “vain”?

See also James 3:3-5, 9-12)

James 1:27; 2:15-16) What kind of ‘works’ did James especially emphasize?

James 3:18) What is promised to those who serve with love?

(See also D&C 59:23.)

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Prophetic Commentary

re: James 1:2–3 & note 2a, Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: “All that we suffer … when we endure it patiently … ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility… [It] builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God.” (Quoted in President Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98; and in New Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual [NTGDTM], 175.)

President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Because a fourteen-year-old boy went out in the woods to pray, having read [James 1:5]; … because he lived the revelations from on high, we have The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have all of the blessings that can make us the happiest people in the whole world . . .” (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 227; also quoted in NTGDTM, 175).

re: James 1:6 . . .

. . . Elder David A. Bednar has said that to “ask in faith” is  “to both plead and perform … to communicate and act…. Joseph’s questions focused not just on what he needed to know but also on what [he needed to do]! His prayer was not simply, ‘Which church is right?’ [but also] ‘Which church should I join?’ Joseph went to the grove to ask in faith… determined to act.” (See April 2008 Conference Report [CR]).

. . . Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Works are part of ... faith and without them … faith does not exist”(Doctrinal New Testament Commentary 3:260).

re: James 1:19-20, President Thomas S. Monson has said: “Anger doesn’t solve anything…. To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. ... [W]e must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible.” (See Oct 2009 CR.)

re: James 1:26; 3:3-10 . . .

. . . Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said:  “Given the damage that can be done with our tongues, little wonder the Savior said, 'Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.'  A husband who would never dream of striking his wife can break ... her heart by the brutality of thoughtless or unkind speech…. In that same spirit I speak to the sisters as well … [T]here is no place in that magnificent spirit of yours for acerbic or abrasive expression of any kind, including gossip or backbiting or catty remarks. ...

“[And we] must be so careful in speaking to a child. What we say to them and how we say it is so very, very important in shaping a child’s view of himself or herself … Never tell them, even in whimsy, that they are fat or dumb or lazy or homely…. And try not to compare your children, even if you think you are skillful at it. You may say most positively that ‘Susan is pretty and Sandra is bright,’ but all Susan will remember is that she isn’t bright and Sandra that she isn’t pretty. Praise each child individually for what that child is, and help him or her to escape our culture’s obsession with comparing [and] competing.” (See October 2009 Conference Report.)

. . . President Joseph F. Smith said:  “It makes a person better to see and speak of good in [others]; while there is unbounded delight in … the effect that a few words of appreciation and encouragement have upon men, women, and children with whom we associate” (Gospel Doctrine, 112).