Faith and Works and Quiet Times For Students

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Virtual Meeting Sundays at 9 am

On Sunday mornings at 9:00 am we meet over Zoom. All 7th-12th graders are welcome to join. For connection information contact amy@crclife.org or susan@crclife.org.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.

²⁰ Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete, ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

James 2:14-24

Warm-up Questions

• Do you think actions speak louder than words?
• What do you think of people who say one thing and do another?
• What are some examples of good deeds?

OBSERVE

• Read 2:14-17. How important does the text say good deeds are to faith?
• Look at verses 18-19. Why is belief simply not enough according to these verses?
• Verses 20-22 give us the Old Testament example of Abraham. How does this text explain the relationship of good deeds and faith?
• How was Abraham made a friend of God, according to verses 23-24?

THINK

• After looking at verses 14-17, why is it useless to merely claim or say something?
• Based on 18-19, why are our actions the evidence of what we believe?
• Look at 20-22. Why are actions necessary for completing our faith?
• In verses 23-24 James says a person is justified by his actions as well as his faith. What does justified mean and how do actions play a role in that?

APPLY

• Have you ever thought about solving some problem but never did anything? If so, when?
• Would you consider the average Christian to have a “complete faith”? Why/why not?
• Is it possible to have a healthy faith without good deeds? Why or why not?
• Judging by your actions, would your faith be considered alive or dead? What is one step you could take to make your faith more alive?

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Daily Quiet Times

Monday – September 7

James 2:14

1. What word or phrase jumps out to you? Why?
2. Would you say you have more faith or deeds?
3. Do you think that faith without deeds can save you? Why or why not?

Tuesday – September 8

James 2:15-16

1. How does this passage speak to you?
2. How does James illustrate the importance of deeds?
3. Have you ever seen someone who needed clothes or food? What did you do?

Wednesday- September 9

James 2:17

1. What insight do you gain from this text?
2. Why would faith be dead if not accompanied by action? Do your actions prove your faith?
3. How often do you act on what you believe?

Thursday- September 10

James 2:18-19

1. What is one question you have about this passage?
2. Why do you think our faith needs to move past simply believing in God?
3. What does it mean to “believe” in God?

Friday – September 11

James 2:20-22

1. What can you learn from this text?
2. Read Genesis 22:1-11. How does Abraham’s faith connect with your life of faith?
3. Why do actions make faith complete? How do they work together?

Saturday – September 12

James 2:23-24

1. What is God saying to you from these verses?
2. Would you be considered a friend of God like Abraham?
3. What does justified mean? How are we justified through works as well as faith?