(15-20 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will study James 1:2-4, 12-17 to examine how true faith is strengthened and matured through trials and temptations.
Provide a copy of the Student Worksheet and a pen for each student. Also provide a dry erase board and marker.
Learning Goal: Students will examine how true faith is strengthened and matured through trials and temptations.
Ask: What are some things that you are willing to endure because of the benefits or rewards that you will receive? (Possible answers: daily practice and weight training to make the team, hours of practice to play a musical instrument; living on a strict budget to save money for a car.) Ask: Would you be able to take pleasure in those hardships without knowing about their benefits or rewards? Explain that James, Jesus’ half-brother and one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem, wrote his letter to encourage believers to stand strong in the face of trials and temptation they faced. Distribute copies of the Student Worksheet and pens.
1. Trials test the sincerity of our faith and build perseverance (James 1:2-4, 12).
Create two columns on the dry erase board with the headings “Trials” and “Temptations.” Recruit a student to read James 1:2–4 and 1:12. Then, ask: How did James describe trials in this passage? Record responses on the board under the “Trials” heading. (Possible answers: joyous, a test, produces perseverance) Explain that James didn’t want his readers to become bitter when they faced difficult times, but to find joy in the middle of that suffering because their trials produced perseverance. Discuss: Why is it difficult for us to work through trials with the expectation that something good will result?
Divide students into small groups of three or four. Instruct each group to discuss the kinds of trials through which first-century believers persevered. After a couple of minutes, call for responses and list them on the board. Ask: Which of these trials do believers today continue to face? Circle those trials that students think believers continue to face. Discuss: How does our response to these trials allow us to develop a strong faith that can persevere in the face of difficult times? Encourage students to write sincerity and perseverance in the blanks on the first line on their worksheets.
2. God allows trials to mature our faith, but never tempts us to do evil (James 1:13-15).
Enlist another student to read James 1:13–15. Then, ask: How did James describe temptation in this passage? Record responses on the board under the “Temptation” heading. (Possible answers: “not by God,” lust, and death.) Point out that James even described it using the language of biology (“conceive,” “birth,” “full grown,” “life,” and “death”). Explain that temptation does not strengthen our faith but drives us toward sin. Emphasize that God is holy and therefore He is never involved in tempting us to sin. Direct students to contrast the description of temptation with the description of trials.
Next, divide students into two groups. Assign one group to the “Trials” part of the “Lifecycle of Faith” and the other to the “Temptation” section of the “Lifecycle of Faith.” Instruct students to work in their groups to read the Scripture passages and fill in the blanks. Allow one to two minutes for students to complete the activity. Afterward, invite a spokesperson from each group to share their answers. Point out the underlined answers in the sentences below.
Ask: How does this illustrate the opposite effect that trials and temptations have on our faith? Allow students to share their answers briefly. Then, ask: What happens if we persevere through trials? (Answer: Our faith becomes mature and complete, and ultimately we are given the crown of life.) What happens if we give in to trials and temptations? (We allow ourselves to be enticed by our own desires that lead to sin. And sin leads to death.) Is faith that fails to remain faithful to Christ through trials and temptations true faith? Allow students to share their ideas. Emphasize that no one but Jesus lived a sinless life but that, by persevering in our faith through trials and temptations, we can become more and more like Him. Encourage students to write mature and tempts in the blanks on the second line of their worksheets.
3. God remains good even in the midst of our difficulties (James 1:16-17).
Ask: What is the best gift you’ve ever been given? After responses, point out that James identified God as the source of everything good in life. Ask: Why do so many people find it hard to acknowledge God’s provision for them? Allow a couple of minutes for students to respond.
Enlist a student to read James 1:16–17. Note that we can be sure that God is always good—even when we are not sure about what is going on around us. Say: We can have strong faith in God because we can know for sure that He is always good. Ask: How can trials be good for us? (They help our faith to grow stronger and help us to become more like Him.) Point out that because we are sinners, we cannot persevere through trials in our own power. Emphasize that God is also good to us in that He provided the Holy Spirit to be with us at all times to help us live faithfully to Him. Say: Because The Holy Spirit is God and Empowerer, we can rely on the Holy Spirit for the power and wisdom to remain faithful even in the midst of our struggles so that we will overcome temptation to sin. Encourage students to write remains good on the third line of their worksheets.