JAMES 2

James 2:1–13 CSB

1 My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you? 8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

One of the ways we become stained by the world (1:27) is by practicing the sin of discrimination. James has some choice words for his readers about showing partiality: Do not show favoritism.Doctrine wasn’t this group’s problem: they had faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. But that wasn’t affecting how they related to others. To illegitimately discriminate against people (we are to discriminate against evil) is to make a value judgment based on unbiblical criteria (such as race, class, or culture) and act inappropriately toward them     James used strong words to refer to Jesus Christ: The Lord of glory. Moffatt comments: “The Christian religion [is here called] more explicitly belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the divine Glory – a striking term for Christ as the full manifestation of the divine presence and majesty. The Jews called this the shekinah.”

This is especially significant because James is widely (and properly) regarded as one of the first letters of the New Testament written (perhaps somewhere between AD 44 and 48). This means that the earliest Christians considered Jesus to be God, and said so in strong, unmistakable words.

With partiality: We have to remember that James wrote to a very partial age, filled with prejudice and hatred based on class, ethnicity, nationality, and religious background. In the ancient world people were routinely and permanently categorized because they were Jew or Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor, Greek or barbarian, or whatever. We have to remember Jesus was always breaking down these huge barriers such as the woman at the well. A significant aspect of the work of Jesus was to break down these walls that divided humanity, and to bring forth one new race of mankind in Him. Today we speak of theoretical laws but James is most likely Speaking of literal walls the actually existed and it's probably the reason why we call them walls but let's look at Ephesians.

 (Ephesians 2:14-15

Ephesians 2:14–15 CSB

14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.

). 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.

For He Himself is our peace: Jesus Himself is our peace; He hasn’t simply made peace between God and man and Jew and Gentile; He is our peace.

Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation: The work of Jesus on the cross is the common ground of salvation for both Jew and Gentile. Therefore, there is no longer any dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. Jesus broke that wall down.

 In the temple, in between the court of the Gentiles and the court of the women, there was a physical barrier, an actual wall of separation between Jew and Gentile.

Paul was, at the time of this writing, was under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial because he was falsely accused by the Jews of taking a Gentile into the temple past the literal wall of separation dividing Jew and Gentile. Paul made it clear that in Jesus, the wall is gone.

The wall of separation is gone because the common Lordship is greater than any previous division. If the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not greater than any difference you have with others – be it political, racial, economic, language, geography or whatever, then you have not fully understood what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus.

The unity and openness of the early church was shocking to the ancient world. But this unity didn’t come automatically. As this command from James shows, the apostles had to teach the early church to never hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ… with partiality or bias.

James uses an example based on class difference. If a GQ-looking rich guy in fine clothesreceives preferential treatment in your church because of his status and wealth, while a poor person is disregarded because he has nothing to offer, you have made distinctions … with evil thoughts . Understand: we’re not talking about discriminating between right and wrong based on God’s Word. We’re talking about discriminating where God shows no partiality—looking at the outside to determine a person’s worth .

James reminds them that God chose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom(2:5). Meanwhile, rich unbelievers are often the ones who persecute Christians and blaspheme God (2:6–7). This doesn’t mean all poor people are saved and all rich people are condemned. Rather, it’s a simple acknowledgment that those who are destitute often recognize their need for a Savior. Likewise, those living proudly in wealth and comfort frequently miss their need for God.

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. James learned faithfully from his Master. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said in Matt. 22 the law has two sides to it: love God and love neighbor. You can’t claim to love God while you hate your brother ! In 1 John 4:20

1 John 4:20 CSB

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

“20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

it says;

  20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

 But if you show favoritism, you don’t merely do something socially unacceptable—you commit sin.

How serious is the sin of favoritism? James sets it alongside adultery and murder. The reason the church still suffers from sins of discrimination like racism is because we’re not willing to acknowledge how serious and wretched it is. If you’re condemned as a murderer, it does no good telling the judge that your innocent of adultery (2:11). If you’re hanging from a chain off the edge of a cliff, it doesn’t matter which of the links breaks because they’re all connected. The end result will be the same. If you practice discrimination against those made in the image of God, your guilty no matter how many rules you follow (2:10).

2:12–13 Therefore, speak and act with the knowledge that you will stand before the judgment seat of Christ one day (2:12). Everyone who enters our churches should experience them as environments of mercy and hope. If you don’t show mercy, don’t expect mercy. If you don’t offer hope, don’t expect hope. Confess any partiality in your life and look for opportunities to show mercy, for mercy triumphs over judgment .