James Chapter Two

Chapter 2

example of how they have stained themselves

James 2:1 NASB95

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

favoritism - Rom. 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.” Col. 3:25 “For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.” Eph. 6:9 “And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”

when we look at people and judge them by externals we show favoritism.

James 2:2–4 NASB95

For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

assembly - coming together. Holy building best faces best clothes and we are all perfect and certainly not the assembly. No safe place in the church building. This is happening in the assembly and others were even participating in it.

fine clothes - bright or splendid, glistening - he is decked out.

dirty - filthy, shaggy

butter the rich man up, they kick the poor man to the curb. Does that happen today? Do we judge people by their financial status. More concerned about the giving than the soul.

made distinctions - divided, you are not being spiritual, you are acting like worldly people.

Are there other ways we show partiality in the church?

other real life examples - don’t look us (race)

tattoos, coats & ties, emo, skaters, bikers, democrats, republicans - bumper sticker etc.

if we are making a judgment based on what people look like, then we have been stained by the world. we are allowing the world to control our thinking.

“you will never look into the eyes of someone who God does not love and is not made in the image of God” Gen. 1:27 “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

We have God to stop the black and white churches. the inner city church vs. the middle class or rich churches.

God wants all men to come to the truth, all men to repent, all men to be save. Share the gospel with anyone and everyone.

Do we only teach those who look like us.

evil motives - they want to get something from them poor man is going to need something from us.

James 2:5–8 NASB95

Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

listen - listen and obey - he who has hears let him hear - you are loved by God and we ought to love everybody

James 1:9 “But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;”

He’s a christian, He’s rich in faith, & He’s an heir of the kingdom. Poor are more rich in faith because they don’t have the money to trust in they have to be more rich in faith.

It’s those that love Him that heirs of the kingdom, not what can do with their pocket book. not those who can buy their way into the church or can help us remodel. etc.

Do you think that the poor man when he was cast aside felt rich in faith or heirs of the kingdom.

Even their worldly logic makes no sense, the rich are the ones that make your life difficult.

James 5:4–6 NASB95

Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

blaspheme - speak evil against the name christ, they make fun of you

James 2:8 NASB95

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

James 2:9 NASB95

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.