Faith That Doesn’t Play Favorites - James 2:1-13

Topic: Improper External Expressions of Religion
Complement: Believers who with an attitude of partiality towards others (like the rich) will be judged by God without partiality. (2:1-13)

James introduces a hypothetical situation involving two very different people who receive two very different responses: The rich man gets preferential treatment; the poor man is treated like a second-class citizen. James argues that everyone deserves preferential treatment, and those who provide it selectively are guilty before God. He concludes this section with a powerful passage that describes one of the clearest—and most difficult—ways you and I can love our neighbor as ourselves: By extending mercy and forgiveness. Once again, James unapologetically challenges us with some very difficult teachings. A. We should stop holding our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality (who will come again as judge) because that would divide the assembly, and demonstrate that they are judges with false standards of judgment, and demean someone God has chosen to be an heir of the kingdom. (2:1-5)

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

James’ is telling the hearers of this letter that they should stop holding their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality toward others. (2:1)

It reminds me of the teacher’s pet—not a name we like to be called when we are kids. We don’t want anyone to think that we receive special treatment, even if it is true! I know that I never liked the person who was the teacher’s pet, but I liked the teacher even less for having favorites! Even as adults we often play favorites. We defer to those with power, money, or status.

Even in the church we are guilty of giving preference to some over others. The same problem was found in the churches of James’ day, and he decided to deal with it in a straightforward way! James begins by setting down a principle in verse 1, which might be paraphrased in this way: “Favoritism is not compatible with the Christian faith.” This principle is rooted in the character of God, who does not show partiality, and who commands His people not to do so, either:

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God and awesome warrior who is unbiased and takes no bribe, who acts justly toward orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

In the Greek, this word for partiality came to be used of any form of improper preferential treatment. In the New Testament it always denotes favoritism or partiality, a biased judgment based on external circumstances….

Also note that James (as he has done in this letter up to this point) addresses the readers as believers.

For if there should come into your synagogue a man with a gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and your pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “you sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”…

James now provides an illustration of the principle he has just stated. He sets the scene in church. Two men enter the church at the same time. One of the two is wealthy. He is wearing a gold ring and “fine clothing.” Literally, he is wearing “shining” or “bright” clothing. The rich man is dressed in a way that is intended to display his wealth. He wants others, including the usher, to know that he is a man of wealth? Why? Because he desires to be treated with partiality. The other man (who arrives at the same time as the rich man) is poor. His clothes give him away. The difference is that the rich man is purposely wearing clothing that signals his wealth to others. The poor man has nothing else to wear. His clothing sends a signal that he does not really desire. The poor man’s clothing is not just old, and it is not just ragged. Literally, the poor man’s clothing is filthy. This same word “filthy” is used only one other time in the New Testament, in Revelation 22:11, where it describes those who are morally filthy, and who will not enter into the kingdom of God.

The reason we should not be partial to the rich is because that would be divisive to our assembly. (2:2-4a)

…have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

The usher (“you”) immediately responds. He does not disappoint the rich man. The brightly attired guest is given a warm welcome and ushered to one of the finest seats; the poor man is barely tolerated and told to stand off out of the way, or to sit at the usher’s feet. (Notice that this man is not only given the poorest seating, but he is not allowed to sit on anything that he might soil with his filthy garments.) In responding to wealth and poverty in this way, the usher (or, in reality, the church) is guilty of sin. James will press this point home with several powerful arguments in verses 5-13.

The reason we should not have an attitude of partiality is because that would constitute us as judges of our fellow Christians with false standards of judgment. (2:4b)

The first argument or principal is in showing preferential treatment to the rich, one acts contrary to Christ (verses 5-6a).

Listen my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

The reason why we should not have an attitude of partiality is because God has chosen the poor Christian who is rich in faithfulness to be an heir of the kingdom which He promised to those who love (equals to obey) Him. (2:5)

It is no wonder, then, that we would read these words from the lips of our Lord:

Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy, because your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors did the same things to the prophets (Luke 6:20b-23).

This contrast is evident in many scriptures in the Gospels and the rest of the NT. One point for us all to consider is that the poor person described by James is one of heirs of the Kingdom. Just as Christ will inherited the Kingdom by His obedience to God the Father:

Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel. (Psalm 2:8-9)

So the Kingdom is promised to those who love God and they will inherit it as co-heirs as well for their obedience:

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. (2 Tim 2:12)

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. (Rev 2:16-28)

In contrast to God’s choice of the poor Christian James’ points out that his readers should not have dishonored the poor by preferential treatment of the rich, because the rich normally oppress them by abusing the legal process for their own benefit, and because the rich normally oppress them by abusing the legal process for their own benefit. (2:6-7)

James now moves on from God's choice of the poor Christian to another principal. This Second principal is to show partiality toward the rich flies in the face of our experience and common sense (verses 6b-7).

But have you not dishonored the poor man?

His readers (which include us) should not have dishonored the poor by preferential treatment of the rich because the rich as a group are normally the ones who dishonor the readers. (2:6a)

Do not the rich oppress you…

His readers should not dishonor the poor by being partial to the rich is because the rich as a group are normally the ones who oppress the readers. (2:6b)

...and drag you into court?

His readers should not dishonor the poor is because the rich normally oppress them by abusing the legal process for their own benefit. (2:6c)

Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you have been called?

Another reason why his readers should not dishonor the poor is because the rich normally oppress them by abusing the legal process for their own benefit. (2:7)

Remember that James is writing to Jewish Christians who are dispersed among the nations. They have begun to experience persecution. Some of their poverty was the direct result of their generosity (see Acts 2:44-46; 4:32-37), and some was the result of persecution because of following Christ (see Hebrews 10:32-34). The rich were quick to drag them into court. They could afford the legal costs and could also influence the outcome of the trial. As a rule, the rich were not a friend to the Jewish saints; they were their enemy. Why, then, would anyone show favoritism to their opponents?

The command of Christ to love your enemy to do good to those who spitefully use you. My first house building project ended in disaster and the builder had identified himself as a believer. When I sought legal counsel, the lawyer was stunned that I would not sue. When he pressed the issue I spoke to him about 1 Corinthians 6. In the end God provided a couple who was looking for just this situation and they bought the land and unfinished house.

And if this personal insult and injury were not enough to James readers, the rich were also those who were blaspheming the very name of our Lord (compare Psalm 73:1-14, especially verses 8-9).

Favoring the rich is contrary to all good reason.

A third principal James is making is that to show partiality toward the rich was to break God’s law (verses 8-11)

James is contrasting to the preferential treatment of the rich to the ideal of his readers continuing to do good deeds (2:8)

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” you do well

James’ starts this section by exhorting his readers to continue to do good deeds. (2:8a)

The reason why his readers should continue to do good deeds is because they have looked into the law that Christ gave (the mirror we talked about before in the previous sermon) that requires unconditional not preferential love for one’s neighbor. (2:8b)

The result of continuing to give preferential treatment to the rich is that they will be committing sin. (2:9-11)

The royal law commanded God’s people to “love their neighbors as themselves” (note the emphasis on “as”). Their neighbors included the wealthy and the poor (see Luke 10:29-37 parable of the Good Samaritan). The “as” means that we must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We must love our neighbors with the same level of concern and care that we have for ourselves. But in addition to meaning that we must love our neighbors and ourselves equally, James insists that we must love each of our neighbors equally, not treating one neighbor better than another.

The royal law of Christ calls for equality. Showing partiality violates the principle of “equal treatment under the law.” To show partiality to the rich and to discriminate against the poor is to break God’s law. And to break God’s law in this one matter is to become a violator of the whole law. These Jews to whom James wrote were no doubt scrupulous in keeping other parts of the law, but James says that this is of no value if the law is broken in the matter of dealing equally with our neighbors.

Thus, we may not be guilty of breaking the law by committing adultery, but if we murder, then we are lawbreakers anyway. To break the law at one point is to break the whole law. Those who show partiality to others are law-breakers.

...but if you show partiality you commit sin, ...

The result of continuing to give preferential treatment to the rich by James readers is that the believers in that congregation will be committing sin. (2:9a)

...and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

The reason why James can claim that they will be committing sin is because they have been convicted by the law of Christ as a transgressor. (2:9b)

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

The reason that James can claim that they have been convicted by the law of Christ as a transgressor is because the law of love is a unity that results in guilt for only one violation of a commandment to love your neighbor. (2:10)

For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do commit murder…

The reason why the law is a unity is because of the unity of essence of the Lawgiver. (2:11a)

...you have become a transgressor of the law.

The result of the law being a unity is that one broken commandment results in the total transgression of the law. (2:11b)

As a result of the possibility of transgressing the law of love James highlights the manner in which his readers should speak and act is in the same manner as those who are destined to be judged by the law that sets men free from sin (2:12-13)

So the fourth and final principal, is if we show partiality in our judgments we ignore the certainty of consequences when we stand before Christ as our Judge.

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty ...

James points out the manner in which his readers should speak and act is in the same manner as those who are destined to be judged by the law that sets men free from sin. (2:12)

For judgment will be without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.

The reason why his readers should speak and act like those who are to be judged by the law that set men free from sin is because judgment will be without mercy to those who have not shown mercy in words or actions. (2:13)

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

This is contrast to the reason why his readers should speak and act like those who are destined to be judged by the law that sets men free is because those who have shown mercy will boast in triumph at the judgment. (i.e. they will be rewarded) (2:13b)

There is a day of judgment coming for all men. There is a judgment for unbelievers (John 5:22-29; Acts 17:30-31; Hebrews 9:27), just as there is a different day of judgment for the saints (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). If we have not shown mercy to those in need, then we should not expect God to be merciful to us in their day of judgment. Jesus own words are very sobering on this:

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7).

Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive (Matthew 7:1-2; see also 18:21-25).

But is not going to be the OT law by which Christians will be judged, but rather by the law of liberty to which has already been referred to in verse 1:15. The qualifying phrase of liberty clearly differentiates the term law. James concurred with Peter's description of the OT law "as a yoke of bondage" we see this in Acts 15:10. James leaded the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13-29) to the final solution to believers being under the OT law.

James knows also as did Paul that Christians "are not under law but under grace." James also knew that God's will revealed in the New Covenant and the Law of Christ which is the law of liberty or that brings freedom. James answer to the future situation was to show mercy to people in need or that have sinned.

In that day of our evaluation by our Lord our lives as believers will be evaluated and the scripture, His very words cannot be broken. So in verse 12 and 13 we can see that James is giving us again application just as he did in verses 26 and 27 of Chapter 1.