James Commentary -- Chapter 2

 Here is James 2

 

James 2:1-4

 

     We are now going into chapter two, and this chapter has a lot in it that is relevant for our day and age. We start out the chapter with an admonition for James that Christians should not be ones who show any type of favoritism. But, before we start studying what that means for us today, I am struck by how James refers to Jesus. He calls Him our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

     Jesus is ours. That is something that we have to really let sink in. He belongs to us and we belong to Him. We are united together by His grace. He is glorious. He lives in glory right now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. One day, He will come and all of His glory will be revealed to all as every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

     Now, let us get into the heart of the section. James gives his readers a stern warning against showing any type of favoritism. He does not want people to favor any other believer or visitor to the congregation based on their wealth or their status.

     If a person is rich or poor, they should be treated the same way. If a person is dressed well or poorly, they should be treated in the same respectful and honorable way. There should be no discrimination, and there should be no favoritism shown.

     This passage reminds me of something that I have seen in some church meetings. Those that are big donors or so-called VIPs are given reserved seats at the front of the church. This is in direct contradiction to what James Is teaching here. That sort of thing should never be practiced in any church.

     I believe that we can go further with James’ idea. There should be no type of racism, sexism, ageism, ethnicism or any other type of discrimination in the church or amongst God’s people. The church is for all. Jesus saves and came to save everyone. We are all one in Him.

     If anyone teaches that one race or ethnic group is better than another, that is a sign that that person’s teaching is not of God. All people from every tribe, nation, and group will be worshipping the Lamb around the throne.

James 2:5-7

     Now, getting back to James most contextual criticism.  James does not want anyone to discriminate a poor person in favor of a rich person. James says that God has especially chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom. That is powerful. That means God has a preferential regard for the poor. He does not want anyone causing any type of hurt or oppression against them.

     James goes on to talk about the fact that the rich are often oppressors. In fact, most of the time, those who are very wealth became that way by not following the teachings of the Lord and by oppressing their workers and those in marginalized groups.

     We are not to dishonor a poor person, and we are not to show favoritism to a wealthy person. The worst examples of this that I have seen are pastors who will go visit wealthy members of their congregation in the hospital, but you never see them at the bedside of someone who doesn’t have two nickels to rub together.

James 2:8-11

     James is really driving home his point now. He goes back to what he heard the Lord Jesus say. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He said that we are to the love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Then he added that we are to love our neighbor as ourself.

     In this section, James makes it clear that to show favoritism or to discriminate is a violation of the law that we should love our neighbor as ourself. It follows right along with what Jesus said when He told us that we are to do unto others as we would have done to us. In other words, we are to treat other people in the same way that we would like to be treated. If we don’t want people to discriminate and be prejudiced against us, we should not act that way to others.

     According to James, we are lawbreakers if we show favoritism, and if a person breaks the law in one area it is the same as if he has broken every law. One is just as bad as the other, because they are all violations of the standard of a holy God. Not committing one sin but committing another makes us guilty of all. That is why we need a Savior.

James 2:12-13

     We are to act as people who will be judged by the law of God. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that we are under the law. It means that Jesus is the judge. The Bible says that everyone will stand before the judgment seat of Christ in order to give an account. Christians will be judged at this judgment, but not for salvation. It is a judgment of rewards. What we have done with our lives for the Lord.

     In light of the fact that we will give an account to our Savior, we need to live according to His commandments and teachings. We need to be doing what He has told us to do. In fact, Jesus spoke about this just as James is. He told us that we should live in such a way that we would not be ashamed at His coming.

     In verse 13, James talks about mercy and judgment. Mercy triumphs over judgment. And aren’t we thankful for that. God is merciful to us and has forgiven our sins. He has forgiven us and given us a new life in Jesus Christ. When we come to Jesus, He takes our sins, and we receive His righteousness which allows the judgment of the Lord for our sins to pass over us.

     Just as we have received the mercy of the Lord, we ought also to be merciful to others. We need to forgive others when they sin against us. Jesus spoke about this over and over again during His time on earth. We need to forgive seventy times seven, He told us. He also said that if we aren’t willing to forgive others, the Father will not forgive us.

James 2:14-19

     The section of James that we are going in to now is one of the most controversial passages in all of the New Testament. Some Christians use this text to prove that salvation is not by faith alone. Others try to explain it away or not deal with what it is really saying. Some, like Martin Luther, want to just throw the whole book out the window.

     Let’s look at what James is trying to get at in this passage. James begins by asking if a person can be saved by faith without deeds. He asks, “Can such faith save them?” James compares faith without deeds to someone seeing a hungry person who tells that person to be warm and filled and then just walks off and doesn’t do anything to help that person.  James says that faith like that, or faith without deeds is dead.

     James says that faith without deeds is dead. It is useless. Even the demons in hell believe, but they don’t have any deeds. James says that he will demonstrate his faith by his deeds.

     So, what are we to make of this? Is James trying to say that we are saved by a combination of faith and works? No, he is not. He is making a statement about the demonstration of true faith. He wants to let his readers know and understand what saving faith truly looks like. True and saving faith is not a mental assent to a list of facts about God. The devil and his angels know the truth about God and who Jesus is and what He did. But, they do not bow the knee to Him. They do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. They are in rebellion. Their acknowledgment of some facts they know to be true does not bring them out of their rebellion against the True and Living God.

     What James is saying is that there are many who have a profession of faith. They claim to be believers in the Lord, but their actions do not demonstrate that they have Jesus as the Lord of their lives. It is an empty profession of faith. They do not have a true possession of faith.

     Jesus spoke about this exact same thing. He said when the end of time comes and people are judged many will come to Him and say Lord, Lord.  Jesus will say to them depart from me for I never knew you. You were a worker of lawlessness. Likewise, Jesus said that when He judges the nations, some will ask when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, etc. He replies that when you did not do good unto the least of those among you, you did not do it unto Me. In other words, you said you were a follower of mine, but you never did anything that I asked you to do. Therefore, your actions revealed that you never really had faith and trust in Me.

     Jesus also talked about the good tree and the bad tree. A good tree bears good fruit while a bad tree can only produce bad fruit. Jesus said by their fruits you will know them. So, Jesus is saying the exact same thing as James. A person’s works reveal what is truly in their heart. Anyone can say they are a Christian. The proof, so to speak, is in the pudding.

     James is certainly not contradicting other parts of the Bible in this passage. We know from the writings of Paul that we are saved by grace through faith. It is the gift of God. Paul tells us that we are saved unto God works. We are not saved by good works, because, as the Bible says, all of our righteousness is as filthy rags in the eyes of God.

James 2:20-26

     James will now give us two examples from the Old Testament to show us the point that he is trying to get across. First of all, we have the example of Abraham and his offering up of Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham could have said OK Lord, and then he could have gone out and sacrificed a goat. Instead, he was going to sacrifice Isaac and God stopped Him. The Bible says that Abraham believed that even if he sacrificed Isaac that God could raise him from the dead, but it was dead faith until Abraham had an action behind it. His action proved his faith.

     In the same way, we have the example of Rahab. When the spies went to Jericho, Rahab hid them so they would not be captured. Joshua and Caleb told her that if she placed the scarlet cord out her window, she and those with her would be spared when the city fell. Rahab did what she was told, and she and those with her made it out alive. She could have believed all day, but her action demonstrated that she truly believed.

     If you have accepted Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within. He works within us to produce the fruit of the Spirit. We also as a child of God have the desire to do what it is that Jesus has taught us and commanded us to do. When we follow the Lord in obedience, we are showing the world that Jesus is truly in our hearts. That is what James is trying to say.