James 2:1-13New International Version (NIV)
Favoritism Forbidden
2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
The first basic doctrine James discusses is the Deity of Christ (2:1-4) When it comes to Christ, He did not respect persons. Jesus' enemies admitted "you are not swayed by men because you pay no attention to who they are." Matt 22:16. Jesus looked at mans heart and not the outward appearance. He was not impressed by someones riches or social status. Jesus saw the potential in the life of sinners. In Peter, he saw a rock which he would build His church. In Matthew, The tax collector, He saw a faithful disciple who would one day write one of the four gospels. We are so prone to judge someone based on their past, and not their future. We are prone to judge people based on their outward appearance, rather than the inner attitude of the heart. We do not enjoy sitting with certain people at church, school, or lunch because they "are not our kind of people". Jesus was a friend to the sinners, he did disapprove of their sins. It was not compromise, but compassion, that caused Him to welcome them, and when they trusted Him, He forgave them.
Rick Warren once said- "Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someones lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
When it comes to Christ, He was also despised and rejected. Yet, He was the very glory of God! Religious leaders in Christ day, judged Him based on human standards and rejected him. He came from the wrong city, he was not a graduate of their accepted schools, he did not have official approval of the people in power, and He did not have any wealth. His followers were tax collectors, and sinners. Yet He wads the very glory of God. We need to look at everyone through the eyes of Jesus. God can use even the most unlikely person to bring glory to His name. He has used me.
The second doctrine is The Grace of God (2:5-7). The emphasis here is on God choosing. This involves His grace. If salvation was based on reward than it would not be grace. God saves us on the basis of the work of Christ on the cross, not because of anything we are or have done. God ignores national differences, and social differences. The doctrine of God's grace, if we really believe it, forces us to relate to people on the basis of God's plan and not basis of human merit or social status. Jesus broke down the walls between jew and gentile and it is wrong for us to build those walls up again. We can not rebuild them if we believe in the Grace of God. I personally am a sinner who is saved by grace. My salvation is not based on something I have done, but based on what Christ did!
The third doctrine is the Word of God (2:8-11). D.L. Moody said "Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather." James quotes the Old Testament by saying "Love thy neighbor as thyself." The word of God continues to tell believers to love one another, love thy neighbor. This doesn't mean to just love those who live close to you. Christian love does not mean that I must like a person or agree with him on everything. You may not like their vocabulary or habits, and may not want them as a close friend. Christian love means treating others the way God has treated you. The motive behind this love is to bring God glory. Love always builds up, but hatred tears people down. We only believe as much of the Bible as we practice. If we fail to obey the most important word "Love they neighbor as thyself" then we will not do any good with the lesser matters. The Pharisees cared more about the lesser things than the fundamentals. Therefor they broke the very law they thought they were defending.
The last doctrine is The Judgement of God (2:12-13) Both Paul and Jesus assured believers that they would not be judged for their sins, but our works will be judged and rewarded. Our words will be judged. What we say and how we say it to people will come up before God, Even our careers words will be judged. (matt. 12:36) The words we speak come from the heart, therefor when God judges the words, He examines our heart. Jesus emphasized caution when speaking in some of His warning in the sermon on the mount. Also our deeds will be judged. It is true that God remembers our sins no more. Casting our sin as far as the east is from the west. But our sins do affect our character and works. God saves us from sin, but not the consequences. If you robbed someone and asked God for forgiveness, He will forgive you. But you would still have to face the consequences of that sin, meaning you would be in Jail.
Our attitudes will also be judged (2:13) Our beliefs should control our behavior. We as Disciples of Christ ought to practice what we preach. Jonah had wonderful theology, but he hated people, and was angry with God.
One of the test of the reality of our faith is the way we treat others. Can you pass the test?
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