Bible Study James 2: 1-26

 

A Commentary of the Book of James

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study James 2: 1-26

Text:

The Sin of Favoritism

2 My brothers, do not hold your faith in our [a]glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [b]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you [c]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright 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,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor [d]of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves drag you into [e]court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the good name [f]by which you have been called?

8 If, however, you are fulfilling the [g]royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the [h]law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole [i]law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the [j]law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy [k]triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

14 What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can [l]that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, [m]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is [n]dead by itself.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that [o]God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and [p]as a result of the works, faith was [q]perfected. 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 1: “My brothers, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.”

First, notice how the half brother of Christ addresses Him, as the “Lord Jesus Christ.” “Jesus”doesn’t save you. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that saves you. It is God’s foreknowledge, predestination, calling and justifying you that saves you. It is nothing to boast about. Since you are saved by grace through faith, and everyone is saved the same way, you should treat all in the family of God equally. There are no spiritual elites. What James is telling us here is not to profess faith in Christ and at the same time be a spiritual elitist. All believers are brethren in the body of Christ, whatever their denomination. There is a fellowship of believers; friendship should be over them as a banner. James is addressing the total community of believers—the rich, the poor, the common people, the high, the low, the bond and free, the Jew and the Gentile, the Greek and the barbarian, male and female. They are all one when they are in the body of Christ. There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers. This is a call to unity in the body of Christ.

Verse 2: “For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,”

The word translated “assembly” is actually “synagogue.” Remember, James is Jewish and would have thought and written as a Hebrew. While Jews were rings, few could afford gold ones. The “bright clothes” were clothes that drew attention to the wealth of the wearer, but James is saying that there should be no reaction to the fancy dress. Treat the wealthy and poor the same.

Verse 3: “and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright 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,’”

Most of the attendees either sat cross-legged on the floor or stood. There were a limited number of good seats; they were the ones the Pharisees always wanted. James was calling for equality among the brethren. 

Verse 4: “have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”

Though God calls us to discern and to discriminate between good and evil, discrimination based on mere externals such as economic status, racial or ethnic differences, and the like is considered an evil form of judgment. We are to accept all believers into our assemblies regardless of social standing or lack thereof, or what they can financially contribute to the church.

Verse 5: “Listen, my beloved brothers: 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?”

Since salvation is of the Lord, whom He chose is not to be judged by us. Rather, we should receive all God’s elect into the community of believers without a separation based on financial resources. Salvation makes one rich spiritually and that is the most important possession you can have in this life.

Verse 6: “But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves drag you into court?”

The word translated “dishonored” is a verb and a strong word and is used to refer to the oppressive work of Satan. The rich used political and judicial power to take advantage of the poor and those in need. As a group, the rich have a tendency to rely upon wealth and power rather than to find their salvation in Christ. James is pointing out that it is the rich that have the means to take you to court and take advantage of their wealth. There is a saying, “Money is a defense.” (Ecclesiastes 7: 12) It sure is! Those that have money have power in court. James states not to oppress the poor.

Verse 7: “Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?”

“Good” is better translated as “honorable.” Reader, when you mistreat the poor, you are blaspheming the name of Christ. Pause and let that sink in.

Verse 8: “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

The “royal law” is the supreme law of God. It is the law of love. James is teaching that the sin of favoritism is a violation of the great commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” making the perpetrator a lawbreaker.

Verse 9: “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.”

The word “if” is better translated “since” because the practice was ongoing at the time James wrote his epistle. James is making the point clear that if you show partiality to one group, i.e. wealthy, as opposed to the poor, you are a law breaker. Being a respecter of persons makes you a law breaker.

Verse 10: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

If you break one commandment, you are guilty of breaking all the commandments. To sin by breaking one command is to sin against the entire law and therefore against the Law-giver. James, like Jesus, warns against a superficial understanding of the law of God. The Law governs both actions and intent. 

Verse 11: “For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”

To break one law makes a lawbreaker. Thank God that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all our sins, not just the ones you had committed when you were born again. When you were saved, every sin you had committed, were committing and would commit in the future, were placed under His blood. Otherwise, we would all be lawbreakers still. 

Verse 12: “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.”

The “law of freedom” is the law of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. What is His commandment? “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you”. Thankfully, we have freedom from the penalty of sin, the power of sin in our lives, and one day from the presence of sin.

Verse 13: “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Though God is never required to show mercy, He freely chooses to do so in abundance. He shows mercy upon whom He wills and it is not dependent on the actions or will of the one receiving mercy. It is strictly God’s choice. By His law, however, we are commanded to temper justice with mercy. God warns us that if we refuse to show mercy, we will not receive mercy from Him. If you want mercy, be merciful. If you want forgiveness, forgive others.

Verse 14: “What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”

This introduces the important issue of the relationship between faith and works. The question under consideration is, “What kind of faith is saving faith?” James’s question is rhetorical; the obvious answer is that faith without works cannot save. Faith that yields no work is not saving faith. The New Testament does not teach justification by the profession of faith or “accepting Jesus”; it teaches justification by the possession of true faith. We are not saved by works, however, because we are saved we work. 

Verse 15-16: “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?’”

These two verses describe a “faith” of words without actions. James' point is clear and does not conflict with Paul’s message of grace. Once grace has been received in the heart and a person becomes a new creation, he will want to work for the Master and His Kingdom. It would not be sufficient to just give someone a pleasant greeting if one had the ability to alleviate the suffering of a fellow believer.

Verse 17: “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.”

Just as professed compassion without action is not real, the kind of faith that is without works is mere empty profession, not genuine saving faith. A person is not saved to become an observer of life, but rather an active participant in the lives of others. 

Verse 18: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’”

Saving faith produces works. You have to draw that conclusion from James’ epistle. He is talking about the fruit of faith. Paul talks about the root of faith. Those are the separate emphases of each man, but both Paul and James say that faith alone saves. Paul also says that faith is going to produce fruit—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace …” (Gal. 5:22). The Lord Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit …” There was an old Sunday School song, “If you are saved and you know it….” I like to say, if you're saved and you know, so will others see it, including those that oppose you.

Verse 19: “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Many times I will hear someone say, “I believe in God.” My response is that they are almost at demon level. The demons believe and shudder, they only believe. When they shudder, they reach demon level. It is not enough to believe in God. The issue is, do you have a substitute for your sins? If not, you will pay for them throughout eternity. However, if the Lord Jesus Christ is your substitute, your eternity will be heavenly. 

Verse 20: “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?”

This is a strong rebuke. It is a moral judgment calling the man a “fool.” Remember that judgment that falls upon “the fool” in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. James is driving his point home with stern words. There will be no excuses for those that hear James’ words. If you have faith, then that faith will be active and produce results. The word “useless” means a lack of fruit. Faith produces fruit. 

Verse 21: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?”

James appeals to Abraham as his chief exhibit of one who is justified by his works. There is no contradiction with Paul who also appeals to Abraham as the chief exhibit of one justified by faith. James appeals to Gen. 22, while Paul appeals to Gen. 15. To God, Abraham was justified in Gen. 15, long before he offered Isaac on the altar. He was justified when he believed what God had said to him about having a child. Abraham is justified to us, to human eyes, in Gen. 22 when he shows his faith through his obedience. God looks on the heart and man looks on the externals. Abraham’s faith was known to God because He could see his heart. We see the evidence of his belief in the offering of his son as a sacrifice.

Verse 22: “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.”

Faith being “perfected” means to bring something to its end, or to its fullness. Just as a fruit tree has not arrived at its goal until it bears fruit, faith has not reached its end until it demonstrates itself in a holy life. You can see true faith by its fruits.

Verse 23: “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.”

Was Abraham justified when he offered his son Isaac? No, he wasn’t. Then what was Abraham’s work of faith? How did works save him? His faith caused him to lift that knife to do a thing which he did not believe God would ever ask of him. But since God had asked him, he was willing to do it. He believed that God would either raise Isaac from the dead or provide a substitute. Isaac was never in danger because God Providentially provided a substitute..Abraham was a “friend of God” because he was obedient to Him.

Verse 24: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

A person is not justified (saved) by the mere profession of faith or by having a faith that remains alone without works (fruit). A person is only shown to be justified (saved) by what he or she does. None of our deeds saves us in the sight of God. Only the merit of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ avails for that kind of justification. Only by having faith in Christ alone can we be made righteous in the sight of God. There are two errors to avoid: (1) you can live however you want and still be saved (once saved, always saved) and (2) you must earn your salvation by doing good works. Just as Paul demonstrated that trusting in one’s own works is deadly, so James teaches that resting on empty or dead faith is deadly. We do good works (acts of righteousness) and have fruit that shows our genuine faith in Christ. 

Verse 25: “And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”

The Old Testament records the story of her faith, which was the basis of her justification before God. She demonstrated the reality of her saving faith when, at great personal risk, she protected the messengers of God. While lying was not condoned by James, the actions of Rahab demonstrated her living faith.

Verse 26: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Faith without works is like a dead body in a morgue. James said that and Paul said that. If you have ever seen a body at a funeral, you know the meaning of this verse. The dead body remains cold and lifeless. It doesn’t move. It produces nothing. In the same way, a person who claims to be a Christian but has no works following their faith is dead spiritually.