James 2:1-13 FAITH REMOVES DISCRIMINATION The faith of a believer is proved by works, and it is also proved by love as the first verses of this chapter teach us. Principles of faith by which we live are a commitment of our minds and hearts to the Lord and His people. The changed lives and right actions are natural to those who have true faith, as are good works. The believer and his service are the subject matter of this whole chapter. The purpose of faith is to bring salvation as Paul writes in his epistles. The results of faith are good works in a changed life according to the epistle of James.
Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ know the value of every person because they have experienced the blessing of God's grace themselves. Favoritism is condemned, not just by James, but by every child of God who knows "God is no respecter of persons." The Lord looks at the poor with equal favor as He does with the successful, and even more when the poor are "rich in faith." An impressive, well-dressed person may look better to us, but "God looketh on the heart." To have respect of persons is discourteous, bad manners and sin.
The rich and impressive often gain their social superiority at the expense of the poor. The Lord Himself was here as a humble, lowly servant with whom God was well-pleased. Faith removes discrimination among the people of God. The word "assembly" in this passage is the same as "synagogue," indicating a meeting of Christian-Jews who gathered for Christian activity rather than the practice of Judaism. When Gentiles and Jews came together as Christians there was hostility against them by Jews and they called that gathering "church." The "haves" and "have nots" were not to discriminate even in the places where they sat, because before God they all are equal.
In some ways God favors the poor because they have already learned how to deal with suffering, which in many cases is associated with godly living. Wealth on the other hand, may indicate hard work, wise decisions, intelligent choices or simply that a person was born into a wealthy family. In some cases, wealth is gained by greed, dishonesty or covetousness. In our assemblies, character is what is important, not the way a people dress. Modesty is the criteria to guide us as to how we dress. Any wrong motive behind the way we dress, whether to dress "up" or "down," whether we are rich or poor, is not right because it shows some kind of discrimination.
Riches are not necessarily a sign of God's blessing. If we have riches, we should possess them, not let them possess us. We should "not set our heart" upon them. We should be willing to let them go for the kingdom of God's sake. There is no virtue in poverty or riches. Some people are content to serve in poor circumstances. Their values are different as far as social standing and material benefits. This does not mean they will go to heaven because they are poor, nor does it mean the wealthy go to hell because they are rich. It does indicate that poor people are more often conscious of their powerlessness, and that makes it easier for them to admit to their need of God and His salvation.
The pride often associated with rich people is a barrier to salvation because they "have need of nothing." To admit to inner need and spiritual bankruptcy is harder for them. Bitterness is a barrier to poor people when it comes to accepting Christ and a guilty sinner. They often point to others in blame for their situation rather than accept responsibility for themselves. A lesson in this attitude from the sermon on the mount is for us to be merciful to others, as God is merciful to you [Jas.2:13; Mat.5:7; 6:14].
The "royal Law" is quoted in scripture eight times. It sums up the whole law given to Moses dealing with human behavior and interpersonal relationships. This is the basis as to how people should relate to each other. It is our responsibility to treat others the way we want them to treat us. The poor should not despise nor ignore the rich because if we did, we would not be loving them. We should not favor them in view of what they might do for us, nor should we ignore the poor who can't offer us material things.
Showing favoritism or discriminating is sin, and if we sin in one point, we are guilty of breaking the whole law. This standard God has defined, reminds us that whoever we are, or whatever our station in life, we need God's forgiveness and must put our faith into practice. Believers in Christ are saved by grace alone, and because of that we are required to obey our Lord who saved us. The "law of liberty," or the law that gives us freedom in Christ, does not mean we have no obligations. Our obedience to God is based on new motives that are normal to the new nature. We love Him who in mercy has forgiven our sins because of the "riches of His grace." Now we want to obey Him, and find joy in serving Him and showing the characteristics of the new life we have in Him, toward those who need mercy from us. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."