James 2:1-7 (NKJV) My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you 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,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor 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. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
V1 “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” Don’t claim to be Christian and have double standards regarding the people we meet. The Greek word for “partiality” is (G4382) προσωπολημψία prosōpolēmpsia, which means respect. Thus, here, respect is shown to some people but not shown to others. God treats those who have faith and trust Him (2 Samuel 22:31, 1 Chronicles 5:20, and Proverbs 30:5) differently than those who do not (Psalm 78:21-22, Isaiah 31:1, and Hebrews 3:19). Otherwise, all are treated the same, judged by the same standards, etc. The Lord Jesus’s ministry was consistent in applying this. Jesus healed all by faith–John 4 (Samaritan), Mark 7:26-30 (Syrophoenician), and Matthew 8:5-13 (Roman). Jesus preached and ate with rich (Simon in Luke 7:36-50) or poor, socially acceptable or not (Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 and sinner woman in Luke 7:36-50).
V2 “For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes…” James then gives an example.
V3 “…and you 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,…” The illustration shows the strong partiality.
V4 “…have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” Judges in the sense of making a decision about someone based on their clothes or perception of their socio-economic status. Compare Leviticus 19:15, 1 Timothy 5:21, and Proverbs 24:23.
V5 “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” Compare 1 Corinthians 1:26-28, Matthew 5:3, and 2 Corinthians 8:9. God analyzes the heart not the pocketbook. He wants to see a person with faith, not much for those without faith who have riches. The person with faith is good but God allows us to be tested with difficulties. Compare Job in the book of Job, Joseph in Psalm 105:17-22, and Abraham’s testing in James 2:21. Will be remain faithful? If so, then God recognizes that faith. It is not a better faith but a genuine faith. Rich and poor Christians have the same riches of faith and inheritance in the kingdom of God.
V6 “But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?” This oppression is because of arrogance and greed to steal from the poor. Inflation is one way of stealing from the poor.
V7 “Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” Not all, but some rich do. It is because of the trust in riches rather than God. See 1 Timothy 6:17.
We learn:
- Being partial is sin.
- Being poor financially has no bearing on one’s riches in Christ, God’s gifts to that person (Luke 12:15-21, Matthew 6:21), or God’s blessings (Proverbs 16:16).