Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
JAMES 2
Favoritism Forbidden
1 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,” 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,” also said, “You shall not murder.” 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.
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Application Notes
2:1-26 In this chapter, James argues against favouritism and for the necessity of doing good for others. He presents three principles of faith: (1) Total commitment to Jesus Christ is an essential part of faith. A person cannot be a Christian simply by affirming the right doctrines or agreeing with biblical facts. You must be all in (2:19). (2) Godly actions are the natural by-product of true faith. A genuine Christian will have a changed life (2:18). (3) Faith without good deeds doesn't do anyone any good (2:14-17).
James's teachings are consistent with Paul's teaching that we receive salvation by faith alone. Paul emphasises the purpose of faith: to bring salvation. James emphasises the results of faith: a changed life that results in serving others and not copying the world around us.
2:1-7 James condemns showing favouritism. Often, we are inclined to treat a well-dressed, impressive-looking person better than someone who looks shabby. We do this because we would rather identify with successful people than with apparent failures. Successful people can help us get ahead. The irony, as James reminds us, is that the supposed winners may have gained their impressive lifestyle at the expense of others. In addition, rich people find it difficult to identify with Jesus, who came as a humble servant. Are you easily impressed by status, wealth, or fame? Are you partial to the "haves" while ignoring the "have-nots"? Check to see if you have this sinful attitude. God views all people equally as his children. We should follow his example.
2:2-4 Why is it wrong to judge a person by his or her economic status? Wealth may indicate intelligence, wise decisions, and hard work. But it more likely means that a person had the good fortune of being born into a wealthy family with good connections. Or it may be the sign of greed, dishonesty, or selfishness. By honouring people just because they present themselves well, we are making appearance more important than inner character. Sometimes we do this because (1) poverty makes us uncomfortable and we don't want to face our responsibilities to those who have less than we do; (2) we want to be wealthy, too, and we hope to use rich people as a means to that end; or (3) we want rich people to join our particular churches and help support them financially. All these motives are selfish, stemming from the view that we are superior to people who are poor. If we claim Christ as our Lord, then we must live as he requires, showing no favouritism and loving all people regardless of whether they are rich or poor.
2:2-4 We are often partial to the rich because we mistakenly assume that riches are a sign of God's blessing and approval. But God does not promise us earthly rewards or riches; in fact, Christ calls us to be ready to suffer for him and give up everything in order to hold on to eternal life (Matthew 6:19-21; 19:28-30; Luke 12:14-34; Romans 8:15-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). We will have untold riches in eternity if we are faithful in this present life (Luke 6:35; John 12:23-25; Galatians 6:7-10; Titus 3:4-8).
2:5 When James speaks about those who are poor, he means both those who have little or no money and also those whose simple values are despised by much of affluent society. Perhaps the "poor" people prefer serving to making lots of money, human relationships to financial security, and peace to power. This does not mean that poor people will automatically go to heaven and rich people to hell. Poor people, however, are usually more aware of their lack of power and need for help. Thus, it is often easier for them to acknowledge their need for salvation. Pride in accomplishments or accumulated wealth can be a great barrier for rich people to admit their need for God. On the other hand, bitterness over their situation can bar the way for poor people to accept salvation.
2:8-9 We must treat all people as we would like to be treated. We should not ignore rich people, because then we would be withholding our love. But we must not favour them for what they can do for us while ignoring poor people, who can offer us seemingly little in return.
2:8 The "royal law" was given by our great king, Jesus Christ, who said, "Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12). This law, originally summarised in Leviticus 19:18, forms the basis for all the laws about how people should relate to one another. Christ reinforced this truth in Matthew 22:37-40, and Paul taught it in Romans 13:8 and Galatians 5:14.
2:10 James reminds us that if we've broken just one law, we are sinners. But Christians must not use this verse to justify sinning. We dare not say, Because I can't keep every demand of God, why even try? We can't decide to keep part of God's law and ignore the rest. Jesus also gave this difficult teaching during his ministry (Matthew 5:19). You can't break the law a little bit; if you have broken it at all, you have broken trust with God, and you need Christ to pay for your sin. Deliberately breaking a commandment shows we are rejecting God's direction for our lives. Don't use human standards to measure yourself as being better than or not as bad as someone else. Use God's standards. Ask for forgiveness where you need it, and then renew your effort to put your faith into practice.
2:12 As Christians, we are saved by God's free gift of grace through faith, not by keeping the law. But we are also required to obey Christ. The apostle Paul taught that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:10) to be judged for our conduct. God's grace does not cancel our duty to obey him; it gives our obedience a new basis. The law is no longer an external set of rules, but it is a "taw that gives freedom"--one we joyfully and willingly carry out because we love God and have the power of his Holy Spirit within us (see James 1:25).
2:13 By discriminating against people who were poor, these believers were not showing mercy. God shows his mercy by forgiving our sins. We can't earn forgiveness by forgiving others. But when we withhold forgiveness from others after having received it ourselves, we show that we don't understand or appreciate God's mercy toward us (see Zechariah 7:9-10; Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:31-32).
2:14 When someone claims to have faith, that person may have given only intellectual assent--agreement with a set of Christian teachings. This is incomplete faith. True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts. If the way we treat others remains unchanged, we haven't truly digested the truths we claim to believe.
2:17-18 At first glance, these verses seem to contradict what Paul says in Romans 3:28: "We maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." Deeper investigation, however, shows that the teachings of James and Paul are not at odds. While it is true that our good deeds can never earn our salvation, true faith always results in changed lives and good deeds. Loving service does not substitute for faith in Christ, but rather, it verifies one's faith in Christ. Paul speaks against those who try to be saved by deeds instead of true faith; James speaks against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with true faith. After all, even demons recognise who Jesus is, but they don't obey him (2:19). True faith involves a commitment of one's whole self to God.
2:21-24 James says that Abraham was "considered righteous" for what he did. Paul says he was justified because he believed God (Romans 4:1-5). James and Paul are not contradicting but complementing each other. Let's not conclude that the truth is a blending of these two statements. We are not justified by what we do in any way. True faith always results in good deeds, but the deeds do not justify us. Faith brings us salvation; active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine.
2:25 Rahab lived in Jericho, a city the Israelites conquered as they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 2). When Israel's spies came to the city, she hid them and helped them escape. In this way, she demonstrated faith in God and his purpose for Israel. As a result, she and her family were saved when the city was destroyed. Hebrews 11:31 lists Rahab among the heroes of faith.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)