Jam 2:2-3 | KingComments | STEP | . You have seen in the final verses of the previous chapter that God is a caring Father and that He is light and love. By helping widows and orphans you can show that God is a Father Who looks after those who are deprived of all help. Because God also is light, the command goes together with keeping yourself unstained from the world. Now to keep you from becoming excessive in your separation from the world and falling into Pharisaism, James presents to you in the first verse of this chapter “the glorious Lord”. He does that in connection to the admonition that there should be no “personal favoritism” with those who believe in our “Lord Jesus Christ”. James calls the Lord by His full name because he must rail against the great evil in the Christian church regarding giving preferential treatment to certain people, due to their social position. Such a conduct is absolutely in contrast with the Person of Christ and the confession of faith in Him. Partiality is totally strange to Him ( ). That is also not the way He dealt with you and me, right? If you are impressed by socially successful people, people with a high position, and admire them for the nice looking car by which they come to the meeting and the nice clothes they wear for that occasion, then you have not really looked well to ‘the glorious Lord’. What does that entire earthly splendor mean in the light of His glory? The Lord had glory with the Father before the world was ( ). Also on earth He had glory, not for men ( ), but for those with faith ( ). This glory radiated through His humble stature. He will have glory when He returns to earth ( ). There is also a glory that is typical of Him and which we will see without taking part of it ( ). He is the center and the radiation of all God’s thoughts and glory ( ). All glory is in Him. That glory is in sharp contrast with earthly glory. In the light of the Lord of all glory there is no room for rank or position. Then everything that is attractive to the man of the world shrinks and also the matters that still exert a strong attraction on us as believers, such as wealth, reputation, position and power. Those are all matters that make man blind for true glory and through which he is on his way to hell. We too are inclined to look at the outward appearance ( ). Let us bear in mind that what is highly estimated by men is an abomination to God. By the way, James is not calling for “leveling”, that is, eliminating ranks and classes from the world and making everyone equal. He only wants the differences that exist in social life to play no role among believers in their dealings with one another as believers. In case that happens, he wants this evil to be judged. There are indeed differences among believers that are to be considered in their dealings with one another, such as a difference in age, in gender, in gifts. Those differences were made by the Lord. The differences are not to be played off against one another, but are supposed to be complementary to one another. . James calls the evil by its name. He describes how men behave toward a rich man and toward a poor man when they enter the synagogue. Both the way they approach the rich and the way they approach the poor are wrong. It is far below the level of the glory of the Lord in Whom they say they believe. They look up to the rich man, due to his golden rings and his nice clothes and they look down to the shabby clothed poor man. They guide the rich man with a bow to a nice place, and they give the poor man a standing place or a place by their footstool. . With such a behavior they show an arrogance that comes down to playing the role of judge. They have neither authority nor ability for such a way of acting. The distinction they made, they made among themselves, for their own benefit. There is nothing of the Lord in this matter. On the contrary, they act “with evil motives”. Such an evil motive is for example that they try to gain favor with rich people, because that can deliver them profit. They cannot gain any profit with poor people and therefore they do not care about them. Do you remember what James said about ‘pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father’? Was it not that precisely the poor people were to be visited in their affliction? How far away is making this distinction with evil motives from the true religion! . “Listen, my beloved brethren”, James says. In other words: ‘You must listen carefully. You are really my beloved brethren and therefore I tell you how God thinks about the socially deprived people. The poor in the world have priority with Him, they have a special place with Him.’ Paul also says that to the Corinthians, who were also that sensitive to the honor and reputation of the world ( ). The fact that God has chosen the poor does not mean that He has chosen them because they have no money, but because they have no rights and because they are dependent on others. With God it is about people who are of no account. By their being chosen they became rich in faith. To be rich in faith means to be rich in God ( ). These riches cannot be expressed in money. Even the world is theirs ( ) because they belong to Him Who owns all silver and gold ( ). They still have to wait for taking possession of that until the Lord Jesus comes back. The Lord Jesus was the poor One par excellence. He was rich, but became poor for our sake, so that we might become rich through His poverty ( ). That poverty was not the feeding trough in which he was laid after His birth and the cloths in which He was wrapped, for that could not possibly make us rich. It was also not His poverty on earth, where He had nowhere to lay His head ( ). We have become rich through nothing else than through the poverty of the three hours of darkness on the cross, where He suffered the judgment of God on our sins. That is also the only ground on which God could have made us “heirs of the kingdom”. When the Lord Jesus comes back to claim His kingdom, then all heirs will share with Him in His kingdom. God has promised that kingdom “to those who love Him”. James connects the promise of the kingdom to loving God. That kingdom is appreciated only by those who know Who God is in His love. The love for God is present with all who know that God first loved them ( ). If you have seen and also experienced that God has loved you, of which the highest proof is the gift of His Son, then there is nothing else left for you than to love Him, isn’t it? Therefore you as an heir can also look forward to that kingdom. Up to that moment you are able, just like the poor about whom James is talking, to enjoy your spiritual riches. Do you already know something about your riches? They are all included and hidden in Christ ( ). It is up to you to dig them up. In the light of His riches all riches of the world will lose its grip on you. Each investment of time and effort to make the riches of Christ to be your own, will show its efficiency when the Lord Jesus comes back. When you are that rich you will also be able to make other people rich. Then you can be a person of whom Paul says: “As poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things” ( ). . James points out to the readers that they have dishonored the poor by treating them with such disdain. They are blind for what these poor ones mean to God. But also for their conduct toward the rich with whom they love to gain favor, they seem to be blind. What God has done to the poor is in sharp contrast to what the rich had done to the poor. Just take a good look at what the rich are doing, James says. They oppress you and personally drag you into court. You think it will benefit you if you treat them with honors, but in the meantime you are fleeced by them. These folks are about corpses. . And the worse thing is: through the conduct of the rich the “fair name” of the Lord Jesus by which you have been called, is blasphemed. Therefore there is absolutely no reason to look up to them and to approach them obsequiously. Now read James 2:1-7 again. Reflection: Do you approach your fellow believers without personal favoritism?

‏ James 2:2-3

Chosen to Be Rich in Faith

Jam 2:1. You have seen in the final verses of the previous chapter that God is a caring Father and that He is light and love. By helping widows and orphans you can show that God is a Father Who looks after those who are deprived of all help. Because God also is light, the command goes together with keeping yourself unstained from the world.

Now to keep you from becoming excessive in your separation from the world and falling into Pharisaism, James presents to you in the first verse of this chapter “the glorious Lord”. He does that in connection to the admonition that there should be no “personal favoritism” with those who believe in our “Lord Jesus Christ”.

James calls the Lord by His full name because he must rail against the great evil in the Christian church regarding giving preferential treatment to certain people, due to their social position. Such a conduct is absolutely in contrast with the Person of Christ and the confession of faith in Him. Partiality is totally strange to Him (Acts 10:34). That is also not the way He dealt with you and me, right?

If you are impressed by socially successful people, people with a high position, and admire them for the nice looking car by which they come to the meeting and the nice clothes they wear for that occasion, then you have not really looked well to ‘the glorious Lord’. What does that entire earthly splendor mean in the light of His glory?

The Lord had glory with the Father before the world was (Jn 17:5). Also on earth He had glory, not for men (Isa 53:2), but for those with faith (Jn 1:14). This glory radiated through His humble stature. He will have glory when He returns to earth (2Pet 1:16-17). There is also a glory that is typical of Him and which we will see without taking part of it (Jn 17:24). He is the center and the radiation of all God’s thoughts and glory (Heb 1:3). All glory is in Him.

That glory is in sharp contrast with earthly glory. In the light of the Lord of all glory there is no room for rank or position. Then everything that is attractive to the man of the world shrinks and also the matters that still exert a strong attraction on us as believers, such as wealth, reputation, position and power. Those are all matters that make man blind for true glory and through which he is on his way to hell. We too are inclined to look at the outward appearance (1Sam 16:7). Let us bear in mind that what is highly estimated by men is an abomination to God.

By the way, James is not calling for “leveling”, that is, eliminating ranks and classes from the world and making everyone equal. He only wants the differences that exist in social life to play no role among believers in their dealings with one another as believers. In case that happens, he wants this evil to be judged. There are indeed differences among believers that are to be considered in their dealings with one another, such as a difference in age, in gender, in gifts. Those differences were made by the Lord. The differences are not to be played off against one another, but are supposed to be complementary to one another.

Jam 2:2-3. James calls the evil by its name. He describes how men behave toward a rich man and toward a poor man when they enter the synagogue. Both the way they approach the rich and the way they approach the poor are wrong. It is far below the level of the glory of the Lord in Whom they say they believe. They look up to the rich man, due to his golden rings and his nice clothes and they look down to the shabby clothed poor man. They guide the rich man with a bow to a nice place, and they give the poor man a standing place or a place by their footstool.

Jam 2:4. With such a behavior they show an arrogance that comes down to playing the role of judge. They have neither authority nor ability for such a way of acting. The distinction they made, they made among themselves, for their own benefit. There is nothing of the Lord in this matter. On the contrary, they act “with evil motives”. Such an evil motive is for example that they try to gain favor with rich people, because that can deliver them profit. They cannot gain any profit with poor people and therefore they do not care about them.

Do you remember what James said about ‘pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father’? Was it not that precisely the poor people were to be visited in their affliction? How far away is making this distinction with evil motives from the true religion!

Jam 2:5. “Listen, my beloved brethren”, James says. In other words: ‘You must listen carefully. You are really my beloved brethren and therefore I tell you how God thinks about the socially deprived people. The poor in the world have priority with Him, they have a special place with Him.’

Paul also says that to the Corinthians, who were also that sensitive to the honor and reputation of the world (1Cor 1:16-28). The fact that God has chosen the poor does not mean that He has chosen them because they have no money, but because they have no rights and because they are dependent on others. With God it is about people who are of no account.

By their being chosen they became rich in faith. To be rich in faith means to be rich in God (Lk 12:21). These riches cannot be expressed in money. Even the world is theirs (1Cor 3:21-23) because they belong to Him Who owns all silver and gold (Hag 2:8). They still have to wait for taking possession of that until the Lord Jesus comes back.

The Lord Jesus was the poor One par excellence. He was rich, but became poor for our sake, so that we might become rich through His poverty (2Cor 8:9). That poverty was not the feeding trough in which he was laid after His birth and the cloths in which He was wrapped, for that could not possibly make us rich. It was also not His poverty on earth, where He had nowhere to lay His head (Mt 8:20). We have become rich through nothing else than through the poverty of the three hours of darkness on the cross, where He suffered the judgment of God on our sins.

That is also the only ground on which God could have made us “heirs of the kingdom”. When the Lord Jesus comes back to claim His kingdom, then all heirs will share with Him in His kingdom. God has promised that kingdom “to those who love Him”. James connects the promise of the kingdom to loving God.

That kingdom is appreciated only by those who know Who God is in His love. The love for God is present with all who know that God first loved them (1Jn 4:19). If you have seen and also experienced that God has loved you, of which the highest proof is the gift of His Son, then there is nothing else left for you than to love Him, isn’t it?

Therefore you as an heir can also look forward to that kingdom. Up to that moment you are able, just like the poor about whom James is talking, to enjoy your spiritual riches. Do you already know something about your riches? They are all included and hidden in Christ (Col 2:2-3). It is up to you to dig them up.

In the light of His riches all riches of the world will lose its grip on you. Each investment of time and effort to make the riches of Christ to be your own, will show its efficiency when the Lord Jesus comes back. When you are that rich you will also be able to make other people rich. Then you can be a person of whom Paul says: “As poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things” (2Cor 6:10).

Jam 2:6. James points out to the readers that they have dishonored the poor by treating them with such disdain. They are blind for what these poor ones mean to God. But also for their conduct toward the rich with whom they love to gain favor, they seem to be blind. What God has done to the poor is in sharp contrast to what the rich had done to the poor.

Just take a good look at what the rich are doing, James says. They oppress you and personally drag you into court. You think it will benefit you if you treat them with honors, but in the meantime you are fleeced by them. These folks are about corpses.

Jam 2:7. And the worse thing is: through the conduct of the rich the “fair name” of the Lord Jesus by which you have been called, is blasphemed. Therefore there is absolutely no reason to look up to them and to approach them obsequiously.

Now read James 2:1-7 again.

Reflection: Do you approach your fellow believers without personal favoritism?