Ralph Porter

© 2003

    Churches like ours live in a high-risk zone. Any church containing a lot of educated, wealthy, upwardly mobile people finds it easy to practice a subtle favoritism which offers a brighter fraternal smile to well-dressed professionals, and a cordial, though less enthusiastic, greeting to the less-favored or troubled. While such subtle discrimination often escapes human detection, God always sees it. James warns us of the danger when that kind of favoritism infiltrates God's people and shows up at church on Sunday morning.

    James is writing to a church in the midst of persecution to show them what a living faith in the living God looks like. In chapters 2-5 he tells us how a living faith faces the specific problems related to suffering (2:1-5:6). The first issue he deals with is how the church under pressure deals with the powerful people in their neighborhood. In summary, his message is that a living faith doesn't favor powerful people (2:1-13),

    Due to the pressure they've been facing, they've begun to sin against their brethren. They've been favoring the rich to obtain preferential treatment for themselves. They're "looking out for number one!" They hope that by honoring powerful people, those powerful people will treat them better. Instead of banding together and helping one another, each one is scheming to save his own skin. What better way than making friends with the rich and powerful? This was even happening in church!

    They are trying to get the rich and the powerful to help them. They are ignoring the truly rich--those God has made rich--and honoring those who the world views as rich, but who are truly poor from an eternal perspective--from God's point of view. James warn us of the danger of focusing on riches, of confusing wealth and worth. He cautions us against evaluating people's value by the toys we own: by the number and kinds of cars we own, by our houses, boats, entertainment centers, or other possessions.

    He begins by issuing a summary exhortation: "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism" (2:1). He then describes the basic problem as it presented itself among the suffering, scattered churches of the first century: they're discriminating against the poor, and showing favoritism to rich and powerful people (2:2-4). When powerful people came to church, they got special treatment.

    James explains the basis of his concern by pointing out two simple facts concerning the two groups of people they are discriminating between (2:5-11). He first points out that God has chosen the poor, by the world's standards, to be the recipients of His special blessing (2:5). God's normal method is not to choose the rich and the powerful. God takes the poor and powerless, and makes us truly rich. Thus God and His children have come down on opposite sides of this issue! God's children are looking down on the very people that God has made rich!

    The second obvious fact that James wants the church to understand is that it is these very powerful people that they are trying to treat with special favor are the ones who are mistreating them (2:6-7). They are honoring the people who oppress them, while rejecting the people God has chosen.

    So, how should God's people treat one another in the face of affliction? In the first part of this passage, he tells us that God's law, as revealed in the Old Testament, teaches us how to treat one another. It teaches us to love our neighbor without showing favoritism (2:8-11). James summarizes his discovery from the Old Testament: "If you really keep he royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right'" (2:8).

IF YOU LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,

YOU ARE DOING RIGHT   2:8

    "Love your neighbor as yourself" is the royal law. This command is the chief command that entails all God's other commands dealing with our relationships with other people. It was established by the King for all those who live under His authority. It was established in Scripture, as the key to the Old Testament law, second only to loving God with all our heart, soul and mind. The priority of this command is reaffirmed in the New Testament as well.

    What does this look like in real life? Ernest Gordon tells a story about a situation which is similar to the situation James is addressing. In 1942 a Japanese concentration camp holding allied prisoners was a sea of mud and filth, the scene of grueling labor and brutal treatment. There was hardly any food and the law of the jungle pervaded--every man for himself. Twelve months later the camp was cleared and clean. The huts were rebuilt and on Christmas morning 2,000 men came to worship.

    What happened? During the year one prisoner shared his last crumb with another man in desperate need. Then he died. Among his belongings they found a Bible. Some who witnessed his ultimate act of love wondered whether that Bible might be the reason he gave sacrificially to save another. The prisoners began to read it. The Spirit of God began to change their lives. In less than twelve months revival filled the camp. The royal law had worked.

    For us the situation may not be so severe as it was for that P.O.W. For us it may mean giving up an afternoon to help a needy person--taking a blind person shopping, or picking them up and bringing them to church. It might mean spending time with the child of a single parent, or helping a widow by doing repairs on her house. It could involve helping a classmate with a math assignment, or buying a gift for a prisoner's kid, who may never be able to pay you back. James told us at the end of chapter 1: that's what real, genuine religion looks like!

    When we keep that law we are doing what's right (2:8b). "But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers" (2:9).

SHOWING FAVORITISM IS SIN   2:9a

    This is a serious issue! It isn't just an alternative way to see things. It's sin! Discriminating against the poor--playing favorites--is wrong. It violates God's royal law.

    When we hand pick the people who are "good enough" for us to sit with, avoiding poorer, less privileged people, and choosing to identify with "our kind of people," we're offending the royal law. If we always welcome well-dressed visitors, and let someone else greet people who look strange, or who speak another language, we're breaking the royal law. We aren't loving our neighbor as ourselves.

SHOWING FAVORITISM MAKES US LAWBREAKERS   2:9b-11

    "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker" (2:10-11).

    People who show favoritism are guilty. Breaking one law makes us guilty of breaking the law. It doesn't matter if we obey every law but one. We can obey every point of the law. If we only break one, we're still guilty of breaking God's law. Breaking any law is the same as breaking the law. The same Author wrote all the parts. Breaking one law is enough to make you a law breaker, even if you keep the other parts (2:11c).

    When a shoplifter is arrested, it won't do to respond, "But I didn't kill anybody!" Even if we keep the royal law and do what's right all the rest of the time, showing favoritism makes us law breakers! When we play favorites, we aren't showing love for one another. We are thinking about ourselves. We have broken God's royal law. Thus, we're "lawbreakers."

    Our Lord's words in Matthew 22:36-40 put the matter in perspective. A legal "expert," seeking to drag Jesus into one of the great theological debates of their day, asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

    We have it from our Lord's lips! If we love God and our neighbor, we fulfill the whole law. God's people are going to be evaluated by our master on the basis of our love for one another! James indicts the afflicted church. God's people are offenders. They have broken God's law! They haven't loved their neighbor as themselves.

    James rejects the popular notion of "big sins" and "little sins". Whoever fails to obey the law--any law--is a law breaker. The penalty God has established for law breakers is death!

James isn't attempting to put us back under the law! He's trying to show us that this is a serious matter. In God's sight, this matter of how we treat less-privileged people, and prefer powerful people is just as serious in God's sight as adultery or murder. It's no trifling matter! Go back as far as you want, this matter of favoring powerful people for our own benefit, in an attempt to get ahead, has always been important to God! We had better not be playing games with God!

SPEAK AND ACT AS PEOPLE

WHO WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

FOR HOW WE TREAT OTHERS   2:12-13

    James concludes this discussion by warning us that God is going to hold us accountable for how we treat other people. "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" (12-13).

    The result of this type of sin is not the loss of our salvation. But there will be judgment! The reality of the fact that a reckoning day is coming--that God is going to evaluate our works--ought to make a difference in the way we live!

THE COMING JUDGMENT SHOULD AFFECT

HOW WE TREAT OTHERS   2:12a 

    James warns us that we should be careful what we say. What does this look like in real life, when the pressure rises? For the early church, and for the afflicted church around the world, as they face persecution for their faith in Christ, it means not criticizing those who make different choices than we do. Perhaps it means not turning in your brother to save your own skin.

    For us today, as we face a different kind of pressure, it may mean not gossiping--not carry the most recent story, or "prayer request" about another person. It may mean not criticizing another person who has a different opinion about how they should discipline their kids, or what political party Christians should support. It might involve not attacking people who have a different perspective on what the church should do about having a worship team to lead worship, or using a keyboard, or a video projector, or drums!

    Second, James warns us that we should be careful what we do. What does this look like in real life? In the face of persecution it means not abandoning a brother to seek special treatment from a rich friend. Or, it might involve not hoarding food for your own family--to be sure you have enough--when your brother has none.

    For us today, as we face other, more subtle kinds of pressures, it may mean reaching out to help someone in need. It may mean giving up a basketball game to talk to a friend who's going through a hard time--or waking up in the middle of the night to take a desperate phone call. It may mean buying a gift for a friend's child, instead of a new HDTV for yourself. It may mean buying a cow for a Bible Institute on the other side of the world.

WE WILL BE JUDGED ON THE BASIS OF

THE LAW THAT GIVES FREEDOM   2:12b

    James concludes his treatment of the issue of how we treat powerful people by reminding us of the basis on which God will deal with us: "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom" (12).

    We don't fall back under the law of Moses. We're judged by the "law of liberty." This is the second time James has referred to the law as a source of freedom. This isn't the way we usually think of law. He is applying a grace standard; but it is a related to the judgment of God. When we obey God's law, it frees us from sin and enables us to walk in liberty. "If the truth makes you free, you'll be really free!" True liberty is the freedom to be all that God wants me to be. We find that freedom when we love our neighbor as ourselves.

WE WILL BE JUDGED ON THE BASIS OF MERCY   2:13

    James mentions a second basis on which we'll be judged: "because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (2:13).

    Those who refuse to show mercy will be judged without mercy. This is one of those frequently-repeated phrases of Scripture: it won't do to plead mercy, unless we're willing to show mercy! If we want God to show us mercy, we deal with others in mercy.

    James does not say we earn mercy by showing mercy. It's impossible to earn mercy. If it's earned, it's not mercy! But Scripture repeatedly reminds us that an unmerciful spirit reveals a heart that hasn't received mercy. The heart which has received mercy will be merciful. A heart that truly understands the value of God's mercy will want to share that mercy with others!

    Those who show favoritism to powerful people demonstrate an unmerciful spirit. People who show mercy don't ignore the poor, to obtain personal privilege from the powerful.

    But, James wants to be sure we understand that, in the end, mercy beats judgment. Mercy produces better results than judging does! When we're tempted to do whatever it takes to get that promotion--even if we have to spend more time away from home than we should, or even if we have to make another person look bad, or criticize their work to get there--we need to remember that choosing to show mercy ultimately triumphs!

    Mercy triumphs over judgment. Mercy wins! It beats judgment every time! Mercy overcame justice to give us eternal life! Therefore, we should show mercy, so God will view us with mercy! Mercy overcoming justice will enable us to receive people the way they are, without showing favoritism.

    James urges us to get our priorities straight. To avoid a lawbreaker's condemnation, we must care about our neighbor--our brother and sister in Christ--as much as we care about ourselves.

God's people should love one another

and not show favoritism

because we're going to be judged

on the basis of the love and mercy we show to others.

    If God is going to deal with US on the basis of the love and mercy we show others, then we'd better be careful to love one another without showing preference to the powerful people around us! The golden rule--the royal law--the "law that gives liberty"--all boils down to one fundamental truth: Do unto others, as you would have GOD do to you!