A Living Faith Evidenced in Refraining from Partiality (James 2:1–13, Part 2)
Out of all the examples that you could think of to pick out to prove the genuineness of a person’s faith, what would be at the top of your list? What sins would you identify to show someone to be a hypocrite rather than living out a genuine faith? How many of us would have chosen the sin of partiality as a major indicator of a genuine faith or not? Murder, adultery, or some other heinous sin may have come to mind.
But sinning in one point—as seemingly innocuous as partiality—makes a person guilty of the whole law and a violator of its central command: to love others as a reflection of one’s love for God.
James presses home his main concern to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only by lifting up the mirror of God’s Word for God’s people to examine themselves in so that God’s true people will make changes to their lives.
The Statement of the Problem (James 2:1)
James addresses professing believers with a pastoral concern and pastoral appeal: my brethren. In fact, this address presumes the unity of a family relationship that has established a common bond that supersedes everything else about them.
James implores people who profess to have faith in our (note the commonality that bonds them) Lord Jesus Christ—the Lord of glory. He implores them not to profess to hold to such a faith and also have respect of persons/show partiality. The problem with this is the inconsistency of such a profession (faith in the Lord of glory) and such a practice (partiality).
Why does James stress this particular identification (the Lord of glory) of the one in whom they have put their faith? It emphasizes Jesus’ greatness as our glorious Lord; we all had to humbly bow before Him as poor beggars (cf. Matt. 5:3). In light of the terms by which we came to Christ, it would be completely inconsistent to refuse to receive others who we deem to be less than worthy of us. The problem is that respecting persons/showing partiality/showing favoritism (literally translated, “receiving the face”) based on superficial external appearances is contrary to the very faith that one professes.
The Illustration of the Problem (James 2:2-4)
Is such partiality actually taking place? Although James seems to use a hypothetical illustration (if there come), something very similar must have been actually taking place since he accuses them of guilt in James 2:6. A rich man (evidenced by his clothing and gold ring) and a poor man (evidenced by his clothing) enter their synagogue (the word for assembly). How are they treated differently? Why are they treated differently?
Evidently there was a predictable pattern based on observations of behavior that could not be denied when pointed out. They would treat the rich man with special esteem, and they would shove aside the poor man. And they had purposefully done so according to evil motives/wrong judgments that were based on superficial and pragmatic calculations. Their wrong thinking had led to wrong judgments leading to inexcusable actions of favoritism inconsistent with their faith. What might these wrong motives be? Keep on reading the explanation.
The Explanation of the Problem (James 2:5–7)
James doubles down on his appeal to the brethren to listen up. They need to fix their thinking about reality. And then they need to own up to what brought about their evil motives.
The reality is that God most often chooses the poor of this world (materially) to be rich in faith (spiritually) and thus heirs of His kingdom because they love Him (Matt. 5:3 and James 1:12). Why are these people poor and rich in faith? You see, James is not talking about all poor people. He is talking about the righteous poor—a category that is common in the Old Testament as the prophets address the sins of Israel. They are poor because they are living in the midst of such a corrupt, persecuting culture that they do not have the freedom and ability to make an honest living to get ahead in life. And instead of caving into unethical practices (James 5:1–6) to get ahead, they maintain a genuine faith by depending on God and living for their eternal inheritance.
Those to whom James is writing find themselves in humble circumstances because they have been scattered due to persecution (James 1:1, 9). And some of them may have lost it all (James 1:10), though not all of them (James 4:13–17). Put yourself in their place and what might you be tempted to do if a rich man entered your assembly as a new or potential convert versus a poor man. Might you have some pragmatic, ulterior motives that you justify to cozy up to the rich and set aside the poor? Might you be able to appease the rich to alleviate some persecution or to help sustain you and the assembly? You can envision (and piously justify) getting in good with the rich for the good ends you have in mind. The poor man doesn’t really contribute but only takes more from what is already spread thin amongst your assembly. Would we really do better if we were in those trying times?
James hits home on the real problem. They despise the righteous poor while pandering to the rich—the very ones who oppress them—because they think they can appease the rich from dragging them into court as their targets. Probably the rich were not paying their wages (James 5:1–6) because Christians were targeted for religious persecution and then they were decried in debt courts where Jesus Christ’s name would be blasphemed—look at these poor Christians who don’t even live ethically by not paying up what is due. The strategy for addressing this was to pander to the rich and despise other poor converts or potential converts. Such partiality is inconsistent with a true faith that depends on God.
The Significance of the Problem (James 2:8–11)
Come on James! Is this really that big of deal to show a little shrewd prudence in getting in good with the rich? I mean—we can even pass it off as obeying the command to love our neighbors when we cozy up with the rich persecutors and blasphemers to try to accommodate and appease them from persecuting us so much.
James responds in verse 8. If all you’re doing is loving your neighbor by how you treat the rich then you do well. But I think we all know that’s not what is really going on here (James 2:9). What belies that claim is how you treat the poor in conjunction with how you treat the rich: you’re guilty of being respecter of persons/showing partiality/favoritism (based on externals) contrary to the royal law (Christ’s kingdom ethic).
Is partiality that big of a sin? Yes, it violates the centerpiece of God’s law to truly love one’s neighbor. And if you’re guilty in one point of the law (showing partiality) then you’re guilty of the whole (James2:10). It is WHO you sin against that makes you guilty of all regardless of what you do or don’t do in other significant areas of ethical living. Sinning in one small point (showing partiality) makes you imperfect so that you have not fulfilled the law as God requires (Matt. 5:19-20, 48). James is identifying hypocrisy that must be dealt with the same as Jesus had to deal with the Pharisees in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Solution to the Problem (James 2:12–13)
We need mercy. Speak and act (be a doer of the Word) in such a way that reflects the law of liberty by which we have been judged if we are true believers. Treat others the way God has treated you when He forgave your sin debt. You were a poor beggar that had to be forgiven much by God’s mercy so you must forgive others their small debts to you (Matt. 18:23-35). Why would you be partial against them for superficial, pragmatic reasons? Be merciful to all people without partiality.
Application
James 2:1–13 is often misinterpreted and misapplied much like Matthew 25:31–46. Neither of these passages should be used to promote a social gospel ethic of caring for the carte blanche social needs of all the poor in all of society in order to prove that one is a genuine Christian. Rather, in context, these passages are talking about supporting believers who are endeavoring to spread the gospel and are suffering persecution and deprivation because of it. True Christians will risk their own resources and well-being to side with and support those who have made the effort to spread the gospel and live for eternity and suffer for it. Who you support in the midst of persecution reveals whose side you are on (see both 2 and 3 John).
The key corrective that James addresses is this: professing believers who grovel before a godless culture (the persecuting rich) in order to appease and accommodate them to relieve persecution are wrong for taking such an approach. They should love their fellow Christians who are poor and downtrodden rather than seeking to get in good with their rich persecutors.
Kevin Collins has served as a junior high youth leader in Michigan, a missionary in Singapore, a Christian School teacher in Utah, and a Bible writer for the BJU Press. He currently works for American Church Group of South Carolina.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay