Written ~ 12-03-2024
Read James Chapter Two
James 2
In the first few verses of our chapter today, James is going to deal with showing favoritism. And no matter how much I want to deny it, I have done what James explains as having “judgement guided by evil motives.” Oh boy… Father forgive me for the times I have shown any kind of favoritism, forgive me for making any quick judgements just by the way a person looks.
James 2:1-4…
1 “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” – well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?”
These verses should cause us to look within ourselves, to make sure we do not have this kind of judgmental heart. Jesus came to save everyone. He showed His love to everyone. If we are to imitate the attitude of Christ we have to show our love and unconditional acceptance to all people. We mustn’t mistake wealth as always being a blessing from God. It’s possible greed, dishonesty or selfishness is how that person obtained their wealth. If we are showing favoritism to the wealthy, good looking person, is it because we are coveting what that person has, no matter how they got it? And isn’t that one of the ten commandments, do not covet?
James 2:5-7…
5 “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?”
Think about this type of scenario… what if at church one Sunday morning a famous chart-topping musician or a hall of fame athlete walks through the doors of your humble little church… I would imagine there would be many people in that congregation who would clamor over each other to sit next to that celebrity. Many would want to take “selfies” with them, to usher them in and make sure they knew just how “important” and welcome they were at your church just because of who they are. But what is happening here? We are only looking at the outside of that person, we see the wealth from their clothing, jewelry and the car they drove up in, we are enamored by their celebrity status… But what if just the day before that celebrity, the person everyone is clamoring over, proclaimed with blasphemous speech that there was no God and that they didn’t want anything to do with a so-called Savior. When they walk into your church does it matter to you that they show no reverence to God in any way? Or will that person still receive royal treatment?
Now, hear me… the wealthy are not always that way. There are some very outspoken, Godly men and women who find themselves in the spotlight of celebrity, they have used their talents to gain wealth, but should we treat them differently because of it?
When we overlook the “poor” person, because of the way they are dressed or they lack the charisma of a celebrity, we are placing a judgment on them, just like that celebrity, on the outward appearance only. It says in verse 2:5 that the poor in this world are chosen to be rich in faith. Is it because they have a better sense of dependency on God for their needs? In their meekness they have a solid, unwavering devotion to the Savior that each of us need to learn from. It may be that serving the Lord is much more important to them than making money, climbing the social ladder and achieving worldly power.
I’d say, quite often actually, we need to do a “heart check” just to make sure we are not falling into the trap of showing favoritism and judging someone by their outward appearance.
James 2:8-13…
8 “Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.”
Alright, so these verses should give our hearts a bit of a warning. We must remember that sin is sin. There is no big sin or little sin. If you have committed one you are guilty of them all. James uses the examples of adultery and murder in verse 2:11, so let’s look at what Jesus had to say about both of those things…
Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28…
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell… 27 You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
None of us can say we are free from judgment because we haven’t committed the “big sins,” if you think that way you are only fooling yourself. If it’s been a while take time to read the ten commandments, take time to study each one and apply them to your own life, see what stands out as something you need to rid yourself of. You can find the ten commandments in Exodus 20:1-17.
Two verses that just came to my mind are Romans 3:23-24, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.” In this life, we are going to mess up, it’s possible we aren’t going to take every single one of the ten commandments to heart, that means we will fall under the penalty of sin which is death. But when we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior it is His blood that has covered that sin and allows us to be thoroughly cleansed. It was His sacrifice that now makes us worthy to be seen as righteous in the eyes of our Father. It is through the faith we have in the Lord that we seek Him to help us and guide us, so we might live our lives fully for Him and that we would keep His commandments close to our hearts, so we aren’t deliberately disobeying Him through our words and by our actions.
James 2:14-20…
14 “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”
Our actions show our faith in the Lord. It is not enough to just believe there is a God, as verse 2:19 states, even demons believe there is a God. When we believe, when we activate our faith and trust the Word of the Lord, it’s then that we differentiate ourselves from those who won’t do those things. Do your actions and the words that come out of your mouth reflect the faith and trust you have in Christ? In what ways are you producing good deeds through your faith in the Lord? James is trying to get through to us that yes, many people can believe there is a God… but it is so much more than that. Non-Christians can believe there is a God but want nothing to do with Him or His Son. Non-Christians can do good things for others, but that doesn’t mean they trust or have faith in God. Therefore, their good deeds will not and cannot produce Salvation. It’s truly unfortunate how many people will miss eternity in Heaven because they feel they are a “good person,” do “good deeds” and believe there is a God; and because of that misconception it actually gives them false belief that they are Christians and will go to Heaven.
Look closely at verse 2:14, it should make us want to scrutinize our own lives very closely. Did we have the faith to become Christians? Did we put our full trust in the truth of Jesus Christ? If we did, do our actions show that decision in everything we do? Or have we continued living our lives as though we never made that decision?
Verse 2:14 says,
14 “…if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”
Anyone can say they have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, but guess what? It’s by their actions that show proof they truly are a follower of Jesus Christ and are pursuing their life as a mirror image of Christ.
Verse 2:17 says,
17 “So, you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
Our genuine faith will produce in us an attitude of service to the Lord, we should want to show the love of Jesus wherever we go. Look again, verse 2:17 says, “…faith by itself isn’t enough…” Our witness or testimony that says one thing but does another won’t be productive! Also, in verse 2:17 it says our faith will be “dead and useless” if our actions don’t show goodness, kindness, love and a servant’s heart. So, if you are trying to be an example of Christ’s love to non-believing family or friends and to the rest of the world, but you are failing to walk closely in the footsteps of Christ and to learn all you can to become more like Christ, it is quite possible your faith will not seem genuine or desirable to those around you. Look at the example James gives us in verses 2:15-16…
15 “Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?”
What great imagery… this example shows kind words, but the actions are empty and unproductive, look at the end of verse 16, it says, “What good does that do?” Visualize this… you’re at the grocery store, you’re courteous, say thank you and give well wishes with a smile… but then, in the parking lot you have a road rage incident with those very same people you were just giving well wishes. By those two different actions, which one do you think those people will remember the most?
The Word of God gives us a lot to think about. As we go through our day, how are we activating our faith and trust in the Lord?
Let’s close with these two verses…
James 2:24 and 26…
24 “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”
Challenge yourself. These words from James aren’t just trivial suggestions, they are from the Heart of God. We need to hold them dear to our hearts and make changes in our lives to become more like the Savior in whom we have put our faith, our trust and our hope. Rehearse again and again, “Do my actions and the words coming from mouth honor the Lord?” By doing so it will help us monitor our “deeds.” Are those good deeds coming from a selfish heart with the purpose of pleasing others? Or are those good deeds accomplishing a heavenly purpose?
~AMEN~