Epistle of James: Impartial Love
James 2:1-13
“My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:1-13 NASB1995
In researching this next passage in the Epistle of James, I found a very interesting story. Apparently, the great Indian peace activist Mahatma Gandhi was quite drawn to the teachings of Jesus and Christianity. The story either took place in South Africa or in India (I saw references to either location) but the result was just as devastating. Our Daily Bread on Bible.org has this version of what happened to Gandhi:
In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India.
So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. “If Christians have caste differences also,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.
It is intriguing to postulate what might have happened if Gandhi had become a believer and used the Word of God to advance brotherhood, peace and love; I can only imagine how many more Christians there would now be in India, a place of relentless hostility to the Christian faith. Gandhi still loved the Gospels and admired Jesus but had no love for Christians and how they behaved. This is a perfect illustration of what James is saying in these verses in Chapter 2. By showing partiality to some people in church (like the wealthy donors or persons of a certain race or ethnic background) and ignoring others (like the young woman of a different race struggling in the back row with unruly children or the homeless man who somehow found his way into the sanctuary), we are committing a sin against one of God’s most fundamental laws, what James calls the royal law.
I recall a few years ago when we were still going to a local Lutheran church, a homeless man, who didn’t smell very good and talked to himself a lot, found his way into our suburban church filled with well-fed, clean and comfortable people. He was treated by most (including, sadly, me) as a stranger and invader because of fears that he might be mentally unstable. Our pastor sat and talked to him at length after the service (no one else approached him) and finally gave him a few things and escorted him to the bus stop on the nearby thoroughfare. We never saw him again. We probably escorted our Lord out of His church. Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms (go reread Matthew 25:31-46) that we are judged on how we treat the “least of these”, because that is how we treat Him. I should note that poverty and homelessness are not virtues, but those who are poor materially are also quite often poor in spirit and their humility makes them much closer to God’s grace. Our wealth (and most people in this country are wealthy compared to vast populations in the world), material possessions, and secular admiration for people of power and rich celebrities usurps the sovereignty of our Lord. Partiality in our treatment of others is often done instinctively, unfortunately, and must be hammered out with fervent prayer and supplication.
James goes on in this passage to talk about how stumbling in just one place in the law of liberty negates all of the rest. We are not free to pick and choose what commandments we agree with and which ones will be rejected. And judging without mercy will result in our judgment without mercy. Here is what David Guzik says about selective obedience:
a. Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all: James here guards us against a selective obedience, the sort that will pick and choose which commands of God should be obeyed and which can be safely disregarded.
- We can’t say, “I like God’s command against murder, so I’ll keep that one. But I don’t like His command against adultery, so I will disregard it.” God cares about the whole law.
B. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty: We are under the law of liberty. It has liberty, yet it is still a law that must be obeyed and that we will be judged by at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
My next devotional will examine James 2:14-26 Righteous Works.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer: Dear Lord, please remove my instincts that lead to partiality towards people and instill in me a sense of the precious value that you place on every soul in your creation. Help me to obey and revere ALL of your laws of liberty and extend mercy as I would want it extended towards me. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Our Daily Bread is available on Bible.org; the referenced passage was published March 6, 1994.
Commentary by David Guzik on Enduring Word is used with written permission.