Main Scripture passage: James 2:1-13
In James 2:1-13 the author asks his audience the following question: You profess the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, so in light of your claim to be followers of Christ, how do you treat other people? Do you really follow the teaching of Jesus, who said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35, NIV)? By stating this question James is really asking: If someone were to observe how you live in fact, would it be obvious that you were a Christian? To answer this question James says to use practical expressions of love as a gauge for measuring one’s faith. Unfortunately, the people to whom James addressed his letter were not passing this test. Thus three things should be observed: (1) how James’s readers failed the test of love (what they were doing wrong), (2) why partiality is a failure of love, and (3) James’s exhortation to observe the law of love. Firstly, how were James’s readers failing the test of love? James tells us in verses 1-4. His audience failed the test of love because they were showing partiality or respect of persons. This means they were showing favoritism or giving preference to someone without proper grounds. They were making judgements that were not based on truth or justice. Specifically, the rich were being honored while the poor were being dishonored. And although partiality can take many different forms, in all of them it is really based on self-interest. Therefore it is a failure of love. This leads us on to our next question: why is partiality a failure of love? First, partiality is a failure of love because it is based on a false judgement or a false evaluation (vv. 5-7). James’s audience was treating people based on appearance; they were judging on externals rather than internals. They valued the rich because they looked good, smelled good, possessed money, and things of that nature. In response to this, James says that the poor are the ones who are truly rich–rich spiritually. There are of course other ways of making false judgements besides that of looking at the externals. We can also misjudge by evaluating something without all of the facts or by letting personal attachment influence our judgement. This is why James says in verse 4 that his audience had become “judges with evil thoughts.” Their judgements were not based on truth, and therefore they were wrong. And although partiality is wrong because it is a misjudgment of the truth, in the case of James’s audience it was also wrong because it was based on a misunderstanding of the law. His listeners most likely attempted to justify their partiality by stating that it was really just an expression of love and honor to those shown partiality. But this understanding is flawed because the royal law required them to love all, not just a few. So partiality is a failure to love because it is based on a misjudgment of the truth and a misunderstanding of the law. James’s response to this failure consists in this: to observe the law of liberty, which is the law of love. He says, “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement” (vv. 12-13). We will be judged by how we treat others, and this includes our judgements. If we judge other people and show partiality, God will judge us the same way. He commands us to fulfill the law of love, and He will judge us by the same. Therefore, “so speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”