James 2B After a tw week break, it can be difficulty t find ut way back int the writer s line f thught But with a few minutes f review, I m cnfident we can pick back up again In the first half f James secnd chapter, he was discussing the final test f ur faith The test was hw we respnd t Christians accrding t their scial distinctins When cnfrnted by a brther r sister with a high scial status, will we fllw ur flesh and shw favritism hping t gain their favr? Or will we remain indifferent t scial status treating all Christians the same, and thus gain favr with the Lrd? James said if we shw favritism within the Bdy f Christ we are making judgments based n evil mtives Mre imprtantly, when we shw favritism, we are nt perating accrding t the Ryal Law, the Law f Christ which rules ver the New Testament believer We will have brken the Law f Christ, James says We will nt have treated ur neighbr as we hped t be treated Nw in the remaining part f his secnd chapter and int the third chapter, James begins t explre the cnsequences f failing these tests And last time we studied, James tld us that failing these tests was a vilatin f Gd s law But mre specifically, the Law we vilate is the Law f Christ Or the Ryal Law as James calls it In v.12, he als calls it the Law f Liberty 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 2 And having mentined this Law and ur risk f transgressing it, James nw mves int a sidebar discussin cncerning ur respnsibilities t that law James 2:9 But if yu shw partiality, yu are cmmitting sin and are cnvicted by the law as transgressrs. James 2:10 Fr whever keeps the whle law and yet stumbles in ne pint, he has becme guilty f all. James 2:11 Fr He wh said, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, als said, DO NOT COMMIT MURDER. Nw if yu d nt cmmit adultery, but d cmmit murder, yu have becme a transgressr f the law. T repeat, James teaches that shwing partiality makes us transgressrs f law Earlier in v.8 he had specified that the law in view here is nt the Law f Mses It was a different law, the ryal law And that law was the tw-part cmmandment that Jesus Himself said summed up the entirety f Gd s Law Lve yur Gd with all yur heart, sul, mind and strength Lve yur neighbr as yurself Partiality vilated the secnd part f that cmmandment Then James adds that whever keeps the whle law but fails in keeping just ne pint has becme guilty f all The phrase whever keeps the Law here describes the thinking f an individual, nt their actual behavir Smene wh believes he is keeping the whle Law But then that persn makes a single mistake James ffers an example frm the Ten Cmmandments Smene wh keeps ne f them, but then fails t keep anther That persn is just as assuredly a transgressr f the Law as smene wh had brken bth f them 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 3 James is nt teaching that all ffenses are equally bad r will result in an equal cnsequence Gd s Law has always had varying degrees f punishment fr differing ffenses Said anther way, while it is wrse t vilate tw laws than t vilate just ne law, it is nt better that we vilate ne law instead f tw Because even just ne vilatin ffends the Law Giver Edmnd Hiebert said: Our bedience t Gd's will cannt be n a selective basis; we cannt chse that part that is t ur liking and disregard the rest. Gd's will is nt fragmentary; the entire law is the expressin f His will fr His peple; it cnstitutes a grand unity. T break ut ne crner f a windw pane is t becme guilty f breaking the whle pane. S when we shw partiality, James says we nt nly fail t lve ur neighbr as we lve urself But we als fail t lve Gd with all ur heart, sul, mind and strength In that sense, ur faith and lve fr Gd is clsely intercnnected with ur behavir (r ur wrks) When we fail in ur behavirs, we are wrking against r in ppsitin t ur cnfessin f faith We weaken ur cnfessin and limit its usefulness t us and Gd Then James gives us the cnsequence f failing t live ut ur faith in keeping with Gd s expectatins James 2:12 S speak and s act as thse wh are t be judged by the law f liberty. James 2:13 Fr judgment will be merciless t ne wh has shwn n mercy; mercy triumphs ver judgment. We will be judged by the Law f Liberty The Law f Liberty is the standard f cnduct fr every believer This Law replaces the Law f Mses, which cndemned us prir t faith 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 4 Paul describes the transitin in several places in the NT, but t summarize the pint, we can lk at tw shrt passages Rm. 7:1 Or d yu nt knw, brethren (fr I am speaking t thse wh knw the law), that the law has jurisdictin ver a persn as lng as he lives? Rm. 7:2 Fr the married wman is bund by law t her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released frm the law cncerning the husband. Rm. 7:3 S then, if while her husband is living she is jined t anther man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free frm the law, s that she is nt an adulteress thugh she is jined t anther man. Rm. 7:4 Therefre, my brethren, yu als were made t die t the Law thrugh the bdy f Christ, s that yu might be jined t anther, t Him wh was raised frm the dead, in rder that we might bear fruit fr Gd. Rm. 7:5 Fr while we were in the flesh, the sinful passins, which were arused by the Law, were at wrk in the members f ur bdy t bear fruit fr death. Rm. 7:6 But nw we have been released frm the Law, having died t that by which we were bund, s that we serve in newness f the Spirit and nt in ldness f the letter Befre faith, we were wedded t the Law f Mses, which nly served t cndemn us And like marriage, we weren t eligible t wed Christ until there was a death in ur first marriage t the Law But when we came t faith, ur spuse (the Law) didn t die...we did We were seen as dying, in the sense that we died in Christ n the crss Then we were brn again int a new marriage with a new grm...christ And that new relatinship brught a new standard f behavir A standard Paul calls the ministry f the Spirit, rather than a ministry f the letter f the Law f Mses We nw fllw the Spirit f Christ rather the letter f law Paul says it anther way in 2Cr: 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 5 2Cr. 3:5 Nt that we are adequate in urselves t cnsider anything as cming frm urselves, but ur adequacy is frm Gd, 2Cr. 3:6 wh als made us adequate as servants f a new cvenant, nt f the letter but f the Spirit; fr the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2Cr. 3:15 But t this day whenever Mses is read, a veil lies ver their heart; 2Cr. 3:16 but whenever a persn turns t the Lrd, the veil is taken away. 2Cr. 3:17 Nw the Lrd is the Spirit, and where the Spirit f the Lrd is, there is liberty. Paul was a servant f a new cvenant, that didn t riginate in the letter f the ld Law But it cmes frm the Spirit t give eternal life And tday the Law is still read in the synaggue by Jews, but it has n effect in cnverting them t Christ because the truth is hidden frm them But when they turn t Christ, the veil is remved, and they receive His Spirit And having received the Spirit, they nw have liberty Liberty desn t mean freedm t sin Liberty means freedm t fllw Gd s Spirit in bedience t His will knwing that ur righteusness has already been btained And as such, it becmes a test f ur lve fr ur Lrd The situatin culd be cmpared t a sn wrking fr his father's business, trying t earn enugh mney fr retirement The sn wrked hard t d everything his jb required because he was striving t reach his retirement gal But then unexpectedly, the sn receives an a gift f mney frm the father that s large enugh t take care f him fr the rest f his life 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 6 Like the stry f the ld man when asked by a yunger man hw he made his mney. In respnse, the gentleman said... "Well, sn, it was 1932. The depth f the Great Depressin. I was dwn t my last nickel. I invested that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day plishing the apple and, at the end f the day, I sld the apple fr ten cents. The next mrning, I invested thse ten cents in tw apples. I spent the entire day plishing them and sld them at 5:00 pm fr 20 cents. I cntinued this system fr a mnth, by the end f which I'd accumulated a frtune f $1.37. Then my father-in-law died and left us tw millin dllars." Befre the gift arrived, the sn s relatinship t his father had been defined by the rules f the jb Because that was what was required t earn what the sn needed He was restricted t wrking accrding t the rules f his jb He wasn t free t d therwise, since he was in jepardy withut his retirement secured And his hard wrk nly served t remind him f hw far he was frm reaching his gal It was just a yke and burden But nw that the gift has arrived, the sn has been freed frm the burdens and restrictins f his jb He can begin a new phase f his relatinship with the father nw that his retirement gal had already been reached The sn can nw serve his father in new ways that were never pssible befre while he was trying t earn his security Previusly, his father s test f bedience wuld have been hw well the sn perfrmed his jb accrding t the rules f that jb But nw that he n lnger needed t wrk, the test becmes whether the sn will bey and fllw his father s desires apart frm the rules f the jb And the test becmes a test f lve 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 7 A measure f his lve fr his father Our Father in Heaven will make a similar assessment f us at ur mment f judgment We have already been given ur place in the kingdm, and ur eternal salvatin is assured based n a gift f faith That gift has freed us frm fllwing the letter f the Law f Mses...f earning salvatin Thrugh Christ s perfect life, we already credited with having lived the Law perfectly S we n lnger need t attempt t live it as a means f pleasing Gd But then the questin becmes hw we will serve the Lrd nw that we have been freed frm the need t wrk fr salvatin James teaches that we are expected t bey accrding t the Spirit Which means fllwing Gd s directin in ur life by listening t the Spirit s call and directin n ur life And the Spirit s intent will always be t draw us tward living ut the ryal law r the law f liberty But when we fail t live accrding t that law, we shuld knw we are grieving the Spirit We are n lnger walking in the Spirit, we are walking in ur flesh And that decisin will bring cnsequences, just as vilating the Law f Mses brings cnsequences James says in v.13 that judgment awaits the ne wh fails t shw mercy James mentins mercy here because he s speaking abut the cnsequences f shwing favritism When we shw favritism t ne believer ver anther, we are the ne wh has failed t shw mercy Because we have made a judgment against the pr brther and in favr f a rich brther 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 8 We fail t shw mercy t that pr brther And therefre we shuldn t expect the Lrd t shw us mercy either The Lrd will be merciless t us as well, which means He will shw favr t ther believers ver us Just as we were shwing favr t ne believer ver anther And f curse, this same distinctin will be made when we fail any test f faith, be it mercy r lve r bedience in any frm There are cnsequences in hw the Lrd will judge us Remembering that judgment is fr the purpse f reward, nt a judgment cncerning salvatin But that judgment is a strict ne, and ur behavir in fllwing the Spirit is nt ne t be taken lightly Heb. 10:26 Fr if we g n sinning willfully after receiving the knwledge f the truth, there n lnger remains a sacrifice fr sins, Heb. 10:27 but a terrifying expectatin f judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Heb. 10:28 Anyne wh has set aside the Law f Mses dies withut mercy n the testimny f tw r three witnesses. Heb. 10:29 Hw much severer punishment d yu think he will deserve wh has trampled under ft the Sn f Gd, and has regarded as unclean the bld f the cvenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit f grace? Heb. 10:30 Fr we knw Him wh said, VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY. And again, THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE. Heb. 10:31 It is a terrifying thing t fall int the hands f the living Gd. The judgment fire the writer describes here aren t the fires f hell but the judgment fire that tests the quality f ur wrk And if there were severe punishments alltted t thse wh vilated the Old Cvenant, hw great will the cnsequences be fr thse wh disbey the Law f a new better cvenant The writer says it will be a terrifying thing Paul als uses fire t describes that judgment mment fr believers: 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 9 1Cr. 3:11 Fr n man can lay a fundatin ther than the ne which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1Cr. 3:12 Nw if any man builds n the fundatin with gld, silver, precius stnes, wd, hay, straw, 1Cr. 3:13 each man s wrk will becme evident; fr the day will shw it because it is t be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality f each man s wrk. 1Cr. 3:14 If any man s wrk which he has built n it remains, he will receive a reward. 1Cr. 3:15 If any man s wrk is burned up, he will suffer lss; but he himself will be saved, yet s as thrugh fire. Nw keeping in mind that this is the judgment mment that James has in view, he begins t discuss the relatinship with faith and wrks fr a believer James 2:14 What use is it, my brethren, if smene says he has faith but he has n wrks? Can that faith save him? James 2:15 If a brther r sister is withut clthing and in need f daily fd, James 2:16 and ne f yu says t them, G in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet yu d nt give them what is necessary fr their bdy, what use is that? James 2:17 Even s faith, if it has n wrks, is dead, being by itself. James asks what use is it t have faith but n wrks The wrd fr use is phels, which means prfit r advantage S James is asking hw can a faith withut wrks prfit a believer? Said anther way, hw d we expect t prfit frm a faith that is absent wrks? Remember, there is n credit awarded at the judgment fr simply having faith Paul says that: Eph. 2:8 Fr by grace yu have been saved thrugh faith; and that nt f yurselves, it is the gift f Gd; Eph. 2:9 nt as a result f wrks, s that n ne may bast. S we can t expect t receive ur Lrd s cngratulatins and thanks merely fr believing That was a wrk He did in the first place And it will be nthing t bast abut 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 10 S ur faith must yield wrks if we expect t prfit r receive eternal praise and reward S James then asks if a believer has faith but n wrks, can that faith save him? This questin has led cuntless Christians t tw cnclusins, bth f which miss James pint First, sme have thught that James is teaching that wrks are a necessary cmpnent fr salvatin That we must have faith and wrks t btain the righteusness necessary fr salvatin But as Paul explained cncerning himself Phil. 3:8 Mre than that, I cunt all things t be lss in view f the surpassing value f knwing Christ Jesus my Lrd, fr whm I have suffered the lss f all things, and cunt them but rubbish s that I may gain Christ, Phil. 3:9 and may be fund in Him, nt having a righteusness f my wn derived frm the Law, but that which is thrugh faith in Christ, the righteusness which cmes frm Gd n the basis f faith, The secnd misinterpretatin is that James is describing a nn- Christian r a persn wh has made a false cnfessin That when smene cnfesses Christ, they will always have wrks And if they lack wrks, it must mean they lack true faith Therefre, can that faith save him? But this secnd view is equally wrng, based n the cntext f James James hasn t been discussing true faith vs. false faith James has been discussing the failure f believers t live accrding t the ryal law And in the immediately preceding verses, James intrduced the subject f the judgment fire that will test each believer s wrk S in that cntext James is asking if a faith that has n wrks will save a believer? 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 11 He s nt discussing unbelievers facing the judgment fires f hell...that s the wrng cntext James is talking abut a believer facing the judgment fire f the Bema Seat, the Judgment Seat f Christ (e.g., 1Cr 3) S when James asks can that faith save him, he s asking if a faith lived withut wrks will save the believer when he stands at the fiery Judgment Seat f Christ? This is the judgment fire that tests ur wrk and reveals ur reward, as Paul described And f curse a believer wh enters that mment withut wrks shuld nt expect t be saved frm that judgment On the cntrary, fr that Christian the judgment seat f Christ will be a terrifying experience as the writer f Hebrews says Such a believer has lived a life f stubbrn disbedience t the Spirit s call He has transgressed the Ryal Law, the Law f Liberty And he will nt be saved frm the cnsequences f thse chices He will face a merciless judgment, as James says Then James ffers a particular cnvicting example t cnsider He asks if a Christian expresses cncern fr a fellw believer wh is pr and in need, but then des nthing material t help address the believer s needs Of what use is that respnse? The wrd use is again the Greek wrd fr prfit r advantage S James asks hw can that unhelpful respnse prfit anyne? It certainly desn t prfit the needy believer, wh is still withut the fd and clthing they need And it desn t prfit the believer himself, wh failed t perfrm a wrk f mercy and will nt receive Christ s apprval at the judgment mment 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
James 2B! 12 Remember, meeting fellw believer s needs is an act f mercy in itself S ur failure t act is a failure t shw mercy in these circumstances And it will result in the Lrd refraining frm shwing us mercy at the judgment And ur failures will nt prfit us Finally, James makes his mst prvcative statement Faith withut wrks is dead, being by itself By dead, James means it is lifeless, withut benefit t men r Gd r even t the believer himself It is dead in the same way that a campfire can appear dead It s nt actually gne, since there may still be ht embers deep in the ashes But with the flame having gne ut, it appears lifeless and it ffers little value t anyne unless and until the cals are stked aflame again We have plenty t think abut in these verses We shuld examine urselves in light f these scriptures First, are we thinking abut ur actins and pririties with an eye tward ur judgment mment? D we cnsider hw we are impacting that mment when we make decisins abut where t spend ur time r mney r talents? D we remember the ryal law as we cnsider ur actins at wrk and in the hme r in the Bdy f Christ? Are we ready t meet the Lrd right nw? Or d we have sme wrk t d t shw the Lrd that ur faith is nt a dead faith, ne that prfits n ne? Let s recmmit t living ur faith utwardly, intending t shw the lve f Christ and thereby have much t prfit frm 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.