James 2A A new crwn in the shape f a laurel wreath was made fr King Hier II in ancient Greece. Well-knwn Greek mathematician Archimedes was asked t determine whether it was made f slid gld, r whether silver had been added by a dishnest gldsmith. Archimedes had t find a way t test the crwn s cmpsitin withut damaging the crwn, s he culd nt melt it dwn t calculate its density. While taking a bath, Archimedes nticed that the level f the water in the tub rse as he gt in, and realized that this effect culd be used t determine the vlume f the crwn and thus the purity f its gld. By submerging crwn in water, it wuld displace an amunt f water equal t its wn vlume. He culd then cmpare the amunt f water displaced by the crwn t the amunt displaced by a pure gld brick f equal weight. If the crwn displaced less water weight than the pure brick, it wuld be prven t cntain metals ther than gld. Archimedes was s excited by his discvery, he jumped frm his bath and ran thrugh the streets naked, crying "Eureka! I have fund it! Archimedes had discvered a way t measure the purity f a gld crwn by means f a simple, nndestructive test By submerging the crwn in water This stry can be useful as a great picture fr understanding the main thrust f James letter His letter describes hw the Lrd uses simple tests t determine the purity f ur faith The Greek wrd fr test back in James 1:3 is dkimin, which means t prve r shw the purity f smething S the testing f ur faith, accrding t James, ultimately prduces the perfecting r prving the purity f ur faith By remving the impurities f ur walk And like Archimedes water test, the test the Lrd sends are nndestructive in the sense that they aren t sent t destry us but t build us up S we culd say that the Lrd is at wrk in ur life testing the purity f ur faith t shw whether it is cntaminated with impurities f ne kind r anther 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 2A! 2 In chapter 1, James discussed hw the Lrd uses trials, difficulties as a means f testing ur faith And in chapter 2, James describes tw additinal methds f testing The chapter pens with an examinatin f hw Gd tests ur faith by ur respnses t peple frm varying scial backgrunds Later in the chapter, James mves t a third test, which we will address when we get there Turning t the secnd test nw, James says: James 2:1 My brethren, d nt hld yur faith in ur glrius Lrd Jesus Christ with an attitude f persnal favritism. The secnd testing f faith cmes n the issue f favritism There is an interesting Greek wrd used here fr persnal favritism: prs-plemp-sia It s a translatin f a Hebrew idim which literally means t lift up the face The pint f the idim is that lifting ur face t smene is t shw them ur favr r attentin t the exclusin f thers James says dn t hld (the Greek wrd actually means accmpany r jin) yur faith in Christ with favritism amng men Again, we re talking abut a man r wman f faith wh is acting wrngly in that faith...failing a test in that sense James nw mves t using examples t make his pint clearer James 2:2 Fr if a man cmes int yur assembly with a gld ring and dressed in fine clthes, and there als cmes in a pr man in dirty clthes, James 2:3 and yu pay special attentin t the ne wh is wearing the fine clthes, and say, Yu sit here in a gd place, and yu say t the pr man, Yu stand ver there, r sit dwn by my ftstl, James 2:4 have yu nt made distinctins amng yurselves, and becme judges with evil mtives? 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 2A! 3 The setting fr this example is yur assembly, but the wrd in Greek fr assembly is sunagge, which is the Greek transliteratin f synagge Remember, this letter was written t Jewish Christians, wh still attended the synaggue as the way t wrship Christ Tw different men enter the assembly, and the cntrast between the men is clear One is wearing fine clthing, r grgeus apparel While the ther is clearly pr, as evidenced by his dirty (r filthy) The rich man is knwn t be has a gld ring my Bible reads But in Greek the phrase is a gldfingered man which suggested he had many rings n his fingers S he is nt just rich, but bviusly rich And likewise, the pr man is bviusly pr And it s in this visibility f wealth r scial status where we find a test develping fr the believers in this assembly The test is hw we chse t think and act in respnse t that shw f wealth And the key t passing the test, as befre, is t think and act like Gd thinks and acts Relying n gdly wisdm, led by the Spirit In vs. 3-4, James presents an indictment and describes the crime As each f these men walk in t the assembly, yu pay special attentin t the rich man The Greek wrd fr special attentin means regard with favr The rich man lks wealthy and s this leads the usher t guide the man t a gd seating place Likewise, the pr man is given a lwly psitin in the assembly There are tw errrs r sins cmmitted here 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 2A! 4 And they are cmmitted nt nly by the ne wh selects the seats, but by assciatin everyne in the assembly wh wuld see that decisin as prper is als culpable The first sin was in making a judgment f each persn s wrth, and then respnded t each persn in a different way based n that judgment James says in v.4 that they have made distinctins amng themselves The assembly is shwing favr t ne man ver anther And regardless f the basis fr that judgment, the very fact that we make distinctins is wrng perid This fact alne is wrng, and it means they failed the testing f their faith Our faith shuld bring with it an understanding that all men have sinned and fall shrt f the glry f Gd Our faith als understands that by Christ s bld we have all been made new creatures and are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm We are brthers and sisters in Christ withut distinctin in wrth r value t Gd S when we lk upn ur brthers and sisters in Christ and assume ne t be better r mre imprtant than anther, we sin We aren t lking at each ther with eyes f faith; we re relying n wrldly eyes Rich peple aren t mre imprtant r mre special than pr peple in Gd s ecnmy Gd lking peple aren t better either Neither are smarter peple, famus peple, UT grads, etc. Any attempt t re-establish that kind f wrldly ranking system in the church is simply sinful, and ungdly When we see peple in these ways in the Bdy f Christ, we sin because we fail t perate in gdly wisdm We are living in ur flesh 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 2A! 5 There was a time mnths ag when ne f ur elders received a call frm a representative f a TV celebrity This celebrity was in twn t sht an episde f a TV prgram, And the representative called the church t let us knw that the celebrity and a small number f guests might arrive fr ne f ur Sunday services We tld the persn that we wuld welcme them n differently than we wuld any visitr We hped their arrival wuldn t be a distractin frm the Sunday service, but we wndered what effect it might have In the end they never shwed up But if yu think abut it, just the fact they thught they needed t call befrehand says smething abut the church tday It suggests that celebrity has fund it s way int the Christian thinking and this persn knew frm experience that they needed t prepare a cngregatin fr their arrival Perhaps it s an understandable cncern, but it s still sad If the celebrity had arrived at OHBC, wuld we have passed this test f faith? The test f favritism? Wuld we have seen them as merely anther visiting brther r sister in the Lrd Wuld ur welcming have been different, even in small ways? Wuld we have shwn them t the best seat? Wuld we have handed them a bulletin r a cup r water r a dnut when we might nt have dne the same fr anther visitr? I think we re generally very welcming t every visitr, and I knw we wuld have dne the same t this celebrity 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 2A! 6 But I still think it wuld have been a real test fr sme f us, myself included T nt just act nrmally, but t truly see the persn with eye fr eternity T simply see them as a sinner saved by grace and n different than anyne else That s the test James is teaching abut, and it s bvius frm the letter that he has cncerns that these churches were failing the test regularly In v.4 James says that ur favritism fr the rich Christian ver the pr ne stems frm evil mtives What evil mtives d we have fr making distinctins between rich and pr in the church? If we re hnest with urselves, the answer cmes easily We favr a persn wh lks rich because we have a secret hpe that they will return ur favr by using their wealth t reward us Perhaps they will reward us persnally r just reward the church But either way, it s the lure f the mney that cause us t think and act sinfully That s the evil mtive that James is referencing The admissins cunselr fr a seminary was interviewing a prspective student. "Why have yu chsen a career in ministry?" he asked. "I dream f making a millin dllars in ministry, just like my father," the student replied. "Yur father made a millin dllars in ministry???" the cunselr exclaimed, much impressed. "N," replied the applicant. "But he always dreamed f it." Remember the test came because the man was bviusly rich We see the wealth and the wheels begin turning, subcnsciusly maybe 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 2A! 7 We need t put thse thughts aside and replace them with the wisdm f Gd s wrd James ffers that wisdm... James 2:5 Listen, my belved brethren: did nt Gd chse the pr f this wrld t be rich in faith and heirs f the kingdm which He prmised t thse wh lve Him? James 2:6 But yu have dishnred the pr man. Is it nt the rich wh ppress yu and persnally drag yu int curt? James 2:7 D they nt blaspheme the fair name by which yu have been called? James gives us Gd s view f rich and pr Gd chse the pr f the wrld t be rich in faith and heirs f the kingdm But when we shw the pr scrn r simply dismiss them, we dishnr that persn The Greek wrd is atimaz which means treat shamefully We treat them as if we are ashamed f them r fr them But Gd has chsen them and made them rich in the things that matter, spiritual things If we saw them with eyes fr eternity, knwing they share the same future we have, then we wuldn t shame them Cnsider this...they may earn mre treasure in the cming kingdm and be the rich persn in the future kingdm And what kind f eternal reward might we have if we spend this life treating Gd s chsen in a callus r shameful way? By the way, James statement that Gd chse the pr is eched in Paul s later letter t the Crinthian church 1Cr. 1:26 Fr cnsider yur calling, brethren, that there were nt many wise accrding t the flesh, nt many mighty, nt many nble; 1Cr. 1:27 but Gd has chsen the flish things f the wrld t shame the wise, and Gd has chsen the weak things f the wrld t shame the things which are strng, 1Cr. 1:28 and the base things f the wrld and the despised Gd has chsen, the things that are nt, s that He may nullify the things that are, 1Cr. 1:29 s that n man may bast befre Gd. Speaking t a church made up f scietal misfits, Paul says that was exactly the way Gd intended things t be 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 2A! 8 Gd chse r selected thse wh wuld becme a part f the church in Crinth frm amng the pr and scially disadvantaged in the culture And He did s fr a specific reasn, s that at the time f judgment Gd culd shame the wise and pwerful f this wrld While the least f the wrld are lifted up by faith and receive a glrius inheritance Thse f the wrld thught t be rich and pwerful will be shwn t be wretched and miserable and pr and blind and naked As Jesus described them in Rev 3:17 This principle has it s exceptins, f curse Nt every pr persn will becme a fllwer f Christ And sme rich and pwerful will be called t faith in Christ But the general principle will remain true thrughut histry until ur Lrd s return Yu see that principle reflected in the stry f Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 Or in the way Jesus said it s virtually impssible fr a rich man t enter heaven James mves n that nt nly is this differentiatin sinful, it s als fruitless The rich dn t respnd t ur favritism by thrwing their mney arund They take it fr granted, and ultimately becme the ppressrs f sciety, especially if they are fighting t keep their wealth James gives anther general truth, that the rich and pwerful tend t speak ut against Christians and Christ If yu have dubts abut these principles, just pay attentin t the entertainment and plitical celebrities f ur day r any day D they tend t hnr and respect Christians and Christ? 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 2A! 9 D they tend t live gdly lives and strive t be Christlike? Again, I m nt suggesting and nr is Scripture teaching that the rich man has n hpe and that all pr peple are gd But there is a general principle at wrk in Gd s ecnmy and we shuld understand it and let it infrm ur pinins abut peple Bttm line: Dn t shw favritism Instead f failing these tests by sinning in favritism, James teaches us t live differently James 2:8 If, hwever, yu are fulfilling the ryal law accrding t the Scripture, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF, yu are ding well. James 2:9 But if yu shw partiality, yu are cmmitting sin and are cnvicted by the law as transgressrs. In v.8, James cmmands us t live accrding t the Ryal Law Sme call it the Glden Rule Lve yur neighbr as yu lve yurself Remember Jesus was asked which cmmandment in the Law was the mst imprtant Jesus answered that the mst imprtant was t lve Gd with all yur heart, sul, mind and strength And the secnd mst imprtant is t lve yur neighbr as yu lve yurself James is taking fr granted that his readers have understd the first cmmandment having cme t faith in Christ And nw he is reminding us that we have a respnsibility t fulfill the secnd ne just as much If we treat every persn as we wuld treat urselves if we were n the receiving end, then we are fllwing the Ryal Law and we are ding well When shwing partiality amng peple fr any reasn is incmpatible with keeping this cmmandment f Christ 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 2A! 10 Have yu ever cnsidered that implicatin? Christ gave tw brad cmmandments fr Christians under the New Cvenant Lve Gd Lve yur neighbr And James says unequivcally that when we shw partiality within the Bdy f Christ, we fail at this secnd cmmandment We sin and transgress the Law f Christ Next week, James mves frward int an examinatin f this law and hw we may run aful f it But t clse tday, let s just establish the basic truth that there is a law in effect fr the Christian We may already knw and understand that as Christians we are nt under the Law given in the Old Cvenant By Christ s fulfillment f the Law s requirements, He has met it s terms fr us And by faith, we are credited with that wrk S the Old Cvenant has been fulfilled in Christ s wrk and n lnger requires ur wrk...we have ceased frm that wrk But sme Christians g t far and assume that we have n law at all They believe that n rules exist t guide ur behavir And they are wrng, since Jesus Himself gave us the Law fr Christians under the New Cvenant The Laws are the tw I mentined earlier, and Scripture calls these tw laws the Law f Liberty r the Law f Christ James is abut t explre the Law fr a mment in this chapter, but he makes clear here that favritism is ne way we vilate that Law And just as there are cnsequences fr vilating the Law f Mses in the days f the Old Cvenant There are cnsequences fr vilating the Law f Christ 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.