James worksheet 4
Genuine faith among God’s people & Favoritism forbidden

Teaching video James 2:1-13

Chapter 2 meaning
James continues with the main theme of his letter: genuine faith in God results in genuinely changed lives. This includes the “works” that we do, which involves our actions and our thoughts. Those who have a saving belief in God, who receive the gift of salvation through trusting in Christ, are expected to act out that trust while making choices about all of their actions. In other words, according to James, belief which leads to no change, or no works, is not saving faith at all. The works do not save us, but they do reveal the character of our trust in God.
What does that look like in our daily lives?
James’s prior words in chapter one were a command to live out the Words of God. He compared the absurdity of hearing the Word, then ignoring it, to a man looking at his face in a mirror and then immediately forgetting what he looks like. Here, in chapter 2, James urge his readers not to show favoritism or partiality. As a specific example, he refers to rich people, including any wealthy people that might come to Christian gatherings. To show more love and kindness to the rich than to the poor is not consistent with our professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
James asks the reader to consider a scenario in which a wealthy-looking man and poor-looking man come to their Christian gathering. Why should the rich man be given a place of honor and the poor man be made to stand or to sit on the floor? This is exactly what would have happened in the typical non-Christian environment of James’s day. Sadly, it happens in various ways even today. James is clear that it must not happen in the church.
Those who trust in Christ should trust God to provide for and protect them instead of hoping they will gain the favor and protection of the rich. After all, as James writes to his mostly poor Christian readers, it’s the rich who are currently oppressing them!
In fact, James writes, to favor the rich over the poor is a sin. It is breaking the command to love your neighbor as yourself. And since breaking any command makes one a lawbreaker, showing favoritism to the wealthy is as much a breaking of the moral laws of God as murder or adultery. We all stand in need of God’s mercy, therefore we should speak and act as people who honestly believe they will be judged by the law that brings freedom. Christians are obligated to be merciful to everyone.
Next, James lays out his case that it is not enough to simply have “belief” in God. In this notorious passage, he questions the value of a “faith” which is mere mental agreement with the truth. Any religious “faith”—or simple intellectual agreement—which doesn’t result in good works is a dead faith. To have biblical, saving faith in God, to really trust Him, is a mindset which invariably leads one to obey God.
As an example, James describes an encounter with someone who doesn’t have enough to wear or eat. Is it enough to simply tell them to stay warm and get something to eat and to go in peace? No, James insists, those words accomplish nothing. What we say in our minds is meaningless if it does not matter enough to influence our actions. More to the point, the actions prove the truth—or falsehood—behind the claimed belief.
Some read James’s arguments as a contradiction to the teachings of Paul. It’s not a necessary disagreement, as this passage actually complements the message of Paul very consistently. The reason for confusion involves a mistaken view of the biblical definition of “faith.” Saving faith is not merely agreement; it is trust. James makes it clear that the “faith” which he says cannot save is mere intellectual belief. True faith saves, but it also results in works.
Paul was eager to make clear that salvation cannot be achieved by human effort. Freedom from the eternal penalty of sin is available only to those who trust in Christ. It is not something we can earn by keeping of the law (Ephesians 2:8–9). But those saved through faith and by God’s grace will, without fail, step into the good works God has prepared for them to do (Ephesians 2:10).
James agrees. In fact, he is saying, theologically, exactly the same thing as Paul. However, while Paul emphasizes the “cause,” which is trusting faith, James emphasizes the “effect,” which is good works. James stresses that so-called-“faith”, which is merely mental agreement and does not produce good and loving works, is not a genuine, saving faith. He points to the Old Testament examples of Abraham and Rahab to show that their faith saved them—and we know this because their “faith” resulted in obedience and courageous good works for God and His people.
James summarizes this with the explicit comparison to a dead body. A body which exhibits no spirit or breath is not alive. In the same way, a “faith”—in this case, meaning “intellectual belief”—with no resulting works is also dead (BibleRef).

Chapter 2 context
In chapter 1, James taught that a saving belief in God changes how a Christian looks at trials in their lives. It affects where they turn for help, and who they credit for good. Believers hear the Word and do it. In this chapter, James insists that our faith in God should keep us from showing favoritism to the rich and powerful on earth and should provoke us to love our poor neighbors as ourselves. He also makes the case that so-called-”faith” which does not result in works, is not saving faith, at all. Despite controversy, this does not clash with Paul’s view of salvation by grace alone. James refers to good works as an expected outcome of salvation, not the source of it. In the following chapters, he will continue to show what a life of genuine faith looks like (BibleRef).

Bible text (NIV)
James 2:1-13 says ¹My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?⁸If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. ⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. ¹²Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, ¹³because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Bible text (NKJV)
James 2:1-13 says ¹My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. ²For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, ³and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” ⁴have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? ⁷Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? ⁸If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; ⁹but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. ¹¹For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

In this second chapter focuses more on Christians in community, the church. Society back then was discriminating people of various nationalities, classes, ethnicities, social statuses, etc. James strongly opposes discrimination. See also Ephesians 2:14-15. We should not be people of partiality/discrimination/favoritism/prejudice (verse 1).
Notice, that our salvation is a personal individual event between God and the believer. The faith of each individual Christian applies in community, the church.

Q1 Who is the divine glory? Who is the head of the church? Can we as church members discriminate before Him? And why not?

Q2 James sums up examples of partiality in verses 2-4. Have you the same type of unjust/evil thinking? Then, confess it now. Do we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2)?

How do we notice that our thinking is not rightly transformed yet?
1. We care more for outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7)
2. We think that wealth must have been a blessing from God
3. A selfish motivation, that the wealthy man probably can mean something for me

Q3 Do you agree with the phrase “the rich man may trust Him, and the poor man must“? Do you also agree that wealth can be an obstacle for the Gospel (1 Timothy 6:10)?

Q4 How would you describe the royal law in verse 8 (and Leviticus 19:18)? What is royal about this?

Q5 Read again verses 10-13. James reminds us of two laws. Which are they? And which of the two has more value for the Christian? And why?

Q6 When you stumble over the fact that you cannot ever keep the whole law, don’t you run to the Savior who makes sure to forgive you and gives you everlasting life? Reflect on this in the blue box below.

Q7 We have seen in this chapter that there is much injustice in this world. Even among Christians. What approach is more appealing to you? Bringing social justice in this world or accept the invitation to let our minds be transformed? Explain why?

Q8 Are you ready to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) to give an account of our lives while in the body?

Thank the Lord in gratitude for the new life that you can live out now.