Please explain James 2:6.
In James 2:1-13 the believer is taught “not to show partiality”; in other words, we are “not to respect one person over another” which we would commonly call FAVORITISM. Verse 1 says, in no uncertain terms, “My brethren, do no hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with PARTIALITY.” James proceeds to give an example in verses 2-4, “For 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, and 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,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” Let’s be honest, before we came to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were prone to show favoritism to one who was rich and well-dressed. But having been saved by faith in Christ, we have learned not to favor one man over another based on their financial status (or their race, gender, or education). We now know that when our blessed Lord Jesus walked this earth, He treated all men alike, for He never showed partiality to the rich or looked down upon the poor. We are told in 1 John 2:6, “He who says he abides in Him (Jesus Christ), ought himself to WALK JUST AS HE WALKED.” He is our supreme EXAMPLE and if we are truly abiding in Him (continuing in fellowship with Him through prayer and reading and obeying His Word), we will “follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
Now we are ready to look at verses 5-6a: “Listen, 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?” If we ever find ourselves guilty of favoring the rich over the poor, we are also guilty of “failing to see how God sees the poor,” for we learn here that they are people that God has especially “chosen to salvation.” Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But GOD HAS CHOSEN THE FOOLISH things of the world to put to shame the wise, and GOD HAS CHOSEN THE WEAK things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; AND THE BASE things of the world and the things which are DESPISED GOD HAS CHOSEN, and the things which ARE NOT, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” We see here that God’s sovereign choice of souls to salvation was focused on those who are foolish, weak, base and despised by those who are wise, mighty, and noble. Why did He do this: “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” The “natural man” (one who has not been born again through faith in Christ) exalts those who are rich, powerful, and popular. God, on the other hands, has purposed to bless those who are nothing in the world’s eyes with spiritual blessings; they are “RICH in faith and HEIRS of the kingdom.”
In verse 6b-7, we see two other reasons why believers should never show favoritism to the rich: “Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” The rich are often guilty of 1) oppressing the poor to make themselves richer, and 2) persecuting believers which involves taking the Lord’s name in vain (for they hate the very name of Christ…see John 15:18-21).
In closing, verses 8-9 teach us the very opposite of showing partiality: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” The “royal law of love” is to “love your neighbor as yourself, which simply means we should treat EVERYONE (rich or poor) as we would want them to treat us. If we fail to do this, are guilty of sin! (DO) (628.1)