The Book of James

2.8. If you really fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well; - This verse refers here to the principles of the New Covenant rather than the writings of the Laws of Moses from the Old Testament.

Royal Law - Christ delivered a new law. It is a royal law because the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords decreed it. This law is binding for all those in His Kingdom all who dwell with Him. It was the Royal Law of Love.

“You shall love your neighbour as yourself” - James now quotes the law that summarized the second tablet of the Ten Commandments. Christ Himself quoted this command and the one that summarized the first tablet, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,’ in Matthew. In fact Christ stressed the importance of obeying these commands. These royal laws must be kept because, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and Prophets.”
It was a relational law that He was establishing. A law of love was to now abolish the old ceremonial law, yet use the same principles and commands of the Old Covenant.

James takes this new law of Christ’s and applies it to everyday situations. How can we love the Father if we fail to love the stranger? We show favour when we pass by the poor in the street, while on the way to entertaining our friends with fine food and hospitality. Our love for the Lord is demonstrated by our love for the poor, the lost and the hurting.

you do well; - The word ‘well’ here is translated in the Greek as kalos (Strong’s # 2573). Its explicit meaning tells us that it is simply ‘good.’ It is beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life. If we love our neighbour as ourselves then we are pleasing to God. However, James keeps writing and warns us about partiality. We have to do more than just love our neighbour, we have to do it without favouritism or comparison.

2:7. Do they not blaspheme the noble name by which you are called? – The noble name by which all Christians are called is that of Jesus Christ. See comments on 2:1.

The rich were the ones that took this name lightly. The Greek word for ‘blaspheme’ is blasphemeo (Strong’s #987). It is to speak evil of God or sacred things. The Bible speaks of dire consequences for those who take lightly the name of God.

Leviticus 24:16 - And he that blasphemes the Name of Jehovah shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall surely stone him. And the stranger as well, even as he that is born in the land; when he blasphemes the Name, he shall be put to death.

Rom 2:17 – 24 - Behold, you are called a Jew, and rest in the Law, and boast in God; and know His will and approve the things excelling, being instructed out of the Law; and persuading yourselves to be a guide of the blind, a light to those in darkness; an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, who have the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law.
Therefore the one teaching another, do you not teach yourself? The one preaching not to steal, do you steal? The one saying not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one detesting idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in Law, do you dishonour God through breaking the Law?
For the name of God is blasphemed among the nations because of you, as it is written.

2:6. But you have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? - The church at that time was choosing to exalt the rich above the poor because of their wealth, clothing and social status. Though Christ had shown that it was the poor in heart who would be honoured in the coming Kingdom of God he also showed a new law that all should be equally accepted in Christ as heirs of the promise.

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26 -29)

James is writing as a warning to the church about honouring the poor man. The rich at the time were the ones who were treating the poor with contempt. James is asking the church to wake up to those around them. It would be safely assumed that the rich people James is speaking and writing about in this and the last chapter gained their wealth through ungodly practices and exploited their positions. The church was so eager to please and honour the rich and place them in the high places yet these very people who were so esteemed, were the ones that were dragging these people into the judgment houses and law courts without regard to mercy and grace, the very essence of how God’s people should be treated.

2:5. and heirs of the kingdom, which He promised to those who love Him? - God’s kingdom is the reward and promise to those who love Him. No matter what social standing a person may have achieved in his earthly life or what riches he has accumulated, if his heart is not loving God then he has no promised inheritance.

heirs of the kingdom - No longer should a person, who is a Christian, be striving for earthly possessions and status. Instead they are to learn and take comfort in the fact that Christ has prepared for them a Kingdom that is everlasting and theirs by a holy salvation. This kingdom is one that comes by the way of the Cross. This kingdom embraces all creeds, languages and ages of this present world. It is filled with those who have humbled themselves before the Father, listened to the wooing of the Spirit and accepted Christ for themselves. They are truly the ones who are ‘rich in faith.’

2:5. Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith - Though somebody must sit ‘uppermost’ the fellows of the early church were basing a person’s honour on their wealth and position, rather than their actions and character. Once again James so gently points out that God does not favour a person because of their worldly wealth and riches or influence, but on the richness of faith found in the heart and how it is expressed in a person’s life.

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2:4. have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? - From James’ writing we can assume that the treatment of the two classes sprung form motives of selfish thinking. Honouring the two classes should have been based on their actions and merit rather than personal appearance. The rich were invited (because they were rich) to sit in the comfortable seats toward the front of the assembly, while the poor (because they were poor) were told to sit on the floor at people’s feet!

2:2. a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
2:3. and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You shall sit in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You shall stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” – With James’ references to ‘the poor’ (1:9, 2:2,5,6,15) we may assume that his writings were directed to those who had very little and that the first century church James is addressing was made up of very few ‘rich’ people. This is not to say that the wealthy were not there. James has specific teaching for them throughout his letter (1:10, 2:6, 5:1-5). These rich people were identifiable by their clothes and their jewellery. They may have brought other possessions with them, such as horses for their transport. In the times of the early church there were either poor or wealthy. There were not many who fell in between the two.

The mistake of Christians in the early church was to treat these people with favouritism. They would have been given the ‘chief seats’ in the temple, or at least the seats in the front rows. Many Christians of the time, especially those who were themselves poor, would have treated these people with wrong motives. They treated them as important in the hopes of finding favour with them, hence the word favouritism. Members of the church gave them the seats up the front and with the best vantage points.

A poor man of the time who may have entered the church or synagogue off the street, would have carried dust on his feet and have had no way of washing it off. He would more than likely have not washed for some time. His clothes would have been modest but still quite ragged, and even threadbare. He would not have been appealing to the eye or to the church. He was probably a man who lived literally day-to-day.

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2:2. For if there should come into your assembly - The Greek word used here for assembly is ‘synagogue’ which is significant for two reasons. It is a purely Jewish reference that gives us a clue to the early authorship of James. Secondly, by looking at the structure of a synagogue we are able to understand this passage with a little more clarity.

2:2. Assembly (Synagogue)
Though there were no fixed proportions or measurements for the synagogue there were fixed characteristics for its construction. It stood on the highest ground of the city. It was built facing Jerusalem, so that when the worshippers entered they were facing the holy city. Daniel looked toward the city of Jerusalem when he prayed, because that is where the ark carrying the sacred Presence was. It was a custom of the Jews to do this when they were away from the Holy City (1 Kings 8:44,48; 2 Chron 6:34; Psalm 5:7 Jon 2:4). The expense of building the synagogue was up to the district, and often a rich Jew would fund the project. Internally, there was an obvious analogy to the temple.

The main purpose for the synagogue was the expounding and teaching of the law. The temple was the place for prayer and worship (see Matt 21:13). The synagogue was never called the temple. At the Jerusalem end of the synagogue stood the ark, which contained the Book of the Law. These two items gave this area its character and name. It was in this area where the scribes and the Pharisees strived so hard to reach. This was the place of the chief seats (NKJV ‘best seats/best places’). These were placed at the platform in the front. After that the front seats in the congregation were for the older spiritual leaders of the community. Other people including those who were young sat towards the rear.

2:1. do not hold [it] with partiality. - When James was writing his letter to the scattered tribes he had no chapter divisions. Instead he kept writing on about the Christian’s behaviour in his response to God’s word. The previous two verses of the first chapter follow on very closely with this new chapter. Instead of focusing on the new nature of being a Christian, a shift occurs and James now writes on the fruits produced by being a Christian.

The Authorised Version of this verse is read as, “have not the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, with respect to persons.” The Greek word for that phrase is captured in prosopolepsia. (Strong’s # 4382). Various dictionaries give a greater insight into the meaning of the word partiality.

Thayer
The fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful, to another who does not have these qualities”

Webster
Inclination to favour one party or one side of a question more than the other; an undue bias of mind towards one party or side, which is apt to warp the judgment. Partiality springs from the will and affections, rather than from a love of truth and justice.

Respect of persons - to show unfair and undue favour and acceptance to a person because of their influence, status, wealth or resources.

Jesus, ever the one to lead by example, showed us in Mark 12:14 that he was not a respecter of persons. The problem many Jews faced was a selfishness that they, and they alone, should be the rightful children of God. Jesus came preaching a new Gospel, that all were loved and accepted by God - both Jew and Gentile as preached by Peter (Acts 10:34; see also Eph 6:8; Col 3:25). Galatians 3:27-29 shows that all who have been baptised in Christ and heirs according to the promise given to Abraham.

Jesus is in fact expanding on the old law of the Mosaic covenant where partiality was forbidden (Duet 1:17). Jesus, establishing the new royal law of love, has turned it around so that no longer should the Jew be non-partial with another Jew but that everyone who is a Christian should not show partiality to anyone, Christian or not.

2:1. the Lord of Glory, - James writes a direct ‘title of Christ’ in this passage, and it leads to an interesting discussion. The word ‘Lord’ refers to one as having supreme power and authority. The word ‘Glory’ is used of the supernatural aspect of God. It is the brightness of who He is. It is the tangible appearing of God, such as the appearing of the shekinah glory or presence in the Tabernacle of Moses

Therefore, as Christians we are to live a life that is neither blocking nor prohibiting the Lord of Glory to shine through. Our lives should be a continual striving to allow Christ’s glory and presence to shine in a darkened world.