The Epsitle of James: a Commentary | Page 4

5:6)
-'his word of truth [to us]'
-'that we might be a kind of first fruits': his purpose of
holiness= he calls us to be his that we might be holy
(1 Pet 1:15)
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So, the first acid test of the Christian life is our caring
for others. God chose us, who are weak, to
demonstrate his power, that we in turn might help the
weak. He calls us to a life of love: he showed his love
to us that we might love others (1 John 4:19-21). He
chose us to live a life undergirded by a mature faith-
not a faith which is mere believism. Our loving, our
caring, our good works do not win justification, but if
we are justified its on the grounds of a faith which is
for real; a faith which produces results.
Our natural self prefers to look after self, not to
surrender to Jesus. So a merely professed faith will
not have dealt with the life of self-at-centre; self first. It
will not have dealt with flesh life: our Christianity will
be 'carnal' (1 Cor 3:3,KJV)- God will not have given us
birth. And for those who have, the flesh will be the
enemy opposing results
2:1-4 No favourites!
If God has no favourites, neither should we. God loves
all equally- so must we. One of the shames of the
church throughout the ages is that it has shown
favouritism to those who are socially acceptable. We
find it easier to love on the level of the 'respectable'.
Jesus showed a different example! (e.g. Luke 5:29-32;
7:36-50). The first test of faith is: can we embrace all
as equal?
v4. 'evil thoughts' Our thoughts actually indicate our
reasoning (dialgiosmos)- the Greek word suggests- do
we have a dialogue with ourselves to excuse our
actions, and of making judgments by mere
appearance. (John 7:24) Such thoughts are 'evil'- in a
sense implying motives (poueros); a defiance of moral
law for personal gain; a delighting in injury.
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How the sin in our heart can be exposed by how we
treat the disadvantaged!
2:5-7 Reversal of values
James follows up his lesson on favouritism by
showing that our values have to be reversed. The
content of vv6-7 suggest he was using their
circumstances to force the lesson home: that it was
the rich, the worldly-strong who were persecuting
them and dragging them into the court.
The worldly and the fleshly reaction is to curry favour
with such people; to try and appeal to their 'good (sic)
nature'. But no! These aren't the ones God has
chosen. God chose the poor, the outcast, the rejected,
the weak to show his power. Why show favour to
those who 'slander the noble name'.
v5. 'inherit the Kingdom' It is the poor who inherit the
Kingdom: the poor in spirit (Matt 5:3); the 'poor in the
eyes of the world', as James says. Worldly riches are
a major obstacle: we think of the Rich Young Ruler'
who turned away from Jesus because of his love of
wealth (Matt 19:24); of the Parable of the Rich Fool
(Luke 12:16-21) and Jesus' warning to those who are
not 'rich toward God'.
There are numerous references in the New Testament to
'inheriting the Kingdom' The Parable of the Sheep and
Goats tells us that the 'blessed' will be invited to 'take your
inheritance'. The inheritance is the result of God's grace in
us: it is his gift to us who believe (Acts 20:32). The Holy
Spirit is given as a guarantee of our inheritance (Eph 1:14;
2 Cor 5:5). Those whose lives are full of the 'works of the
flesh' will not inherit (Gal 5:21; cp 1 Cor 6:9;15:50;Rev
21:8)- not of course that we win the inheritance by avoiding
a certain lifestyle. 'Inheritance' is something given: the New
Testament word is kleronomeo (to possess by lot)
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2:8-14 The royal law
The final standard, the final arbiter by which we are
judged- the final test of our Christian growth is: do we
keep the 'Royal Law'(v8)?; the law which above all
commands us to love and care for our neighbour. But
James is clearly not just looking at a book-keeping
legalism, for to break just one part of the law is to
break all. (This is important to bear in mind in view of
what James is about to say on the subject of
justification). So he points out that the re-born, the
Christian, is now under 'the law that gives freedom'
(see 1:25). Under that law, judgment and mercy are
combined.
vv8-9 Cp Matt 19:18-19 on 'which commands (to
keep) to enter into life. On who is our neighbour, w
recall the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-
37)
v9 'show favouritism' prosopolemtteo- to distinguish a
person by his wealth, rank and position.
v10. All Greek verbs are in the sense of individually
completed acts: a person is guilty by stumbling just
once at one point.
v12. The believer is not judged by the Law: he ha s
passed through its condemnation through the
completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 8:1-2).
He will be rewarded in accordance with the worth of
his works (Matt 16:27; cp 1 Cor 3:12-13)
-the law that gives freedom- elentheria; by freeing
from slavery