The Divinity of Christ (James 2:1–4)

Chapter 5: James 2:1-13 - POOR MAN, RICH MAN

The mature Christian individual is tested (James 1) and lives the truth. James 2 is about this. Immature people talk about what they believe, but mature people live what they believe. Hearing and talking about God's Word (James 1:22–25) is not the same as doing God's Word.

Every believer has a personal statement of faith or a way of saying what they believe. Most churches have these kinds of statements, and they ask their members to agree with them and follow them. Many churches also recite a "covenant" aloud, typically during the Lord's Supper. Faith statements and church covenants are beneficial and valuable, but they can't take the place of doing what God wants. As a pastor, I've seen people read the church covenant and then come to a business meeting and do things that were completely against it.

James gave us a simple test to help us practice God's Word. He sent two people to a church service, one rich and one poor, and he watched how they were treated. How we treat people shows what we really believe about God! We cannot—and should not—distinguish human relationships from divine communion. “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20).

James looked at four basic Christian teachings in this part of his epistle, based on how we treat other people.

The Divinity of Christ (2:1–4)

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons." James is telling his readers, 'Don't show favoritism when you have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory.' In the early church, Jewish people wanted to be recognized and honored, and they fought over who got the most praise. The parables of our Lord in Luke 14:7–14 address the issue, as does His condemnation of the Pharisees in Matthew 23.

We have the same problem today. There are pyramid climbers in our lives, not just in politics, business, and society, but also in the church. There are cliques in almost every church, and it can be challenging for new Christians to join. Some church members use their jobs to make themselves look more important. James wrote to many people who were trying to obtain spiritual positions, and he had to warn them (James 3:1).

Jesus did not show favoritism. Even His enemies said, "Master, we know that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men." (Matt. 22:16). Our Lord wasn't concerned about how things looked on the outside; He looked at the heart. He wasn't concerned about money or social status. In His eyes, the poor widow who gave her mite was better than the rich Pharisee who bragged about giving a lot of money. He also saw the good things that could happen in the lives of sinners. He saw a rock in Simon. He saw a faithful disciple in Matthew, the publican, who would one day write one of the four gospels. The disciples were shocked to see Jesus talking to the sinful woman at the well of Sychar, but Jesus saw her as a way to attract many people to follow Him.

We tend to judge people based on what they have done in the past, not what they will do in the future. The church in Jerusalem was scared to take in Saul of Tarsus when he became a Christian. Barnabas, who believed that Saul had changed, was the one who broke down the walls (Acts 9:26–28). We also tend to judge people by how they look on the outside instead of their inside attitude. We tend to avoid sitting with certain individuals in church because they do not align with our preferred social group. Jesus was a friend to sinners, but He didn't like their sins. He didn't welcome them out of compromise; he did it out of compassion. And when they trusted him, he forgave them.

People hated and turned their backs on Jesus. Isaiah 53:1–3 foretold this event. He (Jesus the Messiah) was "the poor man" who the self-righteous nation turned down. He didn't have a home like the foxes and birds did. He grew up in the hated city of Nazareth, where He lived in a poor home. If you and I had met Him while He was on Earth, we wouldn't have seen anything that would have drawn us to Him.

But He is the glory of God! In the Old Testament, God's glory first lived in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–38) and then in the temple (1 Kings 8:10–11). God's glory was in Jesus when He came to earth (John 1:14). The glory of God lives in the believer (1 Cor. 6:19–20) and in the church as a whole (Eph. 2:21–22).

The religious leaders of the time judged Christ based on their standards and turned Him down. He was from the wrong city, Nazareth in Galilee. He attended schools they considered inadequate. He didn't have the official permission of the people in charge. He didn't have any money. His followers were a group of people who were not very interesting and included sinners and publicans. But He was God's glory! No wonder Jesus warned the religious leaders, “ Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24).

Unfortunately, we often make the same mistakes. When visitors come into our churches, we tend to judge them on what we see outwardly rather than what they are inwardly. Dress, color of skin, fashion, and other superficial things carry more weight than the fruit of the Spirit that may be manifest in their lives. We cater to the rich because we hope to get something out of them, and we avoid the poor because they embarrass us. Jesus did not do this, and He cannot approve of it.

How do we practice the life and teachings of Christ in our human relationships? It is really quite simple: look at everyone through the eyes of Christ. We can accept the visitor if he or she is a Christian because Christ lives in him or her. We can accept him even if he isn't a Christian because Christ died for him. It is Christ who is the link between us and others, and He is a link of love. The basis for relationships with others is the person and work of Jesus Christ. Any other basis is not going to work. Furthermore, God can use even the most unlikely person to bring glory to His name. He used Peter and Zaccheus and John Mark, and He can use that poor man whom we might reject.