James 2:1-13
“Authentic Faith”
· What is authentic faith?
· How do I live it out?
· James 1:22-25 ”But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.“
· Authentic faith doesn’t only hear the word of God, authentic faith lives the word of God.
Ø In our trials. (1:2-8)
Ø In life’s perspective of our financial situation. (1:9-11)
Ø In our temptations. (1:12-18)
Ø In our actions. (1:19-2:13)
Ø In how we talk. (V26)
Ø In how we treat the vulnerable of society. (V27)
Ø In how we live in the world. (V27)
1 My brethren,
do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory,
with partiality {favoritism, respect of persons}.
A] James reminds the Believers that we are a family.
· The church is built upon the unity of the faith, with our Lord Jesus Christ as the Head.
B] Authentic faith practices impartiality.
C] Because Jesus Christ is our Lord and the Lord of glory we should treat people in a God-honoring way.
· In a healthy Church, everyone is treated respectfully and equally.
D] God’s people are not to hold to unrighteous biases which are according to a person’s social class, clout, cash flow, or clothing.
· 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT ”But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”“
2 For if there should come into your assembly {Synagogue, Congregation, Church} a man with gold rings,
in fine apparel,
and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
A] Immediately after Pentecost the believers of Christ started assembling at the Temple and meeting from house to house.
B] The Gospel was reaching all classes of people, the rich, and the poor, and they started gathering together as a family of faith.
3 and you pay {lavish} attention to {look with favor on} the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place {preferred seating},"
and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
A] The Church must show great hospitality to every person who comes through our doors.
· As far as good places to sit, we should do our best to accommodate the elderly, or those with mobility issues, or those with small children, or babies.
B] We should value people equally, regardless of their ethnicity or their economics.
4 have you not shown partiality {discrimination, distinctions, segregation} among yourselves,
and become judges with evil thoughts {prejudice motives}?
A] Giving preferential treatment to potential influential people reveals a misguided heart and is not keeping yourself unspotted from the world.
B] The color of a person’s skin, the color of their hair, the quality or style of their clothing, their tattoos, or their social class, does not reveal the content of their character, it doesn’t reveal what’s in their heart.
· God judges the heart, we judge the actions, or the fruit.
C] The Lord disregards status and regards souls, so should we.
5 Listen,
my beloved brethren {we are family}:
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?
A] To reject whom God has chosen is never a good practice for life.
Ø Remember that Jesus was born to earthly parents who were poor, and not to the richest of the land.
B] To be rich in faith is to be both dependent upon the Lord, and generous in His name.
Ø The poor are generous with the little that they have, because they know God provides their needs, and they’re not living for this world but for the kingdom to come.
C] Who is the Kingdom of God for? Those who love God.
D] Who are those who love God?
· John 14:15;21 ”“If you love Me, keep My commandments. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”“
· This doesn’t mean perfect obedience.
6 But you have dishonored {despised} the poor man.
Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
A] 1 Corinthians 11:22 ”What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.“
· The Church should not make people feel worthless, but to see their worth in the Lord Jesus Christ.
· You were worth dying for.
B] The rich who oppress was speaking of the money lenders and the evil employers who would take advantage of people’s plight.
· James is not making a blanket statement about all rich people.
7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
· Acts 11:26 ”And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.“
· 1 Peter 4:16 ”Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.“
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture {8x},
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself,"
you do well {practical righteousness};
A] Romans 13:8;10 ”Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.“
B] We should remember this when we are tempted to treat the people in customer service with disrespectful attitudes. The rumor on the street is that Christians are the worst, on Sundays after Church.
C] “You do well.” Showing love can open the door of a closed heart like nothing else.
· At the heart of Christianity is taking an interest in others, which is the opposite of the self-centered world that we live in.
9 but if you show partiality {treat people according to their outward appearance, receive them by their face},
you commit sin,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
A] We are committing sin when we pre-judge people based upon their appearance.
B] Leviticus 19:15 ”‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.“
10 For {Because} whoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet stumble in one point {in this case partiality, prejudice},
he is guilty of {accountable for} all.
A] Galatians 3:10 ”For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”“
· Selective obedience is dishonest and still disobedience.
B] Because you and I cannot keep all of God’s law perfectly, this should stir in our hearts the desire to submit our lives to the One who kept the law perfectly on our behalf.
11 For {Because} 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 {a lawbreaker}.
· Sin is sin to the Lord. There is no such thing as less guilty.
· We’ve all sinned, and we all fall short of the glory of God. We are all equally guilty before God.
· Only Christ can remove our guilt. Expungement removes my sin record entirely as if they never happened.
12 So speak
and so do
as those who will be judged by the law of liberty {freedom}.
A] Our words and our actions should be motivated by what the Gospel has done for us, in other words, the law of liberty sets us free to love all people equally regardless of their social status or financial situation.
· James 1:25 ”But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.“
· This is not the freedom to do what we want but what we should.
B] Believers will be judged to determine our degree of rewards.
13 For judgment is without mercy
to the one who has shown no mercy.
Mercy triumphs over {rejoices against} judgment {partiality, prejudice}.
A] Matthew 5:7 ”Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.“
B] A merciful heart is needed in the gathering of God’s people together.
· Sometimes Christian relationships can be strained.
· Sometimes Christians don’t respond correctly, or politely.
· Sometimes Christians don’t have a godly attitude.
· We should humble ourselves and apologize when necessary.
C] A merciful heart is more beneficial than a judgmental heart.
· I thank the LORD that CCT is a compassionate Church that strives to be Christ-like in our treatment of each other and visitors.
D] Lamentations 3:22-25 NLT ”The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.“
