James 2:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,

NIV: Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.

NASB: For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in,

CSB: For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in,

NLT: For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.

KJV: For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

NKJV: 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,

In the previous verse, James urged his Christian readers to avoid favoritism towards one group of people over another. Specifically, the rich over the poor. Why would anyone do such a thing? As we'll see, the temptation is to treat wealthy, powerful people well in hopes of earning their favor. In some cases, it's as simple as hoping to receive some of their money. Poor people can't do much for us, after all, at least not materially. But these are extremely worldly, non-Christian attitudes. James means for those who claim to trust in Christ to treat everyone well.

In verse 2, James begins to describe an example of when believers might be tempted to favor one person based only on wealth. He poses the idea of a rich man and a poor man, both attending the "assembly," meaning the gathering of Christians. This refers to what we would think of as a church service, where Christians would gather to worship God and hear from His Word. Some scholars suggest this might be a reference to some other kind of meeting, where Christians gathered to resolve disputes.

In either case, these two men are very different. One shows all the signs of earthly wealth: expensive jewelry and clothing. The other is wearing ratty clothing. How will the assembled believers treat these two men based only on their external appearances? James continues that thought in the following verses.

James 2:1–13 continues the prior passage's focus on Christians living out what the Word of God says. Those who hold the faith of Christ should obey the command to love our neighbors as ourselves. This includes not showing favoritism to the rich over the poor. Christians should trust God to provide for and protect them, instead of seeking the favor of the very group of people who were oppressing them in the first place. According to the gospel, all of us are lawbreakers. Christians, as people who believe they will be judged by the law that gives freedom, should treat all others as equals.

Genuine saving faith in God leads to good and loving actions: ''works.'' In chapter 1, James discussed the importance of acting on the words of God, not merely hearing them. Favoritism to the rich over the poor demonstrates a lack of faith. In fact, this is a sin. Following up on these ideas, James insists that ''faith'' which doesn't result in good works is dead. Such belief is merely intellectual agreement. It is not trust, or true, biblical saving faith. James doesn't deny that belief in God is essential to salvation, nor does he claim that works are necessary to obtain salvation. Rather, he makes the case that works are to faith what the breath is to the body: a sign of life. A ''faith'' without works is like a body without breath: dead.

In chapter 1, James taught that a saving belief in God changes how a Christian looks at trials in their lives. It affects where they turn for help, and who they credit for good. Believers hear the Word and do it. In this chapter, James insists that our faith in God should keep us from showing favoritism to the rich and powerful on earth and should provoke us to love our poor neighbors as ourselves. He also makes the case that so-called-''faith'' which does not result in works, is not saving faith, at all. Despite controversy, this does not clash with Paul's view of salvation by grace alone. James refers to good works as an expected outcome of salvation, not the source of it. In the following chapters, he will continue to show what a life of genuine faith looks like.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.