James 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

NIV: If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.

NASB: If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,' you are doing well.

CSB: Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.

NLT: Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

KJV: If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

NKJV: If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;

In the previous verses, James made the case that favoritism to the rich over the poor is doubly foolish. First, it is a sin because it ignores the equality of all men, and the reality of our true destiny in heaven. It shows a lack of faith in the God who provides. Second, it's ridiculous to discriminate against the poor and favor the rich when it's the rich who are causing their oppression. Clearly, the rich of James's culture aren't interested in giving Christians a fair shake.

Now, in verses 8 and 9, James takes his argument to another level. He references the famous love command found in the Old Testament Law and in the teachings of Jesus (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). Favoritism, James claims, violates this clear and crucial mandate from God.

In the context of James's teaching here, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves means treating our neighbor as we would want to be treated. More specifically, we will treat our poor Christian brothers and sisters with the same honor and respect we would give to any rich man or woman who might show up at our gatherings.

James writes that believers are doing well when we really (or genuinely, authentically) fulfill that royal law. What makes it a "royal" law? Either James means that it is part of the "king" of all the commands in the Old Testament law, as Jesus said it was (Matthew 22:36–40), or he calls it royal because it was endorsed by Jesus, who is the King of Kings. In either case, this command is the only thing that should guide the honor we show to every person, no matter their status in the larger community.

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.