James – Page 8 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: James

James 2:11 – Transgressing the Law

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Will

For He who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Truth to Learn

In God’s courtroom no sin is greater than any other. Every sin carries the penalty of death, apart from God’s grace.

Behind the Words

The word translated “adultery” is the Greek word moicheuō, which refers to a husband or wife who has sexual relations with anyone other than their legally married spouse.

“Transgressor” is translated from parabatēs. This is a compound word made up of para, meaning “beyond” and a form of bainō, meaning “to go.” Hence, it means “to go beyond,” that is, to cross the line.

Meaning Explained

This verse can easily lose its real meaning when separated from the preceding verses. Remember that James is talking about showing favoritism to rich people and discriminating against poor people. He has also pointed out that the highest law says that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. In the previous verse we saw that if someone were to keep the entire law and yet stumble in but one point, he or she is guilty of every part of the law.

James is now using two of the worst types of offenses against other persons to drive home his point. Both adultery and murder violate the sanctity that God has placed on us; one on life itself, and the other on the marriage relationship (which is a symbol of our relationship with Christ). Keeping one while violating the other is just as bad as violating both of the injunctions.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why is James making such a big deal about the law? I thought that Christians weren’t under the law, but under grace.” That’s correct. We are not under the Law of Moses and we aren’t under the Ten Commandments, per se. The law was given to the Old Testament Jews as their pattern of righteousness. For Christians, Christ, not the law, is our pattern of righteousness. If you look carefully, you will see that nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament. The only one that isn’t repeated is the third one: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. We Christians are never told to keep the Sabbath Day (incidentally, the Sabbath is the seventh day, not the first day). And, even when the other nine commandments are given to us in the New Testament Epistles, they are not given as law but as instruction in righteousness.

That doesn’t mean that Christians are free to live any way we want, without repercussions. God does not say to Christians, “If you steal, you are condemned to death.” Or “If you commit adultery, you will lose your salvation.” Rather He says: “I have saved you by My grace. Now I want you to live a holy life out of love for Me.”

As James will show us in the next verse, we are actually under a higher law than the Ten Commandments, the law of liberty.

Application

If you are worried about losing your salvation or missing the rapture because you have committed an intentional act of sin, you can stop worrying. All of our sins, intentional or accidental (even those which we haven’t yet committed) are paid for by the blood of Christ!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:10 – Guilty of All

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Will

For whoever shall keep the whole law, but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all of them.

Truth to Learn

Even a single little accidental sin condemns us as unrighteous.

Behind the Words

The Greek verb translated “shall keep” is tereō which is the word used of a guard keeping watch over a prisoner. This word can also mean to “hold fast” or to “keep.” It is expressed in the subjunctive mood, so it could be translated, “might keep.”

“Whole” is translated from holos, which means “the whole thing.” Hence, James is referring to the entire body of laws which the Jews were expected to keep.

The word “stumble” is a form of ptaiō, meaning “to trip or stumble.” James’ point is that this is an unintentional commission of an act.

“Guilty” is translated from enochos which is made up of en, meaning “in or on” and a form of echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Therefore, this word means “to be ensnared” or “to be held on to.”

The word translated “of all” is pantōn, meaning “all” but it is a possessive plural adjective. Hence, it means, “of all of them.”

Meaning Explained

James is now drawing an application based on the summary that he just declared in the past two verses. After reading these two verses, someone might say, “But it’s not such a big thing to show favoritism. I mean, it’s not like I just killed someone!”

Some churches teach that there are minor sins and there are major, or cardinal, sins. James disputes that. He uses exaggeration here to make his point. He says that if there were someone who should be able to keep the entire body of the law, and yet should accidentally slip-up on one little thing, he is just as guilty as if he had broken every law – including murder.

In God’s book of records, He judges us all based on keeping all of His laws. Unless we live a perfect life and do not violate a single part of His law, we are marked as unrighteous. And, according to Romans 6:23, the penalty for our sin is death. Jesus Christ is the only man who is able to live His entire life without violating any of God’s laws (because He is God). We, on the other hand, have a sin nature and are incapable of living a sinless life, which is why we need a sinless Savior who was willing to pay the penalty for our sins with His life.

So – if we treat others differently, simply based on how they look or how they dress, we are guilty of sin no matter how insignificant we think this type of action might be. Even if we do it unintentionally, we are guilty and must pay the penalty.

Application

Are you trying to please God by living as good a life as you can? If so, then one day, when you stand before the Judgment of God, you will be declared unrighteous and sentenced to eternal death in the lake of fire. No ifs, ands, or buts. On the other hand, if you have humbled yourself before Almighty God, confessed yourself to be a sinner, and accepted His free gift of life through the blood of His Son, then you are now legally declared to be righteous and you will spend eternity in heaven with Him.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:9 – Sinful Favoritism

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Will

but if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

Truth to Learn

When we show special attention to those who are rich and powerful, we are sinning!

Behind the Words

“But if you show partiality” is a conditional clause, which, based on the grammatical construction, is a first class condition. There are three classes of conditional clauses in the Greek New Testament. The first class condition assumes the “if” clause (called the protasis) is true. Since James has just accused us of showing partiality, it is natural that he would use this first class condition. Because of this, some would use the word “since” rather than “if.”

The word translated “partiality” is a word that we looked at in verse one of this chapter, literally meaning “to lift up the face on a person,” that is, to show favoritism. Hence, in its root meaning, it refers to “treating one person in a more favorable way than another.”

The word translated “commit” is from the Greek word ergadzomai, which refers to “work or toil,” as one would do for an occupation. It is much stronger than the word poieō, meaning “to do,” which is usually used in reference to sinning. Hence, James is saying that when we show partiality, we are working hard at sinning. This is not something that a Christian should be doing.

“Convicted” is translated from a form of elegchō, meaning “to reprove, rebuke, or tell a fault.” Used as it is here, it implies a rebuke which produces a belief of the transgression without need of further proof or evidence.

Meaning Explained

Continuing on James’ summary of this topic from the previous verse, we now see the other shoe drop. In the previous verse, James said, “If you are as concerned for the good of others as you are for yourself, you do well.” Now he says, “but since you show favoritism toward someone because of their outward appearance, you are being selfish, you are committing sin, and the law declares you to be guilty.”

In these first nine verses of chapter two, James is talking about rich people and poor people, and the way we treat them. Notice, however, that James does not rebuke us for our treatment of poor people nearly as much as he does for our treatment of the rich. We tend to focus our attention on the outward appearance of people. The more beautiful and well off a person appears, the more we are attracted to them. We are more likely to talk to a rich person and try to make him or her feel welcome in our church than we are a poor person. That’s sinful!

God, on the other hand, does not focus on the outward appearance and, in fact, seems to favor the poor people by making them rich in faith. After all, when we have wealth, why do we need to have faith in God? But, when we are poor and in need, our faith gets strengthened.

Application

Most of us are willing to witness about salvation to the poor and homeless because it appears that they really need Christ. Today, let’s be just as willing to witness to rich and powerful people. They need Him even more!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:8 – Love Others

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Will

If indeed you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;

Truth to Learn

The greatest thing we can do for others is to love them like we love ourselves.

Behind the Words

“Fulfill” is the word teleō, which means “to fulfill” or “to complete.” It is a stronger word than the normal tēreō, which means “to keep” or “to observe.” This verb is in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. This identifies the verb as one of current, continuous action. So, he is saying, “If you are really continually fulfilling …”

The Greek word translated “royal” is, basilikos which means “regal” or “preeminent.” This means that it is the highest or preeminent law, which should guide our every action.

Nomos is the Greek word translated “law.” This word refers to the entire body of the law which the Jews were to keep. James could have used the word entolē, meaning “commandment,” for it is a commandment that he quotes. His purpose for using nomos, however, is to say that the entire set of commandments is summed-up in one, and it is the preeminent one.

The word “love” is the Greek agapaō, the self-sacrificing love which Christ demonstrated for us on the cross.

Meaning Explained

So, what is this highest, or preeminent, law that James is talking about? According to Jesus, when asked by a lawyer what the greatest law is:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

James is quoting what Jesus called the second greatest commandment. So why does he say that it is the preeminent one? The two that Jesus cited have to do with our relationship with God the Father and our relationship with other people. If we look at the Ten Commandments we see that the first four apply to our relationship with God and the other six apply to our relationship with others. Therefore, when Jesus quoted the two greatest commandments he was summing-up all ten.

James, on the other hand, is only dealing with our relationship with others, so he quotes the preeminent commandment having to do with how we treat others. He says that if we live our lives by continually loving others with a self-sacrificing love, this is good. This is James’ summary of his discussion in the previous six verses on how we treat rich people and poor people differently based on their appearance. He will complete his summary in the next verse.

Application

Though we sometimes don’t want to admit it, we all love ourselves. We take care of ourselves, we feed ourselves when we get hungry, we buy things for ourselves, and we even choose a mate for ourselves based on what we like. We spend many waking hours thinking about things that will please us. When we do this, our focus is on ourselves. James says that our focus should be on others to the same degree.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:7 – Blasphemous Wealth

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Will

Don’t they blaspheme that beautiful name by which you are called?

Truth to Learn

The conversation of the rich and famous is more an indication of their devotion to God (or lack thereof) than their wealth.

Behind the Words

The word “blaspheme” is not a translation but a transliteration. That is, the translators took the Greek word and brought it directly into English. The Greek word is blasphemeō. The meaning of the word is “to vilify, speak evil of, or slander.”

“Beautiful” is translated from the Greek word kalos, which means “good” or “beautiful.” This serves to further emphasize the vileness of the blasphemy by these rich people.

The words “name by which you are called” could be more accurately translated, “the name having been called upon you.” The verb “you are called” is a form of epikaleō. This is made up of epi, meaning “on, over, or upon” and kaleō, meaning to call. It is expressed here in the passive voice, indicating something done to the subject. When we are called Christians, we are identified with the Lord Himself. But it is also the name given to us by God when He called us. God chose us and He called us to be His, as Paul says in the book of Romans:

And whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also declared righteous; and whom He declared righteous, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:30)

Meaning Explained

James has been speaking about how we hold rich people in higher esteem than poor people. We offer the choice seats in church to these rich people and we treat the poor as if they were trash. We do such things for strictly selfish reasons. We think we can benefit from the wealth of the rich people and we’re afraid of what others will think of us if we are friendly to poor people. That’s nothing more than selfishness, and it is sin! There are some rich people who love Jesus Christ and are submitted to his leading in their lives, but these are the exception rather than the rule. The value we place upon people should be based on their submission to God, not their wealth.

Three of the Gospel writers recounted the story about the devout, rich man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. After the man refused to give up his riches to follow Jesus, Jesus turned to his disciples and said:

“Children, how hard it is for those trusting on riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mar 10:24b, 25)

To such people as this, the name of Christ is no more than a swear word.

Application

Do you judge people based on the type of job they have, the type of car they drive, or the house they live in? These may be signs of monetary wealth, but they give you no clue as to a person’s spiritual wealth. You can only tell that by observing how they respond to God’s Word, how they treat others, and especially how they talk.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:6 – Worldly Irony

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Will

But you dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

Truth to Learn

It’s ironic that we tend to give the most consideration for the people who care the least about us.

Behind the Words

The Greek word that is translated here as “dishonored” is atimadzō. This is made up of the privative a, meaning “without,” and a form of timē, which means “honor.” Hence, atimadzō means “to treat without honor,” “to abuse,” or “to treat shamefully.”

“Poor man,” as we saw in verse two, refers to someone who “crouches or cowers like a beggar.” In its common usage it refers to someone who is extremely poor.

The Greek word translated “oppress” is katadunasteuō. This is made up of two Greek words, kata, which means “down” and dunastes, meaning “a ruler” or “an officer,” from which we get our English word dynasty. As we put these together we get the notion of putting someone down to rule over them or, “lord it over them.”

“Drag” is the translation of a form of helkuō, which means “to draw someone in (not necessarily by force).” It is the word that Jesus used when He said:

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peopls to Myself. (John 12:32)

Meaning Explained

James is pointing out to the early Christians that they were treating the poor people shamefully and giving the rich people special honor, even though the rich people treated them badly and persecuted them.

The dramatic contrast between this verse and the previous one is obvious. How we treat others is often based on selfishness and pride. How God treats us is based on our heart.

Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, put it this way:

Perhaps it might be understood somewhat ironically: “You despise the poor, do you, and are disposed to honor the rich! Look then, and see how the rich treat you, and see whether you have so much occasion to regard them with any peculiar respect.”

Rich, powerful, and famous people are seldom satisfied with their money, position, or honor. They want more, and they want it for themselves. They nearly always have an elevated opinion of themselves and they tend to lord it over those who have less than they do. This is the sin nature at work and it is exacerbated by the world system we live in:

Because all that which is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)

Application

Some of the kindest, most humble, and most considerate people are poor in the eyes of the world. Likewise, some of the meanest, most arrogant, and selfish people are rich in worldly goods. If you could choose, which of these would you want to have as friends?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:5 – Poor Heirs

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Will

Listen, my beloved brothers: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those loving Him?

Truth to Learn

If God has chosen the poor and the weak to be His children, why do we put so much importance in recognizing those who are rich and powerful?

Behind the Words

“Listen” is translated from akouō, which means “to hear.” The word is used here in the imperative mood, which indicates a command. It is as if James were saying, “Listen up and hear what I have to say to you!”

The word translated “chosen” is a form of eklegō, a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of,” and legō, meaning “to say” or “to select.” This word is used here in the aorist tense, implying past action performed at a single point in time. It is also expressed in the middle voice, meaning action that is performed by the subject on himself. Hence, this phrase could be translated as, “did not God select for Himself the poor of this world.”

The word “heirs” is translated from klēronomos. This is a compound word made up of klēros, which means “a lot” or “a portion” and nomos, which refers to the law, but which originally meant “to partition” or “to distribute.” Hence, klēronomos literally means one to whom portions are distributed, that is, an inheritor or an heir.

Meaning Explained

James carries the admonition of the preceding verses one step further by pointing out that God has chosen the poor of this world and has made them rich in faith. Not only does God not show favoritism to those who we might consider more desirable, but he seems to prefer the lowly and downtrodden. Perhaps He does so because they are more humble and more willing to honor God, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians also speaks of the poor weak ones whom God has chosen rather than the great and mighty:

For ye see your calling, brothers, that there are not many wise men according to flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, who are called: But God chose the foolish things of the world to put the wise to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and low-born things of the world, and things which are despised, and things which are not, so that He might bring to nothing things that are: that no flesh might glory in his presence. (1Corinthians 1:26-29)

You see, compared to God, even the richest man is poor. And compared to God, even the most powerful and noble people are weak and beggarly.

Application

Let us welcome all who come to hear the Word of God, no matter what their outward appearance, race, national origin, or financial position! We are God’s subjects and ambassadors, so let us represent our King as He would represent Himself!

Let us welcome the poor of this world, just as God has done.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:4 – No Discrimination

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Will

have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil reasonings?

Truth to Learn

Judging a person by how they dress and how wealthy they are is selfish and evil. We need to learn to not judge people by their outward appearance.

Behind the Words

The phrase, “have you not shown partiality” is translated from the Greek words ou diekrithē. Ou expresses the absolute negative and diekrithē is a compound word made up of dia, meaning “through,” implying separation, and a form of krinō, meaning “to distinguish, to decide, or to judge.” Hence, this word means “to thoroughly distinguish between two things” or “to make a judgment between two things.” In older translations this is the word “discriminate.”

“Judges” is translated from kritēs, the noun form of krinō, which we just saw means “to judge.” James is using a play on words here showing that when we discriminate we are making judgments about people and, therefore, have placed ourselves in the position of being judges.

The words “evil reasonings” are from the Greek words dialogismōn ponērōn. Ponērōn refers to “that which is wicked or evil in a moral or spiritual sense.” The word dialogismōn is made up of dia, meaning “through,” implying separation, and logismōn, a form of logidzomai, meaning “to count or conclude.” Thus dialogismon means “debating or reasoning” and, therefore, dialogismōn ponērōn refers to the evil thoughts that go into such reasoning.

Meaning Explained

Discriminate is an interesting English word. In the early and middle part of the 20^th century it was considered good to be discriminating. This meant that a person recognized the difference between good things and bad things. Since the latter part of the twentieth century, however, to discriminate has taken on a negative connotation as it does in this verse. To discriminate between good and bad or between right and wrong is good. But, discriminating against anyone based on outward appearance is not good according to James.

As a nation we have learned over the past 50 years that it is not right to discriminate against someone simply based on their racial or ethnic origin. But we still discriminate based on a person’s apparent wealth. We get excited about seeing a person who is rich and famous, in the flesh, up close and personal. But we avoid the poor people of our society and don’t want to be near them. Why is this? Perhaps, so that we can brag about the fact that we have shaken hands with, or have actually spoken with, someone who is rich and famous. But even that is selfish and sinful.

So to sum up verses 2, 3, and 4, James is saying that we should not discriminate against anyone coming into our church simply based on outward appearances. If we do, we have become judgmental with evil intentions. Christ accepts all who freely come to Him and as His ambassadors, we need to likewise accept all who come to hear the Words of life.

Application

The next time you are asked to be a greeter in your church, go out of your way to make everyone feel welcome and important. Look past their outward appearance. That’s what God does. He sees their heart (and He sees yours as well).

James 2:3 – Partial Greeter

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Will

and you should look upon the one wearing the fine clothes and should say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and should say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here under my footstool,"

Truth to Learn

Christians need to become “money blind” and treat all people alike regardless of their financial standing.

Behind the Words

The words “should look upon” are translated from the Greek words epiblepō epi. The word epiblepō is a compound word made up of epi, meaning “on” or “over” and blepō, which means “to look.” Hence, it literally means “to look upon” or “to look at.” However, when followed by the word epi, as it is in this verse, it means “to look upon with kindness and favor.” Some versions of the Bible translate this as “show respect to.”

“Wearing” is translated from the Greek word phoreō, which is derived from pherō, meaning “to bring” or “to bear.” This word, however, implies frequent or repetitive action as opposed to one time action. Therefore, phoreō, means “to bear about with or on oneself as a regular course of action.” James is here referring to a person who regularly or habitually wears fine clothing and/or expensive jewelry.

Meaning Explained

Like the last verse, this one does not stand alone without the preceding and following verses. This verse, however, is very tightly coupled with the previous verse as it talks about how we tend to treat wealthy people compared to how we treat the poor and uncomely among us. What James is saying is:

and if you look favorably upon the richly dressed person and offer him the best seat in the sanctuary, and say to the street bum “stand back there by the foyer or sit here in this undesirably place…”

Once again, James is using exaggeration to make his point about how we tend to treat people differently based on the outward appearance. The people we go to church with week after week become family to us and we treat them with warmness. When we have visitors, we often treat them differently because we’re not as familiar with them as we are the rest of our family. The wealthy ones are often treated special, probably because if they like our church and decide to join, they will be able to help us with the financial needs of the church. But street people will only be a further strain on our already stretched financials.

The problem with this is that we are now seeing people as commodities to be desired or avoided. We need to recognize that these are people, whether rich or poor, having feelings and needs. If they are Christians, then they are brothers (or sisters) no matter what their financial standing is. Treating them differently based on their financial position is nothing more than selfishness on our part. It does not glorify God and it does not contribute to the spiritual growth of the body of Christ.

Application

Think of the last time you greeted a visitor in your church. Would you have acted differently toward this person if he or she had spent the previous three nights sleeping under the freeway overpass in the same dirty clothes they wore to church?

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:2 – Apparel Judgment

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Will

For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine clothing, and there should also come in a poor person in filthy clothes,

Truth to Learn

Wealth or poverty should not be sources of differentiation within the church.

Behind the Words

The word translated “assembly” is sunagōgē, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a derivative of agō, meaning “to lead” or “to gather together.” Hence, this word refers to a gathering together of people. It is the word from which we get our English word Synagogue.

The words “man with gold rings” are translated from the Greek anēr chrusodaktulios. Anēr is the word for “an adult male person” or “a husband.” The word chrusodaktulios is a compound word made up of chrusos, meaning “gold,” and daktulios, meaning “a finger ring.” So, literally this is referring to “a gold ringed man.”

The word “fine,” describing his clothing, is the Greek word lampros, which is derived from the verb lampō, meaning “to shine.” Hence, this refers to brilliant or magnificent clothing.

“Poor man” is translated from ptōchos, which is derived from the verb ptōssō, meaning “to crouch or cower like a beggar.” This word is a reference to someone in abject poverty like a homeless street beggar in one of our cities today.

Finally, the word “filthy” is translated from rhuparos which refers to something that is extremely dirty or foul smelling.

Meaning Explained

It might seem strange to see James refer to the meeting of Christians as a synagogue, but we must remember that the early church was largely made up of converted Jews. There is also evidence that some church gathering places even as late as the fourth century AD were called sunagōgia (synagogues) rather than what is more common today, ekklēsia (churches).

Paul is talking specifically about how you treat people within your church gatherings. In the eastern cultures, even today, a person with great wealth is easily identifiable by his luxurious robes and expensive gold jewelry. Such opulence is not as obviously displayed in Western society, although it does happen to some extent. In our churches this might be a man wearing an expensive suit displaying diamond or gold rings and expensive cufflinks, accompanied by his wife wearing designer clothing accessorized with expensive jewelry.

The second person identified in this verse is a lot easier to recognize. James is talking about a homeless beggar who likely smells of stale sweat (or worse), wearing the only clothing he or she owns. This is the kind of person nobody wants to sit next to, let alone have a conversation with. The contrast is pretty dramatic and James is intentionally showing extremes of personage. He will complete the admonition in the next two verses.

Application

Do you notice how people dress for church on Sunday morning? Do you make value judgments about them based on their appearance?

See what James says in the next verse.

In God's service, for His glory,