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James 2

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Warning Against Favoritism and Partiality 1–13

1
My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lordof glory, with respect of persons. ​
2
For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing;
3
and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool;
4
do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ​
5
Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? ​
6
But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?
7
Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by which ye are called?
8
Howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: ​
9
but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. ​
10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all. ​
11
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but killest, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12
So speak ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty. ​
13
For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment. ​

Faith Without Works Is Dead 14–26

14
What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him? ​
15
If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food,
16
and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17
Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. ​
18
Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. ​
19
Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder. ​
20
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?
21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? ​
22
Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;
23
and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. ​
24
Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. ​
25
And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? ​
26
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for James 2

Verse 1

respect of persons — Prosopolepsia, literally the taking of a face, occurs in Rom 2:11, Eph 6:9, Col 3:25 and here. The law is Lev 19:15, 'thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty'. 'The Lord of glory' is the title of 1 Cor 2:8, 'they would not have crucified the Lord of glory'.

Verse 4

partial in yourselves — Diakrino, to make a distinction, is 'wavering' in 1:6 and 'put no difference' in Acts 15:9. 'Evil thoughts' (dialogismos) are the reasonings of the heart, as in Matt 15:19. The corrective is John 7:24, 'Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.'

Verse 5

Hath not God chosen the poor — 'Chosen' (eklegomai) is the verb of 1 Cor 1:27, 'God hath chosen the foolish things of the world'. 'Heirs of the kingdom' is joined to the promise of 1:12, 'the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him'. Christ said 'Blessed be ye poor' (Luke 6:20).

Verse 8

the royal law — Basilikos means belonging to a king; the law is the King's and goes with the 'kingdom' of v.5. It is quoted from Lev 19:18, ranked second by Christ (Matt 22:39), and summed up by Paul, 'all the law is fulfilled in one word' (Gal 5:14).

Verse 9

have respect to persons — The verb prosopolepteo occurs only here; the noun is in v.1. 'Convinced' (elencho) is 'convicted' in John 8:9. 'Transgressors' (parabates), those who step across a line, is used again in v.11. The law is Lev 19:15, which forbids honouring the person of the mighty.

Verse 10

offend in one point — 'Offend' (ptaio), to stumble, is the verb of 3:2, 'in many things we offend all'. 'Guilty of all' (enochos) is held under the whole law, as with the curse of Deut 27:26 on whoever 'confirmeth not all the words of this law' (cf. Gal 3:10). Verse 11 gives the reason, one Lawgiver.

Verse 12

the law of liberty — This is the 'perfect law of liberty' of 1:25, joined to the royal law of v.8. 'Liberty' (eleutheria) is not licence: 'use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another' (Gal 5:13). 'Shall be judged' looks ahead to the judgment of v.13.

Verse 13

mercy rejoiceth against judgment — 'Without mercy' is one word, anileos, found only here. 'Rejoiceth against' (katakauchaomai) is 'boast' in Rom 11:18, 'boast not against the branches'. The principle is that of Matt 5:7, 'Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy', and of the unforgiving servant (Matt 18:33).

Verse 14

What doth it profit — Ophelos, profit, occurs here, in v.16 and in 1 Cor 15:32. The case is of a man who 'say he hath faith' without works, as 1:22 distinguishes doers from hearers only. Christ's own test is 'he that doeth the will of my Father' (Matt 7:21).

Verse 17

is dead, being alone — 'Dead' (nekros) is said of faith three times, in vv.17, 20 and 26. 'Being alone' is literally 'by itself', faith taken apart from works. The faith in view is the one claimed in v.14, and the figure in v.26 is the body without the spirit.

Verse 18

shew me thy faith — 'Shew' (deiknymi) is the verb of 3:13, 'let him shew out of a good conversation his works'. The speaker offers to show faith 'by my works', out of them, since it cannot be displayed without them. Christ gives the same rule for fruit: 'by their fruits ye shall know them' (Matt 7:20).

Verse 19

the devils also believe, and tremble — Phrisso, to shudder, occurs only here. 'One God' is the creed of Deut 6:4, 'The LORD our God is one LORD'. The evil spirits confess more: 'I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God' (Mark 1:24), and 'Jesus, thou Son of God' (Matt 8:29).

Verse 21

justified by works — The event is Gen 22, where the LORD says 'now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son' (22:12). Heb 11:17 calls it faith: 'By faith Abraham… offered up Isaac'. It came after the belief recorded in Gen 15:6, which James cites in v.23.

Verse 23

the Friend of God — The title is in 2 Chr 20:7, 'Abraham thy friend for ever', and Isa 41:8. 'Imputed' (logizomai), counted, is the verb of Gen 15:6 and of Rom 4:3. The Scripture 'was fulfilled' in the sense that the offering of v.21 showed what kind of belief it was.

Verse 24

not by faith only — The 'faith only' denied is the idle faith of v.14. V.22 says 'faith wrought with his works', and Gal 5:6 has 'faith which worketh by love'. Paul's 'justified by faith without the deeds of the law' (Rom 3:28) concerns works of the law, and the same Abraham stands in both (Rom 4:3; v.23).

Verse 25

Rahab the harlot — The 'messengers' (angelos, usually 'angels') are the two spies of Josh 2. She let them down by a cord and sent them to the mountain (Josh 2:15–16), which James calls 'another way'. Heb 11:31 names it faith. 'Rachab' stands in the line of Christ (Matt 1:5), and Josh 6:25 records that she was saved alive.

Verse 26

the body without the spirit — 'Without' (choris) is the same word in both halves of the comparison, as in v.20. 'Spirit' (pneuma) is the breath of life that God gave (Gen 2:7) and to which it returns (Eccl 12:7). The verse is the third statement of faith that is 'dead' (vv.17, 20, 26).