Brothers and Sisters in the Christ,
This coming Lord’s Day we will begin to examine the second chapter of the Epistle from our Lord’s brother James. And when we arrive at this place we discover what some New Testament scholars have called the heart and core of the Epistle. For here is where we will find that well-known, if not somewhat controversial, teaching about the relationship between faith and works—a teaching that some have argued is in direct contradiction to what the Bible affirms in other places about faith in Christ and salvation (2:17-26). But as we have already discovered, there is no contradiction to be found here. James is sounding the same gracious Gospel preached by Jesus and the Apostles. But his particular focus, a most important and legitimate one, is on the fruit of true faith in Christ—the works that faith produces—the transformation of the soul that results from the salvation that is ours by faith alone in Christ alone. James is concerned that all those who profess to be believers in Christ should, as empowered by grace itself, display the evidence of the gift of eternal life, all for the glory of God.
At the very beginning of the chapter James will show us yet again how true faith in Christ transforms us into the people of God we should be. And he will do so by addressing a danger, and a potential sin, that might otherwise bring dishonor to the name of our Lord. The sin exposed in 2:1-4 is that of showing favoritism, or partiality, to certain people. And of all things, James envisions this occurring as the Church gathers for weekly worship on the Lord’s Day. The J. B. Phillips translation expresses it well:
Don’t ever attempt, my brothers, to combine snobbery with faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ! Suppose one man comes into your meeting well-dressed and with a gold ring on his finger, and another man, obviously poor, arrives in shabby clothes. If you pay special attention to the well-dressed man by saying, “Please sit here—it’s an excellent seat”, and say to the poor man, “You stand over there, please, or if you must sit, sit on the floor”, doesn’t that prove that you are making class-distinctions in your mind, and setting yourselves up to assess a man’s quality?—a very bad thing.
On Sunday we will seek to discover how this could happen, and especially during worship. And we will consider the contemporary applications of this passage to our own life as a worshiping community.
May our Father bless you all with peace and rest, and I look forward to seeing you on the Lord’s Day!
All my love and prayers, always,
Mike