James 2:1–13

Bible Studies for Life 
Associate Professor of Religion, Samford University

The Pressure of Partiality

James 2:1–13
In chapter 2, James shifts from a sort of introduction of the epistle to the meat of the letter.

Verse 1 is difficult to translate: both “my brothers and sisters, keep the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus without showing favoritism” and “you do not really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by showing favoritism, do you?” make sense in context. The point of both is clear: showing favoritism does not result from faithful obedience to Jesus. James does not mention Jesus’ treatment of people, but surely this is what James has in mind.

Verses 2–4
“Have you not made distinctions among yourselves?” suggests that the congregations to whom James writes are made up of both wealthy and poor individuals. James might refer to the gold ring that a male member of the Roman equestrian class wore as a sign of status. “Filthy rags” are worn by some of today’s destitute too. Christians have a tendency to romanticize the poor of Jesus’ day, but surely some destitute people then were just as likely to stink, fall into alcoholism and panhandle as some homeless people do today. From James’ scenario we can infer that in the synagogues (your translation might say “assembly” or “church”) of James’ time there were seats of honor, while those of low status had either to stand or to sit on the floor where the people of status rested their feet. In some Middle Eastern cultures today, things associated with the soles of the feet are insulting and degrading; perhaps the same was true in James’ time. James will mention judging again in 4:11–12. For James, to “judge” someone is to consign him or her to hell. Only God can do this, according to James.

Verses 5–7
James repeats God’s plan to reverse fortunes at the end of time (see 1:9–11 and 5:1–6). He makes a shift in verses 6 and 7, casting the “wealthy” as those outside his congregations (see again 5:1–6). This is a common idea in many Jewish writings. The poor are righteous merely because they are poor. Why? 

Because they rely on God alone for survival. The righteous followers of God, therefore, are often called the “poor” while outsiders are “rich.” James implies that nonbelievers are abusing members of his congregations in the Roman courts. Believers in positions of power are not to abuse in return (see vv. 12–13).

Verses 8–13 
James likens attending worship (obedience to the law) but showing partiality while doing so (a transgression) to remaining faithful to one’s spouse (obedience to the law) while committing murder (a transgression). If one is a keeper of the law (compare “doer of the word” in 1:22), which James says is good, one must keep the whole law, not just the parts he or she prefers. James is not referring to the impossibility of keeping every single commandment. (He chooses the examples of adultery and murder from the Ten Commandments.) Like Paul, he thinks people can be “blameless according to the law” (Phil. 3:6). Rather he is warning people that to show favoritism is tantamount to violating all of Torah. This type of all-or-nothing dualism is typical for James, for whom there is no gray area: you are either faithful to God or not; you are either a friend of God and an enemy of the world, or the other way around (4:4).

The statement in verse 12 is ironic: James says everyone is about to be judged by the law of liberty.

In verse 13 we finally get to the heart of the matter. Why does James condemn favoritism so harshly? Because for a congregation to treat a poor person like an outsider — like a non-Christian — is to treat him or her as one who is condemned to hell. That is judgment without mercy. Mercy must triumph over judgment.