James Chapter Two, Part 3

 

James 2:7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

“They” in this verse again refers back to the rich; the rich that oppress others, drag them into court, and now blaspheme that noble name by which we are called. Mind you, as I stated before, these are generalizations regarding the mentality the wealthy possess. Or perhaps the mentality that is garnered by the acquisition of wealth. It is a general and unfortunately common disposition. Stereotypes tend to occur because the trait the stereotype depicts too often portrays truth, however embellished it may be.

The noble name James refers to is simple: Christian. “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch,” Acts 11:26. The term “Christian” then quoted is the Greek word “Christianos” and simply means “a follower of Christ”. The word Christian is a “noble name” according to James. "Name” in this instance being “onoma”. This word is defined as depicting within it all that the mention of the name implies. For God, for instance, invoking His name incorporates the expression of His divine attributes. God’s name is so closely linked to His person that it bears the dignity accorded Him when it is invoked. Likewise, the term Christian, being a “Christ-follower” invokes the imagery of a person devoted to their Master, invested in Christ-likeness whether their love brings praise or scorn from outside sources. Christ never cared what others thought of His subservience to the Father while on earth. Now, with the Holy Spirit here in His stead and Him dwelling in us His children, this simple name ought to conjure the same heavenly devotion to the Father: His Father and ours.

James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; [9] but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

James holds Leviticus 19:18 in very high regard, and he is not alone in this assessment. Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment was, answered: “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 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.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets,” Matthew 22:37-40. Our first love ought to be to God our Father. If we devote the whole of our person to Him, then the natural out-flowing of our conduct will be an impartial love toward others that takes their welfare into account and strives to meet their needs. The Law and Prophets Christ spoke of would refer to the Old Testament books of Moses and the prophetic writings such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, et al. The crux of these writings was to kindle a fervent love for God, whose righteousness would influence our earthy relationships so that an impartial and sympathetic love would naturally result. We are fruit-bearing trees that produce fruit commensurate to our new nature. Care for the poor (see James 1:25) and impartiality toward the rich would simply be our adopted stances, courtesy of God’s cleansing presence in us.

James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. [11] For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. [12] So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. [13] For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Partiality reveals a dangerous bent in our thinking. Partiality, by its very definition, means that we as professing Christians are not taking all of God’s counsel into consideration when we make judgments. The word “partial” according to The American Heritage Dictionary is defined as: “of relating to, being, or affecting only a part; not total; incomplete.” Granted, "partial" here means more favorable or disposed toward one view over another, but our first description fits rather aptly. When we are being partial, our judgment is focused on only part of something; it is an incomplete view, which results in faulty judgment. Worse, as we noted from Christ’s commendation of the great commands that all the Law and Prophets hung on, the Law is an indivisible unit. Picking and choosing which commands suit us reveals at the very least a lack of reverence for God’s word. Such partiality may indicate  contempt or scorn for the whole of God’s counsel that we as His children are commanded to treat with the solemnity due its nature.

Verse 11 demonstrates how, when we have broken the law but once, we are law-breakers. One instance is sufficient. Obeying some laws while ignoring other commandments showcases a Christian’s lack of love for God which manifests in a partial mindset toward his fellow believers. Our actions always speak louder than our words.

James cautions us to both speak and perform in congruity with the law of liberty. An impartial daily walk would find a Christian speaking truth, and then performing said truth before man, demons and angels, to the glory of God our Savior. Our lack of love for God and fellow man will testify against us by the behavior we have manifested while naming ourselves Christians. The Apostle links the message in this passage to James 1:22-25 where he contrasted forgetful hearers with effectual doers. For James the outward manifestation of our lives in Christ should reflect at all times our inward confession. This desire of James for works to be visible in a believer culminates in the next passage, which we will deal with shortly.

The final admonition informs us that judgment is impartial. To the one who has practiced mercy toward others, mercy will be shown. For the one too biased to grant mercy unless it favors him, judgment is likewise without mercy. When we all stand before Christ at the judgment seat, our conduct will be scrutinized and rewards given. There are those who will be rewarded for fruitful impartial service, whose keystones were love and mercy, 1^st Corinthians 3:14. Then there are those, like the Christians James described at the beginning of the chapter that will be saved, but through fire, losing any hope of reward because of their incomplete perspective of God’s word, our fellow believers, and humanity in general, 1^st Corinthians 3:15.