God's Love Test

2 My brothers and sisters, you are believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 

So treat everyone the same.

Because we have put our faith in Jesus as Lord, 

James is commanding us to treat everyone the same.

 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes. 

And suppose a poor man in dirty old clothes also comes in. 

3 Would you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes? 

Would you say, “Here’s a good seat for you”? 

Would you say to the poor man, “You stand there”? 

Or “Sit on the floor by my feet”? 

4 If you would, aren’t you treating some people better than others? 

If we treat the poor differently than the rich, we are breaking a command of God. 

Aren’t you like judges who have evil thoughts?

If you aren't treating the rich and the poor alike, 

you are exposing yourself as having an evil motive by your behavior. 

You are exposing yourself to have greed for the rich man's possessions.

5 My dear brothers and sisters, listen to me.

Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor in the world’s eyes to be rich in faith? 

Hasn’t he chosen them to receive the kingdom?

Hasn’t he promised it to those who love him?

If we believe in Christ, our riches are in heaven; therefore, we are already rich (by faith). 

 6 But you have disrespected poor people. 

Aren’t rich people taking advantage of you? 

Aren’t they dragging you into court? 

7 Aren’t they speaking evil things against the worthy name of Jesus? 

Remember, you belong to him.

Rich people were the ones persecuting Christians at the time, 

and the poor were leaving them alone.  

Why would they be giving the rich people preference?

8 The royal law is found in Scripture. 

It says, 

“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) 

If you really keep this law, you are doing what is right. 

"Love your neighbor as you love yourself" is called the royal law.  

If you keep this law,you'll keep all the others. (This law rules over the other laws).

We will treat everyone the same. 

9 But you sin if you don’t treat everyone the same. 

The law judges you because you have broken it. 

10 Suppose you keep the whole law but trip over just one part of it. 

Then you are guilty of breaking all of it. 

If you don't treat everyone the same, you are also breaking the law that rules over it 

to 

Love your neighbor as yourself.  

If you don't treat everyone the same, it is a sin. 

11 God said, “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18) 

He also said, “Do not commit murder.” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17)

Suppose you don’t commit adultery but do commit murder. Then you have broken the law.

Not treating people the same is now being compared by James to adultery and murder.  

12 Speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.

The Law that gives freedom is to "Love your neighbor as yourself". 

If you love your wife as you love yourself, you won't commit adultery against her.  

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you won't murder him.  

If you love your neighbor as you love yourself, you will treat everyone the same (with love).  

If you love, it makes you free from breaking all the other laws.    

 13 Those who have not shown mercy will not receive mercy when they are judged. 

To show mercy is better than to judge.

You are not supposed to be disrespecting God's poor kids.  

You are suppose to be helping them!  

To God, we are all poor as compared to Him.  

One day you'll come face to face with God.  

As you have treated His kids, so will He treat you. 

14 Suppose a person claims to have faith but doesn’t act on their faith. 

My brothers and sisters, can this kind of faith save them? 

If you believe that God is your provider, why would you not help His needy kids?  

After all, won't He replace it. 

Don't you have that much faith?  

15 Suppose a brother or a sister has no clothes or food. 

16 Suppose one of you says to them, “Go. 

I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. 

Eat well.” 

And suppose you do nothing about what they really need. 

Then what good have you done? 

17 It is the same with faith. 

If it doesn’t cause us to do something, it’s dead.

Don't ask, what will happen to me if I help them?  

Ask, what will happen to them if I don't (Chris Hodges)?  

Saying the right thing isn't enough. Without you helping them, they might go hungry.  

You are God's strategy to help His poor kids.

That's why He brought them to you.  

If you have faith in God, take care of His kids and trust in Him to replace it. 

18 But someone will say, “You have faith. 

I do good deeds.”

Show me your faith that doesn’t cause you to do good deeds. 

And I will show you my faith by the goods deeds I do. 

If we truly believe that God will take care of our every need, we will help His kids. 

19 You believe there is one God. 

Good! 

Even the demons believe that. 

And they tremble!

If you don't take care of God's kids, 

and depend upon Him to take care of your every need in return, 

isn't James comparing you to a demon? 

20 You foolish person! 

Do you want proof that faith without good deeds is useless? 

21 Our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. 

Wasn’t he considered to be right with God because of what he did? 

22 So you see that what he believed and what he did were working together. 

What he did made his faith complete (matured). 

23 That is what Scripture means where it says, 

“Abraham believed God. 

God accepted Abraham because he believed. 

So his faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6) 

And that’s not all. God called Abraham his friend. 

Abraham was declared right with God (by God) in Genesis 15:6 because he believed in God. 

In Genesis 22 (later), he proved that he was right with God 

when he was willing to offer his promised son Isaac up to God as a sacrifice.  

God Himself replaced Isaac with a Ram caught in a ticket. 

This step of faith caused Abraham's faith to mature which revealed that he was right with God in the first place. 

We too must offer up what we have to help our poor brothers and sisters in Christ, 

and look to God for his provision.  

This reveals that we are right with God, 

and grows our faith with every act of obedience.

24 So you see that a person is considered right with God by what they do. 

It doesn’t happen only because they believe.

If you believe in bathing, you'll take baths.  

If you don't you won't. (Robert Morris) 

If your believe in God, you'll take care of His children. If you don't you won't.  

25 Didn’t God consider even Rahab the prostitute to be right with him? 

That’s because of what she did for the spies. She gave them a place to stay. 

Then she sent them off in a different direction. 

Rahab believed that Jericho would fall to Joshua, so she helped his spies.  

If she didn't, she would not have.  

26 A person’s body without their spirit is dead. 

In the same way, faith without good deeds is dead.

Just as breath is a sign that your body is alive.  

You show that you have a relationship with God by obeying Him, 

treating people the same, 

and taking care of his kids.  

James 2 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

KEY:

Highlighted in Red Means Command

Highlighted in Blue Means Explanation.

Highlighted in promise means a promise.

Highlighted in purple means a warning.

M. H. Dennis yellow highlights.