James 2:1-13: November 15—Treat everyone fairly

Nov 5, 2009
By WILEY RICHARDS

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

Most parents can probably identify with the following. The child comes home from school, thoroughly dejected and ready to quit school. A parent sits down with the despondent one and tries to learn what happened. More than not, the answer comes, “Nobody at school likes me.” This pronouncement is followed by a list of supposed shunnings, bad-mouthings, and the like. The parent then quotes Proverbs 18:24, “A man [or child] that hath friends must show himself friendly.” This adage is frequently followed by another, “To get rid of an enemy, make the person a friend.”

So far, so good, but how can we reach that level of relationships?

We can begin by the strategy of getting acquainted (vv. 1-3). The Bible cautions us about making judgments about people based on physical appearances. Those judgments grow out of what we really believe. The “faith of our Lord Jesus Christ” refers not to His personal faith, but to the body of doctrine related to Him. Our core belief provides the doctrinal framework by which we conduct our lives and develop our attitudes.

The warning not to develop relationships “with respect of persons” is quite expressive. The phrase actually could be translated as “look at faces,” that is, the natural appearance. How are we to deal with people we do not like, whether in church, at school, or at work? The simplest approach is get better acquainted with the detested person. Once we get beyond the initial resentment, we usually find a likeable person, equally wondering how to overcome their dislike for us.

Closely associated with the importance of getting acquainted is the need to examine our attitudes (vv. 4-7). Prejudice against someone else may arise from our own wounded souls. Harsh judgments arise from evil thoughts (v. 4). If we take a look at our fellow worshipers, we can easily see that some of the most dedicated members, challenged economically, are the richest in faith. God has chosen to make them rich through Kingdom promises. Conversely, have we not been on the short end of the business deal at some time? Have we not felt oppressed? Those feelings never arise from our encounters with poor people (v. 6). Further, the social outcasts among us rarely are guilty of blaspheming the worthy name of Jesus (v. 7).

We can learn to treat everyone fairly if we practice the royal law (vv. 8-11). Every Jew lived according to the shema, the majestic words of Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” However, they failed miserably in obeying the Second Commandment, to love one’s neighbor as oneself, as illustrated in the encounter of Jesus with a certain lawyer (Lk. 10:25-37). In our Lord’s thinking, we cannot pick and choose which commandments we wish to obey while ignoring others. To break one is to become guilty of breaking all. Much like the old series lights on a Christmas tree, when one bulb dies, all in the line are extinguished.

God must have a sense of humor in dealing with us. One Sunday night I was preaching from this text when a transient man, unwashed and unkept, walked into the foyer. He surveyed the congregation, walked all the way to the front row and sat down. On the chance that he may have been an angel among us unaware, I chose my words carefully as I completed the sermon.

Finally, we will treat everyone fairly if we live by the law of liberty (vv. 12-13). As far as I know the Bible never says what is meant by the law of liberty. James’s reference probably goes back to the words of Jesus to the Jewish leaders, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32).

They were so constrained by their innumerable restrictions for living that they had lost the original intent of the law. They strutted about in their finery, exploiting their exalted positions in the community, giving rich people a bad name. Laws obscured the meaning of the word neighbor.

Our freedom in Christ opens new avenues of meaningful relationships.

Email this Article Print this page

Login ID:
Password:	Forgot password?