My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. James 2:1
This is where we left off before Thanksgiving. We’re all in need before God. We’re all sinners, in need of grace. This life is a vapor for all of us, no matter how glorious, or painful it seems to presently be. And this week, we’re called to keep the royal law found in Scripture, to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves.”
This royal law, “love your neighbor as yourself,” is first found in Leviticus 19. Jesus affirms the law again in the New Testament in John 3:34. Why is this law called the royal law? In a Bible filled with commands, what makes this one special? I can think of two reasons.
First, this law is the king of all other laws in scripture. It is the totality, the sum, the essence of all other laws. It summarizes the 10 commandments. We don’t need to be reminded not to kill or steal from our neighbors if we’re completely committed to loving them.
Second, this royal law is issued by God, and emphasized by Christ. Our God is King, and 1 John 4, says that God is love. And so, it makes sense that the law of God’s kingdom is love.
James begins verse 8 by saying, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture,… you are doing right.” This wording, “If you really keep the royal law,” seemed interesting to me.
Continuing with his train of thought where James reminds us that followers of Jesus shouldn’t play favorites, he says, “If you really keep the law, you’re on the right track.” It’s like he anticipated that some of us would defend our partiality to the rich, as simply keeping this law of love. Nothing wrong with that. And there is nothing wrong with that if that is the true posture of your heart.
Verse nine says, quite bluntly, “If you show favoritism, you sin.” This is the problem. The problem isn’t that we’re nice to the rich. The problem is when we show favoritism to the rich, neglect the poor, and justify our actions by saying, “I’m just loving this neighbor – my well-connected, well-liked, influential, beautiful, wealthy neighbor – I’m just loving this person as myself.” We’re not just called to love the lovable. We’re called to love our neighbor as ourselves, no matter who that neighbor is.
On the flip side, though, we are called to love our rich neighbor as ourselves after the list of misdeeds James lays out in verses 6 and 7:
Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
After this detailed mistreatment, James does not say, “hate the rich because they oppress you, and drive them out of your fellowship.” He simply says, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, you are doing right.” God is King, and God is love, and the law of his kingdom is love. Who is God calling you to love this week?
