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by Gary Sims
09/01/03
Not For Sale
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The Epistles
James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17 – Good Works
Key Verses: (NSRV)

1: “My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?” – James holds back no punches with this question. He jumps in and gives us an opportunity at personal reflection before his lesson begins.
4: “have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” – He is calling us to evaluate our tendency to be more respectful towards those with money and power than we are with the poor. By being judgmental of others we become united with the forces of evil.
5: “Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom…?" – If the poor have been selected to have such favor with God, then it is a mistake to not give them equal honor.
8: “You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Your neighbor is anyone you in which you come in contact, not just those you select.
9: “But if you show partiality, you commit sins and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” – Choosing to ignore the plight of the poor is not simply a life-style choice; it is a sin.
14: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?” – Salvation is assured by our faith in Christ but is it truly faith if we are unchanged by it, if it does not result in good works?
17: “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” – Faith alone without responding to the world in a new and different way is empty.

Points to Contemplate:

Who do you overlook and ignore in your life? Are there people around you each day that you fail to notice? Is there a class of people beneath you or unworthy of your time? Are there types of people, rich, young, beautiful people, that light up your eyes and stir your heart when they walk into a room? Are there others that you wish they would simply go away, that they are unwanted and you feel uneasy by their presence? Do today’s verses from James cause you to consider the impact of this type of attitude?
Are you judgmental? Do you ridicule people for not being or acting as you think they should? Do you label and generalize people, putting them into categories that mock and deride? Do you criticize their actions and life-styles? Are you better than they? Have you somehow been especially blessed with some kind of righteousness that lifts you into a lofty seat where you are called to judge? Do you see how sinful even the slightest amount judgmental thought is? Do you recognize how this activity is an attempt by you to play God? That as your self-righteousness takes hold you destroy the good that God is trying to do in your life?
Can you love your neighbor? We are talking true love here, not simply a breath prayer where you say to God, ‘Okay, I’ll put up with them if you insist.’ Can you truly love your neighbor? Even those with annoying barking dogs or too many cars? Even those with cardboard signs asking for money? Even those that hate and despise you? Do you look upon all people as Children of God and celebrate in their creation?
What is so important about good works? James seems to indicate that faith by itself is not enough. He even says that without works our faith is dead. What are your thoughts about these verses? Do you feel that your salvation is assured by your belief in Christ and what you do with that faith is irrelevant? Is James establishing an argument that we earn our way into heaven through our actions? Or is he suggesting that our faith in Christ should result in a change of heart? With this change should we not see the results by our actions? If we do not act the way Christ is teaching us to act then are we truly Christians?

Promises of the Gospel:

James has not written a letter to build us up and make us feel good about ourselves. Instead, he is convicting us to consider what it really means to be a Christian and how our lives should reflect our faith. He is asking us to look at the way we treat other people as a key element of our faith. Loving our neighbor as ourselves is not some lofty goal that is reserved for a few holier-than-thou types. We are to lay aside our criticisms and judgmental tendencies and accept people for who they are, Children of God. Whenever we find ourselves attacking, criticizing, ridiculing, labeling, judging, condemning, mocking, or when we feel our hearts filled with contempt, derision, scorn or, even apathy, it is a time that we are allowing evil to dominate our lives. James calls us to allow the goodness of Christ fill our hearts with love for everyone at all times.

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