The Sermon on the Mount According to James

James Chapter 2: No Partiality in Faith

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

From True Religion to Relationships

This passage builds on last week's teaching about true religion—caring for orphans and widows. True religion is not just a relationship with God; it is the one true religion, Christianity. False religions lack compassion for others.

When you behold yourself in Scripture, you see your desperate need for Christ’s mercy and grace. This understanding compels you to show compassion to others, especially their ultimate need for the gospel. James develops this concept: only by seeing yourself as God does—needy for Christ—can you minister effectively to others.

Failure to do so reveals a disordered heart. Just as being quick to speak and slow to hear exposes private errors in public life, partiality in relationships does the same. Relationships now become a central theme through the rest of James.

Beyond a Social Gospel

James is not promoting a social gospel or Robin Hood theology—redistributing wealth to help the poor. This passage echoes the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing relationships. Neglecting others' needs demonstrates negligence of your own gospel needs.

True mercy exists only in the gospel. How you relate to fellow believers—and even non-believers—reveals your heart. Neglecting others' real needs shows you neglect your own need for the gospel. Everyone has a desperate need for Jesus Christ, a theme running from chapter 1 into these verses.

Be quick to hear God’s Word, receive His definition of you, and then be a doer of the Word—not just a hearer. Ezekiel 33:31-32 describes people who listen eagerly but do not obey, treating God’s Word as entertainment.

And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it... for they hear what you say but they will not do it.

James gives examples of doers: those who visit orphans and widows in distress. Now in chapter 2, he uses another: do not show partiality to the rich over the poor.

Holding the Faith of Christ Without Partiality

James says, “Show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” This is not mere social etiquette. Partiality while holding Christ’s faith misrepresents His life. You have been justified by Christ’s obedience credited to you—not your own faith.

Christ ate with sinners and tax collectors, not the finely dressed elite. When your behavior differs from His, you hold His faith with partiality, being dishonest about the gospel.

The poor here are spiritually poor—those God has chosen, rich in faith, heirs of the kingdom. The Greek term for “poor” describes someone forced to depend on divine resources, in desperate need of God. They are “poor in the world”—outcasts, recognizing their filthiness and need for Christ.

The rich are worldly, self-sufficient, without felt need for Christ. Favoring them over the evident sinner neglects the gospel’s purpose: salvation for the needy.

The Church as a Community of the Needy

Every believer should enter the assembly as the “poor man”—honest about sin and need for Christ. The church is a covenant community of those purchased by Christ, gathered in mutual need of their Physician. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

Creating an environment of self-righteousness is Pharisaical religion—false religion. It echoes the Pharisees’ rejection of a suffering Messiah, demanding law-keeping for salvation.

The “law of liberty” reveals your need and declares you freed by Christ. Partiality judges others’ evident sin while hiding your own. Blessed are the poor in spirit—spiritually bankrupt, relying on Christ’s righteousness.

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

No one keeps 614 of 615 commands perfectly. One failure makes you accountable for all—like a fatal coding error crashing the entire program. Yet, “mercy triumphs over judgment” through Christ.

Closing Considerations

1. Can you recognize worldliness in your life? See everyone on an even field, all needy for Christ.
2. Is youth group a popularity contest? Come desperate for Christ, not to look spiritually rich.
3. Partiality is self-extortion: the “rich” in righteousness oppress by taking without need.
4. Worldly poverty is good when joined with desperate need for God’s mercy. Rejoice in your poverty—God supplies all.