October 16, 2026 - James 2:1-7 - "No Respecter of Persons"

James 2:1-7

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?"

The epistle of James is a powerful and practical letter written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is concerned not merely with theory, but with the reality of God-given faith—a faith that bears fruit, that shows itself in the life where the LORD Jesus Christ has been revealed in truth. This is not a faith that the sinner produces, but a faith that God by His grace reveals in the hearts of those whom He gave to His Son before the foundation of the world, for whom the LORD Jesus Christ came into this world to pay their sin debt.

James speaks to elect sinners, redeemed by Christ and called by the Spirit, who are scattered and suffering, and he exhorts them to live as those who know Christ, the LORD of Glory. He calls them to bridle the tongue, to care for the needy, and not to show respect for persons. The Faith of our LORD Jesus Christ, the LORD of Glory, cannot be joined with partiality. God Himself is no respecter of persons. The Gospel of free Grace leaves no room for distinction among men, for all men—rich and poor alike—are sinners and equally guilty before God, equally in need of God's mercy and the redemption accomplished by the death of the LORD Jesus.

When James says, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons,” he directs our hearts to the nature of that faith—rooted in Christ crucified, revealed by God, grounded in righteousness that He earned and established in His life and that God the Father imputed to all of the elect upon completion of His death. It is The Faith once delivered unto the saints, The Faith by which the LORD Jesus Christ is made known in the hearts of sinners. God does not regard man’s wealth, status, race, or morality—we have none. When He saves, it is always by grace alone through Christ alone.

As Peter declared in Acts 10:34–35, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” In His sovereign dealings with sinners, He passes by the proud and powerful and chooses the weak, the base, and the foolish, that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:26–29). This is the humbling glory of sovereign grace: salvation rests not in the worth of the sinner but in the will and purpose of God alone.

James presses this truth further: “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?” Here is the heart of the Gospel—God has chosen. Not based on merit, but on mercy. The poor of this world, those rejected, those who have nothing but Christ as their Hope, are made rich in Faith. True riches are not silver and gold, but the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8).

Christ came and earned and established God's perfect righteousness to satisfy His law and justice. He laid down His life to pay the entire sin debt for those whom the Father gave Him. The Sovereign Grace of God in Christ alone is the foundation of salvation—it humbles the proud and raises the poor. Christ did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. In His obedience unto death, His resurrection, and His ascension into glory, He effectually saved every soul given to Him by the Father (John 6:37; Romans 5:8).

To despise the poor, as James warns, is to deny the Gospel itself. The church is not a society for the elite; it is a hospital for sinners where Christ is the great Physician. Whether they come from palaces or prisons, it is by His Grace alone that they are saved. “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us… hath quickened us together with Christ.”(Ephesians 2:4–5). When Christ rose, His people rose with Him; when He ascended, they were seated in Him in the heavenlies.

Christ, our High Priest, has entered the heavenly sanctuary with the names of His people upon His heart. Everyone that the Father gave Him is represented before the throne, and He ever lives to intercede for them. He came for the poor in spirit—for those who know they have nothing to commend themselves to God (Matthew 5:3).

Salvation is not a cooperation between God and man—it is entirely the work of the sovereign God saving those who do not deserve it. None is too far gone, none too sinful, for the grace of God in Christ. All of our righteousnesses are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), but the work of Christ satisfies the Father. When He cried, “It is finished,” the debt was paid, righteousness established, and God fully satisfied.

God said of His Son, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Our Peace and Joy rest not in our works but in His. He lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose again, having justified each sinner chosen by the Father in Him. Though we are the neediest of sinners, yet He is the greatest and only Savior.