Chronological Life Application Study Bible 2nd Edition - Flipbook - Page 13
DIVIDED KINGDOM
930–586 BC
EXILE
586–538 BC
RETURN & DIASPORA
538–6 BC
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law
as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.”* 9 But if you favor some people over others,
you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking
the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except
one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s
laws. 11For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”* So
if you murder someone but do not commit adultery,
you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that
sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those
who have not shown mercy to others. But if you
have been merciful, God will be merciful when he
judges you.
Jas 2:8 Lev 19:18. Jas 2:11 Exod 20:13-14; Deut 5:17-18.
more important than character. Sometimes
we do this because (1) poverty makes us
uncomfortable and we don’t want to face
our responsibilities to those who have less
than we do; (2) we want to be wealthy and
hope to use the rich person as a means to
that end; or (3) we want the rich person
to join our congregation and help support
it financially. All these motives are selfish, stemming from the view that we are
superior to the poor person but feel inferior
to the rich person. If we say that Jesus is
our Lord, then we must live as he requires,
showing no favoritism and loving all people
regardless of whether they are rich or poor.
Jas 2:2-4 We are often partial to the rich
because we mistakenly assume that riches
are a sign of God’s blessing and approval.
But God does not promise us earthly
rewards or riches; in fact, Jesus calls us
to be ready to suffer for him and give up
everything in order to hold on to eternal life
(Matt 6:19-21; 19:28-30; Luke 12:14-34;
Rom 8:15-21; 1 Tim 6:17-19). We will have
untold riches in eternity if we are faithful in
our present life (Luke 6:35; John 12:23-25;
Gal 6:7-10; Titus 3:4-8).
Jas 2:5 When James speaks about the poor,
he is talking about those who have no money
and also about those whose simple values
are despised by much of our affluent society.
Perhaps the “poor” people prefer serving to
managing, human relationships to financial
security, peace to power. This does not mean
that the poor will automatically go to heaven
and the rich to hell. Poor people are usually
more aware of their powerlessness. Thus,
it is often easier for them to acknowledge
their need for salvation. For the rich, one of
the greatest barriers to salvation is pride. For
the poor, bitterness can often bar the way to
acceptance of salvation.
Jas 2:8 The “royal law” is found in Leviticus
19:18. This commandment is the basis of all
the laws regarding how people should relate
to one another. It was reinforced by Messiah
JESUS THE MESSIAH
6 BC–AD 30
THE MESSIAH’S PEOPLE
AD 30–present
Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
JAMES 2:14-26
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say
you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can
that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a
brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and
you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and
eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food
or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it
produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have
faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can
you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds?
I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there
is one God.* Good for you! Even the demons believe
Jas 2:19 Some manuscripts read that God is one; see Deut 6:4.
Jesus (Matt 22:37-40; see also John 15:12)
and taught by Paul (Rom 13:8; Gal 5:14).
Jas 2:8-9 We must treat all people as we
would want to be treated. We should not
ignore the rich, because then we would
be withholding our love. But we must not
favor them for what they can do for us while
ignoring the poor who can offer us seemingly so little in return.
Jas 2:10 Believers must not use this verse
to justify sinning. We dare not say, “Because
I can’t keep every demand of God, why even
try?” James reminds us that if we’ve broken just one law, we are sinners. We can’t
decide to keep part of God’s Law and ignore
the rest. You can’t break the Law a little bit;
if you have broken it at all, you need Jesus
to pay for your sin. Measure yourself, not
someone else, against God’s standards.
Ask for forgiveness where you need it, and
then renew your effort to put your faith
into practice.
Jas 2:12 As believers, we are saved by
God’s gift (grace) through faith, not by keeping the Law. But as Jesus’ followers, we
are also required to obey him. The apostle
Paul taught that we must all stand before
the Messiah to be judged for our conduct
(2 Cor 5:10). God’s grace does not cancel
our duty to obey him; it gives our obedience a
new basis. His Word is not simply an external
set of rules; it is a “law that sets you free”—
we joyfully and willingly carry it out because
we love God and have the power of his Holy
Spirit (see Jas 1:25).
Jas 2:13 Only God in his mercy can forgive our sins. We can’t earn forgiveness
by forgiving others. But when we withhold
forgiveness from others after having received
it ourselves, we show that we don’t understand or appreciate God’s mercy toward us
(see Matt 6:14-15; 18:21ff; Eph 4:31-32).
Jas 2:14 When someone claims to have
faith, what that person may have is intellectual assent—agreement with a set of biblical
teachings—and as such it would be incomplete faith. True faith transforms our conduct
as well as our thoughts. If our life remains
unchanged, we don’t truly believe the truths
we claim to believe.
Jas 2:17 We cannot earn our salvation by
serving and obeying God. But such actions
show that our commitment to God is real.
Deeds of loving service are not a substitute
for our faith in Jesus but rather a verification of it.
Jas 2:18 At first glance, this verse seems
to contradict Romans 3:28, “We are made
right with God through faith and not by
obeying the law.” But deeper investigation
shows that the teachings of James and
Paul are not at odds. While it is true that
our good deeds can never earn salvation,
true faith always results in a changed life
and good deeds. Paul speaks against those
who try to be saved by deeds instead of true
faith; James speaks against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with true faith.
After all, even demons know who Jesus is,
but they don’t acknowledge him as Lord
(Jas 2:19). True faith involves a commitment
of your whole self to God.
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