ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for James 2

James 2:1–13 The Sin of Favoritism. The problem of the poor and the rich, already emphasized in 1:9–11, 27, now comes into focus. James warns about discriminating against the poor in favor of the wealthy in the church.

James 2:1 Partiality refers to favoritism based on social status.

James 2:2–4 Assembly probably refers to a Christian house church. Sit down at my feet. The place of a servant. judges with evil thoughts. Christians are not to “judge” each other harshly and unfairly (Matt. 7:1–5; Rom. 14:4). To do so can only mean one’s mind is full of evil thoughts.

James 2:5 chosen . . . to be rich in faith. The poor have a special place in God’s “economy” of salvation. They are rich in an eternal sense because they are heirs of the kingdom (compare Matt. 5:3).

James 2:6–7 Oppress you reflects terrible social injustices in the first century. Merchants and landowners were taking land and possessions from the poor (see 5:1–6). drag you into court. As frequently criticized in the OT, the wealthy often used the court system to steal from the poor (Amos 4:1; Hab. 1:4; Mal. 3:5). This situation was the primary reason for the revolts in Galilee that led to the war against Rome in a.d. 66–70.

James 2:8 Royal law refers to God’s decree in Lev. 19:18 (“love your neighbor”; compare Matt. 22:34–40) as the most important kingdom rule for ethical conduct. See Rom. 13:8–10.

James 2:9 partiality. Favoring the rich breaks the OT commands to treat the poor fairly (Lev. 19:15; Job 34:19).

James 2:10–11 guilty of all of it. The law was considered an interdependent whole. Breaking any law meant breaking the whole law.

James 2:12 the law of liberty. The law of Christ provides freedom from sin.

James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. This common saying summarizes vv. 1–12 and leads into the “faith without works” discussion in vv. 14–26. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Because they have been shown mercy, Christians show mercy to others (e.g., by caring for the poor and hurting). This marks them as believers (Mic. 6:8; Zech. 7:9–10; Matt. 5:7; 6:15; 18:32–35).

2:14–26 Faith without Works Is Dead. James continues the theme that hearing/faith must lead to doing/works. It may seem that James contradicts Paul’s “by grace you have been saved through faith . . . not a result of works” (Eph. 2:8–9). In reality there is no contradiction between faith and works. Paul and James agree that the basis of salvation is grace alone through faith. Works are not the basis of salvation but the necessary result (Eph. 2:10).

James 2:14 What good . . . ? Can that faith save him? Negative answers (“no good” and “no”) are expected. If someone says he has faith but he does not have works, he should question whether he has been saved.

James 2:15–16 Go in peace, be warmed and filled. An example of faith without works. The person seems to be expressing concern for the poor, but in reality he refuses to help.

James 2:17 dead. Useless, with no life at all. It cannot lead to salvation (v. 14). True faith will produce works.

James 2:18 But someone will say. James anticipates questions about this teaching.

James 2:19 God is one. This affirmation that there is only one true and living God comes from Deut. 6:4 (see Mark 12:29; Rom. 3:30). But James notes that even the demons believe this, and they shudder. Mere mental assent to the Christian faith does not save anyone. True commitment to Christ is needed.

James 2:21 Abraham . . . justified by works. James may seem to contradict Paul here (compare Rom. 4:2–3). However, while Paul cites Gen. 15:6 to show that Abraham was justified by faith, James bases his claim on Gen. 22:9–10, where Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Thus James apparently has a different sense of the word “justify” in mind here. Paul uses “justify” to express being declared righteous by God through faith, on the basis of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice (Rom. 3:24–26). James seems to use “justify” to stress the way in which works demonstrate that someone has been justified (compare Matt. 12:33–37). Paul emphasizes how one is justified; James focuses on what justification looks like in practice.

James 2:22 faith was completed by his works. James does not disagree that faith alone saves (Rom. 3:28). “Completed” often means “bring to maturity.” Full-grown and genuine faith is seen in the good deeds it produces.

James 2:23 James uses Gen. 15:6 in a way that complements rather than contradicts Paul (Rom. 4:1–9; Gal. 3:6). James sees Gen. 15:6 as having been fulfilled (see James 2:22) in Abraham’s offering of Isaac (Genesis 22). James focuses on Abraham’s act of obedience, while Paul highlights God’s declaration of Abraham’s righteousness. See note on James 2:21.

James 2:24 not by faith alone. James again seems at first to contradict Paul’s teaching that one is justified by faith alone (Rom. 3:28), but the two are compatible. Here “faith alone” means mere intellectual agreement without genuine personal trust in Christ that bears fruit in one’s life. On justified, see note on James 2:21.

James 2:25 Rahab the prostitute believed the stories of God’s saving work for the Hebrews (Josh. 2:8–11). So, at some personal risk, she hid the Jewish spies from her own people and then helped them escape (Josh. 2:15). Thus she became a model of faith completed in works.