James, Day 2
Oh Yeah? Prove It!
James 2
“The Gospel offers so much to the poor and demands so much of the rich” (William Barclay).
When I was a high-schooler, we had a lot of clever, nasty taunts. We devastated kids with lines like, “Nice shoes, Kid,” and, “My shorts, Buddy!” If we insulted someone as clever as we, they would respond with, “Oh yeah? Prove it!”
On many detective shows, when the guilty party is cornered with the story of how he did the deed, he says, “You can’t prove any of this!” What if someone were to ask you to prove you are a Christian? What evidence would you offer?
The book of James offers many tests that reveal a professing believer’s faith. One of the themes is basically, “If your faith is real, it will look like this.” Chapter 2 gives a test based on how you treat people with possessions and people in poverty.
James 2:1 – 13 reveals a scenario where two people, presumably visitors to the assembly, enter the service, looking for a seat. First, in walks “a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing” (James 2:2). The literal description is, “a gold-fingered man with shiny clothes.” What would you do if Liberace or Elton John (depending on your age group) walked into your church service? How would he be treated (especially Liberace, since he’s dead)? Would he receive preferential treatment? Would he get the red-carpet treatment? The idea behind the words, “pay attention” (V. 3) is, “lift up or regard the face.” Would you pay attention to how he looks and honor him above others?
Following close behind Elvis (also dead) is “a poor man in shabby clothing” (V. 2). The anticipated reaction is to make the poor man stand out of the way or sit at a level beneath the speaker. James points out that by doing so, the assembly (more so, in this case, the leader) is making a distinction based on appearances, where God makes no distinction. He does not see Mr. Shiny and Mr. Shabby — He sees two people made in His image. Whether the person is gold-fingered, black-fingered, red-fingered, white-fingered, yellow-fingered, albino-fingered, missing-fingered, crooked-fingered, painted-fingered, or any-other-fingered, matters not to God. As Proverbs 22:2 reminds us, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.”
Not only has God made them both equal — the rich are more prone to ignore and dishonor the believers and blaspheme the Lord of glory. How dare the church honor and identify with such oppressors! If we thus judge and show no mercy to the poor, we, too, shall miss out on mercy (James 2:13).
Partiality is equal to partial obedience. We may not commit the “big” sins, but any sin is a breach of the Great Lawgiver’s law.
James 2:14 – 26 gives us a test of true faith regarding persons in poverty. Pious talk is nothing without positive actions. One may hope that an outward appearance of caring will be judged to be a sign of faith. Mistreating a poor family is a sign of poor faith. Words show what is in the head; deeds show what is in the heart. We are saved by faith, but a faith that does not result in good works is not a saving faith. The demons believe in God (James 2:19) and bristle in fear. Abraham and Rahab believed in God and acted out their belief, justifying (proving) their faith before men.
Works make faith live and become visible. There is a faith that believes facts, and a saving faith that acquiesces to them and motivates obedience. You say you’re a Christian? Prove it!
The world is watching,
Alan Allegra