where Christian people live. It is a place where the Bible has promi nence and where Jesus Christ has the pre-eminence. The members of that household will seek the leadership of the Lord. This is why we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only. We cannot become doers of the Word unless we know its message. Consistent study of the Bible is required rath er than just a hasty glance now and then. How wonderful to know Cod's desires for us in every area of life. The Sin of Snobbery How thankful we can be that in the Bible we are able to see very clearly that God is vitally inter ested in us, no matter what our circumstances of life may be. Even with poverty, as James chapter two shows, there is a special consider ation given. Cod is ever mindful of our needs. Our part should be to make certain that our time is occu pied in living for the Lord Jesus Christ to the fullest possible ex tent. Here in this portion of Scripture we see the folly of showing par tiality in the church. No person is to consider another child of Cod as beneath him. Such is sinful pride. As it has been well said, "He who looks down on his neighbor is surely living on a bluff!" Christians cannot remain indif ferent to the burning issues of this contemporary hour. We must be very careful, however, that we do not react in an un-Biblical manner. Too many are participating in pro grams which have no Biblical sanc tion. Showing preference for influ ential people in the church is easy enough. This is true especially if financial reverses are suffered. All
partiality contradicts the law of love. This entire section (2:1-13) is a distillation of the observations of a pastor. James was no doubt minister in Jerusalem at the time. Read his pronouncements on this very vital subject. James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, teaches us that we are to accept equally all who are in Christ, regardless of their social standing. This is not as easy as it may sound. Class prejudice is a sad problem of our very hour (2:1-4). James, remember, is still speaking to Christian people. He calls them "my brethren" (vrs. 1). It is very natural for non-Christians to com mit this sin but such is not to hap pen in our lives. Our Saviour never displayed any respect of persons. His followers are likewise exhorted against it. The "assembly" in verse 2 liter ally means the synagogue. It refers either to the place where the peo ple met or to the group which had gathered to worship the Lord. At first most of the early Christians were Jewish believers. A perfect illustration is given for us. Into the church come two peo ple. One was obviously wealthy and the other in abject poverty. Their clothing gave clear evidence of the individual social status. Out ward appearances became the sole measure of judging. The person who had brilliant clothing and glit tering jewelry received a very prominent seat. The man with the shabby work clothes was placed in obscurity where he could not be seen. That he came at all plainly embarrassed the Christians. It is a very easy thing to play up to the rich while downgrading the poor. Favoritism was shown on the basis Page 57
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