Tiago 2
Matthew Henry · Citado em PreceptAustin
Tiago 2
Henry adds that "The character of Christians fully implied: they are such as have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; they embrace it; they receive it; they govern themselves by it; they entertain the doctrine, and submit to the law and government, of Christ; they have it as a trust; they have it as a treasure." If we would seek to imitate Jesus (which we are in fact commanded to do - 1 Cor 11:1+ recalling that Jesus ministered to a wealthy Jewish leader as well as to poor beggars, to virtuous women as well as prostitutes, etc) we would avoid all hints of demonstrating partiality or favoritism. Our Lord did not look at the outward appearance; He looked at the heart (cf 1 Sa 16:7) In fact perfect impartiality is one of God's great attributes (Ro 2:11, Eph 6:9, Col 3:25) and if you are a Gentile, you should be especially thankful He did not demonstrate partiality. Peter learned this great truth as the door of salvation was flung open to the Gentiles in Acts 10-11, Peter "Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality (prosopolemptes) but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.." (Acts 10:34-35+). I love what John MacArthur said writing that "The Gospel is a great leveler, available with absolute equality to everyone who believes in the Savior it proclaims." 🙏 THOUGHT - Indeed, we are all on the same level at the foot of Jesus' Cross, which is a good place to continue to remain even after we are saved, for grace flows down (James 4:6+)! Bruce Barton comments that "In general, social distinctions did not exist in the early church. Masters sat beside their slaves during worship; sometimes a slave was the leader of the assembly. But from its beginnings, the church had many poor, outcasts, and those of little class or influence. So when a rich person was converted, the church members needed to guard against making more of a fuss over him or her than they would at the conversion of another poor person." (James - Page 44) When wealth entered the door, the temptation to court it was real. The church in every age faces this gravitational pull. Warren
Tiago 2
Henry - Lord of Glory My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. James 2:1 Those who profess faith in Christ as the Lord of glory must not respect persons on account of mere outward circumstances and appearances, in a manner not agreeing with their profession of being disciples of the lowly Jesus. St. James does not here encourage rudeness or disorder: civil respect must be paid; but never such as to influence the proceedings of Christians in disposing of the offices of the church of Christ, or in passing the censures of the church, or in any matter of religion. Questioning ourselves is of great use in every part of the holy life. Let us be more frequent in this, and in everything take occasion to discourse with our souls. As places of worship cannot be built or maintained without expense, it may be proper that those who contribute thereto should be accommodated accordingly; but were all persons more spiritually-minded, the poor would be treated with more attention that usually is the case in worshiping congregations. A lowly state is most favorable for inward peace and for growth in holiness. God would give to all believers’ riches and honors of this world, if these would do them good, seeing that he has chosen them to be rich in faith, and made them heirs of his kingdom, which he promised to bestow on all who love him. Consider how often riches lead to vice and mischief, and what great reproaches are thrown upon God and religion, by men of wealth, power, and worldly greatness; and it will make this sin appear very sinful and foolish. John Bennett - LORD OF GLORY ‘And sitting down they watched him there,’ Matt. 27:36. What thoughts passed through the minds of the Roman soldiers as they watched the dying moments of Jesus of Nazareth? What did the ‘rulers of this world’, the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, see as they mocked and exulted in His death? And what did that small group of His followers think as they grieved for Him? One thing seems clear—that as they saw Him there they did not see Him as the Lord of glory. Our Lord Himself prayed saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’, Luke 23:34. Peter says that ‘through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers’, Acts 3:17, and Paul adds here, ‘had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory’. In Acts chapter 7 verse 2, we are told that ‘The God of glory appeared unto … Abraham’. This is probably a direct reference to the Son of God, who is always the One who proceeds from the Father to reveal the Father. James reminds us of the title again, when he speaks of ‘our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory’, Jas. 2:1. In a prophetic sense, Christ’s entry into heaven is as ‘the King of glory’, Ps. 24:7. We are given a wonderful insight into the mind of Christ as He, facing the horror and shame of the cross, could speak to the Father of ‘the glory which I had with thee before the world was’, John 17:5. When the Son of God became man, making Himself even lower than the angels, He left the glory of heaven, veiling His own inherent glory too, that He might be found in fashion as a man. This incredible step of self-abnegation led Him in a pathway of obedience, right on to death, even the death of the cross, Phil. 2:6–8. With what deliberate contrast those words then come to us—they ‘crucified the Lord of glory’. The Lord of glory was put to death in a place of shame; men killed the Prince of life; the Light of the world was shrouded in darkness; the Son of the Blessed became a curse for us; the Just was numbered with the transgressors; the theme of angels’ worship became the song of the drunkard; the Immortal lay down His life. Why? This was ‘the wisdom of God … which God ordained before the world unto our glory’, v. 7. Only God could bring glory from shame! B B Warfield's book The Lord of Glory - 344 pages on various Names of Christ F B