James 2:5, commentary and pictures

God has chosen those who are poor in worldly standing and goods to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom he promised to those who love him. Being rich in faith means spiritual riches rather than material prosperity, an immortal inheritance of greater value than gold belonging to the children of the heavenly King. God values people without regard to rank, wealth, learning, or worldly honor, and poverty does not make a person lesser or excluded from his kingdom. Honoring the wealthy while slighting, neglecting, or oppressing the poor is partiality and sin that dishonors Christ, for the gospel allows no class-based favoritism. Genuine faith that inherits the kingdom is shown not by profession alone but by practical care for those in need, following Christ who took his place with the poor and shared their poverty and humiliation.

Choice and Promise

God has chosen those who are poor in worldly standing and goods to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom he promised to those who love him. Poverty does not make a person lesser in his sight, and the poor who are in great need of sympathy and counsel may stand far higher in moral worth in his estimation than the wealthy. Honoring a wealthy man with a good place while telling the poor to stand aside or sit under a footstool, neglecting and demeaning them, is forbidden partiality that makes men judges of evil thoughts. Every worker is the purchase of Christ's blood and must be treated under the command to love one's neighbor as oneself, so leaders must not be governed by worldly policy that pays deference to the wealthy but must give the poor sympathy, counsel, and honorable treatment. God does not regard favored ones chosen by confederacy for special favors more highly than those neglected and set aside to hard places with grieved and wounded spirits, and the temptations that come to those unjustly treated are charged to those who dealt partially with them.

His people are largely from common, humble walks of life, some with little worldly wisdom or opportunity for theological learning, yet loving Jesus, trusting him as personal Savior, and serving and blessing others as they are able, and their humble service is recognized when they inherit the kingdom. The promised kingdom is an inheritance for the poor of this world who are rich in faith and love God, so the poor are not to be despised. A profession of faith without works cannot save, for genuine faith is carried out in practical care for people in need rather than joined to selfish grasping after worldly goods.

Rich in faith means spiritual riches rather than material prosperity, and those riches mark a person as an heir of the promise. Poverty does not make a person spiritually inferior, for the poor person who depends on God in faith, with virtue and goodness, may be rich in faith and is counted an heir to eternal riches in his kingdom. Christ took his place with the poor and lifted the stigma attached to poverty, while wealth can foster selfishness and covetousness, possessions do not make a person rich toward God, and the selfish, covetous rich are found wanting when weighed by his standard.

The promised heirship is an inheritance of greater value than gold, an immortal inheritance that Christ will give in that day to all believers. A person poor in earthly goods can be rich in faith and an heir with Christ, belonging to the royal family as a child of the heavenly King. It belongs to those who hold fast their integrity amid moral corruption, who overcome through the blood of the Lamb and their testimony as partakers of the divine nature, escaping corruption by sharing in the divine nature in a life of constant dependence on the Saviour which is a life of holiness. The poor who are children of God and believe in Jesus Christ are therefore to receive the same attention as the rich, with no undue favoritism but also no neglect or oppression of the poor before the wealthy.

God provides privileges through which believers may become rich in faith and heirs according to promise, and they must not deprive themselves of these provisions but watch vigilantly and resist spiritual slumber. Being prepared as heirs of the kingdom involves putting God's kingdom and righteousness first and learning to know God, which is eternal life, and students are to be so prepared. Its instruction is God's health principles and his remedy for the diseases of body and soul, his health reform prescription that is practical for daily life and is to be heeded day by day. So heeded, it brings Christ's grace in large measure, prosperity, heaven very near, happiness of spirit, sight of the salvation of God, and righteousness of character that makes a tower of strength, leading at last to triumph with the overcomers.

Impartial Worth Before God

God values people without regard to rank, wealth, learning, social class, race, or worldly honor. Character, purity, nobility, integrity, and love for Christ decide worth with Him, and earthly position or wealth will not affect the final judgment. The poor and humble are precious to Him when sincere, contrite, and united with Christ, and those who cherish the light and use the opportunities God gives are wise and good in His sight. Worth and service are measured by relationship with Christ rather than worldly standing, for rich and poor alike are objects of God's love purchased by Christ and brought together as one, leaving no place for human pride and caste. As the sun shines on the just and the unjust, His impartiality is to guide those who help others, and those who live close to Christ learn to value others as God does, recognizing the Spirit of Christ in people of every race and treating them with respect. The religion of the Bible recognizes no caste or color and ignores rank, wealth, and worldly honor, estimating men as men, so that those who live where Christ lives put God's estimate on men and recognize His Spirit in whomever it is revealed, whether white or black, without shame in speaking honestly with a black man in any place or in shaking his black hand.

Poverty does not make a person lesser, inferior, contemptible, or excluded from God's kingdom. The poor who depend on God may stand far higher in moral worth in His estimation than the wealthy, including those in great need of sympathy and counsel. Faithful workers who have served even at the cost of losing employment are among those rich in faith and precious to God despite lack of worldly goods. Christ took His place with the poor and shared their poverty and humiliation, lifting the stigma and shame the world attached to poverty. Possessions do not make a person rich toward God, while wealth can foster selfishness and covetousness, and the love of riches can ruin people by leading them to indulge desire and look down on the suffering poor. In God's judgment the selfish, covetous rich may be found wanting, while the poor who trust God and depend on Him are heirs to eternal riches. Jesus has called the lowly and humble poor, and conceit and desire for status that regard them as inferior and avoid them neglect duties that Christ Himself undertook.

Honoring a wealthy person with a good place while telling the poor to stand aside or sit under a footstool, slighting, neglecting, demeaning, or oppressing them, is partiality, evil-thinking judgment, and sin and crime before God. Every worker is the purchase of Christ's blood and must be treated under the command to love one's neighbor as oneself, so to despise the poor by favoring a select number is to become judges of evil thoughts. God does not regard favored ones chosen by confederacy for special favors more highly than those neglected and set aside to hard places with grieved and wounded spirits, and the temptations that come to those unjustly treated are charged to those who dealt partially with them. Such favoritism dishonors Christ and brings God's displeasure and His judgment, and neglecting the poor may mean neglecting Christ in His people. Christ's gospel allows no class-based favoritism or unkind judgment, for those who receive Christ are not made coarse or unkind toward people for whom He died, but reject selfishness and oppression and care for those who suffer, including the least among humanity. The contrast between God's regard for the poor, even though rich men may oppress believers and bring them before courts, and the church's temptation to despise the poor and favor the rich calls the church to repentance.

Converted Black men and women who love God and seek to do His will are His valued people, as worthy in His sight as white people. White and black men are free and equal in one brotherhood, to be treated from the Bible standpoint and not from the world's standpoint of favor and prejudice, with the less favored colored man treated just as respectfully as the white man. Despising, oppressing, or slighting them because of skin or color dishonors God, whose workmanship they are, and offends Christ. Those who have received many favors from God must live in the light of His countenance by bringing Christian effort and influence against prevailing customs, laboring to elevate the standard of character among the colored race, teaching how Christians should live by precept and example that exemplifies the spirit of Christ, and acting nobly and courageously in the sight of God and the Saviour and in the face of the world and heavenly intelligences, without cowardice and no matter what the gain or loss. People among the poor need efforts to bring them salvation and enlightenment.

Excluding colored people from places of worship and neglecting missionary work for their salvation is condemned as forbidden respect of persons and partiality in the church. Colored believers are Christ's property just as much as white believers and must be treated as such, holding membership in the church with white brethren with equal standing and access to its places of worship rather than exclusion through prejudice. Every effort must be made to wipe out the terrible wrong done to them, placing the question on the ground of principle and working according to Christ's order by educating those who accept the truth to be Bible Christians. Yet the verse does not teach throwing down every partition wall or intermarrying with the colored people, and carrying the principle to that extreme is fanaticism.

Faith That Inherits Kingdom

Mere profession of faith cannot save when its principles are not lived out in works, for genuine faith is carried out in practical care for people in need rather than joined to selfish grasping after worldly goods. To claim belief while grasping eagerly after worldly goods fails to support faith with works, and the poor chosen to be rich in faith and heirs of the promised kingdom are therefore not to be despised.

Those who are heirs hold fast their integrity amid moral and worldly corruption, overcome through the blood of the Lamb and their testimony, escape corruption by sharing in the divine nature as partakers of it, and live holiness as a life of constant dependence on the Saviour. Their inheritance is of greater value than gold and belongs to those who love God.

Richness in faith is found largely among people from common, humble, ordinary walks of life, poor in worldly standing, wisdom, and opportunity for theological learning, whose place in God's work is not determined by wealth, influence, or public notice. They love Jesus and trust Him as personal Saviour, quietly trust God and endure hardship, serve and bless others as they are able, and though churches and ministers may not know them, their lowly condition does not hide them from God, for they are His lights whose faithfulness heaven records and whose humble service is recognized when they inherit the kingdom. Such richness appears in hungering for worship, as in walking nearly three miles in ill health to attend a meeting, joining in prayer and receiving the Lord's blessing even while enduring great long affliction such as being almost unable to sleep for twenty-five years. It also appears in inward peace of soul, cheerfulness and joy in God, and an uplifting, sanctified influence by right conversation and example that comforts, stays, and supports others and reflects cheer upon all around.

Becoming rich in faith involves diligent searching of Scripture with desire to understand it, which yields wisdom and knowledge of the doctrine. It also involves acting in trust that God will cooperate with personal effort for His work by leading out oneself, talking with brethren and others, asking help from anyone whether church member or not including wealthy men, gathering pledges and giving account of their use, and turning money away from self-indulgence and having a good time toward helping forward God's work and erecting memorials for Him where none exist.

Christ With the Poor

Christ took His place with the poor and shared their poverty and humiliation. In doing so He lifted the stigma and shame and disgrace the world attached to poverty, so that poverty does not make a person spiritually inferior or contemptible or excluded from God's kingdom. His own poverty and humiliation establish a special bond between Him and the poor, whose afflictions He shared.

Poverty joined with Christ is a blessed and sanctified condition of great spiritual worth. The poor who depend on God and trust Him and rely on Him in faith, with virtue and goodness, may be rich in faith and are counted heirs to eternal riches in His kingdom promised to those who love Him. Possessions do not make a person rich toward God, for wealth can foster selfishness and covetousness, and the love of riches can ruin people by leading them to indulge their desires and look down on the suffering poor. In God's judgment, weighed by His standard, the selfish and covetous rich may be found wanting, while worldly wealth does not determine standing before Him.

His religion reforms and elevates those who receive it, bringing them to the position of sons and daughters of God. Rich and poor alike are objects of God's love, purchased by Christ, and true religion brings them together as one. God does not value people by wealth or learning or social rank or other earthly distinctions, and among those who look to Jesus human pride and caste have no place.

Every soul is precious, purchased by the blood of the only begotten Son of God, and every worker is bought at that price. All are capable through trusting and believing in Him of being made trophies of His grace and heirs of heaven, for Jesus shed His blood and died for all because they are precious in His sight and He does not want anyone to go in darkness. The Holy Spirit bears with people from year to year and guards them with unceasing vigilance so they will not disappoint the Saviour.

Duties Toward the Poor

The verse gives definite direction for how to treat the rich and the poor, forbidding the partiality that honors a wealthy person with a good place while telling the poor to stand aside, slighting, neglecting, and demeaning them. God has chosen those who are poor in worldly goods to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love Him, and they are dear to Christ and blessed by the Lord. The poor who are in great need of sympathy and counsel may stand far higher in moral worth in God's estimation than the wealthy, and those who have endured hardship may especially value sympathy and love. They must therefore receive the same interest, attention, care, respect, courtesy, sympathy, compassion, counsel, and honorable treatment as the rich, and believers should use their means to relieve their poverty. To favor the wealthy while neglecting the poor is sin and a crime before God that brings His displeasure and slights Jesus, and neglecting them may mean neglecting Christ in His people.

Leaders, especially of sanitariums, must not be governed by worldly policy that pays deference to the wealthy. Those in the faith must cultivate tenderness of heart toward the poor and afflicted and must not cherish selfishness and covetousness. They must not make the work and cause of God an excuse for close and selfish dealing, but must deal honestly and with equity with every person. They must not take advantage of a person under pressure of circumstances nor plan to buy land or property for less than its value even if the gain is offered to God, for the price of the blood of the only begotten Son has been paid for every person, every act connected with His work bears divine inspection, and the Lord's displeasure is upon selfish gain brought into His treasury.

Acting as critics, leaguing together to discourage workers, hindering instead of helping the appointed work in the South at Nashville, and working to keep away and turn into other channels the means that ought to go to that hard field is robbery that God will judge. It calls for reformation without delay, for reading the Word to purpose and acting out its instruction, and for looking into the divine mirror and not forgetting what manner of persons they are. It calls for reasoning from cause to effect and showing greater wisdom, for doing the work needed for themselves, and if they cannot do differently for having nothing to do with the work in Nashville and the South.

Oppressing the hireling and the poor is unchristian, and the church is appointed to work against it. Lack of wealth does not lessen worth before God, for people poor in worldly goods can be rich in faith and precious to Him. Faithful workers who have served the church even at the cost of losing employment are among those rich in faith. God may choose people whom others judge unqualified or of little worth to become heirs of His kingdom and to do special work for Him, so human judgments and personal preferences must give way to His estimate.

People among the poor need efforts to bring them salvation and enlightenment. They are to be treated from the Bible standpoint and not from the world's standpoint of favor and prejudice, with white and black standing free and equal in one brotherhood and the less favored treated just as respectfully. Those who receive many favors from God must live in the light of His countenance by bringing Christian effort and influence against prevailing customs. This means laboring to elevate the standard of character, teaching how Christians should live by precept and example that exemplifies the spirit of Christ, and acting nobly and courageously in the sight of God and the Saviour and in the face of the world and heavenly intelligences without cowardice and no matter what the gain or loss.