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James 2:1-4
James chapter two begins with a lesson in showing favoritism. He begins by instructing his hearers/readers to not come to faith in Christ Jesus and continue to show partiality to others. The book of Acts, which describes the beginnings of the Church, is largely based on the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s great plan of salvation; that salvation in Christ Jesus is not just for the Jews, but for anyone who will put their faith in Jesus through repenting from sin and professing Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In the Apostle Peter’s first recorded sermon, which can be found in Acts 2:14-39, Peter proclaims in verses 38-39 (NKJV), “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” In Peter’s defense of the conversion of Cornelius, who is recorded as the first Gentile to be saved through faith in Christ Jesus, Peter states in Acts 11:17 (NIV), “So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” The response from his Jewish peers as is recorded in Acts 11:18 was, “When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.’”
In James 2:1-4, James gives an example of showing partiality to one who might be wearing fine clothing and gold rings over one who is poor and dressed in filthy clothing. The lesson that James is teaching is that our faith in Christ Jesus is not found in our outer appearance but in our faith in Him. This brings up a great point of how God has given the message of faith even in the Old Testament before the coming of the Messiah/Christ Jesus. In 1 Samuel 16, God has sent Samuel to anoint the next king after King Saul had died. As each of the sons of Jesse passed before Samuel, the LORD did not give His blessing to Samuel to choose any of them as the one to be the next anointed king of Israel. It was not until the youngest son of Jesse, one by the name of David, would pass before Samuel that God would give His blessing to Samuel in anointing him the next king of Israel. When the oldest son of Jesse was rejected by God, Samuel was surprised as this oldest son should have been, by the standard of man, to be chosen, but God told Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV), “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
This is a promise that God accepts us through the faith in our hearts to Him.
This is a promise that our outward appearance does not earn us salvation in Christ Jesus.
We live in a time when our outward appearance is everything to many people, but this is a custom invented by man to establish an order of prestige in society. We want to look our best and take good care of ourselves, but this is not how God instructs us to view one another in the eyes of our salvation in Jesus Christ. It is our heart’s condition that is important to God as our physical bodies – our appearance – will fade. But our heart is where our true thoughts and faith is found. It is our heart and spirit that God desires to change from the sinful nature to a new nature in Christ Jesus; but we have to accept this gift from God as He has already made the offer to all who will receive Him when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all of humanity. He now awaits us to open our hearts to Him and confess that we are sinful and in need His forgiveness. It does not matter how good-looking you are or how finely dressed your are…it is only the condition of your heart that matters to God. Open your heart to Jesus and invite Him in today. He will give you a new life that is more valuable than all the world’s finest clothing and jewelry.
Dear LORD,
We strive to look our best and present ourselves the best we can in the eye of the public, but help us to see that our outward appearance is not what You seek, but that the condition of our hearts is what matters to You. Please help us to see the importance of opening our hearts to Jesus with sincere repentance as we seek Your forgiveness for our sins and a new life – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.