I. Division, 21-2:26. The Godly in Trial and Temptation must be Swift to Hear.

Section continued from Chapter 1

4. The social intercourse must be regulated by the word. 1:27-2:13.

b. In the Church the word is the principle of impartial and cordial fellowship. 2:1-9.

1. In the last verse of the previous chapter, James states that the divine service of Christianity is charity. He now proceeds to consider the gospels as the principle of condescension and fraternity, a theme to which chapter 2:1-9 is devoted. The theme is presented in the form of a warning against the odious social distinctions prevalent in the churches, distinctions based upon gifts of fortune only. My brethren appropriately and impressively introduces the admonition. Christ's disciples have an intimate and sacred bond of union in the common relationship they bear to the glorious Lord.

Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For 'have not' read hold not. The emphatic form of the text would be better represented by: "Let it not be with respects of persons that ye hold." ' Respects of persons' are favorable estimates of others, based, not upon what is praiseworthy in them, but upon external appearances and relations, as beauty, power, and splendor of dress, wealth, etc. (Gal. 2:6; Rom. 2:11.) James uscs the plural to condemn all the forms and instances in which this vice finds expression. Christianity permits no depreciation of the lowly, wretched, and poor; hence, true faith cannot be held in connection with unrighteous disdain for those who enjoy no external advantages. 'The faith of our Lord' (objective genitive) signifies the faith in our Lord. Such faith not only confers on its possessor, but also recognizes in other men, a glory far transcending all worldly honor. Hence, he who despises a human being because he is poor, or, in particular contemns a friend of Jesus because he is clothed in an humble and soiled garb, cannot be a true disciple of so great a Lord. He was no respecter of persons (Matt. 22:16); but, on the contrary, even preferred the poor. 'The Lord of glory' (genitive of quality): 'the Lord,' which is not in the original, is repeated in our version to suit the structure of the sentence in English; better, our glorious Lord. He issued from and he returned to the eternal glory (John 17:5), and he bestows glory upon his disciples. (Rom.8:i8.) Before him wealth and rank are trifles, in comparison with character, and Christians also should so regard them. The Syriac makes the genitive qualify faith, "the faith of glory," or "the glorious faith."

2-4. In these verses is given an example of the unchristian partiality which called for the admonition in ver. 1, and an indication of the source of this conduct. The verbs used in the Greek (aorists in this and the subsequent verses, especially in ver. 4, where the aorist indicative is used) show that the incidents are regarded as having already taken place. A literal rendering into English would be awkward. Johnstone: "See what you have done, and consider the state of the heart thus revealed."

For assigns the reason for the admonition: a sinful partiality had been shown in an obsequiousness to the rich and distinguished and a heartless depreciation of the poor.

Unto your assembly — literally, into your synagogue, the place where a Christian church assembled for divine worship. This would be the synagogue, if the community had become Christian. (Vitringa, "De Syn. Vet.," I., 3, 2.) In any event, the Jewish Christians would give the familiar name to the place where they resorted to worship (Epiph. "Haeres," 30; Stanley, "Jewish Ch.," III., 517; Lightfoot, "On Phil." 150), and they would be apt to adopt the same internal arrangements. That the synagogue indicates the place, rather than the assembly, seems clear from the reference to seats in the next verse. Some of the seats were accounted more honorable than others, (ver. 3.) The synagogues were accessible to all; so were the Christian assemblies, (1 Cor. 14:25.) Burder improperly represents the assembly as a court of judicature. [Yet is it not better to understand the words, "your synagogue," in this place as meaning "your assembly," referring to the people who met for worship, rather than to the place where they met? See Thayer, " Lexicon of the N. T.," s. v. αυναγωγή z. a.; also Cremer, " Theol. Lex.," s. v., and compare Luke 12:11; Acts 9:12; 13:43; 26:11; and 2 Thess. 2:1; Heb. 10:25. Punchard says: "This is the only place in the New Testament where the Jewish word is used for a Christian congregation." " N. Test. Commentary," etc., Ed. by C. J. Ellicott, on this verse. But the compound word έπισυνγωγή in Heb. 10:25 is perhaps best understood in the same way: " Not forsaking our own assembly." — A. H.]

A man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel. Literally, a man gold-ringed, in shining apparel. In that age rings were a more marked evidence of wealth and rank than they are now. They once distinguished senators and knights, but were now in more general use. The rich men of the empirc, some of them, wore a ring on every joint, or even had six rings to a linger. Grorgeous clothing was also in great request, striking effects in dress, which among us have been toned down by Protestant Christianity, — "combinations of gold embroidery with Tyrian purple and crimson," and the like. The robe thrown in mockery upon our Lord was of this sort. (Luke23:11.)

A poor man in vile raiment. A dress soiled and begrimed, such as the laborer is wont to wear — the opposite of the elegant and brilliant robes of the rich. The term here is the same as that in the Septuagint of Zech. 3:3, 4, where the high priest is represented as clothed in squalid garments, instead of the splendid dress appropriate to his office. The specific idea is uncleanliness. Compare 1:21; Rev. 22:11. There is no occasion for discussing the question whether the persons referred to here were members of the Church or Christian guests coming in from abroad, or casual, unconverted attendants upon the public service. James is not drawing any sharp distinction between such persons and the Church; but is denouncing a partiality based only upon externals, and expressing itself in a place of Christian worship. The men referred to might be either Christians (ver. 5) or persons seeking instruction in Christian doctrine, or drawn to the synagogue merely by curiosity. In any case, they all were entitled to courtesy — nothing more and nothing less.

3. And ye have respect unto him — literally, look upon him, implying favorable regard, as in Luke 1:48; 9:38; in this case with reverence and admiration. The splendid dress attracts the eye; the character of the man himself is wholly' overlooked. The words describing the rich man's attire are the same as in ver. 2.

Sit thou here in a good place — literally, pleasantly. The idea of convenience is prominent; but that of honor is not excluded. This is also implied in the contrasts, 'sit' and 'stand,' 'here' and 'there, 'in a good place' and 'under my footstool.' In the synagogues that part of the structure which pointed toward Jerusalem and where there was a chapel, with four columns, which contained the sacred parchments, was esteemed the most honorable place. The uppermost seats were those nearest the chapel. (Matt.23:6.) In the churches, the seats of honor would be those occupied by the elders of the church, and near to the Eucharistic table. These would also be most convenient to those who wished to enjoy or conduct the service. It is implied that those persons, whether deacons or other ushers, who took charge of this matter, acted by the authority and according to the will of the church.

Say unto him. 'Unto him' should be omitted. And say to the poor, stand thou there or sit (here) under my footstool. The address shows utter indifference either to the comfort or the sensibility of the poor man. 'Either go yonder, where you can see and hear only bystanding; or if you would come nearer, then sit on the floor.' Others had not only comfortable seats, but also stools to rest the feet upon. [The word 'here' after "sit" did not probably belong to the original text. It is omitted by Lach., Tisch., and Tregelles, after A B C — A. H.]

4. Are ye not then partial in yourselves? Omit 'then.' This is not the point which the writer needs to urge. The partiality of feeling is proved already by the partiality' in conduct. The verb retains the same signification as in 1:6, and constantly elsewhere in the New Testament. Do you not doubt within yourselves? Do you not doubt your own faith and the honor it confers, when you make such distinctions? Do you not tamper with, and discredit the faith (ver. 1), which proclaims external splendor and riches as worthless in religion, while you yourselves magnify them by your servility? The question in the original is in the past tense, as relating to something which had already occurred.

And are become judges of evil thoughts? (Genitive of quality.) Evil-thinking judges, who are swayed by the perverse opinions which distinguish the votaries of the world from the followers of Christ. Whenever such distinctions prevail in a church, the mere creed has no validity. At heart its members prefer the transitory to the enduring, and their conduct is in conflict with their consciences and their religion. Plumptre: "In acting as they did, men made themselves judges between rich and poor and with 'base reasonings'; or, better, perhaps, what we call 'base calculations' gave a preference to the former. These evil thoughts are the cause of their partial and odious decisions.''

5. James proceeds to show how perverse and unchristian was the conduct he reproved. On the one hand, to depreciate the poor was to contravene God's loving purposes toward them. (ver. 5.) On the other hand, to flatter the rich, as such, was to encourage the arrogant spirit which was now raging against Christians (ver. 6), and the dread Lord whose name they bore. (ver. 7.) First comes the urgent call Hearken (attend to this), my beloved brethren. (1:16, 17.) The argument here as in the succeeding verses is put in the spirited form of a question.

Hath not God chosen the poor of this world. Better rendered. Did not God choose the poor as to this world? Compare 1 Cor. 1:27. God did not choose all the poor, but the poor in preference to the rich. The church at Jerusalem was poor, and so in general were the early Christians. Our text indeed refers to those who are poor in the estimation of the world, but only those who are destitute of worldly substance are so esteemed. God's preferences create a presumption in favor of the poor, which Christians should recognize in estimating the relations and adjusting the civilities of life. It is not permitted us to contemn that class from which the heavenly King is wont to select his heralds and his heirs. (Lake 6:20: Matt. 5:3.)

Rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Insert to be before 'rich.' Thu faith is not the wealth itself; but the sphere in which the wealth is enjoyed. Believers are rich through faith; by this principle they are related to an invisible world, and enjoy the blessings of the Spirit, righteousness, and peace, and joy.

Heirs of the kingdom. In addition to incomparable blessings now, believers have glorious prospects. However poor as to the world, they are "if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." Rom. 8:17; 1 Peter 1:4. (Storr's "Diss, on Kingdom of Christ," § 8.)

Which he hath promised to them that love him. To faith is given the riches of grace; to love the dignities of heaven. The divine kingdom, as promised to these trustful hearts, is that future and perfect order of things which will ensue when Christ solemnly returns from heaven; when the dead will be restored to life; when all the sorrows that oppress the present life will be removed, and all the powers hostile to God will be subdued. (Matt. 6:10; 26:29: Luke 13:28;  2 Peter 1;11.) (Grimm.) The allusion is to such assurances of our Lord as are recorded in Luke 6:20; 12:31, 32, " Blessed are ye poor for yours is the kingdom of God." "Fear not little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." The poor to whom these promises are given are those who are endowed with faith and love, kindred sentiments, of which the second is the beautiful undergrowth of the first. External poverty is indeed not in itself a blessing; it becomes so "in as far only as the want of earthly treasures and earthly comforts leads us to seek a more enduring treasure and a more abiding consolation." (Forbes "Scrip. Parallelism," p. 109.)

6. But ye — in contrast with God, who honors the poor, and chooses them as the heirs of his kingdom.

Have despised the poor — better, but ye disgraced the poor. The verb (in the aorist) refers to the case indicated in ver. 2, 8. Those whom James addressed had not only despised the poor in their hearts, but had expressed their contempt by discriminating against them. 'The poor' (a masculine adjective-noun in the singular, with the article) stands for the whole class; Winer; Syriac, "the poor man." Do not rich men oppress you? Plumptre: "Lord it over you." Another argument against obsequiousness to the rich is derived from their notorious oppressions. In Judea the wealthy were, for the most part, Sadducees (Jos. "Ant.," 13, 10, 6), who, although they had little faith to contend for, were yet foremost in their persecutions of the early Christians. "The aristocracy' of the priesthood" belonged to this sect. Compare Acts 4:1, 6; 5:17. Violence in enforcing the payment of debts is not here referred to, but the persecutions which were dictated by the love of rule and the pride of station.

And draw you before the judgment seats — better, and do not they drag you (the same verb occurs Acts 21:30) into courts of justice. The rich used violence towards the Christian poor, even in bringing them before the magistrates and invoking against them the authority of law. It was from that class that persecutions chiefly came; hence, those who belonged to it were entitled to no special consideration in the house of God. They, omitted in our version, is emphatic: Is it not they who drag you? So in the next verse.

7. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name? — Is it not they that blaspheme the worthy name? The rich do not only persecute the poor believers; they also revile the sacred name of Christ (i Peter4:i6), after whom the disciples were called. (Acts 11:26.) First, doubtless, they were called Christ's people, then Christians, just as we were first called baptized people, then Baptists. ("Broadmead Records," pp. 15, 18.)

By the which ye are called? — literally, which was named upon you, a Hebraism indicating that they belonged to him whose name they bore. Thus Israel bore God's name, in sign of allegiance to him. (Deut. 28:10.) The Jewish persecutors denounced the claim of our Lord to be the Messiah whom the prophets had heralded, and they strove to constrain the disciples by threats and violence to imitate their example. (Acts 26:11.) The name which inflamed the hostility of the Sadducean priests was a 'worthy name,' honored by all believers, and deserving honor from all men. It was the very hope and glory of Israel that was outraged by the maledictions of the powerful, and in the persons of Christ's persecuted people. Hence, in their partiality to the rich, the disciples not only acted foolishly, but made themselves guilty of infringement upon that reverence which they owed to the name of Christ. (Huther.) Stanley claims that all the early baptisms were in the name of the Lord Jesus, which implies the Trinity: the fuller formula came into use at a later period. Neander also holds that the name here referred to was not Christ, but Jesus. ("Planting and Training of the Church," p. 334.)

8. If ye fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture — yet if ye fulfill, or if indeed ye fulfill. For James has in view a possible objection, that in depreciating the wealthy he was violating the law of love, which embraces them as well as the poor. In reply James commends the law, and magnifies it as a 'royal law,' an eminent command, having a royal supremacy over all others. (Rom. 13:8-10; Gal.5:14.) The Syriac translator regarded the law as royal, because coming from the Heavenly King. (1 John 4:21.) It is a sacred duty, enjoined under the Old Dispensation (Lev. 19:18) and re-affirmed by our Lord (Matt. 22:39), as the principle of all right conduct in human society. Compare Rom. 13:9, 10; and, as the spirit of the divine kingdom, Mark 12:34. 'Law' here signifies a single command. 'According to the Scripture' is merely "a form of citation." (Meyer.) Under the gospel this law is termed 'new,' from its prominence, its higher motive, its divine example, and its broader influence. (Farrar's " Life of Christ," 2:295.)

Ye do well. The words have a certain tone of ironical concession. The Jews accepted the law as a summary of the whole body of moral legislation in reference to the relations of man with man. They did not dispute that it was of the greatest consequence and utility; that it was excellent and worthy of God, and that it had every claim to consideration from all men. Whether, however, they fulfilled it or not was questionable; and whether they had this or something else in view, in their flattering attentions to the rich, was also worthy of consideration. the language suggests something stronger than doubt in the writer's mind.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. This command is not only repeated by Christianity, but transfigured in it. Here love to others becomes the love of service and the spirit of sacrifice. "A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another, as I have loved you.'' (John 13:34, 35.) Without love we are nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1-3.).Tames indeed contents himself with repeating the law in the form in which it had been accepted by the Jewish people; but the influence of this command, as repeated in the gospel and commended by the example of its Author, has been unprecedented; it has changed the whole aspect of domestic and social life. The compassionate love which makes so many sacrifices and establishes so many institutions for the relief of the wants and woes of men was a virtue unknown to antiquity. See the fine sketch of Christian benevolence given by Uhlhorn. ("Conflict of Christianity." p. 191-205.)

9. An answer to the pretext of the objector in ver. 8. But if ye have respect to persons — literally, if ye respect persons — ye commit sin. Compare Matt. 7:23; Acts 10:35. The partiality you display, instead of honoring the law, breaks it. The very code to which you appeal designates you as the guilty transgressors of its requirements. The language is emphatic — it is sin that ye commit. And are convinced (being convicted) of the law as transgressors. Some think that the law hero referred to is that in Lev. 19:15, or Deut. 16:19, which indeed has respect to judgments, but may be extended to include marks of honor in the public assembly. Others adduce the very law of love (ver. 8) as violated by respects of persons; all are not loved when some are depreciated. The latter reference is to be preferred. Those who respected persons violated the hiw as a whole, the law in its spirit. Yet the violation of a single precept would involve the transgressor in the guilt of rebellion against the heavenly Lawgiver. (Ver. 10.)

c. The gospel sanctions all the prescriptions of the Second Table of the Decalogue;
those relating to our relative duties. Ver. 10, 11.

10. For occurs both in ver. 10, 11, which present the proof that partial discriminations are criminal. James lays down the principle that he who violates one of the commandments breaks all. A law proceeding from God, and claiming the heart of the creature, cannot be honored, unless it be wholly and sacredly observed. The same ethical paradox is found in the Rabbinical writings. Rabbi Johanan says: "He who does all things save one is guilty of all the rest."

Whosoever shall keep (hath kept) the whole law. The moral law is primarily referred to; yet the principle would also embrace the Christian law, which the converted Jews acknowledge.

And yet offend (hath offended) in one point. The sense is very well expressed by the noun, which is supplied in our version. Some, however, would prefer "commandment" instead of "point."

He is guilty of all — better, has become guilty; he has sinned against all, and has become liable to a corresponding punishment. As in cases involving capital punishment one offence is fatal, so under the government of God the knowing and persistent violation of one precept suffices to condemn, making the observance of all other duties nugatory. When a servant of the Lord does only what he chooses, he follows, not the will of the Master, but his own. He has no reverence for the law, and no piety toward the Lawgiver; hence even his formal acts of obedience, arising from lower motives, are violations of the moral code. " It is probable enough," says Plumptre, "that the Pharisees, who misrepresented the teaching of James in the Church of Antioch, laid stress on these words as including circumcision and the ceremonial law, as well as the precepts which were moral and eternal." (Act 15:1, 5, 24.)

Note. — The principle of our text needed to be asserted among the Jews, who were possessed by "an insatiable spirit of casuistry," and who were fond of debating the relative value of the precepts of the law. Compare Matt. 22:34-40. Some regarded the law as to fringes and phylacteries as of first importance; others the command requiring that the name of God should be honored; others the requirement of ablution. The disciples of Hillel regarded certain positive precepts as of no importance. A variety of curious illustrations has been collected by Farrar. ("Life of Christ," pp. 238-241.) On the contrary, the object of the law is to test the spirit of obedience, and that spirit questions nothing that is demanded.

11. The principle of the foregoing verses is established by the specification of laws which, however diverse in character, rested on the authority of the one supreme Lawgiver. He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also. Do not kill. These two commandments (Exod. 20:13,14) are specified because they are the first belonging to the second table of the moral law. The fifth Commandment belongs to the first table, duty to parents being regarded as religious service by the Jews (Jos. "Ant.," B. 6:6; comp. 1 Tim. 5:4), as well as by the Greeks and Romans. (Taylor Lewis: "Platonic Theology," 87-94.) In the New Testament, the prohibition of adultery always precedes that of murder [Except probubl in Mark 10:19. See Revised Version. — A. H.], showing that this was then the traditional order.

Now, if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. The conclusion refers back to ver. 9. In religion the law is the will of the Lawgiver; hence he who violates the law in one particular violates it wholly. Huther: "James, indeed, could have argued also from the inner connection of all the commandments, or from the fact that the transgression of one commandment betrayed a defect of character which made the fulfilling of the rest of the law impossible; but since he did not, such observations must not be arbitrarily thrust into his words."

d. The duties we owe to men are sanctioned by the final judgment. Ver. 12, 13.

12. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. the gospel claims for the moral law the solemn sanctions of the judgment, (ver. 12, 13.) And the speech, as well as the conduct, must be subjected to this ordeal. (Matt. 12:37.) The law is, as it were, the instrument through which the judgment passes. The imperatives here are in the present tense, indicating an action already begun, and to be continued; or, one that is permanent and frequently occurring. Hence this form is commonly employed in the measured and dispassionate language of laws and moral precepts. (Winer.)

The law of liberty. A favorite phrase of James, compare 1:25, indicating the perceptive will of God as the will of man, subdued by grace, cheerfully surrenders to it. Our Lord uses similar language. (John. 8:32.) So also does Paul (Rom. 8:2, 15) though elsewhere he speaks of the law, when enforced upon the reluctant will, as gendering to bondage. (Gal. 4:24.) To the renewed will the law is liberty, while at the same time it is the rule of life and the standard of judgment. And that grace in the heart which produces free-will obedience to God (1 Peter 2:16) will awaken a pitying love toward the poor whom so many were wont to despise, (Ver. 6 )

13. This passage shows the importance of the tender humanity recommended (1:27), and discloses the vital spirit of the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment, etc. — better, The judgment will be without mercy to him that shewed no mercy. The law of retribution here proclaimed is derived from our Lord's sermon (Matt. 7:1, 2), "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again." Compare also Matt. 5:2-5, 26; 6:12-15; 18:21-35. Mercy is a species of love; it is benignity toward the unfortunate, with the desire and effort to help them. (Matt. 9:13.) With this gracious principle the law is charged by the gospel; it flows from God to man, and from man to his fellows; and it will serve as a criterion of character in the day of final account. And mercy rejoiceth against judgment. Omit 'and.' Instead of 'rejoiceth' read 'glorieth.' The believer, although a sinner, has in his own loving heart the assurance that the condemning sentence of the law will not be inflicted upon him; but rather expects the rewards of grace, being confident that God will not condemn the imitators of his goodness.

Earthly power doth then show likest God's,
When mercy seasons justice.

How many are the illustrations of this fine text! Our Lord's definition and commendation of mercy in the parable of the Good Samaritan; the necessity of forgiveness to acceptable prayer; the parable of the Unjust Debtor; the picture of the last judgment, with the merciful and the unmerciful divided from each other inexorably and forever! Mercy is the sign of the grace that makes the sinner safe, and thus it becomes the joyful consciousness of safety. Mercy and judgment are the great moral influences by which religion regulates the lives of men.

5. Warning against the error that speculative faith, which does not heed the preceptive part of the word, suffices for salvation. Ver. 14-26.

14. Saving faith is practical. This paragraph, extending to ver. 26, closes the first division of our Epistle. It is devoted to the refutation of the objection that faith by itself suffices for salvation. In the present verse James insists that saving faith must be practical. The writer has already indicated faith as the condition of salvation, in declaring that God begets men by the word of his truth (1:18), and in enjoining them to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save the soul. But now he attacks the prevalent opinion that faith without works can save. The Jews regarded faith, when existing alone, as saving, and in this sense interpreted the famous passage of Habakkuk. (2:4.) They used, as a morning and evening passport to the throne of grace, the text:

"Hear O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut.6:4); and with this proclamation of the Divine Unity, the dying gave their souls to God. To those who clung to the assurance that this sufficed for salvation, James addressed the argument of this passage. Compare 2:19; Matt. 7:21 seq.

What doth it profit my brethren — literally, What is the profit? The assertion is stronger, as put into an interrogative form.

Though a man (any one) say he hath faith, and have not works. No special emphasis should be laid upon the verb 'say,' as if the statement were a mere pretence. Yet neither should the sharpness of its meaning be disregarded. The persons in question, having no works to approve their faith, could profess it only by words. 'Faith' here does not occur in the Pauline sense of persuasion. The only faith which can exist in the case supposed is not a believing with the heart unto righteousness; it is not the reception of truth as the principle of a new life; it is a mere intellectual conviction, a speculative tenet, external to the affections and the conscience, and remote from the activities of life; a dead notion sepulchred in the brain. The works referred to are such as are the evidences of a living faith and the fulfillment of the law of liberty.

Can faith save him? In the original the article precedes faith (the faith). Some suppose that the article here is equivalent to the demonstrative pronoun: can that faith (such a faith as that) save him. Others emphasize the pronoun him (such a a man as he is). We think that a stress should be laid upon both the article and the pronoun; but especially upon the article. The faith here spoken of is certainly not the principle which receives with meekness the engrafted word. The salvation is that which the man expects in the future, (1 Thess. 5:8.) James has in view not so much any present privileges and assurances, but rather a full and final deliverance from evil, the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. The severance of faith and works, which was maintained commonly among the Jewish people, was exhibited in the spirited rebuke of Paul. (Rom. 2:iT-M.) Yet no inspired writer has more impressively insisted upon the necessary connection between faith and salvation. Compare John 3:16.

b. Worthlessness of an inoperative faith — to the needy (ver. 15, 16); to the professor of religion. Ver. 17.

15. James now proceeds to adduce a case involving that most sacred obligation of Christians — the exercise of pitying love. (1:27; 2:13.) The cause is that of a brother or sister in sore need. The case would indeed apply to all the descendants of the patriarchs, who formed one family; but it here directly applies to members of the Christian community, whose relationship was the more intimate, because it was spiritual and eternal. (Acts 10:23; 11:1; 1 Cor. 5:11.) This circumstance made the example more impressive. Be naked, and destitute of daily food. The want of clothing, and of the nutriment to sustain life from day to day, indicates absolute destitution. Our Lord had already required, by the most solemn sanction, that such distresses should be relieved. (Matt. 25:36-43.) That the Christians of Judea were many of them reduced to such extremities may be inferred from the collections made in their behalf by the Gentile churches (1 Cor. 16; 1; Rom. 15:26), and from the earnest expostulation of 1 John 3:17. It has been suggested that, probably at this time, the famine predicted by Agabus prevailed (Aotsu:28-30), and that the Jewish converts, wrapped up in the pride of race and of orthodoxy, had resigned the care of their poor to the foreign Christians.

16. Depart in peace. An expression of kindly feeling, which would be an insult, if not accompanied by an act of charity and relief. It was then in familiar use. (Luke 7:50; 8:48; Acts 16:36.)

Be ye warmed and filled — get yourselves clad (Job 31:29), and may you have food in abundance; or, more exactly, warm yourselves, feed yourselves. Sympathy is sweet, if one has nothing more to give to those who are starving and shivering; but sympathy alone, from one who can give relief, is a mockery, as the style of the appeal is made to indicate. Generous words are a poor substitute for food and clothing; yet how widely this kind of charity still prevails 1

Notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful for the body — those things necessary to its maintenance.

What doth it profit? Either to those who are in want, or those who send them empty away, without a stick from the wood-pile, or a garment from the wardrobe, or a crust from the cupboard, to "warm and fill."

17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone — better, So also faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. Here the illustration is applied — a barren assent to a dogma is as worthless as lip charity. This is also Paul's teaching in Rom. 2:13: "Not the hearers of the law are just before God; but the doers of the law shall be justified." A Christian name without works of piety has as little substance and vitality in it as a Christian brotherhood without acts of charity. The works spoken of are not added to faith, but spring out of it, as shoots from a living germ. A faith without works is dead in itself; its very root is dead. It bears the same relation to the saving faith required by the gospel as a corpse does to a man. And as a lifeless body can do nothing, a faith without works can profit nothing — its unproductiveness suffices to show that it has no life or power.

c. Genuine faith must be connected with works, else there is no evidence of its existence (ver. 18), nor any strength and blessedness in the experience of professors (ver. 19). The principle confirmed by the example of Abraham (ver. 20-24); and Rahab. Ver. 25, 26.

18. Yea a man may say — rather, but some one will say. This objection may with certainty be anticipated (com]>are 1 Cor. 15:35), from some one who judges between the two parties, James and his opponent, and who proposes to settle the disagreement by a compromise. The person here intervening neither represents the Gentile convert (Plumptre), nor the Jewish Christian whom James opposes (Huther), but some indifferent person, who regards both James and his opponents as one-sided, and who decides accordingly. A slight addition will make the meaning of the passage apparent: "but some one will say: that thou (James' opponent) hast faith and I (James) have works." The difference between you two is, that the one values the truth of Christianity, and the other its ethical system.

Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. The reply of James is, that without works faith cannot be proved to exist at till; for without works, it has no expression. You cannot show your faith, except by works of piety and philanthropy. On the contrary, the works I do, prove that I have faith, for without faith I could not do them. The difference between us is not merely controversial, but vital. This is expressed in a very spirited manner by James' challenge. "Vainly do we glory in the gospel, unless we are also in love with virtue." [Possibly the sense of this expression may be brought to light by a more literal translation of the best-supported text: "Show me thy faith without the works" — which real faith produces — "and I will show thee from my works the faith" which produces them. — A. H.]

19. Thou believest that there is one God — better, that God is one. This article of faith, common to Jews and Christians, and distinguishing revealed religion from the popular heathenism, is selected as representing an orthodox creed.

Thou doest well — thou hast accepted the primary truth of religion.

The devils (demons) also believe (it) and tremble (shudder). The demons, who are the angels and ministers of the devil (Matt. 9:34; 12:24), like their master, "abode not in the truth" (John 8:44; 1I Tim. 4:1), and Were the patrons of idolatry, (1 Cor.10:20.) Yet they have never lost their belief that there is one God, although tins transcendent truth produces no change in their character, and sheds no gleam of hope upon the darkness of their future destiny. They hate the infinitely perfect One, and await with terror the coming of that day when he will cast them into the lake of fire. (Matt. 8:29.)

The sarcasm is terrible. A faith which ' merely a matter of knowledge does not save, it does not even recognize God to be what he is, our highest good; it does not change the character; it does not give assurance of future salvation and blessedness, and through that assurance find present peace; it is the faith of demons, who, at the thought, shudder like Eliphaz (Job 4:15.), when the condemning spirit passed before him. Monotheism chastises where it does not chasten the transgressor. "In his crimes, it is not the heavy irons of his prison, but the deep eye of his Judge, from which he shrinks; and in his repentance he weeps, not upon the lap of Nature, but at the feet of God." ("Westminster Review," 1852, p. 18.3.)

20. James now proceeds to prove the necessity of uniting works with faith, from the example of Abraham, the father of believers, (ver. 20-24.)

Wilt thou know? by proofs from scriptural examples, whose authority you acknowledge. The question expresses the assurance of triumph. O vain man. 'O' occurs in the New Testament only in addresses of adjuration and censure. (Matt. 17:17; Luke 24:25; Rom. 9:20.) 'Vain,' Corresponding to "Raca" in Matt. 5:22, is the same as empty, indicating, not intellectual, but moral defect. The epithet, forbidden to revenge, is permitted in fraternal and official correction. (Matt. 23:17, 19; Luke 24:25; Gal..S:1,3.) The possessorr of the faith here referred to had no real worth, no spiritual riches.

That faith without works is dead. Compare 2 Peter 1:8. The last word varies in the manuscripts. In some the word is "dead," in others it is ''idle"; in either case the meaning would be substantially the same: that which has no life, profits no one, and effects nothing. It is like capital which lies idle, and brings no interest — dead capital. Only from love, and in work, does faith truly live. [Here too the article before 'works,' in the Greek text, may well be noticed: "that faith without the works" — that is, its works, or the works which it naturally produces, 'is idle.' — A. H.]

21. Was not Abraham our father? The example of Abraham was of high authority among the Jews, because he was their most illustrious progenitor, and enjoyed the special favor of God. Accordingly, James appeals to his case, to show that works must accompany faith as its fruits, and that without works a profession of faith is valueless.

Justified by works. This statement seems to be contradictory to what James says in ver. 23, where Abraham's 'faith' is declared to have been imputed to him for righteousness, and also to Paul's argument upon the same text and example. (Rom. 3:28, seq.) The prominence which one of these writers assigns to works and the other to faith, although they both were dealing with the same case, is to be explained by the different ends they had in view. Both of them taught that saving faith is operative (Gal. 5:6; James 2:18.); but Paul, arguing against formalists, who taught that meritorious works are the condition of salvation, insisted upon the necessity of faith; while James, arguing against Antinomians, who claimed that the profession of an orthodox faith suffices, insisted upon the necessity of a life of practical godliness. How deeply rooted was this Antinomianism among the Jews appears from the rabbinical discussion of the subject. Compare Lightfoot, "Comm. on Galatians," Note on " Faith of Abraham." The genius of interpreters and theologians has diligently addressed itself to the task of harmonizing these two writers; yet the difficulty is not less great in reconciling the statements, which James himself makes in the present paragraph, for he too declares that Abraham's faith was accounted to him for righteousness, while yet he maintains that the patriarch was justified by works, and that the latter justification was in some way the fulfillment of the former imputation of righteousness which had occurred many years before. In the first case, Abraham believed God, and was accepted as righteous; in the second, he obeyed God and was approved as righteous. It is this last condition, in which operative faith receives the divine approval, to which James applies the term justification. The ancient believer was proved to be righteous by his conduct, and the divine declaration that he was righteous was thus established as true. This meaning of the verb, to justify, to declare or prove to be what one should be, or professes to be, appears in various passages of Scripture, as in Matt. 11:19, "Wisdom is justified of her children" — is proved by their conduct to be true and divine. We learn in 1 Tim. 3:16 that Christ was "justified in the Spirit," proved by his deeds and teachings to possess a divine nature. So Rom. 4:3. Abraham had a faith which God accepted as righteousness; that he had a faith of this character was proved by the sacrifice of Isaac.

When he had offered his son Isaac upon the altar. Thattheson was actually laid upon the altar showed that he was a victim devoted to certain death. (Gen. 22:9.) Among the various " works" which sprung from Abraham's faith, this is specified, because it was the most conspicuous of them, and because it was specially honored and rewarded. (Gen. 22:15-18.) How it pleased God appears from his renewal of the promise on this account to Isaac, and through him to his posterity, whom James was now addressing. (Gen. 26:2-5.) The promise had already been given to Abraham as a believer (Gen. 12:2, 3), but now it was solemnly renewed as a reward of his act of faith. The honor in which this act was held among the Jews appears from the eulogy of Jesus Sirach, 44:20. The greatness of the sacrifice is also intimated here, in the addition, his son. On that wonderful occasion Abraham was justified by his work.

22. Instead of seest thou how, etc. — thou seest that — faith wrought with his works. Such is the conclusion to be drawn from the example of Abraham. The faith he had, instead of being a mere intellectual tenet, was an active principle, operating continuously in the production of good works. His godly life had its root and support in faith. The two, faith and works, went together, the spiritual life within expressing itself in outward conformity with the revealed will of God. The Syriac Version, reads: "Seest thou that his faith aided his works?" And by works was faith made perfect. This signifies something more than that the works verified or confirmed the faith: they displayed its perfection; in them faith revealed its excellence and glory. The verb occurs in a similar sense in 2 Cor. 12:9. " My strength is made perfect in weakness; " then it is exerted and is demonstrated in its genuineness and power. It is true, no doubt, as Huther observes, that faith in producing works becomes ever more fully what according to its nature and design it should be, and that, as the power of love increases and perfects itself through the practice of the works of love, 50 also faith grows and perfects itself through the performance of its appropriate works. But it may be questioned whether such an idea is even suggested by the previous verse, of which the present is simply the conclusion. What is implied there, however, that the faith existed prior to the works, is more distinctly intimated here.

23. And the scripture was fulfilled. 'The Scripture' signifies the passage or saying which is immediately quoted. The language, which is such as usually indicates the accomplishment of a prediction, cannot be taken literally; for the text quoted (Gen. 15:6) was not a prophecy, but only a statement that Abraham had faith and was accepted by God as righteous. But neither the profession of the patriarch nor the approving sentence of God would have been justified, had not Abraham given an external manifestation to the vital principle and the high character with which he had been credited. Both of them were invisible, until they found expression in the practices of a pious life. The text was a prophecy, only as it promised a career of excellence; and in the works of Abraham the happy augury was fulfilled. The result of the trial showed why God assigned such value to Abraham's faith; its heroical and supernatural energy therein appeared.

Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. God graciously accepted and rewarded the patriarch's trust in him as righteousness. (Rom.*:3-5.) This is the Pauline idea of justification; James accepts the doctrine, but his phraseology is different in part and is less precise, (ver. 24.) And he was called the friend of God. So certain and so high was the righteousness Abraham possessed, that he was also designated by the distinguished title of the friend of God. This title appears twice in our Version: in 2 Chron. 20:7, where "thy friend'' is literally "thy beloved,'" and in Isa. 41:8. It was commonly applied to Abraham among the Jews, and appears in Philo. It is a common title of Abraham among the Arabs of the present day, who designate Hebron the city of Abraham by the name El Khalil, the Friend. That Abraham was a righteous man eminently was acknowledged by every one. We attain the same honor by imitating the example set by the Father of the Faithful. Jesus says "Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:14.)

Note. — Dr. J. G. Rosenmueller adduces this passage as one of the proofs to show that the fulfillments of prophecy may take place in something which only resembles the literal and historical sense; but incorrectly. For, as in strictness there was no real prophecy in the divine acceptance of believing Abraham as righteous, the subsequent evidence that he was righteous cannot be regarded either as a real or as an accommodated fulfillment. The conduct of Abraham proved him to have such a character as the word of God has a scribed to him. The facts of the case verified the estimates of inspiration, and confirmed the oracle of divine approval. The verb 'fulfilled ' does not change its meaning here, but is used metaphorically.

24. Then how should be omitted. Ye see that by works a man is justified — declared to be a righteous man. No doctrine of religion accepted, no profession of religion made, can prove this. The performance of life's duties in the fear of God proclaims the genuineness of the disciple's professions and his possession of divine grace.

And not by faith only — (Syriac) "faith alone." This indicates that faith justifies; yet to that state of justification which James is considering, and which embraces the beginning and the whole progress of the Christian experience, works are as necessary as faith. There must be faith, such as Abraham cherished, to establish the relation of intimacy with God; but, as time and opportunity summon the believer, there must be good works also, in order to approve his righteousness; and to him, as he was to Abraham, God is the friend and patron. 'Faith only' signifies faith by itself, having no influence or forth-putting. Neither does Paul command this sort of faith; but rather a faith that works by love and produces purity. Both Paul and James recognize faith as a principle, without which acceptable works cannot be performed and salvation cannot be attained. But the teaching of Paul upon the subject is deeper, and yet more sharply defined; and to this extent confirms the view of those who regard his epistle as later than that of James, who gives the practical view. The principle here stated by our author is the rule of the' final judgment.

Note — Neander and others hold that the fanatical faith which James was denouncing was rather a perversion of Judaism than of Christianity, being identical with that described in Matt. 23:15. Stanley indicates its two forms. 1. A blind reliance upon the privileges of the chosen race, like the Mohammedan belief that a death in battle is a passport to heaven. Compare Jer. 7:4; 2 Mace. 12:43-45; Eccles. 7:4. Also James 1:13; Jos. "Ant." 13:5, 9. This presumptuous confidence was displayed in the last siege of Jerusalem. 2. A trust in their orthodox belief in the unity of God. (Ver. 19; Rom. 2:17.) For later references, compare Stanley's "Apostolic Age," p. 301, n.

25. Likewise also — better, and in like manner. Was not Rahab the harlot justified by works? Rahab was a Gentile, delivered from destruction by a faith which induced her to run the risk of death, in the service of God's people. Hence, her example was memorable. (Heb. 11:31.) She also belonged to that unhappy class to whom a new hope was imparted by Christ's gracious words in Matt. 21:31, 32. If Abraham's faith might be regarded as something apart, to which none dared to aspire, then Rahab's might afford an encouraging example. The two represented the divisions of the human race, nationally as Jew and Gentile, socially as male and female. This woman, alien as she was to the blood of Abraham, and depraved as were the masses of the heathen world, was, like Abraham, 'justified by the works of faith.'

When she had received the messengers and sent them out another way. The narrative style is best preserved by omitting ' had' before the verbs. She entertained the Jewish spies, and, when they were in danger, sent them away with urgent haste, as the verb implies. (Josh. 2:15, 16.) They were let down by a window on the wall, and so departed by a different way from that by which they had entered her house. These acts approved Rahab's faith, and entitled her to the favor of the Israelites. Hence, her life was spared; she was thus formally excepted from the sentence pronounced upon the inhabitants of Jericho. (Job. 6:25.) She was made a member of an eminent Jewish family (Matt. 1:5), and thus became an ancestress of our Lord. Rahab was, doubtless, an innkeeper — a class whose moral character in heathen lands was so infamous that its members were not allowed to enter the Christian churches, except on the condition of changing their occupation. The heathen tavern was a brothel. Compare "Apost. Constitutions," B. VIII., C. 32.

26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Thus the argument is concluded by repeating the sentence of ver. 17, and adding

the figure of a body without the spirit. James describes man popularly as consisting of body and spirit. The latter is the breath of life communicated by the Creator. (Gen. 2:7; 6:n; Rev. 11:11.) When this vital spirit is withdrawn, the man becomes a carcass. As worthless as this decaying, frail semblance of our humanity is faith apart from works. The individual members of the comparison are not to be connected, as if the body corresponded with faith and the spirit with works. The general thought is that an inoperative faith is as worthless as a lifeless carcass. [It may be worthy of notice that there is no article before the word "spirit" in the Greek original. Hence the clause might be translated, "As the body without spirit (or a spirit) is dead," etc.; and as the meaning of the expression is entirely satisfactory without adding the article in translation, it is perhaps safer to translate literally. — A. H.]