James: Faith/WorksSample

Judgment / Mercy

Today’s text stands in stark contrast to caring for widows and orphans; instead, the stain of worldliness was polluting the church with favoritism for the rich. Simply put, they weren’t putting the teachings of Jesus into practice.

James confronts our sin head-on. We sin when we show partiality to some people over others, whether they’re rich, poor, or different in another way. Believers should extend mercy rather than harsh judgment to others. Faith without mercy toward others is not genuine faith. 

Familial language is key in James’s letter to the dispersed church. For followers of Jesus, true faith is personal, but it’s also communal. The church is the family of God.

We previously saw that when addressing the nature of temptation, James referred to God as “the Father of lights” (Jas. 1:17). When describing “religion that is pure and undefiled,” James again referred to God as Father (v. 27). Notice that religion that pleases the Father is caring for widows and orphans—women and children without families. In these verses, James turned his attention to another marginalized group: the poor. 

Almost every time a practical point of application is addressed, James used a key phrase to draw attention to what he was about to say, pleading in love with his fellow church members.

Christ paid the ultimate price for His church. When we make petty judgments of others in the church based on what they wear or how much money they’re able to contribute, the church becomes indistinguishable from the world. We don’t enter the church based on merit. Jesus paid the same price for every person in His church. The same gospel unites us with brothers and sisters in Christ. His blood bought our freedom from sin and made us sons and daughters of the Father of light.