Word
of God
Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from
the mouth of God
Matthew
4:4
The
Epistle of James 2:1
(Study
notes by Matthew Henry Edited/Prefaced by Doktor Riktor Von Zhades)
1
My brethren, have not the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ in
respect of persons.
Brethren:
It
is recommended that one also consider within their hearts for today’s
study the following:
Deuteronomy
10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 34:19; Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6;
Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17. Friends, if God, shows
no partiality to any man than neither you should show it. Herein we
find likewise that the wisdom handed down to us from Father (again
based on the two greatest of commandments; love God and love each
other), is meant to show a Christian love of all men
that embrace Him, and to lead those that do not to Him. If God’s
wisdom blesses those that are humble and not those that are proud,
would we not do well to emulate that wisdom?
The
apostle is here reproving a very corrupt practice. He shows how much
mischief there is in the sin of prosopolepsia (a respect of persons),
which seemed to be a very growing evil in the churches of Christ even
in those early ages, and which, in these after-times, has sadly
corrupted and divided Christian nations and societies. Here we have:
A caution against this sin laid down in general.
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. How honorably James speaks of Jesus Christ;
he calls him the Lord of glory; for he is the brightness of his
Father’s glory, and the express image of his person. Christ’s
being the Lord of glory should teach us not to respect Christians for
any thing so much as their relation and conformity to Christ. You who
profess to believe the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, which the
poorest Christian shall partake of equally with the rich, and to
which all worldly glory is but vanity, you should not make men’s
outward and worldly advantages the measure of your respect. In
professing the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, we should not show
respect to men, so as to cloud or lessen the glory of our glorious
Lord: how ever any may think of it, this is certainly a very heinous
sin. We have this sin described and cautioned against, by an instance
or example of it.
“Since
the saints are all brethren, they are children of the same Father,
belong to the same family, and are all one in Christ Jesus, whether
high or low, rich, or poor. This is to say then that, such as have,
and hold, and profess the faith of Christ, ought not along with it to
use respect of persons, or to make such a distinction among the
saints, as to prefer the rich, to the contempt of the poor; and in
this exhortation many things are contained, which are so many
arguments why such a practice should not be encouraged; for faith,
whether as a doctrine or as a grace, is alike precious, and common to
all; and is the faith of Christ, which, as a doctrine, is delivered
by him to all the saints, and as a grace, he is both the author and
object of it; and is the faith of their common Lord and Saviour, and
who is the Lord of glory, or the glorious Lord; and the poor as well
as the rich are espoused by him, as their Lord and husband; and are
redeemed by him, and are equally under his government and protection,
and members of his body: the Syriac Version reads, ‘have not the
faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus.’ meaning either the glory
which Christ is possessed of, whether as the Son of God, in the
perfections of his nature, or as man and Mediator, being now crowned
with glory and honour, and which is seen and known by faith; or else
that glory which Christ has in his hands, to bestow upon his people,
and to which they are called, and will appear in, when he shall
appear, and about which their faith is now employed: and since this
glory equally belongs to them all, no difference should be made on
account of outward circumstances, so as to treat any believer with
neglect and contempt.” - John Gill 17th Century Theologian
As
a post script here, the word “prosopolepsia” has a more literal
meaning of one that is an “accepter of a face” - Source Strong’s
Concordance. - Dr. R.V.Z
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