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James Class Schedule

4/7/2013 James 2:1-4 Condemnation of favoritism 4/14/2013 James 2:5-7 Results of favoritism 4/21/2013 James 2:8-13 Favoritism, royal law, and law of liberty part 1 4/28/2013 James 2:8-13 Favoritism, royal law, and law of liberty part 2 5/5/2013 James 2:14-17 Faith and works - Intro5/12/2013 James 2:18-20 Faith and works - Expanded5/19/2013 James 2:21--23 Faith and works - Abraham Illustration5/26/2013 James 2:24-26 Faith and works – Rahab Illustration6/2/2013 James Chp 2 Chp 2 Review

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James 2:5-7 Results of favoritism

5  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6  But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7  Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

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Review of James 2:1-4Temptation to show partiality and favoritism• stop holding your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in connection with an act of personal favoritism• personal favoritism – lit: to receive one’s face• presents a hypothetical case:

• two men enter your assembly• a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes• a poor man in dirty clothes• two different greetings• you pay special attention to the one dressed well – you sit here in a good place• you say to the poor man - you stand over there, or sit down by my footstool• are you not divided in your own mind, and have become judges with pernicious thoughts

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5  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?Listen, my beloved brethren:

listen - akouō - to understand, comprehend

my beloved brethren – lit: my brethren, beloved ones see James 1:16 & 19, Phil 4:1

did not God choose – implies an affirmative answer

choose - eklegō - to pick out, select, middle voice – “to choose for oneself” see Eph 1:4, John 15:16 & 19

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5  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

did not God choose the poor of this world

the poor of this world – lit: those who are poor in the world's estimation

the poor – same word as in v:2

examples of God’s choice of the poor:Luke 1:52, Luke 2:7, 1 Cor 1:26 - 29

“In the NT the term is used in a broad sense to denote ‘the poor’ in contrast to ‘the rich’” – (Hiebert)

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5  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

every believer (including the poor believer) has the truths listed in 5b

rich in faith - lit: wealthy in the sphere of faith (Wuest)

we are wealthy because we are “in Him”

see Eph 1:3, see “The Riches of God’s Grace” by Chaffer

heirs of the kingdom

What kind of kingdom is promised for the believer ?

see Col 1:13, Eph 5:5, 1Cor 6:9

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5  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

which He promised to those who love Him

promised – epangellomai - to announce, proclaim, has in the NT the two meanings "to profess" and "to promise”see 1 John 2:25

same as in James 1:12Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

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6  But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

But you have dishonored the poor man

dishonored - atimazō - signifies to dishonor, treat shamefully, insult, whether in word or deed

see John 8:48-49, Acts 5:41

“The contrast is between how God views these poor believers and how you treat them. God chose them; you disgraced them.” (Mc Calley)

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

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6  But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

Is it not the rich who oppress you and personallydrag you into court?

oppress - katadynasteuō - to exercise power over, to tyrannize, oppress harshly

examples of how the rich treated believers

Acts 4:1-3 - they arrested them

Acts 13:50 - they persecuted them

Acts 16:16-20 - Paul and Silas were dragged into court

Acts 19:23-41 - they roused the people against Paul

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7  Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

Do they not blaspheme the fair name

Who is “they” ?

blaspheme - means to mock deliberately or to speak contemptuously of God

see Act 13:42-45

the fair name lit: the honorable name

by which you have been called lit: have been named

“the honored name by which God claimed you” (NEB)