James 2:1-4

1. 1. My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with {an attitude of} personal favoritism.
1. My brethren, do not hold your faith - mou {moo} adelphos {ad-el-fos'} echo {ekh'-o} me {may} pistis {pis'-tis} – My brothers do not have or wear your faith
1. James Identifies with his fellow believers
2. The character of a Christian is 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 (Henry)
2. In our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with {an attitude of} personal favoritism - doxa {dox'-ah} kurios {koo'-ree-os} Iesous {ee-ay-sooce'} prosopolepsia  {pros-o-pol-ape-see'-ah} – In the glorious Lord Jesus Christ as one who shows partiality and judges because of outward circumstances
1. How honorably James speaks of Jesus Christ; he calls him the Lord of glory; for he is the brightness of his Father’s glory (Henry)
2. All who 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; for faith, whether as a doctrine or as a grace, is alike precious, and common to all (Gill)
3. God has chosen the poor, making them rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom (Darby)
3. How pious we are at times, toward other Christians.  Many times we dangerously hold ourselves higher than our brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. 2-3. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
1. Literally – For if a man enters your gathering with gold rings and dressed in magnificent clothing, and also a man, lowly, destitute and poor enters and you turn your eyes upon the one who constantly wears the brilliant clothes and say to him “sit here in the spot of nobility” and to the destitute man Stand here (as if being judged) or sit down under my footstool
1. the Greek word here used, synagoge, signifies such an assembly as that in the Jewish synagogues, when they met to do justice (Henry)
2. The Jews’ constitutions said that, when a poor man and a rich plead together (in court), the rich shall not be bidden to sit down and the poor stand, or sit in a worse place, but both sit or both stand alike.’’ (Manton)
3. The people in the Jewish synagogue sat according to their rank, those of the same trade together. The introduction of this custom into Jewish Christian places of worship is here reprobated by James. (JFB)
3. 4. Have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
1. Have you not made distinctions among yourselves - diakrino {dee-ak-ree'-no} ou {oo} kai {kahee} diakrino {dee-ak-ree'-no} en {en} heautou {heh-ow-too'} – Separating you are discriminating in yourselves
1. It is great partiality, it is injustice, and it is to set ourselves against God, who has chosen the poor, and will honour and advance them (if good), let who will despise them (Henry)
2. guilty of such partiality as must appear to yourselves, and your own consciences must accuse you of (Gill)
2. and become judges with evil motives? - ginomai {ghin'-om-ahee} krites {kree-tace'} poneros {pon-ay-ros'} dialogismos {dee-al-og-is-mos'} – and are becoming one who passes judgment with an evil or wicked purpose
1. Make a distinction between the rich and the poor, by an evil way of thinking, that one is better than the other, and to be preferred before him. (Gill)
2. Trace your partiality till you come to those hidden thoughts which accompany and support it, and you will find those to be exceedingly evil. (Henry)