God has chosen you to inherit the Kingdom / James Bible Study (Part 4) / Chapter 2

David Hathaway

'My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?' (James 2.1-5, NIV.)

God has chosen you to inherit the Kingdom. The richness we have is based on our faith not on our possessions, and as we shall see, how we live out our faith.

In these verses, James addresses the issue of favouritism or discrimination within the Christian community. He emphasises the importance of treating everyone equally, regardless of their social or economic status. James criticises the practice of showing special attention to the wealthy while neglecting the poor. He argues that such behaviour goes against the principles of faith in Jesus Christ, who showed no partiality. James encourages believers to demonstrate genuine faith by treating all people with love and without prejudice, recognising that true wealth lies in faith and devotion to God rather than in worldly status.