Good morning. Back to
James: my brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ
with an attitude of personal favoritism. He then talks about various
appearances of the rich versus the poor, and showing favoritism to the rich.
You have become judges with evil motives. That's an easy thing to do in
churches. Too many times the rich are placed on various boards in the church.
Also sometimes pastors are afraid to do anything that would upset the rich
people. 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? Obviously you cannot
buy your way into heaven. He then call something the Royal law: "you shall
love your neighbor as yourself". But if you show partiality, you are
committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. But it is such a
little transgression you may say. However if you keep the whole law and yet
stumble in one point, you have become guilty of all. Of course we are not under
the law of Moses – we are actually held up to a higher standard. We can't even
want to break the law. So what kind of law are we judge by – the law of
liberty. Remember: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Father
thank You that the reader walks in the law of liberty. He/she does not show
partiality to any, and treats everyone equally.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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