Spiritual Snobbery and Humility

A few weeks ago, we began a series on the book of James, which is a letter written by James, the half-brother of Jesus. In this short letter, he gives us an abundance of practical insights on Christian living. We have already seen that the mark of a mature Christian is living out the Word of God, which is manifested by 1) being joyful in trials, which is deeply rooted in faith in God’s love and sovereignty; 2) having victory over temptation; 3) having the ability to bridle one’s tongue; and 4) practicing the truth; that is, being doers of the Word and not hearers only – their faith is manifested by what they do. This week, we begin Chapter 2 where we see James urge his reader to manifest their faith in Christ by not showing favoritism or discrimination, through keeping the “royal law in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (James 2:8).