A Closer Look at James 2:8-11, Essay Example

Love From the Beginning to the End of Days

Like the earlier verses in the book of James, the 2:8-11 excerpt discusses favoritism in religion, although the reference appears more obvious in James (2:1-8) where James discusses wealthy worshippers and their better access to both the priests and the Word of God. In contrast, 2:8-11 writes about the human favoritism of certain sins, which shows that religious leaders and followers place social customs and their own will above the clear Word of God, because James warns that both a cheater and a murderer stand only as lawbreakers.

Most of the New Testament brings the good news of salvation and brims with parables, song-like verse, and hope. The book of James reads like a manual of salvation. The first two chapters warn about the devil’s methods of temptation which lead Christians to commit sins. In the last three chapters, James writes about the sins overlooked- the missed opportunities where Christians had a responsibility to help others and turned the other way. The chapter proves a decent summary of God’s commands and expectations- except for the noticeable absence of mentions of Jesus’ role in our salvation. The manual makes Christian responsibility clear in a fearful way, as though James’ words formed a gentler introduction to the final days described in the book of Revelations.

Hidden in the middle of these dark warnings and James’ many deep looks into both humanity and God’s commands, James places one simple rule above everything that he wrote before. It has been called the ‘royal’ metaphor. When James writes “Love your neighbor as yourself”, he gives one of the simplest and hardest commands—one which makes his manual of better Christianity unnecessary. If a Christian places love above all else and centers every moment around that concept- free of the influence of this world- then they should make the right decisions. From this verse modern people gained the golden rule: “Treat people as you would like to be treated”.

Important distinctions between the phrasing of James’ ‘royal’ metaphor and the golden rule clarify another theme which weighs heavily on today’s Christian parents. James’ metaphor assumes that each person knows how to love themselves both as an individual and as a Christian. James assumes that the nurturing role of the caretaker(s) succeeds. In the golden rule, modern Christians recognize that action most often shows a person’s intent but ignores the importance of the themes of the last three chapters of James: thoughts and inaction matter. The ‘royal’ metaphor does not stand alone. James gives general advice which might be taken as general guidelines of how a person who love themselves would conduct himself among his neighbors: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”. (James 1:19, The books of Psalms and Proverbs explain in greater detail and a poetic form, but the most important message of the Bible, the ‘royal’ concept is love. As the popular children’s verse John 3:16 reminds us, God loved us enough to send his son to die for us, and Jesus loved us enough to overcome his doubts and the earthly pain. Without love, salvation is impossible- from the beginning to the end of days.

Works Cited

Study Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. 2000. Print.