The Riches of True Faith | James 2:1-13

James has just rebuked the church for showing partiality to the wealthy while dishonoring the poor. Now, he presses further by asking a piercing question.

James confronts the upside-down values of the church. The very people they were honoring—the wealthy oppressors—were often the ones persecuting them. And the very people they were dishonoring—the poor—were often those whom God had chosen to be rich in faith.

God’s Surprising Choice
James begins with an appeal: “Listen, my beloved brothers.” This is not a harsh dismissal but a loving summons. Then he frames the issue with theology: God has chosen.

This is the language of divine election. From before the foundation of the world, God chose His people in Christ (Eph. 1:4). James reminds the church: God’s choice is not like man’s. God is not impressed with wealth or status. He delights to exalt the lowly and humble.

Paul says the same in 1 Corinthians 1:27–29: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong… so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

The point is clear: God’s choosing overturns human favoritism.


Poor in the World, Rich in Faith
James does not say God saves people because they are poor. Poverty itself is not righteousness. Scripture is clear: there were wealthy saints like Abraham, Job, and Joseph of Arimathea. But James is pointing to a pattern: the poor are often more aware of their need, more open to the gospel, more willing to depend on God rather than riches.

• Jesus Himself declared, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20).
• The church at Smyrna was described as materially poor but spiritually rich (Rev. 2:9).

To be “poor in the world” means little in earthly accounts. But to be “rich in faith” is to possess the greatest treasure—the eternal inheritance of the kingdom.

John Calvin explains: “Though the poor are treated with disdain in the world, God esteems them highly. It is a wonderful consolation that the Lord has a regard for the poor, to whom the world is contemptuous.”


Heirs of the Kingdom
James continues: God has chosen the poor to be “heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him.”

This is covenant language. Just as Paul wrote in Romans 8:17 that believers are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,” James assures the church that those who love God will receive the full inheritance of eternal life.

Notice: the promise is not to the wealthy, the influential, or the successful. The promise is to those who love Him. This echoes the great commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).

Faith that loves God is the true measure of wealth.


The Folly of Favoritism
But James contrasts God’s choice with the church’s behavior: “But you have dishonored the poor man.”

Instead of esteeming the ones God esteems, they were despising them. Instead of honoring the heirs of the kingdom, they were pandering to the very people who oppressed them.

• The rich dragged them into court. Wealth often enabled unjust lawsuits and exploitation of the powerless (cf. Amos 5:12).
• The rich blasphemed “the honorable name” of Christ. Some of the wealthy elite mocked the gospel and persecuted Christians for bearing the name of Jesus.

And yet the church was tempted to show them favor. This is the folly of partiality—it seeks approval from the world rather than from God.

Matthew Henry warns: “Those who despise the poor reproach their Maker; and those who make court to the rich oppressors affront their Redeemer.”


Wealth and the Heart
James is not condemning wealth itself. He is exposing a heart problem. Whether rich or poor, the question is this: where is your treasure?

Jesus taught: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21).

True wealth is not measured in gold but in faith. Every Christian, rich or poor, must be “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3)—humble, dependent, surrendered.

William Perkins wrote: “He is rich that hath grace, though he lack goods; and he is poor that lacketh grace, though he abound in the world’s wealth.”


Application: Examine Your Investments
James pushes us to examine our hearts. Where are we investing our lives?

• Do I measure others by outward wealth rather than inward faith?
• Do I envy the rich while despising the poor?
• Do I invest my time, money, and energy in eternal things—or only in temporary comforts?

Remember: God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith. He has chosen you, Christian, not because of your status, but because of His love. And His call to you is the same: surrender everything, and count Him as your treasure.


Conclusion
The riches of true faith are not found in bank accounts but in Christ. To be an heir of the kingdom is to be infinitely wealthy, regardless of earthly poverty. To love God is to inherit eternal life.

So let us not dishonor the poor or chase the approval of the rich. Let us honor those whom God honors, love those whom Christ loves, and invest our lives in what will never fade: faith that endures, love that obeys, and an inheritance that cannot be lost.