⁵Listen, my beloved brethren: 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? But you have dishonored the poor man.

Despite his terseness, James refers to his readers as “beloved brethren” (see James 1:16). He gives his “in-family” chastisement in love, a tough love. There are times when a tender, gentle approach is appropriate and needful. But we must be careful not to promote a passive approach to discipleship. God expects obedience and conformity to His character. The fallen nature still casts its shadow, and we must subdue it. The Lord has made the way through Jesus Christ, but we must choose to act consistently with His ways.

The chastisement is put in the form of a rhetorical question, essentially a rebuke. We readers should know the answer, but even more, we should examine ourselves whether we are guilty: is God speaking to our hearts about favoritism? Elihu in the book of Job, whose name means “He is God” and who some commentators feel represents the voice of God, asks a similar question:

“Who shows no partiality to princes nor regards the rich above the poor, for they all are the work of His hands?” (Job 34:19)

James’ readers, being Hebrew by background, should know this about God. The apostle Paul, writing later, expands on this theme:

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are so that no man may boast before God . . . (1 Cor. 1:27–29)

God made an intentional choice to bestow on “the poor of this world . . . to those who love Him” a wealth and inheritance far exceeding what the world has. Do we not believe what Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul” (Matt. 16:26b)? The poor among us are far wealthier and have greater status in God’s eyes than the richest, most celebrated among us, by worldly standards. Paul “suffered the loss of all things, and counted them but rubbish so that [he] may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8b).

Ultimately, when we Christians favor the wealthy, we insult the poor. All believers are “beloved brethren,” as James calls them. He does not just pay lip service to these words—we should treat all Christians as part of the loving family of God, regardless of their possessions or social status.

Lord, I rejoice for the spiritual wealth and inheritance I have in Christ!