have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves? or, are ye not condemned in yourselves. This may be read affirmatively as well as interrogatively, but the sense would be the same, for he amplifies the fault by this, that they took delight and indulged themselves in so great a wickedness.
This respect of persons, favoring the rich and scorning the poor, has corrupted Christian nations and societies from the earliest days. If you profess faith in Christ the Lord of glory, you cannot measure men by their gold rings and fine clothes when the poorest saint shares equally in the glory you claim to believe in. To cloud His glory by exalting the wealthy is a heinous sin.
AI summary
Commenting on James 2:1-7
Are ye not then partial in yourselves,.... That is, guilty of such partiality as must appear to yourselves, and your own consciences must accuse you of; or do not ye distinguish, or make a difference among yourselves, by such a conduct, towards the rich and the poor: and are become judges of evil thoughts; or "are distinguishers by evil thoughts"; that is, make a distinction...