John Calvin Reformed @genevareformer

James does not forbid honoring the rich; he forbids the vice of honoring them alone while despising the poor. When riches alone command respect and poverty draws contempt, ambition and vanity have seized the heart. The sin lies not in distinguishing between persons, but in making worldly station the measure of a man's worth before God.

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Matthew Henry Presbyterian @wholebiblehenry

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.

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Commenting on James 2:1-7

John Gill Reformed Baptist @doctorgill

You are all brethren, children of one Father, one in Christ Jesus. Faith itself is common to rich and poor alike, precious to all equally. When you prefer the rich to the contempt of the poor, you sever faith from the very nature of Christ's lordship, who redeems and governs both alike and makes both His own body.

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