James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn't God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
WEB
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
KJV
What James 2:5 means
Writing to the early church, James rebukes congregations that flatter the rich and shame the poor, reminding them that God chose the poor to be rich in faith; favoritism, he says, betrays the gospel.
James 2:5-6 comes from a short, blunt letter about how Christians actually treat one another. Just before these verses, James paints a scene: two visitors enter the assembly, one in fine clothes and a gold ring, one poor and shabby, and the community gives the rich man the good seat while telling the poor man to stand or sit on the floor. James calls this favoritism a sin.
The letter was written to early Christian communities where most members were poor, in a surrounding world that ran on honor and patronage, where the wealthy were courted for their influence. James turns that logic upside down. He reminds them that God "chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith," and asks why they then dishonor the very people God has lifted up, while fawning over the rich who often exploited them.
The word behind "favoritism" is vivid in the Greek: prosopolempsia, literally "receiving the face," judging someone by outward appearance. It is the same flaw the Scriptures repeatedly say God does not have; he "shows no partiality." Where the translation says they "dishonored the poor man," the term is strong, the opposite of giving honor. James is not giving etiquette advice. He is leveling a charge: a community that ranks people by their wealth has betrayed the God it claims to follow.