Neville Goddard on James 2:1-13 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read James 2 in context

Scripture Focus

1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

5Hearken, 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?

6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

James 2:1-13

Biblical Context

Partiality toward the rich and poor contradicts the faith in the Lord of glory. The royal law is to love your neighbor as yourself, and mercy triumphs over judgment.

Neville's Inner Vision

Consider the meeting as a theatre of your inner states. The gold ring and the vile raiment symbolize opposite portraits within your own consciousness. If you treat one as superior and dismiss the other, you are judging in division, not unity, and you reveal the belief that you live in scarcity rather than abundance. James says God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith; so the true merit is not worldly condition but the fidelity of your heart. In Neville's terms, the royal law becomes the operating principle of your I AM: love thy neighbor as thyself because thou art that Self. Mercy, not judgment, then becomes the atmosphere of imagination you maintain. When you imagine yourself as the kind of consciousness that blesses all appearances, you dissolve the sense of separation and enter the law of liberty. You are not correcting others; you are shifting the state of consciousness from which all appearances spring. In that shift, your world reorders itself to reflect mercy rather than judgment.

Practice This Now

Close eyes and imagine you host a mind gathering where every guest is equally welcome; dwell in the feeling 'I am the Lord of glory' greeting both rich and poor with equal regard. Then carry that feeling into the next moment.