But what is this ‘high position’, in which the poorer Christian is to exult? The answer can only be found in the contrast between his outward circumstances, which are humble, and his inward dignity as a child of God, in which he can only rejoice! The humble circumstances are temporary; his exalted personal relationship to the Lord is permanent. Even if he was a slave, he is ‘the Lord’s freedman’ (1 Corinthians 7:22). James’ point is this: however desperate or straightened our circumstances may be