Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary James 1:10

"and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away." — James 1:10 (ASV)

The text does not explicitly state that “the one who is rich” is a believer, and for that reason some have insisted that he is unsaved. It would seem most natural, however, for James to omit the word “brother” in v.10 and assume that it would be carried over from v.9. The wealthy believer, then, is exhorted to glory “in his low position.” Since the context deals with trials, the low position may describe the humbling experience of suffering persecution for Christ’s sake. The very same treatment that exalts the poor and gives them a new sense of worth also humbles the rich. Suffering shows the rich that, instead of having a lasting lease on life on this earth, their lives are no more permanent than “a wild flower” (cf. Isaiah 40:6–8). Suffering and persecution reveal how tentative and short life really is.