James 2:1-9 Partiality

James 2:1-9
“My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

Let’s play a little game I like to call “favorites.” It’s easy to play, anyone can do it. I want you to think about the people around you, family friends, coworkers, church members, whoever comes to mind. Then I want you to put them in two categories - those you like to be around and those you don’t like to be around. That was easy now wasn’t it. In fact it is probably something you have already done.

Well, James says just by playing this game you have already lost. In fact James says you have made “distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives.” I think that is the perfect definition for prejudice.

prejudice (verb) - to make distinctions among yourselves, to judge with evil motives.

In the church their is to be no distinctions, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. Sounds familiar doesn’t it. That is because Paul said it in Galatians 3:28.

It is interesting to me how James wants us to combat this though. He basically says, “if you are loving your neighbor like Jesus taught then you are going to naturally avoid partiality.” Amazing how simple it is to stop partiality and prejudice. Just love everyone around you and you will never be in danger of prejudice. However, James knows that won’t happen universally so for those who can’t bring themselves to love others he calls them what they are - sinners.