Show No Partiality

Good morning, everyone,

It’s great to be here with you all, before I begin, let us open in a word of prayer.

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For those of you who were not with us the last time I spoke, we are in the book of James, a letter from James to the Jewish Christians of the dispersion, those scattered away from their homeland.

‌And what we find in James are instructions, instructions on how the Jewish Christians should be living. These are instructions that are given so that James’ brothers and sisters would live wise lives, lives that are reflective of the Gospel that they’ve received.

What we find in James is that wisdom is not just knowing a lot of stuff about life, wisdom must also include the practical application of what we know about our God into every area of our lives.

This is a theme that will come up again and again, James writes with this idea in mind, that followers of Christ can’t just be hearers of the word. Not just hearers. They must also be doers of the word.

If you would please open your Bibles with me to the book of James, the passage will also be on the screens. Today we will be reading from the second chapter of James, from verses 1 to 13. Again, that is James chapter 2, verses 1 to 13.

Let’s read:

James 2:1–13 NIV

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Now the amazing thing about James is that his instructions are very straightforward, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” To his brothers and sisters, James says “since you believe in Jesus Christ, you must not show favoritism.”

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have no business showing favoritism!

So what is favoritism? Does anyone know?

Favoritism is this practice of special treatment, of valuing things or people differently and what often comes along with this word is that favoritism is unfair.

I think most of us here have either experienced favoritism or have shown favoritism at some point in their lives.

Sometimes it’s in the small things, sometimes our friend groups are more accepting of certain lunch suggestions and you never get to go where you want for lunch. Other times, it might look like your siblings’ favorite foods being constantly on the menu or indoor slippers offered only to the men when visiting distant relatives.

It might look like a conversation cut short or even avoided so that you can go talk to your closest friends. It might look like friendliness to the professor who grades your homework or the boss who signs your paychecks.

Let’s let James show us what favoritism looks like.

We’re given a scenario in verses 2 to 4 where we find two men joining believers in their place of meeting.

James 2:2–4 ESV

For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

One is dressed in fine clothing, fine clothes that are bright and shining, this man has a golden ring that lets everyone know just how high his socio-economic standing is. The other is described as a poor man, a man in filthy old clothes. In contrast to the man in fine clothing, this man is unwashed and his clothes are mismatched, his lack gives you all you need to know about what rung of society he is on.

Favoritism in this case looks like offering a good seat to the man wearing fine clothing while telling the poor man to stand there or sit down where others are laying their feet. Its this honoring of the well off man because of his wealth and this dishonoring of the poor man because of his lack.

Doing this, James writes, is not only favoritism that believers must not show, its also discrimination against yourself and it makes you into a judge with evil thoughts, into a judge that judges poorly!

Remember that the people James writes to are scattered, they're in foreign lands, and they are suffering under discrimination. The judgment that is being made toward the poor man and the treatment in the “if” scenario is the same judgment being made about James’ brothers and sisters.

This is important to remember because we are so quick to think “of course, favoritism and discrimination are wrong! It’s not difficult to avoid.”

Think about how helpful it would be to a poor group of people if someone with wealth and resources were to join them.

Think about the extra burden that would come from having one more poor person join you if you had nothing and were struggling to feed yourself.

Favoritism is tempting and James writes to his brothers and sisters because this is a real and present problem. He talks about this because it is a real flaw that keeps Christians from being whole and complete in their entire being like Jesus.

So how does James tackle this problem? Look with me to verses 5 to 7.

James 2:5–7 NIV

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

Listen. Listen, James says. Your attention here! Your attention on this rhetorical question, rhetorical meaning that this is statement of the truth that disguised as a question.

“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

And reading this, the response of James’ brothers and sisters is “Yes! God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom that he promises.”

They can’t say otherwise, there’s no way for them to say anything but yes.

Remember, these are Jewish Christians. The history of their people, of those that are tied to Abraham, is filled with God’s concern for the lowly and the needy.

The literature of Israel is filled with the theme of God’s love for the poor, God’s blessings are promised to those that see and care for the poor.

And their own lives tell them that God doesn’t just hear the cries of the widowed and the exiled, God also acts! God is more than just a hearer, he is a doer!

And the brothers and sisters in James are living proof of God’s doing. God did choose them, even though they were poor in the eyes of the world, to be given faith and to be heirs of God’s kingdom.

Instead of treating them poorly based on their external appearance, God’s attitude towards the lowly and the needy is that of compassion, of mercy and love.

So yes! It’s true, God cares for the poor in the eyes of the world! So then to have dishonored the poor is to go against God’s will, to represent the opposite of God’s will.

What we find here is that believers in Jesus must not show favoritism because God does not show favoritism. God does not make judgment based on the outward appearance, he looks at the heart!

James reminds his brothers and sisters of God’s attitude toward the lowly and the needy. He reminds them of God’s attitude toward them. By keeping this in mind and remembering God’s compassion, believers can overcome the temptation to show favoritism.

Now the issue with favoritism isn’t just that it fights against God’s compassion. Favoritism is a sin!

This is a second point from James, that believers in Jesus must not show favoritism because favoritism is sin.

Let’s look at verses 8 to 11:

James 2:8–11 NIV

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

Believers that keep the royal law are doing right.

But what is this law? This is the sovereign and royal law of God, it points to law of Moses that is declared again by Jesus and fulfilled in Jesus.

It points towards the commandments found in Leviticus 19 on how God’s people are to be holy, how they are to be set apart for him, and it points towards what Jesus declares to be the second most important of the commandments, “To love your neighbor as yourself.”

In Leviticus 19, there is command after command given on how to treat those around you, anyone and everyone that you come into contact with are, in God’s eyes, your neighbors.

Favoritism is sin because both the poor man and the rich man are your neighbor.

You see, it is not enough to keep the commandments of God in some or even most ways.

Under the law, it is not good enough to be almost good enough. To stumble at just one point is to be guilty of breaking all of the law! The law requires absolute perfection!

And we are not perfect, nobody here can say that they are a perfect keeper of the law.

If you understand that then you are on the same page as James.

Nobody can get to heaven through their perfect law-keeping.

This statement of the absolute requirement of the law is placed here to remind James’ brothers and sisters of who they are!

They are not people who have perfectly kept the law, they are people who have had the law perfectly kept for them!

They are not people who are crushed under the judgement of the law that condemns.

No, James’ brothers and sisters are those that are under the law that liberates.

James 2:12–13 NIV

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

What does James want his brothers and sisters to do? What does not showing favoritism in verses 12 to 13 look like?

It looks like speaking and acting, not as someone under the law that condemns, but as someone who is under the law that gives freedom! As someone who is under grace!

Its the same reason as before in verse 5!

Because Jesus Christ did not show favoritism, he did not judge you based on your outward appearance. Instead, he saw you and me in our helpless state and in that moment where we expected judgement, where we deserved judgement, we were instead met with deep, overwhelming compassion.

Brothers and sisters, favoritism is such a poison to God’s people.

It damages relationships and it holds us back from spiritual growth without us even noticing. It’s almost seen as okay, as something that can’t be solved.

Because of this sin of favoritism, too many of God’s people have found their church to be one of the loneliest, most disconnecting places they have ever been.

I know this could sound angsty and childish but to be surrounded by people while being unseen and unheard is so heartbreaking.

This cannot be allowed!

We, as believers of Jesus Christ, cannot allow those who God has placed in our surroundings as our neighbors to remain separated and disconnected from the body of Christ!

Believers in Jesus Christ, you are under grace! You were shown mercy! Your sin was washed away once and for all and, not only that, your identity is now more than just a worldly measurement of ability or wealth. You were chosen and now exist as an heir to the Kingdom of God.

Having been freed by the law that liberates, live as a child of God, an heir to the Kingdom of God. Let your entire being be affected by the mercy of Christ and do not judge your neighbor by their outward appearance.

Let’s reflect on James’ instructions. Do not show favoritism because Christ did not show favoritism. Do not show favoritism because favoritism is sin. Instead, show mercy, show compassion.

See your neighbor the way Jesus sees them, the way Jesus saw you, and approach your neighbor just as Jesus approached you in his compassion.