This is Not the Way: The Ugliness of Bias
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
"This Is the Way" embodies what it means to be a Mandalorian, and it includes a code of traditions and ideals they all must uphold.
This morning, we encounter in the Letter of James something about which we could say, “This is NOT the way.” We will learn of a mindset and set of actions that dissatisfy the Lord.
PRAY
1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 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, 3 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,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
Bias is forbidden among the people of God
Bias is forbidden among the people of God
My brothers - James greet his family. He loves the scattered ones.
Show no partiality - Here, James introduces yet another command. Remember, God’s commands are not optional. They are not suggestions. They a demands from the Ruler of the universe.
A definition - Partiality (v. 1) means that you base your treatment of someone—or your attitude toward someone—on something that should not be the basis of how you treat them.
James demands that no personal favoritism, bias, or discrimination be acceptable among believing body of Christ.
16 And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
As you hold faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory - Placed alongside the command to avoid favoritism is the Christian faith and its object, the Lord Jesus Christ. The glaring truth is that one cannot consistently possess trust in the Messiah Jesus and embrace biased and discriminatory practices.
R. Kent Hughes writes, “In fact, he sees this matter of partiality as a test of real faith. Favoritism is an indication of a heart that at best is in need of spiritual help and at worst is a heart without grace.”
Bias is out of place among the people of God.
Bias is out of place among the people of God.
For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly - James is a presenting a scenario in which there are two different types of visitors to the gathering place. The point is the same whether it is supposed or happened in this exact manner. The first visitor is wears a costly, shiny, golden ring and fine, brilliant, radiant clothing. He is dressed to impress. He would be noticed and assumed to be well off financially.
And a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in - In contrast, there is a different type of visitor who also joins the meeting. He would also be noticed, but for different reasons. James describes his clothing as shabby and the man as poor. This man does not have necessary financial means. His clothing is old and worn, probably filthy and soiled.
James continues with his scenario.
And if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” - The man who is wearing the brilliant clothing is treated with special care and and granted a seat of prominence. You could imagine a crowd gathers around him and someone offers him their seat while they choose to stand.
In great contrast, our shabby dressed guest is treated quite differently.
While you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or “Sit down at my feet,” - The poor man is immediately dismissed to a distant place to stand or the humiliating place at a person’s feet.
Have you not them made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? - In this scenario, they have left off the path of righteousness and wisdom. When they treated the visitors with bias and discrimination, they have created division among themselves. They have allowed the evil, sinful standards of the world to enter the gathering of believers. They have not let the truth guide them in their treatment of others.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
R.C.H. Lenski writes, “Since when does “the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, (who is) the glory,” justify considerations which treat the man with a fine coat as being superior and the man with a shabby coat as being inferior? Is the soul of the one worth more than the soul of the other? Are not all men, rich and poor, equal in the house of God? Something is wrong with the faith of those who have not heard the Word of God sufficiently to learn this and to act on this elementary truth.”
Bias is foolish among the people of God
Bias is foolish among the people of God
Listen, my beloved brothers - Once again, James addresses his audience affectionately and as God’s spiritual family, but here there is the encouragement for them to listen and take note of what he is about to tell them.
Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?- Before we think about this section of the passage, it is importance to note that James is not speaking in absolutes related to the spirituality or the rich and the poor. He is speaking in a general way.
As a general rule, the physically poor tend to be more receptive to the claims of the Gospel.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
We Jesus himself spoke about the difficulties of the rich entering into his kingdom.
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
James reminds his readers that a person’s financial wealth, position or anything else does not hinder them from possessing abundant faith.
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
The poor who trust Christ are rich in faith and have the inheritance of God’s eternal kingdom, because they have a relationship of affectionate devotion to God.
But you have dishonored the poor man - Even though God honors the poor, they have not. They have treated him with shame and disgrace. They have acted in an exact opposite manner of God. They have been ungodly in their treatment of the poor man.
In addition, to God’s treatment of the poor, James highlights they silliness of discrimination toward the rich due to their treatment of the people of God.
Are not the rich ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? - The wealthy were often tyrannical. They used their position and influence to exercise control over others. Apparently, the rich were known for taking advantage in civil courts in order to fulfill their greed for more.
3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? - In addition, to the oppressive treatment of others in the judicial system, they were blasphemers. They were mockers of God. The profaned God’s name and character. They were enemies of his people. They had the prideful audacity to dishonor the beautiful name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
Practical Application
Practical Application
Realize that rich-poor is only one expression of partiality. Since it is not the only one, it is not the only one not allowed among the people of God. This sin can be expressed in an almost innumerable number of ways. Therefore, we must be wise and on the defensive.
Class bigotry, Majority-Minority Bias, Educational Bias, Ethnicism (Racism), Social Standing, Theological Positions, Personality Types, Economic Status, Political Leanings, Generational Identity, Use and Abuse of Power, Sex and Gender Bias, etc...
We must repent of and reject bias because we are all made in the image of God.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
We must repent of and reject all bias because all humans are naturally under the judgment of God.
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
We must repent of and reject all bias because Christ has united us together.
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.