Danger of Showing Partiality

Chapter 2

These verses on partiality are a continuation of vs. 27 - thoughts about pure religion.

1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

God is not a respecter of persons - and neither should we. The faith we have in Jesus should never be associated with discrimination of any type.

Deuteronomy 10:17 - For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe

Acts 10:34 -Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

Lev 19:15 - You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.

hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ- the Christian faith, belief that Jesus, the Son of G-d died for our sins, and rose again.

The Lord of Glory - from David Guzik - James used strong words to refer to Jesus Christ: The Lord of glory. Moffatt comments: “The Christian religion [is here called] more explicitly belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the divine Glory — a striking term for Christ as the full manifestation of the divine presence and majesty. The Jews called this the shekinah.”

What a statement of Jesus’ position - equal with G-d.

with partiality

It is hard not show partiality to celebrities and politicians, but James commands us here not to. In respect to politicians - we need to show respect for the office - not the person. This is especially true in the current President’s case. Those on the left side of the political spectrum have been consistently eroding respect for the offices - The way they treated Presidents Bush and Trump and recently the relaxing of the dress code in the Senate.

2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”

4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

In the ancient world, people were routinely judged by their class, or station in life. You have the bond and free, Jew and Gentile, Roman and Greek, barbarian, male and female. Christianity is the only religion which gives each class equal footing.

The word for assembly here is synagogue … since most of the early Christians came from a Jewish background - they used the same name for their gathering space.

The issue here is that subconsciously you make distinctions between people based on their outward appearance. We have to work at not doing it.

BBC: But the Christian must be true to divine principles. His obligation is to give practical expression to the truth that all believers are one in Christ Jesus

From David Guzik = CC Santa Barbara.

i. To show partiality shows that we care more for the outward appearance than we do upon the heart. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). God looks at the heart, and so should we.

ii. To show partiality shows that we misunderstand who is important and blessed in the sight of God. When we assume that the rich man is more important to God or more blessed by God, we put too much value in material riches.

iii. To show partiality shows a selfish streak in us. Usually we favor the rich man over the poor man because we believe we can get more from the rich man. He can do favors for us that the poor man can’t.

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

Job 34:19 - Yet He is not partial to princes,

Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;

For they are all the work of His hands.

1 Cor 1:27 - But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

Most of Jesus’ disciples and followers were the poor. They were ready to hear His message. The rulers and pharisees were not ready to listen, they thought they knew “the way”.

Mark 12:37 - Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

Dishonored - atimazō, at-im-ad´-zo; from 820;to render infamous, i.e. (by impl.) contemn or maltreat:— despise, dishonor, suffer shame, entreat shamefully.

Ps 35:10 - All my bones shall say,

“Lord, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”

1 Pet 4:15-16 - But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

It is usually the rich and powerful who use the courts to get what they want. But we should not go to the courts for judgement - we should resolve differences between us within the body.

1 Cor 6:2-3 - Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

What name is that? Christian -

kalos. adj. beautiful, good, desirable. Indicates an object that is intrinsically sound in a moral or ethical sense.

Shouldn’t we be striving to live up the noble or good name by which we are called?

Acts 11:25-26 -Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;

9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

The royal law: Our God is a great King, and His law is a royal law. Our King Jesus put special emphasis on this command (Matthew 22:36-40) from the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18). James is reminding us that the poor man is just as much our neighbor as the rich man is.

Matt 22:36-40 - 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Lev 19:18 - You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

From the KJVBC- The secular view of success assumes that favoritism must be employed, if one is to “climb the ladder” of accomplishment. Nonetheless, James warns that if one adopts this method, have respect to persons (2:1), what he “accomplishes” (AV is commit, but the Greek is ergazomai) in God’s eyes is sin. Singular in form, the word sin points to quality. Convinced of the law as transgressors may be better translated “convicted by.” The word for “convinced” (Gr elengchō) means to point out the guilt or fault in someone. The law is not the Mosaic code, but the “royal law,” the law of love. Partiality represses genuine love.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Sins are not categorized by severity - any sin is sin.

12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

What is the law of liberty? -

John 14:15 - If you love me, keep my commandments. John 15:12 - This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.

And, if you follow these – and your heart is in it – you naturally will not commit sin against your brethren.

13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Prov 21:13 -

Matt 18:32-35

Luke 6:37 - Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

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Where was the term “Christians” used? - Antioch

What is the Royal Law? Matt 22:37-38

So, what is the summary of what we learned this evening? - Not to show partiality, and to show mercy.