James 2:2-4

Favoritism Has No Place In Christianity (Part 2)

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

For if a man comes into your assembly

συναγωγή (synagoge) - place of assembly

In reference already to a level of favoritism - bias to union in Judaism

The setting here is that a man is entering your church

We don’t know anything about the man yet; James only provides ‘the man’

But what do we do know about the man?

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

with a gold ring and dressed in bright clothes

This man is presenting an image of one who is wealthy, belong to upper society, and has something to be confident about

A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: James Exegetical and Critical

That rings with the ancients, especially among the Jews (as a signet-ring) were highly esteemed is evident from

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

and there also comes in a poor man

Another man comes but there is already a descriptive word for him

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

in dirty clothes

There is an association of dirty with poor and clean with wealthy

What are some things we quickly associate with to determine and judge people?

University? Residence? Manner of Commute? Clothes? Makeup?

Doctrine of Unconditional Election - Praise God He does not judge the way people judge

The Christian is not a shallow judge of things because the Christian has been revealed the things of God. The Christian of all people must understand the hypocrisy of making shallow judgements because he is the recipient of an undeserved love, grace and mercy.

If a person judges people and situations in a very shallow manner, perhaps it is because grace has not penetrated the depths of his heart and mind yet.

One way that I find revealing is the shallowness of how people judge a church. Its format, its structure; thinking they are wise, they are in-fact fools.

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

and you

You, you who is in the house of God, you who is gathered with other like minded believers, who are supposed to be united becuase of what Christ has done for all of you, that’s why you are gathering, that is why you are there, but look at what you do:

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright 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,”

These aren’t random visitors; they are both new converts yet even then there is favoritism

The Letter of James, Second Edition 1. Rebuke for Discriminating against the Poor (2:1–7)

Christians in positions of some authority in the community (the verb “show special attention” is in the plural) are fawning over the rich and treating the poor with disdain and contempt.

Does this happen today brothers and sisters in the Christian church? Are people who might belong to higher society, are they tended to with more care and given more favor to?

Let’s make this more realistic - in some churches, who are mostly the leaders and elders? Are they the poor and meek? In many cases, elder qualifications are not followed by many churches but instead, if a person is a leader in the corporate world or is a successful businessman, they are automatically regarded as fit for leadership right? Why is that?

This is one of the things that James tells us to get rid of; the poor man is not the filthy one, what is filthy is this manner of discrimination.

Our inability to judge people based on scriptural truth and righteous judgment will lead us into trouble in this life and will lead us to wrong choices.

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 2

have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

2 conditional questions fron James which both merit a ‘yes’ answer.

διακρίνω diakrino - separate one from another - James first accusation - divided attitude unto God (doubt God in 1:6; thinking that God would not save such a one)

This kind of improver division is wrong in the minds of believers

This is not the conduct of a Christian heart and mind.

You have collectively come to a unanimous agreement to judge a person in a shallow manner and James says Christians who think like this are judges with evil thoughts.

where the main basis of your decision is based on how you can benefit from the person instead of how you can serve the person - this is why it is evil

You have placed your wants above the gospel need of these people - this is why it is evil

You have pursued your own lust over having the gospel save this person from their lusts - this is why it is evil

You chose to pursue your lusts and let this person remain condemned - this is why it is evil

When Christians show favoritism toward people in the assembly, they implicityl claim God’s own right to stand in judgment over other people.

Conclusion

Christians are not to look upon one another based on anything else apart from the shed blood of Christ on the cross for us.

To look at each other with shallow distinctions is to arrogantly do unto others what God did not do to us

Let us stop playing favoritism; let us stop being judges with evil thoughts towards one another