Impartiality

God is impartial

Deuteronomy 10:17 NIV

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

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God treats people impartially

Matthew 5:45 NIV

that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

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God judges impartially

Colossians 3:25 NIV

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

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God does not distinguish between people on the basis of external appearance

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

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God does not discriminate against different races or classes

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The impartiality of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ’s teaching was impartial

Luke 20:21 NIV

So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

See also a parable of Jesus Christ about divine impartiality

Jesus Christ showed impartiality in his dealings with people

Jesus Christ contravened accepted boundaries of partiality in this encounter.

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Impartiality commended

James 2:1 NIV

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

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Humanity should judge impartially

Proverbs 24:23–25 NIV

These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.

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Showing impartiality to all people is commanded

Impartiality to foreigners

Exodus 22:21 NIV

“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

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Impartiality to children

Deuteronomy 21:15–17 NIV

If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.

Impartiality to the poor

Exodus 23:6 NIV

“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

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Ways to avoid partiality

By not accepting bribes

Exodus 23:8 NIV

“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

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By not following the crowd

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Christians should be partial towards spiritual principles

Matthew 6:24 NIV

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

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Examples where impartiality is absent

Isaac and Rebekah to Jacob and Esau; Jacob to Leah and Rachel; Jacob to Joseph and his brothers; Elkanah to Hannah and Peninnah