James 2:1-13 The Sin Of Partiality

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(ESV)

We need to remember that these recipients of James’s letter were the decedents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— now Christians, because of there choice to follow the risen Jesus.

(ESV)

The Sin of Partiality

2 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?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Leaders Appointed

9 “At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. 11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! 12 How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? 13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14 And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. 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.

15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

(ESV)

Partiality An inclination to favor one group or view or opinion over alternatives; especially considered an injustice.

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) 4721 προσωπολημψία

προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia), ας (as), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ Str 4382; TDNT 6.779—LN 88.238 partiality, favoritism (Ro 2:11; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25; Jas 2:1+)

Rescue the Weak and Needy

God has always been against unfair judges— judges or leaders that show favoritism.

82 A Psalm of Asaph.

when the Israelites had been brought out of the land of Egypt by the mighty hand of God, and He had brought them to the border of the Promised land. He had Moses choose leaders for them

(ESV)

1 God has taken his place in the divine council;

13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14 And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. 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.’

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

God’s heart is fair and just, and He wants His people— those who bear His name to be the same.

2 “How long will you judge unjustly

We can see God’s heart in

and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

(ESV)

3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

Because God is a God that loves the sojourner and is not partial and is a warrior for the fatherless and the widow executing justice, He expects His people to do the same.

These O.T. Israelites were to show no partiality, they were to be just and fair and to show love to all peoples— their brothers the other tribes of Israel and the sojourner that would come into their land.

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

IN THE SAME WAY!

5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

The people of God in James day, the recipients of this letter. Christian decedents of Abraham— or the Jewish Christians in the Dispersion ( tells us). Were not to show partiality.

they walk about in darkness;

(ESV)

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

The Sin of Partiality

6 I said, “You are gods,

2 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

sons of the Most High, all of you;

The sin of partiality— this is a sneaky sin— one of the heart.

7 nevertheless, like men you shall die,

(ESV)

and fall like any prince.”

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,”

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;

We have all had this sin in our lives— within us we have made judgment on people by the way they are dressed or by how they look. When an “important” person comes into the room, how do we treat the others that are there. All are made in God’s image, but we have made a judgment in our heart on who is better.

for you shall inherit all the nations!

But James is taking this even further. This is in the assembly, this is a gathering of believers.

(ESV)

If there is ever a place that we should feel safe and loved, it is when we are gathered together as one body worshiping our our God. No one should ever feel less important in a worship meeting.

16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

(ESV)

But we are not Sunday Christians! we need to live a life that is non-judgmental. There is a time that we are called to judge but it is not in this context.

We are called to judge a doctrine that is taught so that we can recognize if they are a false prophet.

(ESV)

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

A Tree and Its Fruit

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (this is God telling us to Judge a teaching to see if it has fruits).

11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

But when we Judge someone on there appearance or there status in life it is evil.

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

(ESV)

15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

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

17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Be careful who you are judging.

Listen!

(ESV)

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?

God— He is Awesome! For four hundred years God was silent. Between the Old and New Testament God didn’t speak to His people through prophets.

But on the night that Jesus was born, that changed.

(ESV)

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

God sent a message to the shepherds! Shepherds were the rich and the high in status. They were the low income outcasts of the Israelite people. That is who God chose to announce the greatest announcement in the history of announcements to.

Some of the poorest people in history have made some of the biggest impacts for the Kingdom of God.

You don’t think this is a true statement. look at the Apostle’s the people that God chose to write His Holy book, They all died penniless most of them martyred.

Ya but they were the Apostles’ right?

George Müller founded schools and orphanages while serving as a missionary in Bristol, England, in the early 1800s. His humble testimony regarding God’s miraculous provision for thousands of needy children under his care still inspires our faith today.

Night was falling over the harbor of Bristol, England, and in the orphanage founded by George Müller and his wife, the children were getting ready for bed. George was working in his study when his wife arrived with alarming news. “We’re out of milk,” she said. “There isn’t enough for the morning oatmeal.”

George laid aside his pen. This wasn’t the first time that money needed to buy food and other supplies was tight. The Müllers took in their first group of thirty girls in 1836, and their orphanage now housed over a hundred. From the first George remained resolved never to ask for funds from people or to borrow money. He went to God alone for every need, trusting wholly in the Lord’s faithfulness and provision.

The pastor rose from his desk and reached for his wife’s hand. “Mary,” he said, “let us pray.” Two orphanage employees joined them, and together they made their humble yet necessary request to God. Tiny, helpless mouths were depending on them for sustenance. “Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him,” George reminded them afterwards, “He will never fail you.”

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Someone knocked on the door. Mary hurried to answer, returning to the study a moment later. She handed her husband an envelope. “It’s a letter, George. Hurry up and open it.”

Enclosed was a sum of money, more than enough for the milk. Within minutes, two more letters arrived with money and pledges of support.

This immediate and abundant response to prayer had become a typical experience for Müller. After he came to faith and started meditating seriously on the Bible, he determined to simply trust God at His Word. As a pastor, he decided to live without a salary, relying only on money given to him. George learned to pray faithfully from his heart, asking His Father to move the hearts of men so that they would supply him and his family with what they needed to survive.

As a self-proclaimed “poor man,” regarding good works and holiness, George was well aware of what he lacked spiritually. George had grown up the privileged, arrogant son of a lawyer and routinely, drank, gambled and skipped out on bills. As revealed in The Autobiography of George Müller, one night he went to a prayer meeting, and everything changed. He got rid of his library of over three hundred books and kept only one, the Bible, the only book George felt he now needed.

One night while seeking the Lord regarding the orphanage, he heard, “Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.” And so a great experiment of faith began.

Faced with difficulties regarding the rented houses where the children lived, he dreamed of building an orphan’s home on its own land and with every amenity. It took eighteen months to amass the initial sum of money, and throughout that time George counted the days he spent in prayer and recorded the funds as they trickled in. Each donation—God’s answer to his prayer rather than the fruit of a plea to man for money—spurred him to continue. Eventually he built five homes, costing more than $100,000 to build, which is over $14,000,000 in today’s currency.

These institutions were models at the time, when very few such places existed. Many orphans lived on the streets or went to poorhouses, where they were treated like slaves. In the Müller homes, each child was tenderly cared for, clothed, fed, and educated, with Christian instruction as the bedrock. When they left the orphanage in their late teens, they went on to live productive lives.

George raised each and every penny for this wonderful ministry on his knees, through unceasing, persistent, thankful prayer and an unwavering faith in God.

Almost two hundred years later, the George Müller Charitable Trust in Bristol still operates today and continues to adhere to George’s commitment to seeking money only through prayer. Tens of thousands of souls—orphans and other needy children, families and the elderly—have been helped.

Like I said, some of the poorest people in history have made the biggest impacts for the Kingdom of God.

James 2:5–7

(ESV)

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?

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?

Our Lord said in Matthew 5:3

(ESV)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Don’t act like the world does! James is not saying that there is none that are rich in the Church, and he is also not saying that the Church is to treat those who are rich bad.

He is saying don’t act like the unbelieving world or the unbelieving rich man, who blasphemes the honorable name by which you were called, by doing the very same thing to one another within the Church of Jesus Christ.

Apparently in the Dispersion of the church, this was happening . v 6 But you have dishonored the poor man.

In dishonoring the poor man they were in danger of blaspheming the honorable name in which they were called.

Let this never be so in us. As the Church of Jesus Christ in (ESV)

There are many ways we as Believers can blaspheme the Holy name of God. We can miss us it, but we can also abuse those who are saved by the honorable Jesus Christ and and because of the status in life or there situation, we treat them like they are beneath us and cause others to talk poorly about our Lord because of how we have acted, because we also bear His name.