Partiality
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Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
Partiality - unfair bias in favor of one thing or person compared with another; favoritism.
There are five things wrong with showing partiality and favoritism.
1. Showing partiality sets one up as the judge of men (v. 4).
Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
It makes one as God; it says who can worship God and who cannot, who is acceptable to God and who is not.
Only God Himself can determine whom He will accept and not accept.
2. Showing partiality reveals evil thoughts (v. 4).
The person who shows partiality focuses upon mundane and changeable things.
Such thoughts are corrupt because they focus upon corruptible things and neglect the person entirely.
It says that material things such as clothes are more important than the person himself.
This, of course, is foolishness. Yet it is exactly how most people behave, for most people in the world show partiality.
Believers are never to show partiality, not to a single soul. We are to look at the person himself.
What matters is his life, his health and soul, his body and spirit. What matters is that he be saved and come to know the love, joy, and peace that only Christ can bring.
3. Showing partiality discriminates against the poor and lowly, a people who are loved by God (v. 5).
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
This verse is not saying that God does not love and care for the rich and high. He does, but He also cares and loves the poor and lowly. Believers are not to shun them nor shut them out of the church.
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And the right of the poor.
4. Showing partiality shows a disgraceful attitude (v. 6a).
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
It dishonors, humiliates, shames, disgraces, and insults the poor and lowly person.
Just think of the hurt and pain within the heart of the person who is publicly discriminated against—the pain and hurt when he sees us shun, bypass, ignore, and withdraw from him.
No believer is to ever make a person feel unwelcome or of little value and worth.
5. Showing partiality shows foolish behavior (v. 6b-7).
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
Two things are said about the rich that need to be heeded.
a. The rich and high usually oppress the poor and they readily grab what they can, using the very laws of the land to do it. The idea is that they use the law unjustly in order to protect and increase their wealth and power.
b. The rich and high usually blaspheme the name of Christ. They blaspheme His name by denying, mocking, ridiculing, persecuting, neglecting, ignoring, and rejecting Him as the Savior of the world.
The point is this:
Why would the church and its believers show partiality to such people over the poor of the earth?
There is no question, a list of sins could be drawn up and discussed about the poor as well.
But why show partiality to the rich who are the very ones who oppress the needy of the world.
The church and its believers are not to discriminate and show partiality and favoritism to anyone.
Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
ILLUSTRATION:
Listen to this terrific example of how Christ's love was shown by a pastor!
A pastor was praying about the lack of growth in his church. He was deeply burdened about it. The Lord answered him saying, "I love sinners too much to send them to your church." After much prayer and repentance, that pastor began to seek out sinners in the community. Soon people began asking the pastor spiritual questions and looking for direction. The pastor invited one of these couples to church. The couple had not ever been to church, but they came to the church one Sunday morning, because the pastor genuinely cared about them. The awful truth about his congregation was quickly demonstrated. "Pastor," two of the deacons, who had been busily seating people with their best smile, now whispered, "two people have come into our church and, well, we don't know what to do. The lady has on a very short dress and the man looks like a rough character." The pastor went to see. There was the couple he had invited. To the surprise of the deacons, the pastor was truly glad to see them. He said to the couple, "Come with me. You will be my special guests today. Sit right here on the front row. And after church, please come to my home. My wife has prepared a good meal." The couple was saved that service!
May God help each one of us to have this attitude. It is so easy to show partiality because of appearance, to discriminate because of the way a person looks.
A person's appearance can easily blind us to the truth, simply because we do not think that is the way he or she should look. We are wrong, absolutely wrong to show partiality.
The warning against partiality is strong (v. 8-11).
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
There are three warnings.
1. Showing partiality is sin; it violates the royal law of love (v. 8-9).
The great law of God is the law of love: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19:18; cp. Lk. 10:29-37).
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Note how important this law is: it is said to be the great "royal law according to the Scripture."
It is royal for at least three reasons.
1. It is the royal law of God's kingdom.
2. It was given by God Himself and reinforced by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, when He came to earth.
3. It is the great law that embraces or includes all other laws.
That is, if a person loves God and loves his neighbor as himself, he will automatically be obeying all the other laws.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
It is the very commandment that leads to eternal life.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
The point is this:
Believers are to love people, not show partiality, discriminating against some.
Showing partiality is sin and it makes us a transgressor of the law.
2. Showing partiality makes a person guilty of the whole law of God (v. 10).
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
How is this possible?
How can a person be guilty of all the law if he breaks only one law?
Men follow God or else they do not follow God.
There is no such thing as subtracting the laws that one does not like and keeping the laws that one does like.
Every law has been given by God.
They all form a whole pattern, a complete style of life.
They are all necessary to point one in the right direction and toward the right goal.
Thus, to offend in one point or to slip from one law makes one short of the goal.
This is significant for us to notice and heed, for it means... that we cannot pick and choose what laws we will keep and what laws we will violate.
That we cannot build up a merit system with God by keeping most of the laws and be allowed to break a few of the laws.
That we cannot become more acceptable to God because we keep most of the laws and break only a few.
That we are not more righteous than other people because we keep more laws than they do and break fewer of what men call the more meaningful laws.
The point is this:
Showing partiality makes a person a terrible law-breaker, the most serious offender imaginable.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: