In The Word
Read: James 2: 1-13
The Sin of Partiality
2 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine 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,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you are fulfilling 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 and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
We have all heard the old saying; “Do not judge a book by its cover.” At some time we all have found ourselves guilty of doing this with people we hardly know. It takes time to get to know where people are, where they are coming from, and where they are going. James was concerned about this very issue. Believers were looking down on those around them and acting like judge and jury. He instructs them to be careful not to do so. In fact, doing so was sin.
The reality is that we all are in need of one common denominator, justification. Just because we maybe followers of Jesus, that does not give us the right to think less of those who are not. We are equally in need of Jesus Christ and His salvation. In fact, we who have been saved are held to a higher accountability. We are called to love those around us no matter their appearance or status.
The point that James is making that that we all need Jesus Christ. We all are equal in this fact. None of us are righteous before God without Christ. Just because someone does not dress like we do or stumbles over something we do not; is not a reason to look down on them. After all, Peter denied Jesus, Paul persecuted the church and yet they were justified by Jesus Christ just like we are. Do not judge those around you too quickly, they may just be the next great spiritual leaders of our time.