A Warning on Partiality
As we stated last week, we are continuing in our study of the book of James. James is a book designed to reflect the individual’s walk with the Lord to determine if we are growing in the faith or standing still. It is why chapter one discussed that a mature Christian is patient during times of testing, “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4. James continues to set the standard for the maturing Christian, but this time it is in our actions. A mature Christian is one who lives out the faith they profess to believe in; they understand that in order to grow in their faith they must do more than simply hear the word of God, they must live it out. And so James presents the church with a scenario that is still ongoing today.
“My brothers and sisters, 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 is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you 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,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not 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 good name by which you have been called?
James 2:1-7
Two men entered a church and yet one was shown preferential treatment based solely on their appearance. I wish to say that this scenario only occurred during the time that James wrote this book; however, that is simply not the case. We are all guilty of looking at someone and making assumptions regarding their faith, or lack thereof, simply based on how we deem a believer should be. I have met some individuals who were very well dressed and well versed in Biblical matters but who actually did not believe in God or His word. On the other hand, I have met individuals who based on outward appearance would not seem to be Christians but had a faith that would rival even the disciples.
It is for this reason that James presented the above scenario to the church. It is to remind us that Jesus does not care about outward appearances, instead what matters is the actions of the heart for that is where our faith lies. The fact that Jesus did not pay attention to outward appearances is noted in Matthew 22:16, “16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.” Or look at Mark 12:41-44 in which Jesus gives His opinion of who had greater faith, the Pharisee or the poor woman.
If we are judging someone based on appearance, then we are holding our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. We are forgetting the very simple fact that God made us all, the rich and the poor. “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2. By treating someone based on our preconceived notions of them, we are behaving very much like the religious leaders who rejected Jesus Christ. Christ was rejected by the religious leaders because He did not fit their “perfect” mold of what the Messiah should be. Jesus came from Nazareth, “46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46. Nor was Jesus educated in their religious schools, “54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him.” Matthew 13:54-57. Finally, Jesus sought out those who society had deemed unworthy.
By treating people with an attitude of favoritism we ourselves would have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, forgetting that we have all been saved not by our works but by the grace of God. “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10. Through Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection; He broke down the walls nationally and socially. To Him there is no Jew or Gentile, rich or poor; to Him, there are only those who have come to accept that they need Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and those who have not.
So how do we fix the issue of partiality? The answer is simple and yet it is difficult to do and I find that Warren W. Wiersbe states it very well in his book, Be Mature: James. “Look at everyone through the eyes of Christ. If the visitor is a Christian, we accept him because Christ lives in him. If he is not a Christian, we can receive him because Christ died for him. It is Christ who is the link between us and others, and He is the link of love” Christ is the bridge, it is both a simple and difficult concept to comprehend. We have all been created by one God, and yet we forget this simple fact and find ourselves judging a person based on their appearance. Because God loved you enough to take away your sin, He will love that individual enough to do the same. If we want to grow in our faith, we need to stop making assumptions regarding personal appearances and allow the individual’s actions to proclaim their faith. We need to look at everyone through the eyes of Christ and see that He loves them as much as He loves us.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex