James 2:1-7
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 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? 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
Warren Wiersbe once wrote, “The way we behave toward people indicates what we really believe about God. We cannot – and dare not – separate human relationships from divine fellowship.” He was absolutely right and it is to that issue that we turn to now in the letter of James. James concluded his appeal for us to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only” by telling us that true religion is demonstrated in compassion toward others and holiness. Apparently, economic status played a major role in much of the life of the early Church that was scattered abroad. He addresses issues pertaining to economic status in all five chapters. Here, it is in regards to an issue we are more familiar with than it may seem at first, favoritism. Favoritism, or partiality, in the biblical context is treating someone a certain way based upon outward appearances or by superficial standards. Judging someone according to race, economic status, upbringing, etc., are all judgments of partiality. Partiality is judging someone with the opposite judgment used by God. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us the way that God judges, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Why is favoritism so wrong? From James 2:1-7, we learn four major problems with partiality.
First, we learn that it betrays the presence of God among His people. James’s command comes as an appeal to brothers in the faith. The command to “have not the faith of our Lord Jesus…with respect of persons” is a call to not mix favoritism with our faith. Favoritism is contrary to the character of God because it is treating someone based on outward appearances. God judges the whole person, particularly the inner person. It is very natural for us to judge people on outward appearances or by superficial standards that are manmade and external. However, God judges according to His standards. When the Church engages in favoritism, it inevitably betrays the presence of God because God never acts with “respect of persons” (Romans 2:11).
Second, we learn that favoritism betrays God’s passion. In verses 2-4 James pulls out an illustration of two types of people that come into an assembly of believers. One appears very wealthy, wearing nice jewelry and fancy clothing. The other appears to be very poor, wearing dirty, worn clothes and no outward signs of wealth. The wealthy individual is given one of the finest seats in the gathering place and the poor individual is forced to the side, the back, or sitting at the feet of someone else (the place of slaves). The finest seats were reserved for rabbis or people of immense respect in Jewish synagogue gatherings and that is probably what is in view here. Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they desired “the chief seats in the synagogues” (Matthew 23:6). Here, the problem is not the wealthy person or the poor one. It is with how the Church treats each of them. God’s passion is building His Church out people of all backgrounds and walks of life. When the Church acts with partiality, we betray His passion and we demonstrate that our desires do not match His.
The third problem with partiality that we find here is that it betrays God’s plan. God’s plan is that the “poor” of the world that are in Christ are destined to be “rich in faith” and “heirs of the kingdom.” True wealth is found only in Christ. It is the heavenly, spiritual riches that Paul describes as “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). This group are also the ones who inherit God’s kingdom as those who recognize their spiritual poverty (Matthew 5:3). Believers are those who have acknowledged our spiritual bankruptcy and trusted in Christ. In Him, we possess all things and we are destined to inherit the world (Matthew 5:5; Romans 8:17). Partiality betrays God’s plan because it treats believers according to earthly standards rather than the heavenly promises God has made.
The final problem with partiality found in these verses is that it betrays God’s people. When we are partial towards people, we end up harming God’s people. Those we show favoritism to are harmed in that they are given an inflated view of themselves among God’s people for the wrong reasons. When we look down on others for superficial reasons, we condemn them and treat them as less than members of God’s family, our eternal, heavenly family. James reminds his readers that it is predominantly the wealthy and affluent of society that attack God’s people. In that day, it was the wealthy and noble of society who had many Christians killed or put in prison. When we show partiality, we are essentially taking the same kinds of actions towards fellow Christians and we betray God’s people, who are His children. As with any parent, when God’s children are mistreated, He takes the matter very seriously.
Why should Christians not engage in favoritism? It betrays the presence of God among His people, the passion of God in saving all types of people and bringing them into the Church, the plan of God in giving His children the true riches of the kingdom, and the people of God. Is there someone you don’t particularly like, or that you treat differently because of how they dress, how much money they have, what background they came from, what race they are, what side of town they are from, how influential they are in society, or how their parents chose to raise them? In light of what James teaches us in this passage, how can you, instead, love them as a brother or sister in Christ? How can you reach out to them as someone who may not yet be a brother or sister in Christ, but as a fellow human being, lost in sin and in desperate need of the Savior that you know?