My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 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, 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,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James tells us here that, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we are not to show partiality or favoritism in how we relate to other people. To do so, James says, is to violate the royal law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Jam. 2:8). Essentially, this means that we should treat all people the same, with love, mercy, and compassion. When I fail to do this, I have become a judge, determining that one person is more worthy than another and committing the sin of partiality.
An Example of Partiality
James continues in this passage to provide an example of showing partiality. It might be hypothetical, but it is likely something that was actually happening. Two visitors come into a gathering of the church, likely held in a home with limited seating. One was richly dressed and the other in shabby clothes. The first was given a place of honor, while the second was allowed to stand in the back or sit on the floor.
It would be only natural to try to be as welcoming as possible to the one who could potentially benefit the church the most, at least from a human perspective. While at the same time not trying as hard to attract one who might be a drain on limited church resources. But the motive, as natural as it may be, makes us “judges with evil thoughts.”
As believers in the Lord Jesus, we should not treat people differently based on their clothes, the color of their skin, what they might have to offer us, or any other way that we tend to divide people. Jesus spent much of his time with those who were considered unclean, the outcasts of society. And in doing so, he set an example for us to follow. To look beyond the surface appearances and see people that God loves. People that he expects us to show love for as well.
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