James the Just: An Appeal for Impartiality in the Church

Good morning, my Radiant friends!

Well, we’ve made it to the second leg of the race! We are moving into chapter two of the book of James! I happen to be very passionate about this chapter! The first part of the chapter can be a little heavy…AND…it’s so worth it! I hope we will all see from this passage that people are worth it…all people. All people are worth treating with love and dignity.

As you may recall, we endearingly and comically called James the “bossiest book in the Bible.” And true to form, he starts chapter two with a command. And you may also recall, one of his nicknames was “James the Just.” So it may not come as a surprise that his first words in chapter two are a command.  Specifically: 

“…show no partiality…”

Let’s read the first 6 verses of James 2 today. Then, true to my nature, we will slowly study our way through this passage before moving on to the rest of the chapter: 

1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 

2 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, 

3 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,” 

4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 

6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

I would like to repeat verse one for you: “…show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” Notice, James is once again building on the idea that we are to “hold” the faith - cling to it, keep, adhere - for the long haul. He will help us apply this in many ways in the chapters to come. And of all the ways he could ask us to hold the faith and persevere in Christ, here he has prioritized impartiality. May you and I prioritize this as well, for it is the Lord’s heart.  Perhaps we can consider this the first TEST of faith in chapter two. 

Let’s begin our look at partiality by defining it. What exactly is partiality? It means to be a ‘respecter of persons.’ But this too is a term that might need defining. Partiality is a faulty way of thinking. It causes a person to judge others based on outward circumstances rather than their intrinsic worth. This means respecting and deeming as worthy those who are rich, high born, or powerful…AND…deeming those who do not have have these qualities as not worthy of respect or value. According to this, to show partiality is to admire deeply, honor, esteem, cherish, and show favor based on others’ abilities, qualities, outward appearances, or achievements. It also means disrespecting, dishonoring, devaluing, and rejecting some who do not have such abilities, appearances, qualities, or achievements. Do you realize that another word for this is prejudice!? That’s right...

James is addressing prejudice.  

This, my friends, is a huge problem.  

I feel indignation inside of me even as I type these words! If you’ve ever been devalued or rejected in this world on such a basis, you probably remember how unfair it felt! In some cases, it’s not only unfair - it’s truly unjust. Let that sink in.  Unfairness and injustice in this world really HURTS. 

But there is an ever bigger problem.  

Partiality and prejudice don’t just exist in the world…

They also exist in the church!

I'm so thankful the Holy Spirit inspired James 2!  I pray that we will all be awakened to this sinful problem. As we read how James has elaborated on this problem, may our eyes be opened to just how sinful partiality, injustice and prejudice in the church really are. 

James appears to have witnessed this type of sin in the church in Jerusalem - and it also sounds as though he is addressing this same problem with the Jewish Christians dispersed throughout other counties as well. It sounds like he saw it as a current, widespread problem - not a hypothetical situation. Specifically, James saw partiality in the church based on socioeconomic status. Wealthy members mistreating the impoverished believers. Who knows, James may have witnessed partiality based on wealth his whole life - after all he grew up in poverty himself! And as an adult, he is a pastor to impoverished believers. He is inspired by the Holy Spirit AND he is speaking from a combination of personal experience and personal observation.

I don’t know if socioeconomic status causes division in your church. But there are other ways partiality and prejudice can divide and dishonor. What biases might be present in your church? Or in your own heart?  

Whether internally or behaviorally…have you judged others in the church based on…

1. Race or ethnicity?  

Do you value individuals of certain races or ethnicities while holding a prejudice against others?  Do you think or feel differently about them?  Or to you treat them differently?  With whom do you spend your time?  Why? 

2. Disability?  

Are people with physical or mental disabilities worth your time and attention?  How is that evident in your life?

3. Intelligence?  

Do you esteem people of intelligence more highly? Or do you make fun of people smarter or more educated than you?  What might be motivating this? 

4. Age?  

Are the elderly less valuable to you? Do you look down on teenagers?  Or do you treat people of all ages with equal regard?  How is this evident?

5. Gender?  

Do you treat women or men as more valuable than the other?  If so, in what ways?

6. Beauty?  

Do you give more attention to children, adolescents or adults based on their outward appearance? Is it based on height, weight, hair or eye color, hairstyle, skin type, build, level of fitness, make-up/no make-up…(many women have witnessed that one!), or other factors? 

7. Profession?  

Do you tend to see blue collar and white collar works as equals?  Or do you look down on one or the other?  Similarly, do you have prejudices against certain professions?  Do you automatically make assumptions about attorneys or police officers?

8. Spirituality?  

Uh-oh. Do you value other believers based on their spiritual gifts? Do you treat other Christians differently based on their theology, denomination, or perceived level of spiritual maturity?

9. Past mistakes?  

How do you esteem those whose sins are known openly? What about those who have been incarcerated?  Do you see them as equals? 

10. Socioeconomic status?  

Have you avoided having relationships with people who you think have far less or far more money than you?

Why do our answers to these questions matter?

For me, the best answer is found in James 1:1: My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  The answer is: The Jesus Christ is our Lord and He is the Lord of glory.  He is the one we are following on this race - in this marathon, in which we've been asked to persevere.  He's the One we're holding the faith in...the Lord of glory.  It's not a coincidence that James chose to refer to Jesus in this specific way at this point in the text.  In fact, it's the only time we find him using this term at all!  What does it mean?

Glory is a big deal in the Bible.  We don't have time to discuss in full obviously.  But what we need to remember here is this: as those created in God's image, those who are His image bearers, we are meant to glorify God in our lives.  It is part of our purpose for existing!  We exist to reflect His character to the world around us.  According to Isaiah 43: 7, 10, and 11 - this is what we were created to do!  If we are to reflect His character to the world and glorify Him - we must equally value all people.  Because HE DOES.  Conversely, we must not show prejudice or bias against anyone.  We must not devalue others by showing favoritism.  Because HE DOES NOT. 

James is not the only biblical author God used to make this clear.  Below are just 7 of the many passages that paint a very clear picture of God's heart on this matter.  Take your time as your read and really hear what these verses have to say:

Leviticus 19:15

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

Deuteronomy 10:17

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome. who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Proverbs 24:23

To show partiality in judging is not good.

Romans 2:11

For God does not show favoritism.

Ephesians 6: 9

...and there is no favoritism with Him

1 Timothy 5:21

I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

James 2:9

But if you show favoritism, you sin...

I realize that I have already asked a lot of questions today.  But I actually still have more questions to ask!  :-)

I really want all of us to think deeply about this…really search our hearts. I'm inviting you to please use these questions to examine yourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Please ask yourself both the 10 questions above - and also the 5  questions below as well.  Then consider discussing them with a trusted friend.

Questions for Reflection:

1. When have you witness this kind of partiality in the church?
2. When have you had thoughts or even actions that were unjust or prejudiced towards people in the church?
3. When have you witnessed others properly valuing and esteeming others in the church in such a way that it glorified Jesus - with Whom there is no partiality? Please consider taking time to thank and affirm those you’ve witnessed setting this godly example.
4. Please also consider spending time in prayer for the Lord to open your eyes to any blind spots you may have that  hinder you from seeing the true value in others around you - whether in the world or in the church. 
5. Finally, please consider apologizing to anyone you may have hurt by exhibiting partiality in the past.

May we love one another well!  Let's pass this test of the steadfast, genuine faith.  And let's reflect the love of "our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

Looking to Him,

Tina

P.S. In Through Seasons of Beauty, there is a whole chapter devoted to "a time to love and a time to hate."  In that chapter, readers learn how to properly love and value ourselves, others, and the Lord.  If you and your small group would like to use this Bible study, you can find the workbook and teaching videos at www.tinasumpter.com/store.