James 2:1-13
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? 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? But you have dishonored the poor
man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into
court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were
called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But
if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has
become accountable for all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit
adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit
adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and
so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is
without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James
is interested in demonstrating a living, working faith. He begins to do this by
asking us, what happens at the door of the church? How do we greet the first
time visitors? How do we make them comfortable or uncomfortable? How do we
treat new comers? Those who are looking for a spiritual home, regardless of
their status in life? The difference between us and the people of the world, is
in the way we treat those we don’t know. Hence the question, how do we treat
those who are searching for a spiritual community?
1.
It
is possible for a Christian community to show partiality.
The
amount of space Pastor James devoted to deal with this problem of partiality,
favouritism or discrimination, shows that it was a problem among his
readership. The word translated partiality is in the plural and it literally
means ‘to receive the face’. It is used to mean making judgments about people
based on external appearances or general factors such as dress, skin colour,
general physical appearance, social status or class among others.
This
is the scenario he presents in their assembly. He is not talking about some
secular, judicial assemblies. Rather he is concerned about their gatherings
like in the synagogue which is the
word translated assembly here.
So
two different people come to the assembly and by their dressing one can tell
their social status. One is wearing a
gold ring (it is interesting that the gold ring is the first one to notice)
and fine clothes and the other is a man in shabby
clothing. This second man is in fact stinking because he
has filthy clothes – he may not have had wash for a long time. Notice that the
same world for filthiness used in 1:21 is the same word here. Take the first
man to be a cabinet secretary who is interested in elective politics next year:
he drives into the church compound in a dark Toyota Prado, his gold ring makes
his opulence obvious. He is clad in a well pressed Italian suit. The smell of
his cologne is rich, and everything about him shouts ‘mheshimiwa’. Take the
second man to be a streetboy: he is dressed in a stained, mismatched, torn and
smelly jeans and a T-shirt. He has not known water for days and body lice are
lined on his body like tiny necklaces. In God’s providence they both visit TBC
for the service, the same day and about the same time, with the street guy
walking in first. What do you do after they enter? You may twist your nose and
wad off the street guy and very respectfully receive and welcome the weathly.
The Lord is so clear in His Word that, 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," you have effectively then made distinctions among yourselves and
become judges with evil thoughts. First, this passage is not prohibiting us
from showing honour to whom honour is due or respect to whom respect is due (1
Peter 2:17). It does not teach that we are to take no notice of some worldly
distinctions like age. It is not teaching that it is wrong for a boy to give
seat to an old man. Or to accord some honour to the president if he decided to
come and worship with us. Yet it is one thing to acknowledge some inherent
dignity, whether of age or position, and it is another to be swayed by mere
outward appearances such as clothing. When we do that we fall prey to evil thoughts and it becomes sinful for
it gives robes the glory of God from God to man simply because he has
possession, yet deny the same from another equally image-bearer!
Do
you think that there is partiality in this church? It is likely. Do the elders
call a congregation or Elders/Deacons’ meeting in which we discuss how to
welcome some people better than others? I have not been to such a meeting,
leave alone calling such a meeting. However, this does not mean that we have
never been partial in the manner we have welcomed people. What we should do, is
examine ourselves and ask how do show care and welcome everyone warmly,
lovingly and show Christian affection. We must dismiss this claiming that such
a sin cannot come anywhere near us.
2.
It
is wrong to show partiality for God is impartial
We
must acknowledge that God Himself has revealed Himself as One who shows no
partiality. He looks at the heart rather than outward appearance. Besides, He
is very concerned for those who could be discriminated against. For example in
Deut. 10:17-18, Lev. 19:15.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the
mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial
and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and
loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.
"You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the
great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.
It first
acknowledges our Lord Jesus Christ, is the
Lord of glory (v.1). See how much
glory James apportions to our Saviour. He is the Sovereign Lord, for He is in
full charge of all His creatures and all their actions, since He created them
all. His glory must not be shared with another. He is Jesus, the Son of David,
the Messiah, and Redeemer of His people. It is so amazing that the Sovereign
Lord became man in order to save men and make them children of God. He has
redeemed men and women, boys and girls from every nation, every social class, and
every tribe. Every single barrier has been thrown down by His perfect obedience
to the Law (something that we could not have been able to do) and shed His
blood on the cross to secure our salvation by His atonement. He is Christ, the
anointed of God and so He is the Prophet, Priest and King. And finally,
immortal honours go to Him because He is the Lord of glory. This means that He
is the Lord from glory, who owns all glory, and reflects the radiance of the
glory of God and ultimately He will deliver all His people to glory!
Partiality is sinful because it contradicts God’s
purpose of election (v.5)
Discrimination is wrong and sinful, for we read, 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? It is very
interesting that James does not argue against discrimination by showing that
God does not choose some or show His favour to anyone, but the fact that He
does. He says, God has chosen but He
has chosen those who are discriminated, and disfavoured by the eye of flesh.
Favouritism is sinful because our carnal choices do not correspond with the
choice of God. Furthermore, this is a divine prerogative, since God is the
Creator who can do all that He pleases Partiality is playing God.
In the eternity
past, when all uncreated human beings had nothing, God chose some for
salvation. God has generally saved the poor people in order to show that He is
impartial. The doctrine of the gracious electing love of God is all over the
Scripture – see what Moses told the Israelites in Deut. 7:6. Saul and David
were chosen of God (1 Sam.10:24; 1 Chron. 28:4). Jesus told His disciples that
He is the one who chose them, they did not choose Him (John 15;16). God chose
Thessalonians to be saved (2 Thess. 2;13). This is what we read in 1
Corinthians 1:26-29
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you
were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were
of noble birth. But God chose what
is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God
chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that
are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might
boast in the presence of God.
The point being made is that partiality belittles the
work of God in the salvation of men for it attempts to overturn what God has
done. Yet let it be known that the sovereign election of God is unconditional,
this is why it emphasis the choice of the poor, so that they do not boast about
anything. It did not depend on what they had, it depended on what God has.
Thankfully, even if people try to contest the
sovereign electing work of God, they cannot get anywhere for God has already
chosen – has not God chosen…? It is
done, no one can undo it. Our response should be to praise God for this
wonderful work.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to
the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Eph 1:3-6
We must realize that even if the poor are
discriminated in the world, they will not be discriminated against in heaven.
God will continue to make them to be rich in faith and be heirs of the kingdom
which He has promised to those who love Him (v.5)
3.
Partiality
is sinful because of who were are
We
are a heavenly family. So James
begins by reminding us who were are – we not of the world, though in the world.
We are different from the world because we are:
Brothers –
having been born again by God through the word of truth (v.18). We now belong
to the family of God. God is our Father. And we live accordingly.
We
hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory –
we have been given a divine gift that brings salvation, it is called faith. For
by grace are we saved through faith, and this (faith) not ourselves lest any
man should boast, it is a gift of God (Eph.2:8).
We
are heirs of the kingdom
– it does not make sense that
Christians who will spend all eternity together would discriminate against one
another. We are citizens of the same kingdom. We must live as those who do not
have a common destiny. After all whether you have or you don’t what you have
now is temporary. Death is coming upon every. Judgement is coming upon all – it
is appointed for man to die once and then face judgment. We are therefore, to
love God who will give this to us and love our neighbours as He has instructed
us in His Word.
Partiality contradicts the social living (vv. 6b, 7)
The rich oppress
the poor: To
discriminate against people based merely on social wealth or status disgraces those to whom God has granted
grace. In effect, we place our standard of estimation higher than God’s![1] The believers of
that day needed the freedom to proclaim and practice their faith without fear. But
they were being deprived of this fundamental right by the rich. Is it not so ironic
that they were inclined to practice partiality in favour of the elite when they
were suffering persecution from the elite?
The rich
blasphemes the name of CHRIST. James saved his worst accusation until
last. Blasphemy is a transliteration of the Greek, which means ‘to speak evil
of, slander, to be intentionally irreverent.’ One can imagine rich Jewish
unbelievers slandering the followers of Jesus as disciples of a cursed
criminal. ‘How,’ James mused, ‘could you show undue preference to those who
insult the poor or the followers of Christ or both?’ James did not mention
Jesus’ name but he spoke of the honorable or beautiful name of Jesus. ‘By which you were called’ is from a
compound verb, ‘to put a name upon.’ The name Christian is a powerful and
precious designation of one who belongs to Christ. It is a name we should take
care to honor and protect. More than our own name, we should seek to honor and
protect the name of Jesus. The wealthy to whom James wrote were not doing this,
nor did they appear to be concerned that they failed to do so.[2]
4.
Partiality is sinful because it contradicts the Law of
God
James reminds his readers of the Law of God: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’
(v. 8). God gave this law to Israel at the beginning of her existence as a
nation (Lev. 19:18). So James calls it, ‘the
royal law’.
How is it
royal law? It is the
king of all the other laws. This is because Jesus himself called it the great and first commandment - loving God
and our fellow-man (Matt. 22:37–40). It is royal law having been given the
Sovereign King, yes its source is royal and therefore, is to be taken
seriously and obeyed.
James’s charge that they were discriminating caught them off
guard. They would have responded that it was concern for the law of love that
caused them to minister to the rich! And the fact that they were failing to
minister to the poor was not due to lack of love but lack of time. It was rather
that they were so busy practicing love towards the rich that they did not have
any time left for anyone else. But James uses the word ‘really’ in order to essentially tell them, ‘If you really fulfil the royal law, you must show love to the poor.’
James warns against selective obedience. He says in
verses 10-11,
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point
has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit
adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery
but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
This selective obedience was the great failure of the Pharisees.
They would be very scrupulous and meticulous about certain laws while ignoring
all the rest. This syndrome fails to see the fundamental unity of the law. If
we refrain from committing adultery but commit murder, we are guilty of
breaking the law! The law tells us
what God wants us to do and not to do. Any failure is sin, and any sin makes us
transgressors and disqualifies us from standing acceptably in God’s presence.
We must remember that God did not give us the law so that we can
be saved through keeping it. If that were the case, no one would be saved! God
gave his laws to show us how very far short we fall of his requirements
and, therefore, how desperately we need the Lord Jesus as our Saviour.
The purpose of God’s law is to convict us ‘as transgressors’ (v. 9) so we will
flee to Christ.[3]
The reality of the Judgement Day. We must
live with constant and keen awareness of the reality of that day Kent Hughes
puts it like this, ‘ “Speak” and “act” are present active imperatives:
keep on speaking and keep on acting in the reality of the coming judgement.’
These people’s sinful partiality indicated that they were passing judgement on
others. The cure for this is to remember that we must all be judged one Day.
On that great day we will all fully realize our sins, we will also
fully realize ‘the law of liberty’
(v. 12) that is the gospel. Satan, since the incidence with Eve and Adam at the
Garden of Eden, has been lying about the law of God. He wants people to think
that God’s laws are designed to take the pleasure out of life, and deprive us
of joy and make us miserable. But on that day, this lie will be exposed! The
laws of God were not given to bring us into a miserable bondage, but rather to
bring us into glorious liberty. Instead sin enslaves and casts people into a
dungeon.
The reality of the Judgment Day and the free liberation in the
gospel will teach us, not only to be just and impartial, but very compassionate
and merciful to the poor. So that instead of discriminating them, we help them
in their needs. This understanding will remove us from the bondage of
partiality to the freedom of mercy and compassion so that we look like our
Father in the heaven.
We are saved only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus
Christ. But those who are truly saved cannot live as if they have never been
touched by the mercy and grace of God. Those who know mercy cannot withhold it
from others, not especially to the poor, who God our Father is so concerned
about.
Applications
ü Repent of the sin of partiality
ü You shall love your neighbour as
yourself
ü Speak and act as heirs of grace
ü Thank God for His mercy, which
triumphs over judgment
Thank you so much for this great Bible Study/ May the Lord bless you.
ReplyDelete