WORKS

Mini-Series—A Working Faith!Part 8-A Working Faith Loves Without

Partiality

• James 1 concludes with the teaching that it is not enough to have head knowledge of the Christian faith, but one must also act upon their faith.

• James 2 will now begin fleshing out specifically what genuine faith looks like. James begins the chapter by illustrating a sinful practice that these believers needed to reject, namely favoritism.

• These believers had adopted the sinful practice of playing favorites and showing partiality to others based on socio-economic status. A working faith does not value others based on the world’s values, but it value’s the world based on God’s standards.

— The Big Idea—God’s Children Do Not Show Partiality

instead they love like Jesus

• προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia)• partiality, favoritism

• James 2:1, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.”

• Romans 2:11, “For there is no partiality with God.” • Ephesians 6:9, “And you, masters, do the same things to them,

giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”

• Colossians 3:25, “But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.”

James 2:2-5

2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

The Illustrative Folly of Favoritism

Representative Gold Finger AKA “Mr. Somebody”

Homeless Harry AKA “the smelly guy”

The Illustrative Folly of Favoritism

• The Example of Two Guests (vs 2-3)• Timely Reminders (vs 4-5)– James 2:4-Doesn’t partiality show self-elevation of

yourself to that of judge?– James 1:9-11-What is the end of the rich?– 1 Corinthians 1:26-31-Who and why does God

choose?– James 2:5-What are true riches?

James 2:6-7

6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? ἀτιμάζω (atimazō)

– treat shamefully, insult, cause to be dishonored, disgrace, degrade – Luke 20:11, “Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also,

treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.” – John 8:49, “Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My

Father, and you dishonor Me.”

The Visible Folly of Favoritism

Three Questions to Consider• Is it not the rich that are exploiting (katadynasteuo)

you through brutal and tyrannical deprivation of rights?

• Is it not the rich that are dragging you to court…often times with their own hands?– The rich were known for persecuting and blaspheming

Christians, yet it was the rich that were “highly esteemed” when they walked into their worship places.

• Is it not the rich who are slandering the name of Jesus Christ?

James 2:8-11

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

The Moral Folly of Favoritism

• Favoritism breaks the Royal Law– Luke 10:27, “So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the

LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

– John 13:34–35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

• Favoritism is akin to adultery and murder• Favoritism increases one’s own bar of judgment-Mt. 7

James 2:12-13

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.– “The commands ‘speak and act’ are stronger in the Greek

text than in the English. James says, ‘So speak and so act.’ His repetition of ‘so’ (houtos) is emphatic and also serves to distribute the emphasis equally between the two verbs. The present tense in both verbs calls for continuing action.” (Gaebelein 1981)

James 2:12-13

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.• The judgment in these verses may refer to the believer’s judgment at the

Bema seat and the law they are judged against is not the enslaving legalistic system of the OT, but it is the law of royal law of love which the believer has been called to. As believers we are the recipients of a merciful God’s love and affection and as ones who have been shown mercy, we must show others mercy and favoritism disregards this foundational truth of our own salvation. When we act and live in mercy and love we can have confidence in our own time of judging, consider this truth in connection with Matthew 7 and the beam and speck teaching of Jesus.

Conclusion

“ My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality… So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

• James 2:1; 12-13