Lead by Faith

James 2:1-13 (ESV)

My brothers, show no partiality as you believe 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, say, “You sit here in a good place.” In contrast, 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 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 fulfill the royal law – (Matt 22: 34-40 The Great Commandment – Love the Lord with all your heart, love your neighbor) according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.  But if you show partiality, you are sinning and are convicted by the law as transgressors. Whoever keeps the whole law but fails at one point has become guilty. 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 act as those to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

The heart of the Book of James is about “Faith”. It shows that a true believer will exercise faith to live out the royal law. Chapter two is probably the heart of this teaching.  Let us contemplate how we can apply the idea of not showing partiality in our lives.  We often hear sermons preached on how we OUGHT to live, and that sometimes ends at the door on the way out of the Church building; however, God is not merely after obedience, he is after a different kind of obedience, he wants his people to be obedient because of our FAITH.  How do we live out the text today from James?  We must first establish our center on Christ.

Our Faith Must Center on Christ (vs. 1)

My brothers, show no partiality (favoritism) as you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (ESV).

You might wonder why James makes such a dogmatic statement about not showing partiality or favoritism in the church family. Isn’t this just the way that we are as humans? Our culture, dare I say pretty much every culture, places a lot of value in people with position, talents, and riches.  These types of people wield positional power and a lot of influence and in many cases can change lives for the good, but James asks his audience “v6. Are not the rich ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you to court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name you are called?…”  This unique treatment of certain people was a significant issue in James time, honestly, it happens in the church today as well; but we must never forget; what we read in Daniel,  “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning”. (Dan 2:21) 

James, in his concern for the continuity of the church family was compelled to address this issue head on, but he was not the only one who addressed this issue —

God the Father shows no favoritism regarding social classes- Acts 10:34-35 (ESV)

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, [35] but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34)

Impartiality is an attribute of God. He is impartial in dealing with people – 

– “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe” (Deut. 10:17).

– “For there is no favoritism with God” (Rom. 2:11).

– “There is no favoritism with him (Eph. 6:9).

Showing partiality (favoritism) is entirely inconsistent with the character of God, opposed to the gospel, and partiality is incomparable with v1 of James 2.

Jesus does not show favoritism according to social classes, and as believers, we are to imitate our Lord.

Mark 12:14 (ESV)

And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For appearances do not sway you, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” This exchange shows how Jesus was viewed: open and approachable, discussing both eternal issues—and here, taxes.

James tells us that we are to not hold fast to worldly vision and judgments. At the same time, while we are not making judgments based on worldly assessments, we are to hold fast in faith to Christ. We are not walking by sight. A lot of the problems that we are experiencing today in the world can be eased just a little by the children of God simply relying on and having faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.   

The world does not hold the answers.

Let go of all things that would ensnare your heart and hold fast to Christ by faith. We are not to have the world and its values and judgments but to hold fast to Christ. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Heb 10:23)

A pastor from the 1600s, Thomas Vincent had this to say:

If you ask me what this faith is that gives an interest in Christ, what it is to believe, I answer out of John 1:12 that it is to receive Christ: But to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Be persuaded, then, to receive Christ, and accept Him upon the terms of the Gospel. Receive and take hold of Christ by the hand of faith, and, that you may do this:

(1) You must let go your hold of sin.

(2) You must let go your hold on the world.

(3) You must let go of your hold on self.

Vincent’s assessment is an accurate picture of what James is saying.

Paul Teaches Us Not to Show Favoritism

Romans 12:1-6, 16 (ESV)

• I appeal to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that by testing, you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
• 16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Making self-asserting judgments based on outward appearances is not living in the realm of faith, but with both hands locked tight to the world and its values.

Our Faith in Christ Overcomes Social Distinctions (vs. 2-13)

There is no Place for Partiality in the Life of the Church (vs. 2-4)

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, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing, say, “You sit here in a good place.” In contrast, 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?

The Holy Spirit, working internally within individual believers and with the church, will work toward peace and unity with all God has sovereignly placed together to make up the local body. When attending a church service, we aren’t there by accident; God brought us there for His purposes. He is knitting us together as a unique creation. The Church is a living organism made up of all of those God chose to save and continues to grow with new believers added to this organism every day. He is building us as a spiritual building in history with the rest of true believers He has called out. We are being fitted to be put into the multitude throughout all times that God has redeemed for His Son!

B- There is no Place for Partiality in the Plan of God (vs. 5-7)

5. Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those 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?

God chooses whom He wants to make up His church. Many times, He chooses those who are not the wisest, richest, or most talented to make up His special people. The impact of some of the simplest people has led to some amazing people of God. Take, for example, the conversion story of Charles Spurgeon.

Charles Spurgeon’s pivotal conversion occurred on January 6, 1850, at the age of 15. A snowstorm diverted him from his intended church, leading him to a small Primitive Methodist Chapel. There, a lay preacher, filling in for the absent minister, delivered a simple sermon based on Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” The preacher’s emphasis on “look” struck a chord with Spurgeon, who, despite his religious upbringing, experienced a profound realization of his need for salvation. He placed his faith in Christ at that moment, marking a transformative event that would shape his extraordinary ministry. Imagine if Spurgeon left that service because a lay preacher was giving the sermon instead of the lead preacher.

Think of the 12 apostles, how did the Jewish leaders of the day view them?  Fishermen, tax collectors, simpletons, kind of country bumpkins compared to the well educated Jewish religious leaders.  Even Christ himself was a carpenter’s son, from Galilee of all places!  Very interesting how the most spiritual people of the day, who rolled out scrolls weekly that spoke to the coming Messiah, who stood in front of them, and in all their wisdom couldn’t even see Him! In 1 Corinthians, we know how the message, and the messenger, in this case Paul, were foolish by the standards of “modern” Corinth. As we have seen, God shows no partiality and His plan is accomplished through who he chooses, and the change often occurs with the simplest of people, not people of great wealth, knowledge, or merit.

In 1 Cor. 1:26-31 (ESV)

26. 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, [29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Therefore, as written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

With these truths in mind, we can see how great a sin is to show favoritism. This is truly a sin with more evil within than seen on the surface. Favoritism is working against the very sovereignty of God. Everyone God sends has a gift to be used and perfected. It may be that very gift used to honor Christ in the church, the same gift to be used in the world to come. The Church is the training grounds for the glory to come. When we show favoritism, we are placing ourselves in judgment over the very work of God.

There is no Place for Partiality in the life of a Believer (vs. 8-13)

8. If you 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 sinning and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 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 act as those to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

To be slack in this area of favoritism is to be guilty of a transgressor of the whole law of God. If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”

Why does James say that we are all guilty if we break one part? We are accountable for all of it because we haven’t only sinned against the poor person we have judged, but we have passed judgment on the One who made the Law and called that very person out from among sinners, namely God. It’s not so much the specific evil deed but it’s the rebellion against God’s authority.

We’ve told God He doesn’t know what He’s doing by sending that kind of person to my church, and I don’t think it’s right. There is absolutely no place for that thinking in the life of a true believer. Consider your heart, your very standing with God! Seek his support, guidance and forgiveness, lean on Him and have faith in Him. This is James’ point. Our faith will guide our actions. Where there is proper understanding, there can be true faith. Where faith is lacking, our Christ-like behavior will be lacking in proportion.

In verses 12-13, James says our attitude should not be that of the judge but one who is about to be judged. We cannot pass judgment based on external appearances. When we do, we set ourselves up for a guilty verdict.

Let us go forth this week, putting into practice our faith in Jesus Christ, who made our very existence possible. We should not overlook the fact that he made a way for everyone and showed no partiality in establishing his kingdom. Remember:

1. Our Faith MUST Center on Christ (v.1)
2. Our Faith in Christ Overcomes Social Distinctions (v.2-13)