James 2:1, 8-9
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory…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.
One of the key objectives of the Epistle of James is to restore believers to genuine Christian living. It addresses the attitude of Christians in response to adversity and living with true wisdom from above. It offers practical guidance for living out our faith.
Now, our text addresses the divisive sin of PARTIALITY. Partiality is an unfair tendency to treat one person or group better than another. Just like prejudice, which is the unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group, this sin treats people differently in an unreasonable manner. Neither is it any different from favouritism–the unfair practice of treating some people better than others.
Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).
Let us heed this wisdom from above and shun all partiality, favouritism and prejudice. Let the blood of Christ cleanse you from such sin. Let the Holy Spirit enable you to love everyone created in the image of God. That’s how our lives can truly resemble our Heavenly Father’s. And how we can contribute to the unity of the Spirit.
Pastor Josh