James 2: 1-13
(1) My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
Favoritism always causes divisions in the family, and God's family is not different.
(2) For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
(3) and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
(4) have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
Are you looking at people for what you can get out of them? Are you brown-nosing those who you think can do you favors?
(5) Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
You are not thinking God's thoughts when you honor the rich man above the poor man.
(6) But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
(7) Do they not blaspheme the fair Name by which you have been called?
Don't the rich tend to become rich by taking advantage of others? Haven't some of these rich people taken advantage of some of you, suing you in court?
(8) If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
Those of you who are loving one another as brothers, regardless of their social or financial standing, are doing good.
(9) But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors.
This is a serious matter. Sin is to be avoided, not courted. To sin is to transgress a law.
(10) For whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
This is where the idea comes in that the Law is like a chain, each rule or precept is a link in the chain. When a link is broken, the chain is broken.
(11) For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law.
The same Law that forbids sexual sin also forbids taking life into our own hands. When we agree with some parts but disregard other parts, then we become judges of the Law, instead of followers of it.
(12) So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.
The rules that put order into our relationships give us the freedom, the power, to do what is right; and helps us to get along with one another in the family.
(13) For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Jesus said that we will be forgiven as we have forgiven one another (Matthew 6: 14-15), and that we will be judged by the same standard by which we have judged others (Matthew 7: 1-2). So, if we have shown no mercy, none will be given us, either.
Even Shakespeare, in his play, The Merchant of Venice, put into Portia's mouth that, "The quality of mercy ... becomes the throned monarch better than his crown ... But mercy is above this scepter'd sway,--... it is an attribute to God himself; and earthly power doth then show likest God's when mercy seasons justice."
God's mercy on us does not put on us the wrath that we deserve, the death our sin has earned. Instead He pours out His grace upon us, all the goodness that we could never deserve.
As God is merciful to us, so we are to show mercy to one another, in not calling to account things that merely irritate us. And don't look at only the outward appearance, whether rich or poor, but see into each others character, and build up one another in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let God build in you the sterling moral character of Christ, as a member of His body, and a child in the family of God. We are to resemble our Father as His sons and daughters, and show His love for us to the world around us in our daily living. Don't show favoritism of someone over another. We are all God's favorites.
O my Father, please teach us how to see one another, without letting their outward show influence our opinion of them. Show us the good qualities they possess, and enable us to encourage them to grow in the areas where they are still needful.
Help us all to grow up in maturity to the full stature of the Son of God.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
