James 2:1 “Show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”

“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?” (James 2:1-4).

James introduces us to the subject of partiality, which means “the fault of one who, when responsible to give judgment, has respect to the position, rank, popularity, or circumstances of men, instead of their intrinsic conditions, preferring the rich and powerful to those who are not so.”

He begins by telling the Christian to show no partiality as they hold the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Partiality and faith in Jesus cannot go together. The Christian cannot hold onto both because God is not a God of partiality. Our faith in “the Lord of glory” forbids discrimination amongst people.

James uses the example of economic status by describing two men with vastly different external appearances. Nothing is said about their character. The first man is offered a good place to sit, while the poor man is treated with less respect and discriminated against based on his economic status.

In verse 4, James explains how distinctions have been made between the men by the partiality that was shown to them. By demonstrating partiality James says you have become “judges with evil thoughts.” The evil thoughts came from the way the two men were thought of by the Christian. One man was held with high esteem while the other was held at a lower position. Which is inconsistent with the character of God.

Favoring one human being over the other based on circumstances is the sin of partiality.

We are witnessing this same sin of partiality –- favoring one person over another – in American culture for the past 50 years. Children in the womb are viewed in the culture as less than human, clumps of cells, parasites, or disposable waste. More than 63 million precious babies have been murdered by abortion since Roe v. Wade in 1972, making the mother’s womb the most dangerous place to be in America.

Man has become, as James would say, “judges with evil thoughts.” Man has decided to be the dictator and ruler if a child is worthy enough of life based on the child’s state of development and location. We all agree that murdering a child outside the womb – after their birth – is evil. But the value of the human being inside the womb is left up to man to determine if the child has a right to live.

But what does the Lord say about all human beings? God’s word is abundantly clear. That all human life begins at conception. (Psalm 139:13-15 & Ecclesiastes 11:15).

A human being comes into existence when God combines the reproductive cell of a man with the reproductive cell of a female, beginning the process of forming the body of the child in the womb. Biblically called conception and biologically called fertilization.

Does the Lord show partiality to these children in the womb? Does He see them as less than human? Absolutely not! Partiality is not a part of the character of God. He hates partiality. (Leviticus 19:15, Proverbs 24:23, Luke 20:21, Job 34:19).

How should Christians view the child in the womb then? Christians must recognize that all life is breathed out by God (Genesis 2:7-9), which means it is the Lord who gives value to humans, not man. To demand anything less than God’s perfect justice for these children in the womb is to show them partiality and to hold man as the judge rather than the Lord.

If you have recognized that you have fallen into this sin, there is hope! Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we might have a right relationship with Him. If you repent of your sin and entrust our life to Him, you can be saved and redeemed by the only one who is able to forgive sins. He is the God who shows no partiality to human beings based on economic status, degree of development, or sins you have committed.

The good news of the gospel is that it is available to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
“The Evidence of Faith’s Substance” _ Article #605