January 12, 2025

Beware of Discrimination

Passage: James 2: 1- 4
Service Type:

Did you know that Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his autobiography that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity? He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find a solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. “If Christians have caste differences too,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior. Folks God is absolutely and totally impartial in dealing with people. Just as I am…come.

This is a violation of discrimination against one’s faith. The human race has always been guilty of this but in our day it has become a human tragedy. Antisemitism is hostility towards and discrimination against, Jews. This sentiment is a form of racism and…

Mark Twain once said, “Prejudice is the ink with which all history is written”. So it is today.

One’s social status, job, prestige, position, one’s outward appearance and personality with God are non-issues. They are of no significance at all they mean absolutely nothing to Him. With our father all the ground is level at the cross. To put it simply God looks on the heart. God is not interested in your bank account, your wardrobe, your jewelry as any kind of commendation of your character. Over and over the scriptures declare God is not a respecter of persons. God is absolutely and totally impartial in dealing with people.

The Bible states in,” 2 Chronicles 19:7  it says, “There is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons.” Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: Acts 10:34 – Paul said, for there is no respect of persons with God.

Would to God this be true of His Church. Most people hate to be accused of racism, discrimination or favoritism. But racial bias is all too prevalent.

Even Christians have had a long history of ethnic prejudice. In the first century, Jewish believers were reluctant to accept their Gentile brothers.

James addresses this problem of favoritism early in his epistle to the dispersed believers. He obviously sees partiality in the fellowship as a major hindrance to Christian maturity. We will look at this passage divided into four sections, the prohibition, the explanation, the condemnation, and the motivation. First, today we start with the prohibition.

I. The Prohibition Vv. 1-4 1. James begins chapter two with a distinct admonition to the believers. To paraphrase James’ words, ” Beware of favoritism or don’t show favoritism!”

The Greek order in this verse goes like this…”My brethren and the next phrase is, “with respect of persons.” That’s the very next phrase. In the English it comes at the end of the verse, in the Greek it comes at the beginning and the Greek puts it in the beginning because it’s emphatic. So let me talk about it first. “My brothers “adelphos”, he says, “with respect of persons, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the glory?”

The wording of this command tells us that James is talking about something that was actually happening in the church; at the time he wrote his letter. He tells them to stop holding their faith with an attitude of personal favoritism. In the original Greek, the fact that the phrase “with respect of persons” appears in the front of the sentence tells us that James wanted to call special and emphatic attention to what he perceived to be a terrible wrong.

a) The phrase translated -respect of persons comes from a compound word that literally means, “lifting up the face.” It appears as “favoritism and discrimination in other passages. James gives his own illustration of it in verses 2-3.

2. Inappropriate attitudes and faith in Jesus Christ are contrary one to the other.” He indicates that partiality is unworthy of the life of a believer. How we react to people is a test. And if we are like God we will not favor certain people because of their status, education, money, fame, prestige, looks or whatever. There’s no place for favoritism in the heart of God and there’s no place for favoritism in the heart of His people and therefore there’s no place for favoritism in the church. Let’s look at this illustration in verse two that James gives us.

He contrasts the arrival of a rich man and a poor man in the assembly of the believers. Let’s take a look at the guests. The rich man wore a gold ring, apparently a sign of wealth at the time. The “goodly and gay apparel” indicates that his robes were fashionable and clean, elegant in dress standing in plain contrast to the “vile raiment” on the poor man. The word vile “rhü-pä-ro’s” (who par ross) literally means “filthy and shabby”. Now consider the attitude toward the two men.

3. First, the rich man was invited to sit in a place that was likely short of seats. Most traditions suggest that the meeting places of the early church were sparsely furnished, with most believers either crouching on the floor or standing around the walls. That a man would be offered a seat was probably the kind of treatment reserved for elder members of the congregation. It was, quite simply, overkill in the kindness department. The poor man, on the other hand, was immediately directed to the cheap seats, literally “under my footstool.” Have you ever wondered why, if there was a shortage of seats, anyone would have a footstool? The attitude toward the two men represented two very different extremes in welcoming newcomers to the fellowship. The poor man is treated with discrimination and prejudices.

Illustration

I recently read about a bigoted truck driver who was very racist. He had a terrible prejudice toward race but one early morning, his tanker truck flipped over and burst into flames. A week later, he was lying in a hospital bed and looking into the face of the man who had saved his life. He learned that the man had used his own coat and bare hands to smother the flames that had turned the trucker into a human torch. He wept as he thanked the man for his act of unselfish heroism. This man was of his evil prejudice. We shouldn’t need a tragedy to open our eyes. However our history is laden with such acts.

Application:

In our society today, we like to think of ourselves as open-minded and fair. We pride ourselves in believing that we look past externals and avoid making personal judgments of others. Unfortunately, this is not usually true, even in the church. When it comes time to elect leaders in the church, we follow the ways of the world and look at what the world looks at to our shame. Leaders in God’s church should be considered because of their heart for God, their commitment to Him and their servanthood to others. In fact, as I heard another preacher say, “The church is not privileged to have wealthy parishioners; the rich are privileged to be allowed to be part of God’s family.”

4. James now ask for examination, he says, Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? If you show favoritism, verse 4 says, you are partial. That means you are not like God and you are not like Christ and you have become a judge with vicious intent and your behavior is anti-Christian. Folks, do this all the time and I am here to tell you God hates favoritism. It is wrong and sinful and ugly. God hates ugly.

5. The dictionary defines “favoritism” in this way: quote: “Preferential attitude and treatment of a person or group over another having equal claims and rights,” end quote. We should not favor others over the less fortunate, or treat one person better than another person because of what they may be able to do for us. But we do! From time to time we have showed favoritism to people, even though that’s not what we want to do in our heart and even though that’s not the constant pattern of our life. It seems our culture is laden with this evil.

Conclusion:

Ruth Reichi in her book Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a food Critic in Disguise. Ruth, was a world-renowned food critic and former editor in chief of Gourmet magazine. She knows a thing or two about favoritism. Ruth developed a clever strategy. Hoping to be treated as a regular patron, she would disguise herself. On one occasion, she dressed up as an old woman. The restaurant made her wait a long time to be seated and then was unresponsive to her requests.

What would have happened if she came as the famous ‘food Critic” …favoritism. Not on her watch, ever customer was to be treated fairly and deserved the same quality of food. Otherwise that restaurant was guilty of discrimination and favoritism. What about you today, have you been showing favoritism? Does God respond to you that way or was His offer of salvation the same for you as others? – Gospel – Folks God is absolutely and totally impartial in dealing with people. What about you?

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