(008 James) Judging by Appearance

1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 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, 3 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,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 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. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Chapter 1 - we move beyond words and live our faith by having patience and joy in trials.

Chapter 2 - we move beyond words and live our faith by doing God’s Word.

Favoritism is to give preference to one person or a group of people over others even though they have equal claims.

Paul has something to say about favoritism.

Galatians 3:27–29 ESV

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Treating people with favoritism seems to be something the Jews scattered abroad were doing.

Wether we like it or not, we are more apt to show favoritism than we think.

Good theology changes our thinking on favoritism.

We want to teach good theology.

We want to teach the Bible with depth.

But I can’t assume everyone here knows what certain words mean.

You will hear the word “theology” a lot.

Theology is what we know and learn about God.

The Foundations book reminds us that doctrine or theology is always practical.

In other words: what we know and learn about God is practical.

So… we are going to learn some theology today to help us not show favoritism.

1. Christology: The study of Christ. (vs. 1-4)

James 2:1–4 ESV

If you are going to call yourself a Christian, show no partiality.

(1)A. Jesus did not show favoritism.

His enemies even understood that Jesus did not give preference to certain people.

Matthew 22:16 ESV

16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.

(1)A. Jesus did not show favoritism.

It is not God’s nature to look on the outward appearance.

Remember God created each of us in unique ways.

James just reminded us that a “poor” person isn’t actually poor.

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

(1)A. Jesus did not show favoritism.

We find ourselves judging people not only by their outward appearance but their past or what we think their future may be. (How much potential they have)

Image if we judged Paul/Saul by his past.

(1)B. Jesus was Himself an outcast.

Isaiah 53:1–3 ESV

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

(1)B. Jesus was Himself an outcast.

We would not have chose Jesus if He walked in today.

He was despised and rejected.

Judged by the human standards of the Jews.

He didn’t match up.

He had no wealth.

No status

His followers were the ones nobody else wanted.

Jesus was the person James tells us not to reject.

How does the doctrine of Christ help us not show favoritism? First we remember who He was. Second, we then look at people through His eyes.

2. Soteriology: The study of Salvation. (vs. 5-7)

James 2:5–7 ESV

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

2. Soteriology: The study of Salvation. (vs. 5-7)

We see the grace of God in his choosing the poor to save and make his heirs.

Our salvation is by grace alone.

It has nothing to do with who we are.

It has everything to do with God’s unmerited favor being poured out one people who did not deserve it.

Paul says it all in Eph.

Ephesians 1:4–6 ESV

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

2. Soteriology: The study of Salvation. (vs. 5-7)

We have what we have according to the purpose of HIS WILL

And for the praise of HIS glorious grace.

We have no right to question His purpose and His will in who is added to the body of Christ.

Each one has the same value as the other.

We should treat them as such.

(2)A. God’s grace in salvation ignores national differences.

When Peter first went to the house of Cornelius a gentile the Jewish people were in an uproar.

The struggle of the Jews through most of the New Testament was wanting Gentiles to become Jews to be Christians.

Acts 10:34 ESV

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,

(2)A. God’s grace in salvation ignores national differences.

The gospel is for the world.

We don’t argue with that, but sometimes we live that.

(2)B. God’s grace in salvation ignores social differences.

Galatians 3:28 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(2)B. God’s grace in salvation ignores social differences.

When we study the doctrine of salvation it forces us to see people through the lens of God’s grace and His plan, not their own merit or some sort of worth we put on them.

Bishop Potter of New York used to tell on himself. The bishop was sailing for Europe and found that he was to share a cabin with another passenger whom he did not know. After he had met his cabin mate, he went to the ship’s purser and asked if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe. He explained that normally he would not do that, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was in the other berth. He said that judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be trustworthy.

The purser took his valuables to store in the safe and said, “I’ll be glad to take care of them for you, bishop. The other man has already been up here and left his valuables for the same reason.”

We are prone to judge by appearance, or by social status.

Let’s not forget, others are judging us.

Remember the grace we were shown and show it to others.

God created variety for the good of the local church.

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 ESV

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

(2)B. God’s grace in salvation ignores social differences.

We need the variety God has given us to function properly.

3. Bibliology: The study of the Bible. (vs. 8-11)

James 2:8–11 ESV

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 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.

3. Bibliology: The study of the Bible. (vs. 8-11)

There have been countless debates over the inspiration of scripture.

While it is good to be able to defend God’s Word...

The greatest defense is our own lives.

D. L. Moody often said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather!”

James calls it: the royal law.

He is laying a heavy weight on the law given by Jesus.

The Bible is our order of life: it tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

James says: you are doing a good thing if you do that, BUT...

It is possible to love your neighbor and still show favoritism.

If we love our neighbor but you are showing favoritism or partiality then there is a problem.

If we show favoritism we are “convicted by the law”.

We are seen as guilty.

Maybe someone...

Dresses different that we prefer.

Worship different that we prefer.

Seem to be less valuable to the local church.

What about treating our kids fairly.

James points us to the Bible and says if you follow every commandment except one, you are guilty of breaking them all.

What we learn is, though we may view favoritism as a “lesser” sin, God doesn’t see it that way.

What we know and learn about the Bible tells us this.

4. Hamartiology: The study of Sin. (vs. 12-13)

James 2:12–13 ESV

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James reminds us that we are accountable for our lives.

(4)A. Our words will be judged by God.

Look at what is said in verse 3...

James 2:3 ESV

3 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,”

(4)A. Our words will be judged by God.

James says this person used words.

You stand over here.

This isn’t just thoughts inside their head.

Not just a judgmental thought.

It might be words we say to a person.

It might be words we say to another person about a person.

Our words reveal our heart.

Matthew 12:34 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

(4)A. Our words will be judged by God.

What comes out of our mouth reveals what is in our heart.

We will have to answer to God for what we have said about others.

(4)B. Our actions will be judged by God.

We are to speak and act in a way that is pleasing to God.

The way we act towards others is maybe even more important than what we say.

We can say we do not show preference but that might not be what we do.

Colossians 3:22–25 ESV

22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

(4)B. Our actions will be judged by God.

Our actions should always be for the Lord and not for ourselves or others.

Rather than show favoritism, maybe we need to intentionally go out of our way to show love to that person we are avoiding.

(4)C. Our attitude will be judged by God.

James 2:13 ESV

13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

(4)C. Our attitude will be judged by God.

James shows us two attitudes.

An attitude of judgement.

And attitude of mercy.

Where God finds an attitude of repentance and mercy He gives mercy.

How many of us want mercy?

We are quick to get upset with someone who cuts us off in traffic.

When we do it we think… give me a break. It was an accident.

It is the same principle here.

We want to be treated with mercy.

We don’t want people pushing us away because we aren’t exactly what they think we should be.

We are to speak and act like someone who is judged by a law of freedom.

Questions for the week:

How serious is the sin of favoritism?

Is it possible that I show favoritism in any way? If so, why?

What steps do I need to take to change as a result of what I have heard today?

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