The Sin of Partiality
1 My brothers, 1 ver. 9; Lev 19:15; Deut 1:17; 16:19; Prov 24:23; Rom 2:11; Eph 6:9 show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Cor 2:8; [Acts 7:2] 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,” [Prov 18:23] 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 John 7:24 judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, 1 Cor 1:27, 28 [Job 34:19] has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be 2 Cor 8:9; Rev 2:9; See Luke 12:21 rich in faith and heirs of Matt 5:3; Luke 6:20 12:32the kingdom, See ch. 1:12 which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you [1 Cor 11:22] have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who Acts 16:19 drag you Acts 8:3; 17:6; 18:12; [ch. 5:6] into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable [Isa 63:19; 65:1; Amos 9:12; Acts 15:17] name by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Cited from Lev 19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you ver. 1 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 Matt 5:19; Gal 3:10 has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, Cited from Ex 20:14, 13 “Do not commit adultery,” also said, Cited from Ex 20:14, 13 “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 See ch. 1:25 the law of liberty. 13 For JJob 22:6-11; s. 18:25, 26; Prov 21:13; Ezek 25:11-14; Matt 6:15; 18:32-35; Luke 6:38 judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 2:1-13 (ESV)
Sometimes it is not only what you wear as in the above Scripture but it can with moderate liberty be likened to other ways in which some people 'come across' like for instance if they seem a little uneducated and can not speak or write properly or if they appear a little impoverished in style or presentation or if they are just plain different and do not conform to the normal way of how everyone else might look or talk or present themselves and it is a common thing to find this in nearly every circle of Christian gatherings and it is ignored by the masses and if need be even joined in by the masses if it seems that the crowd might be best followed in order to keep up appearances and not be singled out and so while many agree wholeheartedly with the above Scripture they might find themselves to be the ones who this scripture talks about as it is not very often we find people coming into a church in such obviously different rank or rating of clothing that they might be singled out and yet the point of the Scripture above is about being partial towards those who are markedly different and notice that it is not the average member of the assembly that is referred to as partial but one who addresses the newcomer and expect them to sit at the back where they not only will not hear with their ears and possibly not see much if miracles are going on at the front in front of all the excited better and more acceptably dressed or presented members but that they will not be heard unless they make a loud outcry or similar drawing of attention to what they are trying to say and even then because they have been told to sit away from the better people and therefore not be associated too much as one of them and definitely not be offensive to them, the majority won't notice them or want to take too much notice as they would have to be seen to be bothered to look at them and that would be obvious to the few who might be facing the assembly and out of fear of being counted the wrong way and maybe even getting reprimanded by the very ones who ushered the one who was different to a place away from the elite.
That is partiality and if the above Scripture and notes mean anything, it is as much a sin as the other things the goodly and respectable normal people consider to be sins.
I wonder what would happen to the man in the story if he refused to listen and was insistent that what they were doing was wrong. Most certainly nobody likes to be told about being wrong in front of others and such upstarting would not be tolerated even by the most pious.
Let us beware of partiality as it can creep into our lives and go in-noticed and even excused if need be and we can all be guilty of it in one way or another if we are honest. Even in a little tiny way, we can be and most probably have been at least once.
Keeping the Gospel pure is more important than what you look like or dress like or how much money you have or how you are able to read or write and if we lose sight of that we will fail to hear the Lord when He comes for the saints as He has promised to do and as our hope is fixed upon His appearing, so be it.
Looking for that blessed hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works.
These things speak,
and exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. Titus 2:13-15
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
James 2:1
1 My brothers, 1 ver. 9; Lev 19:15; Deut 1:17; 16:19; Prov 24:23; Rom 2:11; Eph 6:9 show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Cor 2:8; [Acts 7:2] 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,” [Prov 18:23] 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 John 7:24 judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, 1 Cor 1:27, 28 [Job 34:19] has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be 2 Cor 8:9; Rev 2:9; See Luke 12:21 rich in faith and heirs of Matt 5:3; Luke 6:20 12:32the kingdom, See ch. 1:12 which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you [1 Cor 11:22] have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who Acts 16:19 drag you Acts 8:3; 17:6; 18:12; [ch. 5:6] into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable [Isa 63:19; 65:1; Amos 9:12; Acts 15:17] name by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Cited from Lev 19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you ver. 1 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 Matt 5:19; Gal 3:10 has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, Cited from Ex 20:14, 13 “Do not commit adultery,” also said, Cited from Ex 20:14, 13 “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 See ch. 1:25 the law of liberty. 13 For JJob 22:6-11; s. 18:25, 26; Prov 21:13; Ezek 25:11-14; Matt 6:15; 18:32-35; Luke 6:38 judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 2:1-13 (ESV)
Sometimes it is not only what you wear as in the above Scripture but it can with moderate liberty be likened to other ways in which some people 'come across' like for instance if they seem a little uneducated and can not speak or write properly or if they appear a little impoverished in style or presentation or if they are just plain different and do not conform to the normal way of how everyone else might look or talk or present themselves and it is a common thing to find this in nearly every circle of Christian gatherings and it is ignored by the masses and if need be even joined in by the masses if it seems that the crowd might be best followed in order to keep up appearances and not be singled out and so while many agree wholeheartedly with the above Scripture they might find themselves to be the ones who this scripture talks about as it is not very often we find people coming into a church in such obviously different rank or rating of clothing that they might be singled out and yet the point of the Scripture above is about being partial towards those who are markedly different and notice that it is not the average member of the assembly that is referred to as partial but one who addresses the newcomer and expect them to sit at the back where they not only will not hear with their ears and possibly not see much if miracles are going on at the front in front of all the excited better and more acceptably dressed or presented members but that they will not be heard unless they make a loud outcry or similar drawing of attention to what they are trying to say and even then because they have been told to sit away from the better people and therefore not be associated too much as one of them and definitely not be offensive to them, the majority won't notice them or want to take too much notice as they would have to be seen to be bothered to look at them and that would be obvious to the few who might be facing the assembly and out of fear of being counted the wrong way and maybe even getting reprimanded by the very ones who ushered the one who was different to a place away from the elite.
That is partiality and if the above Scripture and notes mean anything, it is as much a sin as the other things the goodly and respectable normal people consider to be sins.
I wonder what would happen to the man in the story if he refused to listen and was insistent that what they were doing was wrong. Most certainly nobody likes to be told about being wrong in front of others and such upstarting would not be tolerated even by the most pious.
Let us beware of partiality as it can creep into our lives and go in-noticed and even excused if need be and we can all be guilty of it in one way or another if we are honest. Even in a little tiny way, we can be and most probably have been at least once.
Keeping the Gospel pure is more important than what you look like or dress like or how much money you have or how you are able to read or write and if we lose sight of that we will fail to hear the Lord when He comes for the saints as He has promised to do and as our hope is fixed upon His appearing, so be it.
Looking for that blessed hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works.
These things speak,
and exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. Titus 2:13-15
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
James 2:1
