James Expounds on Faith Volume 18

 Avoid, Abstain, & Abhor the Sin of Partiality Part 1

James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle James now makes the point of seeing each and every believer in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as equal no matter their state or rank among the people of this world 🗺 because Christ shed His Blood for each man 👨 woman 👩 boy 👦 or girl 👧 that has accepted Him and truly been saved by Him (Romans 10:9-10). The Apostle James uses very strong 💪 language but clear language for us to get the message loud and clear that we are to avoid, abstain, and abhor the sin of partiality, that is, liking or favoring some believers over others because of their position in the world 🗺 or the amount of money 💵 they may have over others, here is what he declares to us, "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?" (James 2:1-4) (KJV). According to the Apostle James as declared by the Bible by Olive Tree 🎄 in the Introduction to the Epistle of James, "Faith harbors no prejudice. For James, faith and favoritism cannot coexist. Faith displays itself in works. Faith is more than mere words; it is more than knowledge; it is demonstrated by obedience; and it overtly responds to the promises of God." The equality of all Christians is paramount to our Father in Heaven and our Lord Jesus Christ and the Divine Spirit, therefore, to show favoritism to one over another is to declare or live as if the Holy Trinity is crooked or skewed and that God picks and chooses who deserves salvation and who does not, when in actuality He says this to all of humanity, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17) (KJV). It is the Lord of Glory who also glorifies His adopted sons and daughters and He has already glorified each and everyone of us with the same glory, as it is written, "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Romans 8:30) (NKJV). As we can see then, in the sight of the Father all of His children 🧒 have already the Glory of Christ whether we are still alive as pilgrims and sojourners on the earth 🌎 or whether we are with Him in Heaven. Amen!

Here is what F.B. Meyer had to say of showing partiality to the rich believer (in earthly temporal things) over the poor believer in the Church ⛪, "This sin of making distinctions in God’s house is as rife today as ever; and wherever it is practiced the Divine Spirit departs. God’s love is impartial, so far as outward appearances might affect it; and in His Church the only real differences must be those of humility, purity and righteousness. 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' whether they be rich in this world’s goods or not. But it is easier for a poor man to be rich in faith and an heir of the Kingdom, because he can give more of his attention to the things of the Spirit. The law of love must be supreme with us; and we must love our fellows, whatever their position or property, as ourselves, for Christ’s sake. If we fail in this, we show that we have never entered into the heart of the Christian faith. A man may observe all the laws of health; but if he inhale one whiff of poison he may die; so we may be outwardly obedient to the entire Decalogue, but delinquency in love will invalidate everything." Here is what John Wesley had to say of showing partiality to the rich believer (in earthly temporal things) over the poor believer in the Church ⛪, "My brethren-The equality of Christians, intimated by this name, is the ground of the admonition. Hold not the faith of our common Lord, the Lord of glory - Of which glory all who believe in him partake. With respect of persons - That is, honour none merely for being rich; despise none merely for being poor. With gold rings - Which were not then so common as now. Ye look upon him - With respect. Ye distinguish not - To which the most respect is due, to the poor or to the rich. But are become evil - reasoning judges - You reason ill, and so judge wrong: for fine apparel is no proof of worth in him that wears it."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…