The Consequences of Favoritism
James 2:8-13
November 2, 2014
As you know we are working our way through the book of James.
It is a very candid look at what a Christian ought to look like.
James’ main focus for every Christian is simply that they “BE REAL”
And honestly we can all identify with this sentiment.
Nothing proves to be more frustrating to those who know Christ
Than the phony fringe that calls itself Christianity
And yet does not adhere to the standard of Christ.
While we certainly do not agree with Islam or Buddhism or Mormonism or Christian Science, or other false religions…
Even they don’t grieve us like those who take the name of Jesus
And yet refuse to follow Him.
It is frustrating to say the least, and that is also James’ frustration.
He is really only asking one thing:
If you claim to follow Jesus, would you at least determine to live like Him?
And honestly that is not too much to ask.
After all, every Christian has agreed to deny himself,
Take up his cross, and follow Jesus.
Beyond that, the goal of Christianity is to become like Christ.
Paul wrote:
Galatians 4:19 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you”
Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”
And so it is true that the success of our Christian calling
Is directly related to how much we look like Christ.
If Christ-likeness is the goal, then you can examine where you are in your Christian journey by how much you look like Him.
And James is more than willing to help you with that task.
• He has brought up issues like how we handle trials
• He has brought up issues like how we respond to God’s word
• He has brought up issues like the goal of our religion
And last Sunday night he introduced the concept of favoritism.
What we looked at last week is really the moral side of favoritism.
James really just appealed to our conscience or our moral code,
Even our own logic to expose why favoritism is wrong.
He shamed us for any time we judge people
Based on their status or their wealth or their race.
James appealed to us that this is wrong because
It reveals a selfish motive whereby we are only trying to rub elbows
With people who can benefit us in return.
Obviously this is not the mindset that a Christian should have.
Jesus Himself said:
Luke 14:12-14 “And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
In short, favoritism should just feel wrong to a Christian.
Something about it should prick your conscience.
You just ought not to be able to live with yourself if you play favorites.
Favoritism that disregards the poor and caters to the rich
Actually reveals a standard of judgment
That is absolutely opposite of God’s standard.
God has accepted the poor man and granted him faith
God has rejected the rich man because of his self-sufficiency
But those who show selfish favoritism do just the opposite.
And we talked about all that last week.
James just really revealed that favoritism is in fact morally wrong
And it should bother you when you show it.
Well, if James wasn’t successful in appealing to your conscience,
Tonight James is going to appeal to your sense of self-preservation.
Tonight we examine the legal side of favoritism.
Maybe your conscience isn’t bothered by showing favoritism,
Well rest assured that this does not get you off the hook.
There is a real and certain punishment that awaits it.
If a thief won’t quit stealing simply because it is morally wrong, then maybe he’ll quit under threat of punishment.
That is where James takes us tonight.
Having seen the moral side of favoritism,
Now let’s look at the legal side of it.
And tonight we learn that not only is favoritism wrong,
It is dangerous…for you.
There are two points James makes tonight.
#1 FAVORITISM REVEALS A LACK OF LOVE RESULTING IN CONVICTION
James 2:8-11
You will quickly recognize that verse 8 is very much
A part of the argument James started back in verse 1.
The word “however” provides that link.
He talked about showing favoritism and judging with evil motives,
Here James talks about the flip side.
“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,’ you are doing well.”
After showing us that you are doing wrong if you show favoritism,
Here James says “you are doing well” when you don’t.
This is in fact a barometer from James
That provides a means of evaluating your Christian life.
Do you want to know how you are doing in your endeavor to follow Christ?
Do you want to know if He is pleased with you?
Well, here is a gauge.
• If you are showing favoritism, you are not doing very well.
• If however you are showing love (the opposite of favoritism) “you are doing well.”
Hopefully it is your desire to hear the Lord say,
“Well done, good and faithful servant…”
Well, if you aren’t showing favoritism, that is exactly what He is saying.
LOVE IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAVORITISM
And when we show love we are “doing well” because:
“Love” is the fulfillment of the Law.
Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Matthew 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Whenever you purpose not to wrong your brother,
But to treat him as you desire to be treated,
You are doing exactly what the Law intended.
In short, YOU ARE GETTING IT
But an attempt to keep all the commandments,
But not to do well to your brother totally misses the point.
(9) “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
I hope this is serious to you, it certainly would have been to the Jews.
It is a tragedy that “sin” no longer frightens us like it is supposed to.
We talked about it a few weeks ago,
But really our concern is suffering not sinning.
But listen, if your fear is suffering, then you ought to fear sin.
Because sin causes the ultimate suffering.
Sin causes eternal suffering at the hand of a holy God.
If you really don’t like suffering then you really ought to avoid sin.
The Jews understood this.
When you read their Law, sin was the ultimate taboo.
It literally meant “to miss the mark”
To commit a sin was to be a chronic spiritual underachiever.
To be a sinner was one who did not measure up.
It is to be one who let God down and did not please Him.
Nothing could be worse than to sin.
Except possible to be a transgressor.
A transgressor was the worst kind of sinner.
It wasn’t just one who missed the mark, it was one who took their failure and rubbed it right in the face of God.
It is to know what God has forbidden and to essentially say,
“I don’t care” and do it anyway.
And this is very serious!
Numbers 15:30-31 “But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. ‘Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.'”
God adds insubordination to a long list of things that can cause you to be “cut off”.
And James wants to make sure that his readers understand that
Showing “partiality” is not only “sin” but also makes you “transgressors”
Deuteronomy 1:17 “You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’”
Leviticus 19:15-18 “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”
Those commands make it clear that showing “partiality”
Is not only falling short of God’s divine standard
But is also a clear act of subordination against God.
That is you doing what God specifically told you not to do,
And James says that brings a conviction in God’s court of law.
You “are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
When you stand before the Judge, and the evidence is given,
God will look you and the eye and declare you guilty.
And here is the kicker.
He will not just declare you guilty of showing partiality,
He will also declare you guilty of insubordination.
“convicted by the law as” What? (not “as partial”)
“transgressors”
You will be guilty for your sin and guilty for your lack of reverence to Him.
And that is what James continues to show.
It’s not so much about what sin you committed,
As much as it is about the fact that you completely ignored God.
(10-11) “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
Here James makes that famous statement about how
If you break one command you are guilty of it all.
WHY?
Well, there is a key phrase James uses.
“For He who said…also said…”
What James is reminding you of is that breaking the Law
Is not primarily a morality issue.
When God gave the Law, the main issue wasn’t your morality,
It was your level of obedience.
It’s not just about you doing right or wrong
It’s about whether or you not you will do what God says.
(That’s why some of the commands of God seemed far-fetched)
And if you break any Law,
It really doesn’t matter if in your mind it was a big one or a little one,
Either way you totally disrespected God’s authority.
THAT IS THE ISSUE.
Sure James listed two of the sins that the Jews saw as particularly heinous, “Murder” and “Adultery”
And Jews knew those things were wrong and detestable.
But James reminds them that keeping commands like that,
But breaking the command about favoritism
Equally makes you a transgressor of God’s Law.
Let me put it to you with perhaps a more modern day spin.
• You are aware that homosexuality is a sin
• You are aware that abortion is a sin
• You are aware that rape is a sin
And anyone who does that we obviously label them
As one who missed the mark.
But what about those seemingly insignificant commands like
“pray without ceasing” or “do not forsake assembling together”
Or do not have “an attitude of personal favoritism”?
Do you realize that failing to obey those commands is just as heinous to God as failing to obey those commands about the “big” sins?
Because regardless of the sin, you disregarded God’s command.
That is transgression.
And that is James’ point.
• The issue is whether or not you have a genuine fear of the Lord
• The issue is whether or not you have a desire to obey Him
• The issue is whether or not you have submitted to His authority
Any time I would speed Carrie would say to me,
“Do you not believe in the authority of the word of God?”
(The Bible says to submit to the governing authorities)
Now that would get me, but at the core she was right.
Breaking a command is breaking a command
Regardless of what the command is.
I would never have killed someone,
But speeding didn’t seem like a big deal,
And yet both are a clear cut case of insubordination against God.
In both cases I would stand before the Judge and He would say, “Guilty of insubordination, you are a transgressor of My command.”
And so James’ first point is pretty loaded.
FAVORITISM IS A LACK OF LOVE RESULTING IN A CONVICTION.
If you don’t avoid it because it is morally wrong,
Then avoid it because it is legally wrong.
#2 FAVORITISM IS A LACK OF MERCY RESULTING IN JUDGMENT
James 2:12-13
Failing to love will bring a certain conviction under God’s court of Law,
But a conviction is only the beginning.
Being convicted is only scary because of what follows the conviction
JUDGMENT
People wouldn’t worry about being declared guilty
If there was no punishment for being guilty.
Well not only does James point out a conviction,
Now he moves on to the judgment.
It starts with a clear command.
“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”
Now let’s talk about this a second.
What is “the law of liberty”?
It is not a law that condemns, it is a law that frees.
We are not here talking about the Law of Moses,
We are talking about the Law of Christ.
The Law of Moses brought condemnation and death.
Romans 7:9-10 “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;”
Galatians 4:8-9 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?”
That Law condemned men up under their sin
And brought the full force of punishment upon sinners.
That is obviously NOT the Law we want to be under.
We desire “the law of liberty”
2 Corinthians 3:4-6 “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Those in Christ have been redeemed from the Law.
• They have been shown mercy
• They have had their debt paid
• They have been granted righteousness.
That is what Paul meant:
Romans 8:3-4 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Christ paid the debt against us and granted us His righteousness and thus those who are Christians are no longer judged by the Law of Moses.
We are now judged by “the law of liberty”
All the sins we’ve previously committed have been paid in full.
Christ has settled it.
We will stand before Christ to answer for how we lived as Christians,
But it will not be a condemning judgment.
We won’t stand judgment as objects of wrath,
We will stand there as objects of mercy.
We are now under “the law of liberty”
You should understand that.
Well James says it’s time for you to live like it.
“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”
You of all people should understand the value of mercy.
You of all people should understand the value of not being treated as you deserve.
You of all people should understand the value of not being discriminated against.
And certainly that would be even more true
For those of us who are Gentiles.
We should have been discriminated against and yet Christ didn’t.
• He accepted us
• He called us
• He accepted the filthy, the blind, the lame, the unclean
He showed us mercy when we didn’t deserve it.
Now James says,
LIVE LIKE PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF MERCY
WHY?
(13) “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy;”
That statement is the flip side of what Jesus taught.
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
What they are saying is that you won’t show mercy
Then you obviously haven’t received it.
A failure to offer mercy is a failure to understand it,
And this then is a failure to have received it.
AND PEOPLE WITHOUT MERCY ONLY RECEIVE JUDGMENT
TURN TO: MATTHEW 18:21-35
That man makes an accurate illustration of what James is talking about.
That man totally disregarded the value of mercy and thus didn’t receive it.
And that is James’ point.
• If you show favoritism you can expect to be convicted in God’s court of Law.
• And if you are convicted of not having mercy you can expect to be judged to the full extent of the Law.
And so James leaves us with one final yet penetrating truth.
“mercy triumphs over judgment”
Now, after learning that you will be convicted for favoritism
And after learning that you will be judged without mercy
DOES MERCY SOUND LIKE A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING TO YOU?
Obviously we will agree that mercy is a pretty good thing.
THEN OFFER IT TO OTHERS
When that poor man
Or that dirty man
Or that man of different race
Or that man of different status
When that man comes in
Why don’t you try offering him what you wish to receive?
Why don’t you give him mercy?
Why don’t you show him love?
Why don’t you treat him as you wish to be treated?
THAT IS WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU
AND THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO FOR OTHERS!
IN SHORT:
START LIVING LIKE JESUS!
Favoritism is morally wrong, but it’s also legally wrong
And it nothing like Christ.
If you want to claim to be a follower of Jesus, then by all means
• Live like He lived.
• Walk like He walked.
• Speak like He spoke.
• Love like He loved.
• Be merciful like He was merciful.
“mercy triumphs over judgment”
