Faith Over Favoritism | Sermon 04/03/2022

James 2:1-7

James gives an imperative to these scattered Christians that true faith in Christ regards the glory of God and does not hold the so-called “glory” of man above the Lord’s. They are not to have personal favoritism with one person over another. As God is impartial in His character and election of the redeemed so are we not to be partial. He now gives a scenario that has key indicators to demonstrate this sort of thing has happened before. A man walks into a Christian worship service with bright and shining clothing with a gold ring on his finger signaling to some level of wealth or status. While another man walks in clothes of dirt the text says; they are stained, faded, and now carry an odor. The saints in that assembly then crowd around the rich man showing him to the front to give him a seat of status just like the wicked Pharisees would do. But the poor man is seen as a blemish on their congregation despite most of them coming from the same circumstances; he stands in the back or sits on the floor by a prominent member’s footstool.

James pulls the reader out of the scenario and asks a question they should know the answer to. They have divided these men in their hearts. Both men are in Christ but they have made one of more importance than the other, disregarding the poor brother. They have become like evil judges with motives for self-gain. But he reminds them that God’s choice is flawless while theirs is terribly flawed. The poor in spirit are rich in faith because Christ became poor for us. He gives an inheritance of the heavenly kingdom to people who otherwise would have no inheritance or worse yet, an inheritance in hell fire. James reminds them that giving deference to the rich is foolish as many of the rich are the ones who oppressed them, dragged them to court so to take advantage of them. And worse of all, they often blasphemed the name of the glorious Lord Jesus Christ whom is their Master. The Christian shows no preference to earthly merit because earthly merit won’t earn the free grace of God in Christ.