Trailblazin Ministries

Favoritism: Part 4 - James 2:4

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Wednesday, 22 August 2007

So, what's the point of all of this? We have spent quite a bit of time developing James' example of favoritism and looking at how this was not to be a part of the Christian life, but that doesn't seem to get to the heart of the matter. Sure, we understand that we, as Christians, aren't supposed to do that, but what is the reason why? In verse 1, James simply said don't do it; in verses 2-3 he gave us an example of how it happens; in today's passage we're going to look at why we are not to show favoritism by starting in James 2:4.

James 2:4 (NASB95) - 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

I love the way James phrases this question, especially considering that it is very similarly worded in each major English translation. The way the question is phrased, it demands an answer, and the answer that comes back cannot help but to be, "Yes, we have." By giving his example, James was saying to his readers, "Look! This is what's starting to happen in the churches, you're giving favorable treatment to those who have money and it's wrong! Aren't you doing this with evil motives?!" Again, the answer is, yes, they have. When this kind of thing happens it is clearly an indication that evil motives and desires are in play, and when money is involved you can guess what's coming next. Why cozy up next to a poor man when he has nothing to offer you? Instead, get close to the rich man, and maybe he'll slip you some change for your kind treatment. Isn't that the kind of thinking that goes on in this kind of situation? This is precisely what James wanted to address in this portion of his letter.

How much better than the world have we become if we are operating in the same manner that they do? It is the world that looks at the external part of a man and makes a judgment from it. It is the world who shows favoritism to the one who has the ability to make them look better or put them in a more favorable position. That simply is not the way that things should be for a Christian. In this instance, I am reminded of two passages of Scripture, the first being John 7:24, which reads, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment (NASB95)." The other passage is Matthew 25:40, which reads, "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me (NASB95).'" Both of these passages are the words of Jesus, and they help to drive home the point of what James is saying in this passage. In the John passage, we see Jesus telling us that we are not to judge according to appearance (think back to the example James gave), but to judge righteously, which basically means to make a fruit inspection and call the tree by the fruit it bears. In the instance here, it means looking at the person's character, instead of the externals. In the Matthew passage, we see Jesus concluding His speech on the treatment of the poor, and how if we treat them well it is looked upon by God as doing these things to Him. Referring back to James, this is how we are to be treating others, regardless of any external circumstances or appearances. Think back to James 1:26-27 and how James spoke vividly of the worthless religion versus a pure one; it was the pure religion that did these things.

There is so much more that we could take away from this passage, but I think this gives us a solid understanding of the point that James was trying to make. The consequence of showing favoritism is that it is sin, and is a stench in the nostrils of God. It all goes back to the second greatest commandment that Jesus gave: love others as yourself. You know you love yourself because you value your life and want the best from it, and we should react in the same manner with any individual we encounter. To do otherwise is to operate with evil motives, and that, my friends, is a blatant sin in the eyes of a holy God. All of His people are created equal and deserve to be treated as such. Tomorrow, we'll dig even deeper and see what James has to say in verse 5 as he starts to give details on why this is sin and admonishing his readers to do better. Until then, keep your armor on!