James 2:1–13 (NKJV)
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Our sinful nature revels in partiality. We generally prefer to be associated with people who dress well, speak well, eat well, are better educated, and live well. To be around these types of people gives us a better feeling about ourselves. To be accepted by these types of people lifts us up and causes us to be seen in a better light in our workplace and communities. Our sinful nature is also generally put off by folks who are not well-educated, not well-dressed, and not well-spoken. We may shy away from folks whom we deem “lesser” citizens because of their lifestyles, choices, and economic status.
Further, our sinful nature generally and quite naturally tends to show less mercy to others than we would expect to receive for ourselves. We tend to want certain folks to suffer appropriate consequences for what we may deem as poor choices. We tend not to cover for them in certain situations; we’d rather stand back and let them “get what they deserve.” To deny these thoughts, words, and actions is to deny that you are a sinner. To deny these accusations is to be as much of a blasphemer as those who oppress the poor and drag them into courts (James 2:6).
But to accept these truths is good. We need to accept the fact that our sinful nature reeks at times of favoritism, judgmentalism, and partiality. And when we own those sins and attitudes – when we confess them – by the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word, we agree with James that we “have become judges with evil thoughts.” And then we get to repent of these and all other sins and receive Holy Absolution and the Lord’s Supper which deliver Jesus’ forgiveness to us. For repentance, wrought by God through His Word, brings us to receive mercy and not judgment. Our sins have been paid for by Christ’s all-atoning sacrifice on the cross. He is merciful toward us.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for your love and mercy which you give without measure. Amen.
