Christians, Show No Favoritism

"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet, ' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?...If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." (James 2:1-4; 8-9, NIV) [Read James 2:1-9]

In James 2:1 we have the rare occasion in James' letter when he refers to "our glorious Lord Jesus Christ." Recall that most scholars hold this James, writer of the epistle, to be the half-brother of Jesus and pastor of the church at Jerusalem. Here, however, James breaks through his usual reserve in speaking of the Master and reveals his devotion to Jesus Christ. And it is timely in that it precedes the passage about not showing favoritism to the rich over the poor. James had learned from the Lord, his half-brother, that the poor are important, not to be shunned, even in the assembly of believers. If we cater to the rich, maybe with the idea that more money will come into the church coffers if the rich are treated royally, whereas, the poor can only be a drain on the budget as the church tries to help them, we are going against the law of love. In this passage, James also reminds us that we are to "Love your neighbor as yourself." And both the poor and the rich are our neighbors-our fellow human beings who need love, compassion and consideration-but not favoritism, one above the other.

In looking back over the many years my husband served as a pastor and in the last portion of his years of service as a director of missions for associations, I recall how hard sometimes it was to put James' teaching on favoritism into practice. It is not that we favored rich over poor in our congregation, or sough to turn from the spiritual needs of either. But when you consider faithful church members, those who were in their places of service, teaching, singing, visiting, leading youth and children, giving faithfully to causes the church supported, there was a tendency to show favoritism. Maybe I should call it appreciation, for that we indeed had for them. The same held true in the association. Some churches provided leadership for associational positions and likewise supported the budget. It was hard not to show favoritism for these faithful member-churches. But I must say to my dear husband's credit that as a pastor he put into practice James' advice, showing love and consideration for all-whether rich or poor. As director of missions he visited and encouraged the smaller churches with enthusiasm and concern, just as he visited the supportive churches. In fact, because there were more of the smaller churches and they needed help more, he often assisted them more. But in either case, he sought not to favor one more than the other.

To neglect what James terms 'the royal law of love' is to fail to see people with their needs. Poor or rich, all stand in need of God's love and of the Christian's love for them. Christian love is revealed in acts of compassion and acceptance. A faith that does not result in loving treatment of others leaves doubt as to a person's relationship with God. "God is love," and His children show love to rich and poor, without thought of favoritism, one above the other.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, October 16, 2010