Why does the Bible take issue with exercising value in a discriminative way towards people? We serve a God who shows his love for both the rich, poor; and people of every nation, tribe and tongue without partiality. James labors in exposing and rebuking favoritism that is operating among the saints. When we fail to imitate the character of God (who shows no partiality, Rom 2:11), we become transgressors of his law. This devotional offers a couple exhortations that are instructional to the church that we may glorify him in our judgements of people.
What law is being referred to by James? At the time period by which he pens this epistle, the New Testament had not been written yet. He (as did all the Apostles) draws from the Old Testament to convey the Word and Will of God through the redemptive lens, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Remember, the Ten Commandments (i.e., Decalogue) were given to Israel in Exodus 20. Jesus taught that the entirety of the law is summed up in two great commandments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (38) This is the great and first commandment. (39) And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (40) On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 22:37-40). It is on this divine ordinance by which James roots the foundation of his teaching against partiality, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well'” (v8). In other words, we have two primary relationship lines in our lives:
- Vertical – God
- Horizontal – People
While our love for God is primary, it is also inseparable and interlinked with our love for people. We cannot have one without the other. How we love people is a reflection of our love for God. Period. Here is truthful observation: Often, if we are found practicing partiality in our dealings with people, then we at the same time are being partial in how we obey his commands. For example, we might show favoritism to, “thou shall not kill,” but at same time place lesser priority on hatred of our brother. My friends, God makes no such distinctions as it concerns his commands, for James taught, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (v10). In other words, to profess to love God, but at the same time have enmity in our hearts for people still makes us a transgressor of the whole law. We have no better standing before God when we place discriminative value between the commandments we think are more important than others based on the ones we perceive that we obey better. Even John taught, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 Jn 3:15, cf., Mt 5:21-26). Just as there is no such thing as a partial transgressor of the law of God, neither does scripture offer any provision for us to add our own value judgements to the commandments of God.
The primary key in helping us to overcome our natural inclination to be partial with people is to grow in loving God above all things. As we mature spiritually in this “vertical” relationship, we shall also blossom in our “horizontal” relationships with people. We shall begin to see all people as God does……his image bearers. Humility helps us here. When we recognize that we are all law breakers, who have fallen short of the glory of God, we can see our need for Jesus. By his Spirit, we can learn to be as He is and love people as He does, without partiality. We will abandon a form of self-righteousness that only sees others fallness, while blinding us to our own.
Blessings,
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D.
www.springoflivingwaters.com