James 2:1-13 <—Click to read the verse

We shouldn’t show partiality and favoritism to anyone. Everyone is equally broken and equally in need of Jesus. No one is better or less than another. If you commit one sin then you’re guilty of them all. One sin is no worse than any other. Don’t measure up people by their riches. God looks at our hearts. 1 Samuel 16:7 and 1 Timothy 5:21. Those who show partiality and favoritism commit sin. 

Three Reasons Why Favoritism Is a Sin. 

1: It is inconsistent with God’s nature. Romans 2:11 and Acts 10:34-35 says that God doesn’t show favoritism. 

2: It is inconsiderate to others. When a person shows partiality and favoritism it reveals hidden prejudice and discriminations. The root of discrimination is pride. Being prideful thinking we are better than others. Philippians 2:3 says we should esteem others as better than ourselves. 

3: It is incompatible with the law of love. In James 2:8-9 where it says to love your neighbor like yourself is quoting Leviticus 19:18. 

When we show favoritism we are a transgressor and are committing a transgression. We are devaluing what God values. 

In James 2:10-11 it warn us against two important things

1: Selective Obedience

2: Relative Innocence

We don’t get to select and choose what we think is a worse sin than others. Sin is sin and when we break one of the laws then we have broke them all. Let’s take choosing between ice cream and brussel sprouts. Most would choose ice cream every time. The brussel sprouts may need butter and seasoning to choke down but they’re good for us. By the same token some verses may be easier to digest and obey than others. Some verses are more challenging but they are all good. So we are to be obedient to all and we can’t pick and choose what we obey by putting lack of importance on some sins. It is a package deal. We are accountable to obey all and we are guilty of breaking all if we disobey one. 

Here is an example of relative innocence. A person may admit that they cheat on their spouse but they excuse it by saying ‘but hey I’ve never killed anyone’. As if the fact they’ve not murdered anyone is something they have going for them. It doesn’t work that way. That’s like being an accountant and your client told you to transfer 100 million dollars from one account to another. Instead you transferred 99 million dollars and kept 1 million for yourself. Would your boss be ok with that? You will still be fired and likely go to jail even though you did 99% of what you were told to do. The 1% is what you were judged for. We all break the law. Not one of us can keep the law which is why we need a Savior. Just remember that sin is sin to God and we should view it that way too. 

Those who believe and have accepted Jesus as their Savior live under grace. James 2:12 speaks about “law of liberty” some translations read “law of freedom”. Do we have liberty or freedom but are we still bound to the moral code of the law? If we truly believe and have accepted Jesus into our hearts and we are filled with The Holy Spirit then the desire should be in us to please God, honor Him and want to bring Him glory and praise with our lives. We should also produce fruit. What good is it to be a believer if we don’t produce any fruit. Why would Jesus die for us and nothing change in us. If we produce no fruit then we should check ourselves and spend some time talking to God to be certain we truly repented and accepted Jesus. 

There are 3 categories of The Old Testament Law. 

Ceremonial, dietary and moral. Good news. Colossians 2:16-17 Paul explains how we are no longer bound by festivals, ceremonial and dietary laws. They have been fulfilled in Christ. In Mark 7:19 Jesus declared all foods as clean for it’s not what goes into a man that makes him unclean but is what comes from his heart. The heart is the sinful issue. These things have been fulfilled in Christ. Some things may be good for you. We may for our own reasons decide to not eat certain foods. That is ok but don’t think you have to follow dietary laws in The Old Testament. 

Jesus fulfilled the law. We could never live up to the law so God sent Jesus to do it for us. We now must believe in Jesus, accept Him into our hearts as our Savior. Then turn from sin and follow Jesus. That is not to say that we throw away the law. Many parts of the law are repeated as commandments and instructions in the New Testament. The moral code of the law remains intact and we are to follow it. Jesus fulfilled the law but He did not replace it. Jesus is the moral code. 

James 2:13 is a hard one. It is explained below by giving you the possible interpretation from two commentaries. 

1: God exalts mercy over judgment. 

2: A merciful man rejoices over opportunities to show mercy more than judgment. 

The verse could be translated as either of these or perhaps a little of both. Most Bible scholars seem to lean toward number 2 and a little of both but that’s only an opinion.