Sorry for the late updates, been busy with work. But, here's another Sunday School Lesson my church did from Lifeway. Enjoy!

The Passage:

James 2:1-13

1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect unto him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do no rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called? 8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

The Lesson:

We say, "Don't judge a book by its cover." But that's exactly what these first-century Christians were guilty of doing. They were making judgments based on outward appearances and first impressions. Specifically, they were showing preference to the wealthy over the poor.
James asked, if a man comes to an "assembly" (church) wearing "goodly apparel" (fine clothes) and a "gold ring", do you pay special attention to him? Does he get "respect" (preferential treatment")? And if a "poor man in vile raiment" (clothing of little worth) comes in, do you have a special section for him? The answer to the first century was "Yes!" The words "gay clothing" in verse 3 point back to the words "goodly apparel" of verse 2.
Are we any different today? If the house next door to you is for sale and you see a family of a different ethnicity taking a tour,m do you secretly hope they don't buy? If two people walk into your business and once is dressed in overalls and driving an old pick-up and the other is dressed in Armani clothing and drives a Lexus, does that affect your willingness to help? ...The ugly truth is we prefer people who look like us, act like us, and meet our standards. Some people say "We don't like their kind". This means we don't like people who are different. To discriminate for or against wealthy people or poor people is not acceptable to God.

QUESTION: What kinds of experiences affect who we want to be around?

God doesn't discriminate (Act 10:34-35), but when we show partiality, we are guilty of discrimination. We have made distinctions among ourselves. we also have become judges with evil motives. God wants us to be wise and make good judgments about people (Matt. 10:16). But when our judgments have evil and selfish motives--picking people who are like us or who can help us; or rejecting those we don't know, like or understand--then we miss God's heart.

God doesn't shut the door on the rich. The Bible doesn't condemn successful people for being successful. You do not have to apologize if you have been blessed financially. But this church was making the rich people feel welcomed and the poor people feel shunned. This dishonors the poor person who also is made in the image of God. The rich are not always as pure as the driven snow. James says the rich were guilty of oppressing the Christians and dragging them into court, thereby blaspheming the very name of Jesus.

When we show partiality, we miss the heart of Gd. that's what James meant by using the term "blaspheme" in verse 7. To blaspheme means speak irreverently. When we call ourselves Christians ("the name by which ye are called") and show partiality, we fail to follow God's teachings. Since God does not play favorites, neither should I. Would it be accurate to say that to the extent I obey God, I will not play favorites?

QUESTION: What are some examples of showing honor versus playing favorites?

Jesus said the whole law could be summed up in this: loving God and loving others as ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40). If you are fulfilling that law, James says you are doing well. That is pleasing to God.
But notice what James says is true "if ye have respect of persons." Showing respect (partiality, discrimination) means you make a judgment based on external appearances, the face value of a person. When we allow the way we treat people to change based on the color of their skin, their appearance, the clothes they wear or the cars they drive, then we are guilty of partiality. And James says "Ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." God's law is not a cafeteria plan where we pick and choose what to obey. When we discriminate or play favorites, we're telling God we know more than He does; this is sin!

We may attempt to minimize showing favoritism or harboring racism, claiming it's "not so bad"--at least we aren't murderers, we are not THAT bad. But God doesn't grade on a curve; He doesn't say the "good sinners" will be OK. Sin is sin and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23) whether you commit "big" sins or socially acceptable ones. People who show partiality deserve the same punishment as the worst murderer on death row. God doesn't play favorites--and neither should we. According to verse 12, we are commanded to speak and act "as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." Our best understanding of "the law of liberty" is that God's law gibes us liberty; it frees us to be who God calls us to be and to do what He calls us to do.

QUESTION:What's at stake when I play favorites?

That's it!

Until next time,

Ohana