The story has been told of a man who asked a minister to conduct a memorial service for his pet dog. The minister was irate. “We do not hold memorial services for dead dogs! You might try the church down the street.” As he turned to leave the man said, “I really loved that dog. I was going to offer a million-dollar gift for performing the service.” The minister spoke up, “Wait a minute, you never told me your dog was a Christian!”

We all do it. Whatever the defining factors are-race, denomination, political views, gender, economic class, or interests, too often we categorize people as “in” or “out.” These categorizations are demonstrated when we play favourites. The sin of partiality is one of the most subtle of all. Partiality reveals a non-Christian sense of values. James wrote in James 2:1-17 to warn believers of the sin of partiality and to remind us of God’s sense of values. He taught his readers to avoid partiality by observing three specific principles.

First is the example of the rich man who would enter a church service. He would be wearing fine clothes and gold rings. The human tendency would be to welcome him warmly and invite him to sit in the place of honour. James warned against this preferential treatment, arguing in James 2:6-7, “Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” James stated that rich people should not be treated with any special honour or favour. True value in the kingdom of God has nothing to do with bank accounts, gold rings, or fine clothes.

Instead of honouring Jesus Christ, James’ readers were revering the rich and despising the poor. Instead of accepting people based on their faith in Christ, they showed favouritism based on appearance and status. Such choices allow evil to enter among believers. Our vision of God as the lover of all creation inspires us to welcome the stranger and uplift the impoverished. Beneath the exteriors of wealth and poverty and power and weakness, God’s Spirit lives. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us to treat the poor with grace and hospitality-with equality and hospitality-because our care for the creature and the Creator are one in the same reality.

James presented a second hypothetical example to illustrate his warning against the sin of partiality. He suggests that a poor man might come into the church dressed in filthy clothes. The tendency would be to treat him much differently than a rich person. James and Jesus tell us not to dishonour the poor, and to not put down a person simply because he or she is poor.

When James uses the term “my brethren,” he is about to point out something that his readers need to change in their lives. Here he denounces all forms of prejudice, snobbery, and lack of respect for people, especially with regard to the poor. The word “partiality” means “to receive the face” and describes the favouritism that was shown to the wealthy. Such conduct dishonors the Lord, who does not play favourites.

Earthly riches do not equal spiritual wealth any more than economic poverty indicates spiritual poverty. Those who love God, regardless of their earthly financial position, are rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Jesus calls on us to serve the ones who hate us; forgive the ones who hurt us; take the lowest place, not the highest; seek to serve, not to be served; retaliate, not in kind, but in kindness.

James emphatically states that mistreating the poor (or anyone else) does not just show a lack of respect, but it also violates God’s law. Here James refers not to just Mosaic law but to the law of God’s kingdom, which Jesus stressed throughout His earthly ministry. It is the law of loving a neighbour as oneself. James stressed in chapter 2 verse 8, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself,’ you do well.”

Jesus was anything but a snob. He never walked around with His nose in the air, reminding everyone that He was somebody special. He treated the Samaritan woman at the well as kindly as He treated noble Nicodemus. He was as gracious to a beggar and a prostitute as He was to Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue. James writes, “Act like Jesus Christ; think like He thought; live as He lived; treat others as He treated them.” The world says, “Treat people like they treat you.” Jesus challenges us to live with an entirely different attitude.

Most people whom God chooses to use are not rich or powerful. When Christians reject the poor in favour of the rich, they dishonor the very people whom God has singled out for special blessings in both this life and the next. Scripture tells us that the poor are precious in the Lord’s sight. James describes the faulty thinking of his readers. Here are the poor that God wants to bless, yet James’ readers ignore them. Here are the rich who are cheating them, yet James’ readers give them honour.

When we love another with Christ’s love, we are always at eye level. We can neither look up at another person nor down. Everyone who comes into our lives is on one level, whether rich or poor, bathed or unbathed, impressive or unimpressive. Love is the key to the Christian lifestyle. Love is the very essence of God. Jesus came to teach the importance of the life of love. In John 13:34-35, He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

This is the royal law of love. James states that this love is essential. He teaches us how to obey this royal law:

1. All of us have broken God’s law.
2. Only love can fulfill the law.
3. Only Christ can supply that love.

We can only fulfill this royal law when we:

1. Acknowledge that we have broken God’s law.
2. Discover that only the life of love can fulfill that law; and
3. Believe that only Christ can supply that love.

Then we must receive the gift of the Holy Spirit each day so that God’s love can live within us and flow from us to touch the lives of others. The law of liberty is not a series of separate edicts but a unified whole that ultimately calls God’s people to a life of love and mercy.

Verbal faith-faith that consists of words without actions-is insufficient. It cannot save, serve, or survive. But everyone profits when the love of God abides in the believer and is expressed through good works. When James asks, “Can faith save him?” he expects a negative answer, “Of course not!” A faith that does not demonstrate itself in works is not genuine. Although works do not earn salvation, they are necessary as the proof of genuine conversion. Real faith results in a compassionate life. Any professing Christian who refuses to help a brother or sister in need casts doubt on the integrity of his or her own faith. This person shows that he or she has never responded to the great mercy of God, and as an unredeemed person, will receive only strict, unrelieved judgment in eternal hell.

Faith unaccompanied by works was never alive. A workless faith is a worthless faith. As Martin Luther said, “It is as impossible to separate works from faith as it is to separate burning and shining from fire.” Saving faith must include deeds or works. Any faith without works is useless. Works can be placed into one of two categories. There are works of the flesh and works that are done with the help of the Holy Spirit which bring glory to God

The fruitfulness of our Christian life is not just the sounds we make or the activity we generate-what we say or how busy we are. As believers, we are no longer free to respond to people based on our feelings or emotions. We must choose to act according to the royal law.  Our fruitfulness is measured by what is actually produced in our lives-the fruit of the Spirit and our witness. Bible faith is always active faith, and active faith always results in something happening. It is inconceivable for those who are walking in the Spirit to say that they have faith if that faith is not translated into appropriate works of the Spirit in reaching out and responding to the needs of a brother or sister. In other words, actions really do speak louder than words.

An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/james-2-verses-1-17-actions-do-speak-louder-than-words–62149005

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp 1772-1773)
2. Cedar, P.A., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 34: James/1&2 Peter/Jude Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984; pp. 53-64)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1710-1712)
6. Jim Liebelt, “Playing Favorites.” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devitionals/homeword/
7. Dr. Paul Chappell, “Productive Faith.” Retrieved from daily@dailyintheword.org
8. Vikki Burke, “Love is a Gift.” Retrieved from www.dennisburkeministries.org
9. Stephen Davey, “Don’t Be a Snob.” Retrieved from www.wisdomonline.org