Discrimination in the church?

Rich Man, Poor Man?

James 2:1-13

Introduction:  It has been said that the most segregated hour in American society is the Sunday morning worship service.  Perhaps the most obvious kind of segregation is racial.  That seems odd when we consider the diversity that we’ll experience in Heaven as people from every race and nation gather around His throne in worship. Rev 5:9-10 says “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  ¹⁰ and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." That beautiful harmony will be ours to experience with the Lord for eternity, yet so often we tend to prefer being with people that are just like us.  There are other areas as well where something we see in others causes us to discriminate against one in favor of another.  Most of the areas in which we tend to discriminate are merely external factors, like how we dress, our income, our cultural background, our profession or our education. Let’s face it, in Maine it sometimes makes a difference if you are from here, or “from away.” If it affects the way we treat people, even that can become a problem. How can this be? Prejudice may be part of our fallen human nature, but we will see in this passage that it is clearly still sin and so inconsistent with our new life in Christ.

 Remember that James has been painting a picture for us, showing us what healthy, mature Christianity should look like. These are the kinds of things that should characterize authentic faith in Christ in the first chapter.

   1) First we saw that our response to the crises in life not only reveals maturity but is part of the process God will use in maturing us: James 1:2-3 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” We don’t rejoice because of trials, but we are not surprised by them, and we trust that God will work in every situation for our good and for His glory, so we can rejoice in the Lord always.

   2) Secondly, a mature believer doesn’t blame God or anyone else for the temptations to sin that he faces. On the contrary we know that we are responsible for how we handle temptations, as we read in James 1:14  “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire…” Rather than blaming God we are confident that He is good and that He always acts in a way that is consistent with His nature.  “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone” (James 1:13).  Rather, James 1:17 says  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning…” In our Wednesday night prayer meeting we’ve seen in the psalms the frequent use of the word tov, “good,” or “good things,” to reflect the blessings we receive in being in a covenantal relationship with Yahweh, the Lord God. He doesn’t change.

   3) We saw next in the first chapter that a mature believer receives the Word of God, hearing with faith, ready to take God at His Word and do what He asks: James says in 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  Remember the words of Nate Saint: “Obedience is not a momentary option, it is a die cast decision made beforehand.”  As the song writer said, “Trust and Obey, there is no other way…” Believers believe, and they make choices that show they believe. 

     Here in James 2 we are given one more indication of healthy faith, one more truth that will reveal that our heart is being conformed to God’s…

The Big Idea: There is no room for prejudice in the church.  Believers should consistently reflect the grace and mercy of God to all.

I. Discrimination has no place in the Church of Jesus Christ (2:1-4). 

          The Principle: Do not show favoritism (v.1)! “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” The language here is grammatically an imperative. It is not a suggestion, it is a command, or better, a prohibition: this is something that you should not do. The statement in v.4 makes it clear that they have been guilty of prejudice, “…have you not made distinctions among yourselves…”  The truth is, we tend to do this all the time and for all kinds of external reasons. Financial status, ethnicity, cultural background, where they come from… We tend to categorize people and “pre-judge” them, and it will affect how we treat them.

A guy drives into the parking lot in his BMW and walks in wearing a tailored Armani suit, we will undoubtedly take notice. Not only that but he is carrying a Bible, and it’s even the right translation!  We will probably do our best to make him feel welcome, maybe even see if he has lunch plans. A homeless person comes in, dirty, unwashed clothes, more than a little musty, we’d most likely find a place for him. We might even give him a few dollars to get a sandwich at Bet’s, but would we invite him out to lunch, or into our home? That’s the kind of example that James uses here. Why do we favor one over the other? Are they not both created in God’s image, and in need of His grace?

         The Example: The tendency to favor the rich over the poor (2:2-4). ² For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,  ³ and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet,"  ⁴ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” Do you see the picture James is painting?  He describes the rich man as a “gold fingered man.” Rings were common enough in the ancient near east, but gold rings were not for the common folk, they were for the rich. The language here may imply multiple rings on his fingers. He walks into the assembly, and he receives a warm welcome and is given the best seat, a place of honor.  There is nothing wrong with that. There is no sin in receiving him, in making him feel welcome. It’s good to be welcoming to everyone!  But in James’ example, then a poor man comes in, a beggar, a homeless guy that we are a little repulsed by or a little afraid of, what do we do? We may make an effort to be accepting, hand him a bulletin, shake his hand. But we probably wouldn’t change our plans to make him feel accepted.

        Notice the circumstance that should guide our impartiality: “…do not hold to faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. [Then v.2 starts] For…” This is the reason this kind of behavior is inappropriate for Christ followers. James points to Jesus. This is language similar to what we saw in John 1, “We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten Son, full of grace and truth...” Jesus is the Lord of glory: He is God, and it is because of His grace that we know Him, we have no room for boasting!  God is more interested in the heart than anything external. You recall that even the prophet Samuel had issues with that when he was sent to Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel from among his sons: We read in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” There is no room for prejudice in the church.  Believers should consistently reflect the grace and mercy of God to all.

II. Be more like Jesus: If He is interested in the poor shouldn’t we be also (2:5-7)? Jesus said in Matthew 10:25, “It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.” James appeals tenderly to his brothers in the flesh (who are also brothers in the faith), “Listen my beloved brethren…” 

        First of all, God has consistently chosen the poor (2:5-6a). We give preferential treatment to people of means, or people with the right education or in the right profession, even though we read in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God…"

     Here, in 2:5,6 James turns to the electing grace of God which is so frequently extended to the poor:  “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?  ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man.” We need to see like Jesus sees!

          Secondly, who is it that historically has given the church more problems? It’s the rich and powerful that have consistently worked against the church (2:6b-7). James writes, “Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?  ⁷ Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?”  The reply understood to these questions is “yes.” Listen, it is obvious that not all poor people come to faith and not all rich people persecute the church. We see some people of means following God in the Bible. In the Old Testament Abraham was exceedingly wealthy yet he was called by God and led into a deepening faith. In the New Testament we see people like Joseph of Arimethea, obviously a man of means, providing costly spices and a tomb for the burial of Jesus. He had to have some money.  But Jesus did say it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom. Money is neither good nor bad, but the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Remember the rich man and Lazarus in the parable Jesus told? Over the ages, the vast majority of those who have believed are surely the poor. Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the needy multitudes. There is simply no room for prejudice in the church.  Believers should consistently reflect the grace and mercy of God to all.

III. Be compassionate to all: Partiality and Prejudice violate the principle of loving our neighbor, and so brands us as law-breakers (2:8-11). “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.  ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it...”

          Loving our neighbors as ourselves means loving all of our neighbors, not only those that look like us or dress like us or frequent the same circles that we do.  If you have any doubt about that, recall the story Jesus told when asked “Who is my neighbor?”  He spoke of a “good Samaritan” who, unlike the priest or Levite, stopped to help the guy on the side of the road (See Luke 10:25ff.).  To get the full impact of that story we have to consider how the Jews of Jesus day felt about Samaritans: they were despised, shunned, considered “heretics” and half-breeds. It would be hard to find a good equivalent that Jesus might use if he was telling that story to us today. Maybe the Baptist pastor and the deacon feign they don’t see the man and pass quickly by, but a kind Jehovah’s Witness stops to help. Which was a neighbor to him?

          The point that James goes on to make here is that if you show partiality rather than love you are a “law breaker,” i.e. a sinner. He is not sugar coating it he is saying it plainly: you are a sinner, a transgressor, and guilty before God. Some human institutions have tough standards. For example, the honor code for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point says “A cadet does not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate anyone who does.” This honor code is so stringent that even one violation at any time during the four years of study, including even the day before graduation, requires automatic expulsion of the guilty party. That is tough! Zero tolerance, you are either guilty and disqualified or not. No gray, no fudging. The same is true of Gods law: offend in one point, and you are as guilty as if you had broken them all.

We could illustrate the same idea by considering a ship that is anchored at port with an anchor that has 613 links in the chain, representing the 613 commands in the mosaic law. If only one link breaks, the ship will be set adrift, so the 612 links that held count for nothing if just one is broken. If you keep the whole Law, yet offend in one point, you are guilty of all.  It’s like as if you had fallen over a high cliff and were clinging to a chain for dear life. How many of those links would need to break before you would plummet to your death? We tend to think of the commandments of God as strands in rope instead. We think, “What difference will one or two make?”  God’s standard is perfection, which means we all desperately need GRACE. If we need grace, we should extend grace to others.   There is no room for prejudice in the church.  Believers should consistently reflect the grace and mercy of God to all.

IV. Our words, actions, and attitudes should reflect the grace we have received (2:12,13). As one needing grace and mercy we should be gracious and merciful.

          “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”  Theology is always intended to be practical, it should make a difference in how we live and the choices we make.  “So speak and so act…” that is, our words and our actions reflect not our prejudices, but rather the Gospel that transcends social, economic, or cultural boundaries. The ground is level at the cross!

          “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

What is God saying to me in this passage?  There is no room for prejudice in the church.  Believers should consistently reflect the grace and mercy of God to all. If we want God’s favor we can’t show favoritism: We choose to extend His grace to the world.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Our church motto is that we are a “Lighthouse of God’s grace and truth.” Do you agree with that? A lighthouse is not selective about the boats it will guide to safe harbor.  It shines the Light to all around it who desperately need to know the way. Our vision statement says that “We envision a community of Christ followers rooted in the Word, treasuring God as supremely valuable, and proclaiming the riches of His grace to the world.” That seems to imply a God-centered family of believers, saved by grace, pointing all around us to Him. All are equally lost. All are equally in need of His grace. That’s our mission, “To know God, and make Him known.”  There is no room for prejudice in that mission. We are called to consistently reflect His mercy and grace to the world.  Giving a tract, befriending a neighbor, inviting an acquaintance to your home, or to your small group or to a church service. We’ve asked in the past that you begin to develop a list of people you know or see that you would begin to pray for and show Christ to. Is there someone on your list that is “different,” maybe someone from “away” or someone that is of a different ethnic background?  May it be our prayer that we would see people as  God sees them. May our unfeigned love be so real, that they would be drawn to Him.                           AMEN.