The Sin Of Favoritism

Second only to Jesus, James is arguably the master of vivid illustrations.  In this passage (James 2:1-7), he paints a picture easily imagined by regular worship attenders.  Two people from two different backgrounds enter the gathered assembly.  Those in a position to welcome these two persons will be tempted to treat them differently based on appearance alone.  James calls this behavior a sin (verse 9) and warns the church against it.

Favoritism is Incompatible with Faith

James says that Christians must not hold their faith in Christ “with partiality.”  The word “partiality” is in a plural form so it could be translated as “favoritisms.”  In other words, there is more than one way to show favoritism.  James addresses primarily the matter of showing favoritism to those who appear especially wealthy, but that is just one illustration of favoritism.  We may play favorites with respect to those who are more attractive than others, more powerful than others, or more influential than others.

We may discriminate against others on the basis of education, gender, race, or ethnicity.  Again, there is more than one way to show partiality or favoritism.

One of the reasons favoritism is incompatible with faith in Christ is because drawing attention to a special characteristic or status of others is, in essence, ascribing a kind of glory to them.  The word “glory” carries the notion of weight and worth.  So when we show favoritism to certain people we are saying, “This person carries a lot of weight” or, “This person has clout; this person is really influential.”  

Yet note how James identifies our Lord Jesus.  He describes Him as “the Lord of glory.”  Literally the Greek reads “Jesus Christ, the glory.”  Favoritism is incompatible with your faith in Jesus Christ, the glory.

Jesus Christ is the glory of God.  Man is not the glory.  God is the glory and He will not trade His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8).  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:15 that Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”  And the writer of Hebrews declares that Jesus Christ is “the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3).”

Showing favoritism to another person, then, is a way of ascribing glory to another when all glory belongs to God.  Favoritism is incompatible with faith.  But how easily a spirit of favoritism can creep into the church!

Favoritism can Infect the Fellowship 

This is James’ concern here as he describes the aforementioned illustration of two different visitors entering the church building: “a man with gold rings, in fine apparel” and another person described as “a poor man in filthy clothes.”

Stop for a moment and consider your own immediate inclination.  Were you in a position to welcome these two visitors, who would you be more likely to approach first?  Be honest!  Would you be more likely to greet the man richly attired who is presumably also personable and influential?  Or would you be more likely to reach out to the shabbily dressed man?  Each must answer for himself, but James seems to suggest that most of us would treat the rich man more graciously than we would the poor man.

Favoritism occurs when we focus merely upon the externals.  In a memorable verse, the Lord told the Prophet Samuel: “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).”

Of course James is not saying that it is wrong to honor others.  It is certainly appropriate to give up a seat to honor someone, an elderly person, a special visiting friend, or a military serviceman, for example.

In some cultures, ministers are honored with front seats in worship assemblies.  I recall the first time I witnessed this on a mission trip in South America.  Perfectly happy to sit comfortably in the back or midway among the pews, our host insisted that I sit right up front.  He even moved women and children out of the way to make room.  I remember feeling awkward and cringing as I tried in vain to refuse the honor.  But the host insisted—as did the women and children!  They were delighted to honor me with a special seat up front. 

Honoring others in this fashion is not what James has in mind.  James is talking about our wrongly esteeming others merely on the basis of physical appearance.  In the illustration provided, no one deserves special treatment on the basis of his wealth.

William Barclay helps us imagine this “man with gold rings” who visits the assembly.  He writes:

The more ostentatious of the ancients wore rings on every finger except the middle one, and wore far more than one on each finger. They even hired rings to wear when they wished to give an impression of special wealth. “We adorn our fingers with rings,” said Seneca, “and we distribute gems over every joint.” ¹

So let’s imaginatively personalize James’ illustration in the context of the contemporary church.  Here’s this guy, we’ll call him “Mr. Bling,” and he’s probably married to “Mrs. Bedazzle.”  So Mr. Bling comes into the sanctuary and the ushers are tripping over themselves to get to him.  They’re like “Hey, I’ll seat you right up front in the special seating.”  But to the poor guy they say reproachfully: “You, sit over there!”  Or, “I’ll tell you what: why don’t you just sit right here next to my feet.  I need a footstool and if my feet fall off the stool, you can put them back up for me.”

This behavior seems unimaginable to many Christians, yet James pushes us to consider our biases and prejudices.  

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus, Jesus was not impressed with the man’s externals.  In fact, Jesus instructed the religious seeker to go and sell all that he had if he truly wished to follow Him (Luke 18:18-23).  Jesus let the man, described by Luke as “very rich,” walk away.  I can’t help but imagine that Jesus’ disciples were beside themselves: “Jesus! That man has all kinds of money!  What great influence we would have if he were part of our group!”

This is the sort of thinking we must be vigilant to guard against.  There is no place for favoritism in the church.  It is incompatible with the faith and we must not allow it to infect the fellowship. 

**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 63-66, available on Amazon.

1. Commentary on James 2. “William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible” https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/james-2.html 1956-1959 (accessed May 21, 2020).