The danger of favouritism, Part 3

I remember as a kid what it was like not to be in the cool kids club. You say, “really?!” “I thought you WERE the cool kids club.” Sadly it’s true. I’ve had my turn of the scorn of snobby girls and the ridicule of snobby boys.

Certainly we understand this type of behaviour has no room in the house of God. James is going to give us one more really important reason why this type of worldly philosophy is dead wrong – it’s contrary to the very nature of God.

(Jas 2:8) If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

What James earlier called the perfect law of liberty; he now calls the royal law. He is referencing the same thing.

Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into two commands.

(Mat 22:37-40) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

When we play favourites, we are transgressing God’s command to love each other.

James points this out in the next verse. (Jas 2:9) But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. Simply put, when we do this, it is sin. See, God’s law is in unity, and it is a reflection of His character. When we break one, it is like shattering a pane of glass, and the entire thing is broken. (Jas 2:10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

We cannot think of them as individual laws, and one being more important than the other. They’re all grouped together under the reclassification that Jesus gave.

(Jas 2:11) 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.

The same God that said do not kill, said love each other. The same God who said don’t commit adultery said love each other. Do you see how they are connected, specifically in Matthew 22?

This is who God is, and we violate the character of God when we do this.

So, if we judge according to external factors, we shall be judged by the law of liberty. (Jas 2:12) So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

Have we loved God with all of our hearts? Have we loved others as ourselves? This is what God commands, and this is what He expects. At the end, our mercy in our treatment of others is our understanding of what God has set before us.

Those that show no mercy will have the same returned to them (not losing their salvation, but reward), but those that have had a lifestyle of mercy, this is reflected in the judgment.

(Jas 2:13) For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

The word ‘rejoice’ here in verse 13, means to exalt over. By showing mercy, we are obeying verse 8, and this defends us against the judgment of transgressing God’s law. Love God with all you got. Love others as yourself.