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Equity and Justice in Church
In George Orwell’s book, “Animal Farm” he writes,
"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS".
This little line has become something of a sarcastic proverb since then. But the problem is real and it’s certainly not new. Current culture and politics have clamped onto the concept of equality to the point that a calm conversation about it is almost impossible in the unbelieving world. Sadly, it’s not always easy to have a calm conversation about it in the church either. Culture is a powerful force.
Today we continue our walk through the book of James. James is not afraid to tackle the cultural poison that has crept into the churches of his day. As we enter chapter 2 James comes out swinging against the sin of showing partiality among the believers.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
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, 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,”
have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
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?
But you have dishonored the poor man.
Are not the rich the ones who oppress you,
and the ones who drag you into court?
Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name
by which you were called?
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”
you are doing well.
But if you show partiality,
you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point
has become guilty of all of it.
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
What is James Saying?
The nice thing about James is his direct and blunt style of communication. He is saying exactly what he means, no figures of speech or obscure idioms. We are simply told not to show partiality between believers. Then he gives the example of showing partiality to the rich. His first statement is not exclusive to the churches treatment of the rich it is a principle that can be widely, if not universally, applied.
However, his example of showing partiality to the rich is as valid now as it was then. So why do we almost instinctively show partiality to the rich (or powerful, or successful, or influential take your pick)? Two things come to mind for me:
* We are looking for favor in return. James reminds his readers of reality here, the believers are more likely to be sued and abused by the rich and powerful than rewarded. It is this lust for reward that James refers to when he says, “have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”. They have some selfish return in mind with all their so called “honor”.
* We assume that being rich means they are wise. How often do we assume that we need to look for rich and successful people when we are looking for church leaders? James contradicts this notion by reminding the readers of something he assumes they should already know. That being, it is the poor that God has chosen to make rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Faithfulness is wisdom in the kingdom of God. Poverty is not a virtue in and of itself, but God does bless the poor in spirit as Jesus himself promised in his sermon on the mount.
Love is the thing
James ties this teaching off with a simple but direct contrast.
* If you love your neighbor as yourself
* You are doing well
* If you show partiality
* You are sinning
And the sin of showing partiality is as wicked as any other sin you can commit.
This last line is the most sobering. I along with most every other Christian I have ever met tend to think that socially unacceptable sins are far worse than socially acceptable sins. Just one sin is enough to land us all in the category of sinner. The type of sin we commit is ultimately unimportant. Though not all sins carry the same short term consequences, every sin is equally damnable.
The book of James is sometimes criticized for being a little light on Jesus and the gospel. But I think a closer look at this book in its historical and literary context shows just the opposite. This book is intended to be corrective and instructive not evangelical. James assumes that his readers know the hopelessness of their sinful state and their need of Jesus. They know the foundations of their salvation. His language in this passage and elsewhere seems to assume that they should know better. In this little teaching he warns them of the sneaky nature of sin, and that we can easily engage in sinful behavior even while we are worshiping together.
This Week
This week let’s help each other to see people the way that Jesus sees them. Let’s remember that faith is the currency of eternal riches. Let’s remember to check our hearts as we deal with others to see if we are truly loving them for their sake, or if we are in fact giving honor and praise to others in the hope of some form of personal gain down the road.
“God shows no partiality” according to Paul in Romans. And we are his children, so let’s walk as true children of God this week.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Tom PossinIn George Orwell’s book, “Animal Farm” he writes,
"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS".
This little line has become something of a sarcastic proverb since then. But the problem is real and it’s certainly not new. Current culture and politics have clamped onto the concept of equality to the point that a calm conversation about it is almost impossible in the unbelieving world. Sadly, it’s not always easy to have a calm conversation about it in the church either. Culture is a powerful force.
Today we continue our walk through the book of James. James is not afraid to tackle the cultural poison that has crept into the churches of his day. As we enter chapter 2 James comes out swinging against the sin of showing partiality among the believers.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
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, 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,”
have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
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?
But you have dishonored the poor man.
Are not the rich the ones who oppress you,
and the ones who drag you into court?
Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name
by which you were called?
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”
you are doing well.
But if you show partiality,
you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point
has become guilty of all of it.
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
What is James Saying?
The nice thing about James is his direct and blunt style of communication. He is saying exactly what he means, no figures of speech or obscure idioms. We are simply told not to show partiality between believers. Then he gives the example of showing partiality to the rich. His first statement is not exclusive to the churches treatment of the rich it is a principle that can be widely, if not universally, applied.
However, his example of showing partiality to the rich is as valid now as it was then. So why do we almost instinctively show partiality to the rich (or powerful, or successful, or influential take your pick)? Two things come to mind for me:
* We are looking for favor in return. James reminds his readers of reality here, the believers are more likely to be sued and abused by the rich and powerful than rewarded. It is this lust for reward that James refers to when he says, “have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”. They have some selfish return in mind with all their so called “honor”.
* We assume that being rich means they are wise. How often do we assume that we need to look for rich and successful people when we are looking for church leaders? James contradicts this notion by reminding the readers of something he assumes they should already know. That being, it is the poor that God has chosen to make rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Faithfulness is wisdom in the kingdom of God. Poverty is not a virtue in and of itself, but God does bless the poor in spirit as Jesus himself promised in his sermon on the mount.
Love is the thing
James ties this teaching off with a simple but direct contrast.
* If you love your neighbor as yourself
* You are doing well
* If you show partiality
* You are sinning
And the sin of showing partiality is as wicked as any other sin you can commit.
This last line is the most sobering. I along with most every other Christian I have ever met tend to think that socially unacceptable sins are far worse than socially acceptable sins. Just one sin is enough to land us all in the category of sinner. The type of sin we commit is ultimately unimportant. Though not all sins carry the same short term consequences, every sin is equally damnable.
The book of James is sometimes criticized for being a little light on Jesus and the gospel. But I think a closer look at this book in its historical and literary context shows just the opposite. This book is intended to be corrective and instructive not evangelical. James assumes that his readers know the hopelessness of their sinful state and their need of Jesus. They know the foundations of their salvation. His language in this passage and elsewhere seems to assume that they should know better. In this little teaching he warns them of the sneaky nature of sin, and that we can easily engage in sinful behavior even while we are worshiping together.
This Week
This week let’s help each other to see people the way that Jesus sees them. Let’s remember that faith is the currency of eternal riches. Let’s remember to check our hearts as we deal with others to see if we are truly loving them for their sake, or if we are in fact giving honor and praise to others in the hope of some form of personal gain down the road.
“God shows no partiality” according to Paul in Romans. And we are his children, so let’s walk as true children of God this week.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe