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Sin of Partiality (James 2.1-13)

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Text: James 2.1-13

Partiality is common everywhere. People favour others in unjust way. James addresses this issue. He instructs us that we should not show partiality in the church. People show partiality in the church on the basis of several things such as (James 2.2-3):
  • What people have or have not
  • Who they are or are not
  • How they look or appear

In most of the churches and other places, people are valued on the basis of what they have, who they are and how they look. The important sign of sin of partiality is obvious sign of deliberate distinction or status quo that believers maintain among themselves.

Why we should not do partiality

  1. God has no partiality (Romans 2.11).
  2. God created everyone in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1.26). Therefore God values everyone equally.
  3. Gospel has levelling effect on any kind of social stratification. Faith in Christ cannot be combined with sin of partiality (James 2.1).
  4. When we show partiality, we are not in the side of God who chooses poor people as heirs of the Kingdom of God (James 2.4).
  5. If we show partiality, we break the royal law of God: “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (James 2.8-13). A person who loves rich and shows partiality to poor failed to love his/her neighbour and therefore becomes a lawbreaker. Such people will be judged by God.
  6. Person shows partiality to a poor person in transgressing the commandment to love has no mercy. Therefore s/he will not get any mercy on the Day of Judgment (James 2.13).
  7. Partiality divides the church and family. For example, the early Jerusalem church (Acts 6) and family of Isaac and Rebecca (Genesis 25-27).


We should not be agent of inequality and injustice. But we should uphold equality of everyone.  
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