“My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism in your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes enters your assembly, and a poor man wearing squalid clothes also enters, and you look to the one wearing fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in this good seat,’ but to the poor man you say, ‘You stay there, or sit here by my footstool,’ would you not be distinguishing between yourselves and judging according to wicked principles?” (James 2:1-4).
I've noticed that lately it's become very difficult to follow the commandment to show "no partiality." Elders, in particular, often have to settle various difficult cases in the congregations. And sometimes, when the case of some young brother or sister is being resolved, the unspoken question is, "Whose son (daughter) is this?" Often, family ties influence the decision. But how does the Lord view this?
Our responsibility before the Lord is immense. We must remember that we are accountable to the Lord for every decision we make. Certainly, there are those who need to be supported, while others must be dealt with firmly. Often, however, we coddle and treat someone leniently instead of restraining them, simply because they are the child of someone we perceive as important.
James calls us to act without regard for the person standing before us. Personally, I sometimes find myself reflecting on decisions I've made, wondering if I was too lenient or, conversely, if I was too strict with someone. Because, as already mentioned, I must answer to God for my actions. And James continues: "But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are condemned by the law as transgressors" (James 2:9).
The Lord sees all our decisions! How much we need wisdom and guidance in all these matters!
Even in Old Testament times, there were people, even servants, who became transgressors in God's eyes simply because they looked at him personally. God spoke sternly to the priest Eli because he had a biased relationship with his sons:
“ And you honor your sons more than me, so that you fatten yourselves on the firstfruits of all the grain offerings of my people Israel! […] Behold, the time will come when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that no one in your house shall grow old. And you shall see hardship in [your] dwelling place with all the good that [God] will bestow upon Israel; and there shall never again be an old man in your house” (1 Samuel 2:29, 31, 32).
I wish that we would always remember our responsibility before the Lord when weighing decisions that affect other brothers and sisters. Everyone should examine themselves regarding their unbiased actions toward our neighbors.
It is appalling how many people pass judgment on their fellow human beings without thinking, and are thus wrong.
That God shows no partiality is clearly illustrated by the example of David. Although God loved him dearly and even called him a man after His own heart, He did not spare him for his transgressions but carried out just punishment. When Nathan came to him and told the parable of the poor man's sheep and the rich man, David was consumed with rage, and his judgment was very radical: "The man who did this is a child of death" (cf. 2 Samuel 12:5)!
But when the prophet replied that he was that man, David probably wanted to change his mind, to judge himself more leniently. Yet God's punishment came exactly as David had demanded: fourfold. We often act similarly: we put some people forward, show them great honor, and then it suddenly turns out that they are people who have lost the fear of God.
Or it happens the other way around: Someone comes along, confesses a sin they committed 10 years ago, and we think, "That was 10 years ago. Let's pray, may the Lord bless you." At the same time, we have someone else who comes along with the same sin, committed yesterday, and we reprimand them. Is that what we call justice? Who is more guilty, and toward whom should we be more lenient? To the one who committed the sin and remained silent for 10 years, or to the one who sinned yesterday and already repents today?
The Lord sees all our decisions! How we need wisdom and guidance in all these matters! For these are not our personal affairs—these are the affairs of God's children. How necessary it is to walk in the fear of God in order to settle these matters justly. How terrible it is, however, to see how many pass judgment on people without thinking, and are wrong. But let it be our child.
One day, my son, who was about 20 years old at the time, said something bad about the congregation. I asked him to stop and warned him that if he continued, he would be rebuked in front of the entire congregation. At first, he obeyed, but after a while, he did it again. Then, after the service, I had him and another friend stand up and, before the congregation, I said what was necessary in this matter, and we prayed for them.
Oh, how indignant my son was when I came home: "Dad, I'm almost 20, how could you treat me like that?" My wife was also worried: "How will he go to youth group now?"
Brothers, let me state this: If we act justly, we will not lead the children away from the church. On the contrary, we will win them over. And we will be an example to others. I was once told, “What are you going to do? You will be left alone with your elderly. Then you will bury them and die yourself.”
But there is a Lord who has protected us! We see the hand of God in everything – for example, we only had one youth choir back then, now there are four. Praise be to the Lord! Let us have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, without favoritism!
Viktor Vronsky, Sacramento, USA
from Slova Christianina 2019/2
Reputation of the person
What does it mean to have a reputation for someone? It is a biased, prejudiced attitude towards someone. The view of them is based on personal feelings or the person's position. Aspects such as being agreeable, favoring one person, and the dependence on personal gain (cf. Jude 16) play a major role here.
The Bible clearly describes this: “For with God there is no partiality” (Romans 2:11). Peter also spoke about this when he was with Cornelius: “Then Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘Now I truly understand that God does not show favoritism, but that in every nation the one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him’” (Acts 10:34-35).
If God does not show partiality, then neither should we as His followers. Scripture gives us further instructions on how we should treat our neighbors: “You shall not do unjustly in the courts. You shall not show partiality to the poor or honor the great, but judge your neighbor justly” (Leviticus 19:15). “The fear of the Lord be upon you; be careful what you do, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or corruption” (2 Chronicles 19:7). “It is not good to show partiality to the wicked in order to oppress the righteous in the courts” (Proverbs 18:5).
God's Word gives us a multitude of instructions here. Let us learn from God's Word.