I. Recognize and Reject Favoritism!
1. My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism (James 2:1).
2. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives" (James 2:2-4).
3. You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly (Leviticus 19:15).
4. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall (Ephesians 2:14).
5. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:28-29).
II. Understand the Heart of God's Law!
- Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called (James 2:5-7)?
- And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20).
- But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).
- Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him" (Acts 10:34-35)./li>
- If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well (James 2:8; see also Matthew 22:34-40).
III. Live with Mercy Not Judgement!
- But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery, also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law (James 2:9-11; see also Romans 6:23a).
- So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:12-13)
- Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love (Ephesians 4:1-2)./li>
Sermon by Pastor Dane Nissen, April 26th, 2026.
Life Group Flow and Discussion Questions
Faith that has no favor
An important Guideline of Life Groups:
Getting Started:
- What does it mean to show favoritism or partiality?
- What are some ways you show favoritism in your life?
Discussing Truths:
- Who might the well-dressed man and the poor man represent in our society today? Who is typically honored or overlooked?
- Why is being a follower of Jesus and showing favoritism incompatible?
Now What? Application:
- How does remembering God's grace and forgiveness in your own life lead to treating everyone with love?
- How can we ensure that our group/church is a place where all people feel comfortable and accepted, regardless of status?
- What is one step you can take to live out the "Royal Law", to love one another as yourself?
- Read James this week. Extra credit for reading it daily.