Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians

James - The Pillar of Working Faithful Lesson 5

The Faith of Impartiality toward All

The ways of the world have caused many of our Christian brothers and sisters to resent the poor. There is a difference between the wicked worldly poor, and the righteous and holy faithful poor. That difference is the line that Christian brothers and sisters can use to measure their obligations. The LORD GOD does not want the wicked worldly to prosper, period. It is the righteous and holy poor person that James is speaking of, and it is the righteous and holy poor people that we are obligated and honored to respect and uphold when we are graced with their presence.

The Word of God is clear... “For if there come unto your assembly”... then it is speaking of the poor that are coming into the spiritual realm and faithfully walking toward the LORD GOD, with a potential holy walk more righteousness than a rich man can ever know!

“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” (James 2:1 AV)

“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” (Leviticus 19:15 AV)

54. The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ was first established with the laws, ordinances and statutes of His Jewish roots. He learned as a young child to respect the poor, and to not automatically honor the person of riches, but to judge each person in righteousness on his own merits.

“2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” (James 2:2-4 AV)

55. If you choose one person over another and treat them more special because of their appearance or station in life, then you are guilty of judging with evil thoughts. An example is given of a man entering into the presence of assembled faithful with a gold ring and great looking clothes. A poor man in dirty and shabby clothes enters also into the congregation of believers. James points out that to have respect to the splendid clothes and offer him the best seat in the house, but to the poor and dirty man ordering him to stand or sit at your feet.

I thought I did a pretty good job at showing impartiality for people....it is just part of my particular nature to not notice the things of wealth, poverty, race, stature, or station in life. It was nothing I did to not pay attention to these things...the LORD GOD just made me that way, and it’s never been a big deal to me.

Or so I thought. Several years ago, we celebrated the Jubilee Year, a time when the LORD GOD’s people forgive debts, and give freely in a dedicated way of all they have to those who need. We committed to ourselves to honor our LORD GOD by accomplishing all that we could in giving to the poor when they came seeking.

Our hearts were filled with joy daily, as we offered a hand up in the name of Jesus Christ. We opened our home to many who came and sheltered them, fed them and spoke the messages of Jesus. We would buy food for those who hungered, and gave clothes to those who had none. Anything asked of us during this year, we provided...if that took selling some of our beloved possessions, or spending our last penny, we would give what was asked, faithfully knowing that the LORD GOD would provide as we needed.

Then something terrible happened that ruined my pure heart. One of the homeless men that we had provided a house to live in, spoke some of the cruelest seven words to me, that I have ever heard. These seven words nearly stopped my giving to anybody, ever again. He said...

“You’re a Christian. You have to provide”

I felt like a sap. I felt used. I felt angry inside. From that moment on, every time a poor person would come to me with a hand out, I would look to them with concealed disgust and know that they were not coming because of the grace of the LORD GOD and Jesus Christ, but merely coming because they knew that “I am a Christian. I have to provide.”

My heart was becoming hardened to the poor. I noticed that every time I gave, that it empowered them, and caused them to have almost an air of superiority over me, as they took more and more from me, with absolutely no interest in the things of Jesus Christ and the LORD GOD.

Then one day, I was visiting a small church in the Pacific Northwest. The congregation of believers was mostly upper middle class, and the Pastor was well spoken, well groomed and powerful in the local council of churches. As I entered into the church, I noticed a dirty, smelly, mentally challenged man walking in ahead of me. I saw the Pastor stand in front of him, and prevent his entry. The man started crying and pleading with the Pastor to let him in to pray. The pastor refused, and the poor man left cursing the Pastor and the congregation for their wickedness.

The Pastor turned to me, and those cruel words were spoken again. He said....”He thinks because we’re Christians, that we have to provide...But I am responsible for the families of my congregation, and I cannot allow the dirty riff raff to destroy our good works and disrupt our praises to God.”

The words stung my ears, and brought focus to my hatred of the poor. I left that church, and I left my hatred, and I left my self focus, and I left my judgment of others with evil thoughts, on the steps of that church that day. If the people of the LORD GOD do not have room for the poor to pray with them, if they do not have the tolerance to allow differences to be in their midst, then they are not followers of Jesus Christ, worshippers of the LORD GOD, nor adherents to His Word.

I finally got it! There are wicked worldly people among the poor and there are holy, faithful people among the poor. I nearly let a very wicked act by a bad poor person cause me to remove the love of Jesus Christ from many righteous and holy poor people. And I nearly entered into a congregation of truly wicked rich people, who would prevent a poor man from praying in their presence. I suspect the hand of Satan himself was directing this orchestrated attempt to cause me to hate the poor, and I resolved from then on to aggressively prevent his attempts.

The ways of the world have caused many of our Christian brothers and sisters to resent the poor. There is a difference between the wicked worldly poor, and the righteous and holy faithful poor. That difference is the line that Christian brothers and sisters can use to measure their obligations. The LORD GOD does not want the wicked worldly to prosper, period. It is potential that the poor person has to become righteous and holy, that James is speaking about, and it is the poor people who seek to assemble with righteousness and holiness, and posses a true hunger for His Word and Ways, that we are obligated and honored to respect and uphold when we are graced with their presence.

The Word of God is clear... “For if there come unto your assembly”... then they are coming into the spiritual realm and faithfully walking toward the LORD GOD, with a holy walk more righteousness than a rich man can ever know!

“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5 AV)

56. The LORD GOD has chosen the poor of this world and made them rich in faith, and heirs of His Kingdom which he promised to those that love him.

“But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?” (James 2:6 AV)

57. If you have been looked down upon and oppressed by rich men who thought themselves better than you, then it would make no sense that you would do the same as a Christian, to the poor.

“Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?” (James 2:7 AV)

58. You are a CHRISTIAN, a follower of Jesus Christ! Do not cause evil to be spoken about those who choose to walk and serve Him!

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

59. You will do well to keep the royal law of our King Jesus Christ is his words “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”.

“9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:9-10 AV)

60. Partiality is more than error in judgment. If you show favor toward some people, and discriminate against others, you are committing a sin. You are a transgressor because of this sin.

“10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 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.” (James 2:10-11 AV)

61. You can be righteous and keep the whole law of God, but if you break one law, you are guilty of all. You are a transgressor of the law, irregardless if the transgression was one of murder or one of discrimination against a person.

“12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (James 2:12-13 AV)

62. The law of liberty gives you the freedom to choose what you will do and what you will speak. If you choose to judge others without mercy, you will be judged without mercy.

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Cite Article Source

MLA Style Citation:
McFarland, Kathy L. "The Faith of Impartiality toward All." James - The Pillar of Working Faithful Jan 2006. <http://guidedbiblestudies.com/sermon/james5.htm>.

APA Style Citation:
McFarland, Kathy L. (2006, January) "The Faith of Impartiality toward All." James - The Pillar of Working Faithful Retrieved from http://guidedbiblestudies.com/james5.htm

Chicago Style Citation:
McFarland, Kathy L. (2006) "The Faith of Impartiality toward All." James - The Pillar of Working Faithful (January), http://guidedbiblestudies.com/james5.htm (accessed )

About the Author

Kathy L. McFarland is a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and Author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She is a Religious Studies student of Liberty University, Hebrew language student attending Israeli taught Ulpan and a Homeschool parent teaching the things of God. She is also well-known as a child advocate of innocent children tortured and suffering from the abuse of sexual perversion, out-of-control violence, and pathetic neglect by a carnal world gone mad.

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