James 2:1-Show no Partiality

This New Testament passage of Scripture was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ. In the first chapter we can see many lessons that are given by James regarding what the character of a Christian should look like. It has to do with abiding by the whole law found in God’s Word. One of the main things that he points out is a contrast between wealthy people and poor people.

As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to live a life of humility and humbleness not seeking the wealth of the world. The Word of God is completely clear in Matthew 6:33 as it details, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

As Christians we are called to seek the things of God first and foremost and not fine clothes, social status, nice cars, and a big house. God will supply all of your needs if you follow the guidelines that He has established in the Holy Bible, Philippians 4:19. True faith in our Lord Jesus Christ means that you are willing to lean on Him for everything that you need regardless of what it is.

The love of money is the root of all evil and is one of the many tactics that the enemy uses to ensnare us. Instead of seeking to be a rich man or woman we are supposed to be using any extra resources that the Lord blesses us with to help the less fortunate. There are many verses of Scripture throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament that discloses how we are to treat a poor person that is struggling to make ends meet.

One thing that we need to understand is that our Heavenly Father does not look at our outward appearance but He is concerned about the condition of your heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. He expects us as true believers to do the same. If we see a homeless person on the street with filthy old clothes and begging for food, He expects us to feed them showing them genuine love.

The fact of the matter is that you could very well be that person that is struggling but because of the grace of God, you are supplied with all of your needs. There are many passages of Scripture that command us to give to the less fortunate. For example, Proverbs 19:17 discloses, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.”

This verse is very revealing as we can see that those that lend to the poor are actually lending to the Lord. Think of how powerful that statement actually is. It doesn’t end there because then King Solomon states that God will pay back what that person has given. This is just one example of the Spiritual laws of God that promise a Blessing if they are followed correctly.

The Lord does not want us to show special attention to a rich man wearing fine clothing more than a poor man wearing shabby clothing. We are supposed to share the Word of God with absolute love to every person that we come into contact with regardless of what they look like on the outside.

Unfortunately, a lot of times we see how people are treated differently than others based on what they are wearing, the car that they are driving, and how much money that have. God is not happy about our heart posture being set on the wrong things.

James exposes this kind of mind-set on the primary passage of Scripture that I am highlighting below.