Heart of the Professor

Being Christian in an Anti-Christian World:

The Godly Grace of Impartiality
Introduction

Today is September 11. We could focus our attention upon the

horror that our nation endured six years ago. Or, we could focus our
attention upon the tragedy that struck very close to home on August
1, 2007, when the I-35 W bridge collapsed. We could benefit greatly
by meditating upon what the Word of God has to say about such
horrors and tragedies.

Yet, what weighs on my heart is another kind of evil, an evil that

humans do to one another every day, all around the world. I want
to address what I am calling, “Being Christian in an Anti-
Christian World: The Godly Grace of Impartiality.”

Three weeks ago my wife and I returned from India and Nepal where
we took part in a few weeks of mission work. In July, before I left for
India and Nepal, Dean Paulson asked me to speak in chapel on this
day. It was while I was in India and Nepal that I decided to address
what weighs heavily upon my heart. India and Nepal, like America,
are filled with ungodliness in the form of prejudice and partiality.

I want to introduce you to my friend, P. J. Mathai. He is founder and

president of Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Banglore, India. He
invited us to hold a pastors’ conference for village church pastors at
the College. Afterward, P. J. Mathai joined our team to fly to
Kathmandu, Nepal, for a three-day pastors’ conference for Nepalese
village church pastors, about 350 church leaders.

One should not visit Nepal without making an effort to see Mount
Everest. Since we had a free day before returning home, the five of
us decided to take an excursion flight to see the Himalayan Mountain

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Range. We learned that Buddha Air is the air service of choice
because they guarantee that every passenger will have a window
seat.

Since P. J. Mathai was our guest, we decided to pay for his ticket.
The ticket agent for Buddha Air informed us that because P. J.
Mathai is an Indian his ticket would cost 26% less than ours. Buddha
Air functions like many others in Nepal. When they see Americans
and Europeans they see money.

The next day, when we waited at the airport early in the morning,
we learned that our flight was canceled because of weather. As we
were about to leave, a Buddha Air agent hurriedly came to us with
news that they had five vacant seats on a plane that was about to
depart. We decided to take them. As we left the bus on the tarmac
to walk to the plane, the agent gave us new boarding passes for the
plane, but he gave none to P. J. Not until we took our seats did we
realize why our friend, P. J. Mathai, had not received a boarding
pass. He was on the plane, but his seat, contrary to Buddha Air’s
guarantee, had no window. Imagine taking an airplane excursion to
view the Himalayas but your seat has no window. So, during the
flight, we made sure that we corrected the wrong done to him by
trading seats with him so that he had an opportunity to have a
window seat.

We were all deeply offended by what Buddha Air had done to our
friend simply because he was an Indian. Consider the fickleness of
partiality. One day, Buddha Air personnel gave P. J. Mathai
preferential treatment, because he was viewed as an Indian who
could not afford to pay the higher price that we Americans were
expected to pay because they judged us to be wealthy. The next
day, Buddha Air personnel discriminated against him. Because he
was an Indian, whose ticket cost less, he was given a seat with no
window, an obvious violation of Buddha Air’s written guarantee of a
window seat for every passenger.

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Listen, my friends, partiality is fickle, and it is always sinful. It is
always sinful whether we give a person special treatment because of
ethnic appearance or whether we discriminate against that person
because of ethnic appearance. If we behave favorably or unfavorably
toward fellow humans based upon appearances, we sin against them
and against God.

James 2:1-13 plainly identifies this behavior as sinful.

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into
your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you
pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in
a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit
down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and
become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God
chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have
dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the
ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the
honorable name by which you were called?

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are
committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever
keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you
do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the
law.

So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For
judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs
over judgment.

Let’s consider this portion of God’s Word under three

headings:
1. James Condemns Showing Partiality as Sin.
2. James Illustrates How Partiality is Sinful.
3. James Teaches Us to Discern Properly between Acting
out of Partiality and Acting out of Mercy.

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1. James Condemns Showing Partiality as Sin.

James 2:9 plainly condemns showing partiality toward others as

sinful behavior. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the
Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing
well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are
convicted by the law as transgressors.”

Before he makes this plain statement, James begins by admonishing

us, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”

Our modern English versions admonish us not to “show partiality.”

The KJV translates the expression more literally: “have respect of
persons.” The Greek word James uses occurs only in Christian
writings. It is built upon two words that the Greek Old Testament
uses to translate a Hebrew expression that literally means “to be
moved to act by receiving the face” of another person. The Hebrew
expression means “to prejudice our actions toward other individuals
on the basis of who they appear to be.”

For example, the Greek Old Testament in Leviticus 19:15 uses the
two Greek words in combination to capture the Hebrew
expression–“You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment nor shall
you show partiality to the poor, nor shall you defer to the
powerful, but you shall judge your neighbor with righteousness.”

In other words, judgment, whether in the court of law or in daily life

is to be righteous, not turned one way or the other by superficial
appearances that tend to incite prejudice or partiality.

In the New Testament the verb, “to show partiality,” occurs only in
James 2:9. The noun form occurs in James 2:1 and in three other
passages–Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, and Colossians 3:25. These
three passages assert that “there is no partiality with God” when he
judges. A similar form of the noun occurs in Acts 10:34. After seeing

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that God gave the Holy Spirit to Cornelius’s Gentile family just as he
had done with Jewish believers on Pentecost, Peter declares, “I see
clearly, now, that God is not one to show partiality.”

2. James Illustrates How Partiality is Sinful.

To make his admonition unmistakably clear, James provides an

imaginary situation for us to ponder. He fashions an episode that
includes a man who appears to be wealthy, a man who appears to
be poor, and a prejudiced usher who seats them in church. “For if a
man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly,
and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay
attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit
here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand
over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made
distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil
thoughts?”

James could have offered many different illustrations of partiality.

But his illustration is fitting in that it follows immediately after his
statement of 1:27–“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God,
the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and
to keep oneself unstained from the world.” He wants us to project
ourselves into his imaginary situation that entails relationships
among people along economic or social lines.

So, he offers his illustration of the prejudiced usher who seats the
rich man in a choice seat simply because the man has wealth, and
he seats the poor man in the least comfortable and lowliest of seats
simply because the man is poor. Why would we make these
judgments? Is it not for what we might receive in return? Because
the wealthy man almost surely is influential, the usher seats him in
the best seat with the hope that he will take notice and return the
favor, perhaps even some money. Because the poor man almost
surely lacks influence, the usher seats him in the poorest seat.

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James asks, in verse 4, if you behave this way “have you not
discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil
thoughts?”

How should we correct this imaginary situation that James presents

to us? Should we reverse the prejudiced usher’s behavior? Should
we require the usher to give the poor man the best seat because he
is poor and to give the wealthy man the worst seat, way up in the
balcony behind a column, because he is wealthy?

No! This would simply be to reverse the usher’s prejudice by

targeting the wealthy man and favoring the poor man with the best
seat. The Word of God and the gospel teach us never to take part in
reverse discrimination. Instead, the Word of God and the gospel
instruct us never to behave toward others on the basis of superficial
or outward circumstances such as birth, station in life, wealth or
poverty, race, ethnicity, skin color, sex, or any other non-essential
aspect of human nature.

James essentially makes the same point that Paul does in

1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise
according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 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, and the base things of the world and the despised God has
chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that
are, so that no man may boast before God.

Paul’s concern is worldly wisdom. James particularizes the same

point Paul makes by focusing upon the matter of worldly wealth.
James says, “Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those
who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit
the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (James 2:5). Is
James suggesting that God shows preferentialism to the poor?
Hardly. James reiterates Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the poor in

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spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Both
Jesus and James make the point that only those who come to
acknowledge that they have no influence or power to move God to
favor them shall become rich in what truly matters (cf. James 1:10-
11). The rich can have no trust in their wealth, but the poor can
place no hope in their need as though need favorably moves God to
be partial to them. God is not one to show partiality. God is not
moved to act favorably toward us based on outward appearances.

3. James Teaches Us to Discern Properly between Acting

out of Partiality and Acting out of Mercy.

Whenever we are prompted to act with prejudice, we can be

confident that we are acting contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The way of the gospel is to imitate God by showing mercy not
partiality (James 2:13), for there is no partiality with God.

Do not be deceived. Partiality is prejudice dressed up as Christian

virtue. Many in the church today are deceived to think that it is
virtuous to show partiality toward the poor and toward other groups
to correct discrimination against them. People who think this way fail
to recognize that showing partiality is always sinful, even if it seems
right to them.

To be prejudiced in favor of the poor is as sinful as being prejudiced

against them. Whether our prejudice results in preferential
treatment or in discrimination, prejudice is always sinful. It always
dehumanizes individuals by treating them as members of either an
approved group or members of an unapproved group rather than as
individual humans made in the image and likeness of God.

We must never make the mistake to think that showing partiality to

the poor is an act of mercy. To show partiality to anyone, whether
rich or poor, is a sinful act. It is not an act of mercy.

Acts of mercy are selfless. When we show partiality to the poor, as

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many do in our day, we are patronizing, paternalistic,
condescending, and dehumanizing. We are motivated by what we
might be able to receive in return for our deeds born out of partiality
and often out of intimidation, but always out of selfish motives. To
show partiality, whether to the rich or to the poor, is an attempt to
look righteous in the eyes of others and to receive the praise and
commendation of humans. This is the way of the world. It is anti-
Christian.

Many politicians are adept at this. It is easy for them to appear

liberal and generous and righteous with other people’s money by
campaigning to raise taxes on the wealthy with a promise to assist
the poor. Acts born out of partiality are acts of greed because they
always look to receive something in return, even if it is nothing more
than to receive votes for campaign promises that seduce the poor to
think that politicians who understand and exploit the power of
rhetoric actually care for them.

Deeds of mercy do not look to receive something in return nor are

they done to be viewed by others. James calls upon us to show
mercy. He says, “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged
under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who
has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:12-
13). James mirrors Micah 6:8–“He has told you, O man, what is
good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and
to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” God obligates
us to imitate himself.

Conclusion

In James 2:1-13 we have seen that:

1. James Condemns Showing Partiality as Sin.
2. James Illustrates How Partiality is Sinful.
3. James Teaches Us to Discern Properly between Acting
out of Partiality and Acting out of Mercy.

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Let us never borrow from the worldly belief system. Instead, let the
gospel of Jesus Christ shape how we conduct ourselves whether in
the courtroom or along life’s everyday pathways. The world’s way is
the way of Buddha Air. They appeared virtuous by reducing the
ticket price for my friend, P. J. Mathai. The act was not virtuous.
They were not genuinely concerned about P. J. Mathai, the man.
Rightly understood, their act was an patronizing insult to him
because they looked upon him and judged him on outward
appearances, just as they judged him the very next day when they
gave him a seat without a window. They did not treat him as an
individual human being who is made in God’s likeness. Their
treatment of P. J. Mathai was demeaning. They did not treat him
with dignity, as a man made in the image of God. They judged him
on the basis of outward appearance to be simply a member of a
class, a class of people they appeared to favor with partiality one day
with a ticket price discount but they discriminated against him the
next day by placing him in a seat with no window in a full plane.

It does not matter whether our partiality results in showing favor or

in showing disfavor to another human. Both are acts of selfishness.
We must always refuse the temptation to do either because both are
sinful. Let us imitate God who shows no partiality toward anyone. Let
us put on the godly grace of impartiality and behave toward one
another in godliness, refusing to be moved favorably or unfavorably
by appearances.