Sinful Discrimination

James 2:1-7
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, August 11, 2013
Copyright © 2013, P. G. Mathew

In this study we will speak about the sin of discrimination. I have bad news for you: the sin of discrimination is going to continue until Christ comes, because this is a fallen world where sin exists. It is a reality that this sin of discrimination is also found in the church.

In the first half of the second chapter of his epistle, James deals with the sin of discrimination in the early church. The first-century church was not perfect. There was discrimination even then, as there is today. There was discrimination between rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, and so on. And in Acts 6 we read how poor, Greek-speaking Jewish widows were neglected in daily distribution of food until the apostles corrected this sin of discrimination.

In the church of Corinth, there was also discrimination against poor believers by the wealthy. Paul writes, “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this?” (1 Cor. 11:20–22). This sin may have been a reason that many of them were weak and sick, and number of them had died (1 Cor. 11:30).

Even the apostle Peter discriminated against Gentile believers when he, out of fear of the Jews, stopped eating with them. Paul publicly rebuked Peter for this sin when he came to the mostly Gentile church of Syrian Antioch: “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray” (Gal. 2:11–13).

Paul also dealt with the issue of discrimination in the church of Rome, writing, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom. 15:7).

Now we find James dealing with the sin of discrimination, demanding that it be stopped. Faith in Jesus Christ and sinful discrimination cannot co-exist in Christ’s church. Sinful discrimination contradicts Christian faith.

This does not mean the Scripture advocates a sinful egalitarianism. The Bible teaches that children are to obey their parents, wives are to be submissive to their loving husbands, believers are to obey their spiritual leaders, and all are to submit to the God-appointed rulers of the state, who rule for the good of the people. So Paul tells us, “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Rom. 13:7).

God Does Not Discriminate

Sinful discrimination treats people differently based on outward appearance, not on the internal matters of the heart. The truth is, all people are created by God, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In fact, Paul says he was chief of sinners: “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13). Then he says, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:15–16). All are sinners and all are under the wrath of God. Yet God saves by grace alone everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord. So a believer will boast only in the Lord.

God himself taught Peter not to discriminate. Peter said to Cornelius and his household, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34). And when the Holy Spirit came on all who heard Peter’s message, Peter and his companions realized that they should baptize those people (v. 44).

The Bible is full of reasons why we should not discriminate in the church of Christ. Paul writes, “For through [Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Eph. 2:18–19). He also said, “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:6). Elsewhere Paul states, “For God does not show favoritism” (Rom. 2:11). In Leviticus we read, “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly” (Lev. 19:15). And Paul declares, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:26–29).

Jesus saves only sinners, not the proud and self-righteous of the world. A discriminating Christian is a self-righteous Christian, a transgressor of God’s law of love.

The Church Should Not Discriminate

So in James 2:1–7, James prohibits believers in Christ from discriminating. If God does not discriminate, his children should be like their heavenly Father and also not discriminate.

Then James gives an illustration. Suppose a visitor came into the assembly wearing one or more gold rings on his fingers, and dressed in very expensive, shining clothes. This was typical for rich people of the time, as philosopher Seneca says: “We adorn our fingers with rings and we distribute gems over every joint.”1

Rich people tended to receive special treatment in the church, James says. People would very graciously tell them to take a good seat at the front. This is obsequious favoritism.

But those who show favoritism to the rich do not see the glorious Lord Jesus Christ. They are impressed by the glory of a man in gold rings, shining robes, and expensive hair-dos. They are awed by the rich and famous, people like the rich man of Luke 16, “who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day” (v. 19).

But then, James says, another visitor may come in, a very poor man with filthy and torn clothes. This dirty, stinking fellow is told to stand in the back or sit on the floor. James condemns this sin of discrimination based on external factors.

A church that does such things is judging people unrighteously. Remember what God said to Samuel: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). Concerning the Messiah and his rule, Isaiah says, “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth” (Isa. 11:3b–4a). Jesus said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24).

The church James described was discriminating by honoring the rich and famous while despising the poor. The church discriminated by judging people through sinful reasoning (James 2:4). It probably expected that the rich man would give a large offering. At the same time, it reasoned that the poor man would give nothing and might even need help from the church. James is saying it is sin for those who believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming soon to judge, to so discriminate: “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:8–9).

God Honors the Poor

The truth is, God honors the poor. In fact, the gospel is preached only to those who consider themselves wretched, miserable, poor sinners in need of mercy and not justice. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). The gospel invites those who are weary and heavy-laden to receive the rest of salvation.

James demands that the church pay careful attention (v. 5) to what he has to say. “Listen, my beloved brothers!” It is an imperative. God from all eternity chose the poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith, James says. This divine election, not our righteousness, is the basis of our salvation. Paul writes, “For [God] chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Eph. 1:4–5). God chose us to be saved from all eternity. Elsewhere Paul declares, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27–28). The vast majority of believers in God’s church are poor in the eyes of the world. They are just ciphers.

It is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said (Matt. 19:23). The rich young ruler rejected the kingdom blessing of eternal life because he was a fool, like Nabal, and an idolater. Paul tells us, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:9–10).

The rich man of Luke 16 expected to go to heaven, not by trusting in the Messiah but by trusting in his own wealth. (PGM) He also expected poor Lazarus, who trusted in the Messiah, to go to hell, because he was not wealthy. But we know the rest of their story!

James tells us that the poor are chosen by God from eternity to be rich in faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he is rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). It is by faith we are in Christ. Those who are rich in faith are rich in God. The rich young ruler had vast wealth but no faith. He was not rich toward God.

The church in Smyrna was a poor church. But this is what Jesus Christ himself told them: “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!” (Rev. 2:9). These poor Christians were rich in God. And the poor apostle Paul declares about himself that he is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Cor. 6:10). When we possess God, we possess everything. Jesus was rich and yet he became poor to make us rich. So says Paul: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).

Jesus was the poorest person in the world. He said about himself: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). He had no money to pay tax. The Creator and the Owner of the world borrowed a womb and a manger, a room and a tomb, a boat and a donkey. He depended on others for daily bread (Luke 8:1–3).

We are told that sinners, the common people, listened to the Lord Jesus Christ gladly. The materially poor in the eyes of the world are much more likely to realize their spiritual need and trust in the only Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. The rich are much more likely to trust in their wealth.

Eternal life consists in knowing God, not in the abundance of things. The question is, are you rich toward God? Are you rich in God? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone? Are you rich in faith? Is God your treasure, and are you his? Peter declares, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light ” (1 Pet. 2:9). The psalmist says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25–26).

The poor who are rich in faith are God’s treasured possession, his segullah (Heb.), his precious jewels. And God himself is their precious inheritance. How dare anyone discriminate against the poor people of God!

At Christ’s second coming, poor Christians shall hear from the King’s lips these words: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). The heirs of the kingdom enjoy eternal life. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus Christ, we own everything. So Paul says, “So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God” (1 Cor. 3:21–23). God promised his kingdom to the poor believers in Jesus, James says. And God always keeps his promises, as Paul tells us: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20). “Let God be true and all men liars” (Rom. 3:4).

How do we know that we are chosen from all eternity? The answer is, because those who are chosen are born of God (James 1:18). God gives us birth by the word of truth. Have you believed in Jesus Christ? If so, you are chosen by God from all eternity. That is the first test. The next test is, you have the life of God in the soul of man. You will love God by keeping his commands. You won’t argue about God’s word; you believe it, and you will do what God tells you to do. Such obedience shows that you love God, that you are born of God, that you are chosen by God from all eternity.

It is natural for God’s children to love their Father and obey him gladly. James tells us, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (Jas. 1:12). So do not worry when the world hates you. Do not even worry when the church of Christ treats you with contempt. Jesus, the Son of God, was discriminated against both by the church of his day and by the world. Remember how Simon the rich Pharisee invited Jesus Christ for dinner? Yet Simon treated Jesus with contempt. He did not give him water to wash his feet, oil for his head, or a kiss. This is how the world and the church treated Jesus Christ. And above all, they crucified the Holy One of God. Jesus suffered the greatest injustice in this world at their hands. Yet he never discriminated (see Luke 20:21).

If God himself chose the poor in the eyes of the world to inherit eternal salvation and thus he honored them, it is a terrible sin to despise the poor and honor the rich, and that by the church, which consists mostly of poor people. We must reject the values of the world. The world favors the rich and famous and treats them as stars. The church must repent of her sin. She must be transformed by the renewing of her mind by the word of God. The church must experience the ongoing sanctifying work of the Spirit. The church should be the one place where all worldly, sinful distinctions are wiped out as we who received mercy meet in the presence of the King of glory.

Pastor Kent Hughes recounts the story of a poor woman who lived on the wrong side of the tracks. She decided to join a church where the rich people worshiped. The pastor told her to go home and think about it for a week. She came back after thinking and said she wanted to join. Then the pastor said, “Let us not be hasty. Go home and read the Bible an hour a day for a week.” She came back after another week and said she still wanted to join. The pastor said to her: “I have one more suggestion. Pray every day this week to make sure God wants you to join this rich church.” The poor woman did not return. After six months, the pastor met her on the street and inquired what she had decided. She said, “I did what you asked me to do. I went home and prayed and prayed. One day while I was praying, the Lord said to me, ‘Don’t worry about getting into that church. I have been trying to get into myself for the last twenty years.’”2

There is only one church for all God’s holy people – for poor and rich, white and black, Jew and Gentile. In Christ, we are one. There is one holy universal apostolic church. Sinful discrimination denies this truth. He who dishonors the poor dishonors God, who chose the poor to be rich in God. We are one family, members of one body. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. How can we discriminate against members of our own family? The world may hate us, but Christians must love one another. So we must love orphans, widows, aliens, the poor. We must not practice reverse discrimination either. We must repent of all sinful discrimination.

The Rich Persecute the Poor

In verses 6 and 7, James gives another historical argument against showing partiality to the rich unbelievers. Who are these rich people? They are those who were continually oppressing and exploiting the poor. He speaks of this later in his epistle, “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you” (James 5:1–6).

James also says the rich are those who drag the poor to court to take their properties by bribing the judges. This is a historical reality. The rich of this world also continually blaspheme our glorious Lord Jesus Christ whose name the poor confessed and in whose name they were baptized. Peter speaks of such persecution: “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Pet. 4:16). And Paul confesses that he himself persecuted the church: “Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them” (Acts 26:11).

The argument of James is this: How could his fellow Christians show respect of person to the rich who were persecuting the poor Christians in these horrible ways? They must stop all such discrimination. They must repent of their sins. They must honor the poor whom God has honored. All believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ ought to love one another even as Christ loved us and gave himself for us in the atoning death of the cross.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let us consider Jesus, who was rich. Yet he became poor so that through his poverty we might become rich. And, truly, we are rich! How did Christ make us rich?

  1. He took our nature upon him (Heb. 2:14);
  2. He took our sin upon him (1 Pet. 2:24);
  3. He took our curse upon him (Gal. 3:13);
  4. He took our death upon him (1 Cor. 15:3);
  5. Now, because he lives, we live also.

Friends, the gospel humbles us. May God’s grace enable us not to discriminate but to love one another by laying down our lives, especially for the people of God.

1 William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Rev. Ed.), The Daily Study Bibleseries (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976), 64-65.

2 Quoted by R. Kent Hughes, James: Faith That Works, Preaching the Word series (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1991), 89.