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in your Bibles to James chapter 
2, James chapter 2. James 2, I'll begin reading in 
verse 1. My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should 
come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel, 
and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes 
and say to him, you sit here in a good place, and say to the 
poor man, you stand there or sit here at my footstool. Have 
you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges 
with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren, 
has God not chosen 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. Do not the rich 
oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme 
that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill 
the royal law according to the Scripture, you shall love your 
neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, 
you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 
For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, 
he is guilty of all. For he who said, do not commit 
adultery, also said, do not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery 
but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So 
speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of 
liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown 
no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith 
but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother 
or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you 
says to them, depart in peace, be warm and filled, but you do 
not give them the things which are needed for the body, what 
does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if 
it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say you have 
faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your 
works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe 
that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons 
believe and tremble. But do you want to know, O foolish 
man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our 
father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the 
altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his 
works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the scripture 
was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God and it was accounted 
to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend 
of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not 
by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot 
also justified by works when she received the messengers and 
sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit 
is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you 
for this passage of Holy Scripture. Again, we pray for the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit. We pray that He would guide us 
and help us to understand this passage, help us to apply this 
passage, and help us, God, to truly give glory to the one who 
has saved us by His grace and for His glory. Help us to be 
an obedient people, as Christ taught us. If you love me, you'll 
keep my commandments. And God, help us to always, always 
be conscious and aware we're not saved by works. We're saved 
by grace through faith in Christ unto good works. Grant us clarity 
on this and keep us from abuses on the right hand or the left. 
Cause us to hold fast to the truth of Scripture in its entirety. And we pray through Christ Jesus 
our Lord. Amen. Well, our focus this evening 
is primarily on verses 1 to 4, the prohibition against the sin 
of partiality. Now, James in this section continues 
to emphasize what being a doer of the Word looks like. Remember 
back in chapter 1 at verse 22, he says, be doers of the Word. 
He ends chapter 1 with a few concrete examples. In verse 26, 
a doer of the word, an obedient Christian, is someone who bridles 
his tongue. If you do not bridle your tongue, 
then your religion is useless. He goes on to highlight pure 
and undefiled religion in verse 27. before God and the Father 
to visit widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself 
unspotted from the world. So there ought to be external 
works of mercy to those who are needy, but internal sanctity 
as well. It's not an either-or. I'm going 
to be a social justice warrior and go ameliorate all the problems 
of the downtrodden and poor, But I'm never going to read my 
Bible, I'm never going to pray, I'm never going to worship. It's 
not supposed to be an either-or. We're supposed to be worshipful, 
devotional, prayerful, reading Scripture, and engaged in deeds 
of mercy to those in need. James continues this theme here 
in chapter 2, in verses 1 to 13 as a whole, deals with this 
sin of partiality. Essentially what we have is a 
prohibition given in verse 1, an example provided in verses 
2 to 4, and then several arguments are given as to why the practice 
of partiality is condemned in verses 5 to 13. Now I read to 
the end of the chapter just to try and introduce a bit of tension, 
because James specifically says that we're saved according to 
our works. And I have tried to take pains 
to explain that there's utter consistency between Paul and 
James on this matter of salvation, and hopefully that will be even 
clearer tonight as we continue in our message. But I want to 
look at two things. First, the command stated in 
verse 1, and then secondly, the illustration provided in verses 
2 to 4. but under the command stated, 
I have four particular points that I want to draw out. In the 
first place, notice pastoral appeal. He says in verse 1 of 
chapter 2, my brethren, James was indeed a pastor, a leader 
in the early church, certainly focused or centrally focused 
there in Jerusalem. James was the leader of that 
particular church. He was the half-brother of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. He is After the life and the 
death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, James 
was converted unto Christ, and James became a leader. And James 
is described in history as a very godly man, as a very upright 
man, as a very righteous man. We also see he's a very compassionate 
man, a very loving man, a very kind man, and a very gracious 
man. And I believe that this is fitted particularly for this 
area of exhortation. The sin of partiality rips apart 
the brotherhood. The sin of partiality makes division. The sin of partiality takes what 
ought to be unified in terms of the body of Christ and rips 
it apart. And so as James says, my brethren, 
it highlights the reality, the argument rather, that we are 
brethren and as such to show partiality is an offense against 
God and it hurts the brethren for whom Jesus Christ died. Notice 
in the second place, back in chapter 1, verses 26 and 27, 
James uses the word religion. Now I tried to offer a defense 
of the word religion last Sunday evening. It's fallen on hard 
times today. Much or some in the evangelical 
world say that religion is terrible. It's all about a relationship. 
No, religion is right if it's the true religion. If it's a 
false religion, then it ought to be shunned, it ought to be 
jettisoned. But the true religion is something we embrace by the 
grace of God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So James 
uses religion in a positive way in verses 26 and 27. Now notice 
in verse 1 of chapter 2, he gives us the essence of true religion. 
He says, my brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. That's true religion. That's 
the content of saving religion. It is the faith of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. through faith so that we can 
appropriate Christ, so that we can find blessing and benefit 
in and through Him. Now notice thirdly, with reference 
to this consistency with Paul, look at the end of James 2. Notice 
very specifically in verse 24, you see then that a man is justified 
by works and not by faith only. And then again in verse 26, for 
as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works 
is dead also. Now, if you've read Paul, you'll 
understand that Paul emphasizes we're saved by grace through 
faith, apart from works. He says this in the book of Romans. 
He says this in the book of Galatians. He says this in the book of Ephesians. 
He highlights this reality that there are no works that we can 
do that commend us to God. We have sinned against God. We 
are totally depraved. We're totally unable to merit 
His favor. We cannot do enough good to sort of endear ourselves 
to God. So Paul emphasizes justification 
by faith alone. So some come to James chapter 
2 and they say, well, James is different. James says faith plus 
works in order to be saved. I will argue that specifically 
what James is dealing with in this particular section is not 
an issue of faith versus works. It's not an issue of faith plus 
works, but it's the issue concerning saving faith versus false faith. James is not dealing in the first 
place with how a sinner is made right with God, but James is 
dealing with how a professing Christian demonstrates the substance 
of that profession to those around him. In other words, what Paul 
is dealing with is our reconciliation before God. James is dealing 
with a bunch of professing Christians that were not doing what Christians 
ought to do. This is reflected in our confession 
of faith. In chapter 11, paragraph 2, it 
speaks specifically concerning faith. Faith thus receiving and 
resting on Christ and His righteousness is the alone instrument of justification, 
yet it is not alone. This is what James is saying. 
You profess faith in Christ, you must keep your tongue bridle. You profess faith in Christ, 
you must visit the downtrodden and poor. You profess faith in 
Christ, you must keep yourself unstained from the world. You 
profess faith in Christ, you must not show partiality. You profess faith in Christ, 
you need to live like that. So again, we're dealing with 
this whole idea of justification before God in a bulk of what 
Paul teaches, and justification before man in terms of our work, 
so the evidences of that faith fleshed out in our lives. It 
says, yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is 
ever accompanied by all other saving graces, and is no dead 
faith, but worketh by love. So to highlight the consistency 
with Paul, I wanna look at two particulars. First, his emphasis, 
James' emphasis on sovereign grace, and secondly, his emphasis 
on saving faith. In the first place, look at James 
1.18. James says, of his own will, 
he brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind 
of firstfruits of his creatures. Now this is a passage that sounds 
very similar to something that Paul would write himself. And 
everything that James writes is very similar to what Paul 
would write. There is no inconsistency. It is posited. It is placed upon 
the text. It supports faulty views of justification 
and sanctification. If we listen to Paul in Galatians 
chapter 2, when he met James, James gave Paul the right hand 
of fellowship. Why would James do that if he 
thought that Paul's doctrine of justification was faulty? 
Why in the world would the Jerusalem church receive Paul and say to 
him, the only thing we want you to do is to remember the poor? 
The very thing Paul says he was eager to do. There's no doctrinal 
breach between these two men. But let's look at this verse 
18. It's in a particular context. Notice in verse 13, James says, 
James wants you to understand that when you are going through 
a temptation, this is a solicitation to do evil. This isn't some trial, it's not 
some hardship, it's not some difficulty, it's not some tribulation 
in your life. It is a solicitation to do or 
commit evil. And James says in verse 13, let 
no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. For, he 
says, God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt 
anyone. James highlights where temptation 
arises. James highlights the sewage pit 
from whence temptation flows. Notice in verse 14, the problem 
isn't God, brethren, the problem is us. Verse 14, but each one 
is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. He then goes on to sort of give 
us the anatomy of sin. It's as if it's an anatomy class 
under Pastor James, and he wants to highlight what sin looks like. 
Verse 15, then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to 
sin, and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. James goes on in verse 16 to 
say, do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. I think that points 
back to verse 13. Do not be deceived, my beloved 
brethren. God is not tempting you to sin. Do not be deceived, my beloved 
brethren. God is not tempting you to click 
on that porn site. Do not be deceived, my beloved 
brethren. God is not enticing you to drink 
that 12-pack to drunkenness. God is not soliciting you to 
do evil. Do not be deceived. Do not blame 
God when you are going through crunch time. And then as a positive 
statement, he tells us that God gives good gifts. Not only does 
God not solicit you to do evil, but it's God who gives you benefit. It's God who gives you blessing. 
It's God who gives you good things. Notice in verse 17, every good 
gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from 
the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow 
of turning. You see the progression of thought 
there. Let no one say when he is tempted, God's tempting me. 
Now, don't be deceived, my beloved brethren. Not only does God not 
tempt you, but every good thing that happens to you in your life 
comes from God. And note the way he describes 
God in verse 17, comes down from the Father of lights, with whom 
there is no variation or shadow of turning. God is immutable. He is unchangeable. As Thomas 
Manton said, but God doth not change. There is no wrinkle upon 
the brow of eternity. The arm of mercy is not dried 
up, nor do His bowels of love waste and spend themselves. So 
you see the progression of thought. Verse 13, God doesn't tempt you. Verse 16, don't even think for 
a moment that He tempts you. Verse 17, not only does He not 
tempt you, but every good and perfect gift comes from His hand. Now, verse 18 is an expression 
of the greatest gift. the best gift that God gives. 
Now certainly God gives you your house, God gives you your clothes, 
God has given you the gifts and abilities to maintain your job, 
God's given you an alarm clock, God's given you the wherewithal 
to get up out of bed and show up at work. All those good gifts 
come from God, but as an example of God's benevolence, as an example 
of God's generosity, as an example of God's goodness, where does 
James point? He points to God's sovereign 
grace. in the salvation of your hell-deserving 
soul. That's where verse 18 comes. He says, "...of His own will 
He brought us forth, by the word of truth, that we might be a 
kind of firstfruits of His creatures." So again, in that specific localized 
context, don't even begin to question whether or not God is 
tempting you or soliciting you to do evil. Not only does God 
not do that, but every good thing you have comes from Him vis-a-vis 
your salvation. The fact that you are heaven-bound, 
the fact that Christ has delivered you, the fact that you are an 
inheritor to the kingdom of God argues totally against this concept 
or idea that God has tempted you to sin. Now with reference 
to verse 18, John Gill makes the connection. He says, the 
apostle instanced in one of those good and perfect gifts, regeneration. He goes on to say, and since 
this comes from him, he cannot be the author of evil or tempt 
unto it. And his commentary says, this 
verse, verse 18, which Luther, despite his problems with James, 
loved, evidently offers an illustration of what has just been defended, 
that is God's goodness. Now, you've got to understand 
the background as to why he would say Luther, despite his problems 
with James, loved. James, or not James, well, maybe 
James would have had a problem with Luther, but Luther certainly 
had a problem with James. You see, Luther saw the tension 
and he heard the papists using James 2 as an argument against 
justification by faith alone. And for Luther, he thought that 
this was a right straw epistle. He thought it was profitable, 
and he thought it was beneficial, and he thought there was some 
good teaching in it, but for Luther, James was a bit of an 
anomaly, because Luther thought that what was being taught was 
a combination of faith plus works, a la Roman Catholicism, as a 
means by which we are accepted by God. So that's why he says 
Luther loved this verse, despite his problems with James. But 
let's look specifically now at verse 18. I just want to draw 
out quickly four implications of salvation. In the first place, 
salvation is according to the will of God. Again, the larger 
thing that I'm trying to set forth here is that James' emphasis 
with reference to salvation is salvation by grace and salvation 
by grace through faith. This is just what Paul teaches. 
When you read all the Pauline letters, you will get the same 
approach. And when you read James, you 
get the same approach. And I'm taking the time now so 
that when we get to the latter part of James chapter two, I 
don't have to keep polemicizing and have to keep telling you 
what he doesn't mean. Because if we keep talking about 
what he doesn't mean, we're going to miss what he does mean. And 
you know what James essentially means? You profess faith, live 
like it. In other words, James is writing 
to deadbeat Christians, deadbeat professing Christians. People 
that say, I've believed, I have decided, I'm going to follow 
the Savior, and they don't bridle their tongue. They don't visit 
the downcast. They don't keep themselves unstained 
from the world. They show partiality. They engage 
in the sorts of things that God's law condemns. James says if you 
profess faith in Jesus Christ, if you ascribe your salvation 
to the sovereign grace of God, then you must live in light of 
it. You must be faithful. You must 
realize that as believers we're not saved by these works, we've 
been saved by grace unto good works. The same emphasis in Paul 
in Ephesians 2, 8 to 10, for by grace you've been saved through 
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. It's not 
of works, lest anyone should boast. And then in verse 10, 
for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, 
that we should walk in, which rather He created beforehand, 
that we should walk in them. You see, they're teaching the 
same thing, but with reference to the first observation in terms 
of God's sovereign grace. It is salvation according to 
the will of God. Again, a theme that is replete 
in Scripture. Turn to John 1. John 1. Many of these passages 
will be familiar to you, but I want you to see that they're 
It's a familiar theme, and it's a familiar theme that certainly 
James did not depart from. But James is another testimony, 
another witness in the New Testament corpus that highlights this reality 
that salvation is according to the grace or to the will of God. 
It's not our will. Salvation is of the Lord. Jonah confessed this, and the 
rest of the New Testament affirms this, and the rest of the Old 
Testament as well. But notice in John 1, 12, but 
as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children 
of God. To those who believe in His name 
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man. But of God, same idea that we 
see in James 1.18, of His own will, He brought us forth. Notice 
in John 3, John 3 specifically at verse 8, the wind blows where 
it wishes. You hear the sound of it but 
cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone 
who is born of the Spirit. This is according to the will 
of God. Turn to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9, specifically 
verse 16, the entire chapter certainly affirms what I'm presenting 
here in terms of the salvation is according to the will of God, 
but as a specimen text, notice Romans 9.16, so then it is not 
of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. You see, as you ponder your salvation, 
do not congratulate yourself. As you ponder redemptive benefit, 
praise God, because it's according to the will of God. Notice in 
1 Corinthians 1, 30 and 31. 1 Corinthians 1, verses 30 and 
31. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus. Am I in him because I made a 
decision, I walked an aisle when every head was bowed and every 
eye was closed, I shot my hand up into the air? No, but of him 
you are in Christ Jesus. Brethren, we ought not to forget 
that. We ought not to only focus on the polemics of it so that 
we could go out and bash free willers or those Arminians or 
Pelagians or other sort of miscreants that would misrepresent the truth 
of God. Let's worship and praise and 
adore the reality that of Him we are in Christ Jesus. God saved 
us. It's according to the will of 
God. And then notice, well, he goes 
on to specify, of Him you are in Christ Jesus who became for 
us wisdom from God, that is, righteousness and sanctification 
and redemption, that as it is written, he who glories, let 
him glory in the Lord. You see, if we had a contributing 
part to play, we couldn't glory in the Lord. We'd glory a little 
bit in the Lord, but we'd glory in ourselves as well. We would 
congratulate ourselves. We would pat ourselves on the 
back. And then notice specifically in Ephesians 1, Ephesians 1. Again, several texts that just 
affirm this reality that James presents, that salvation is according 
to the will of God. Ephesians 1 verse 11, in Him 
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to 
the purpose of Him who works all things, according to the 
counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should 
be to the praise of His glory. In him you also trusted after 
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 
in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy 
Spirit of promise." You see, you cannot come away from Ephesians 
1 and congratulate yourself for your salvation. You cannot come 
away from the book of James and congratulate yourself for your 
salvation. James is clear. Of his will, 
he brought us forth. A second implication flowing 
from James 1.18, salvation is likened to a birth. Specifically, 
regeneration. This is the language of regeneration. 
Of His own will, He brought us forth. Now, the particular verb 
that James uses here is a different verb than what we typically see 
with reference to regeneration. But I think it is consistent 
with what we find in verse 15. Notice in verse 15, when desire 
has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full 
grown, brings forth death. James uses the same verb down 
in verse 18. Of His own will, He brought us forth. birthed 
us, and as David, the commentator, points out, the choice of this 
particular verb rather than the other particular verb, ganao 
is the other particular verb, he says, was dictated by a need 
to parallel 115. Sin produces death, but God produces 
life. That's the emphasis, that's the 
flow, that's the language and the argument which is most consistent 
with what we find everywhere in Scripture in terms of regeneration 
or in terms of this idea of being born again. Certainly John uses 
that concept frequently in John chapter 3. He uses it in 1 John 
3, 1 John 4. You see Paul's emphasis on adoption. seeing it from a bit of a different 
angle. Same truth, same idea, same concept, 
but Paul treats it sort of from that Roman perspective of adoption 
and the legal status conferred upon the adoptee. Same idea, 
we are brought forth as children. The gnao sense in John, we are 
born again. The adoption sense in Paul, the 
end result is the same, but looking at the same grace from a couple 
of different angles, to encourage the downcast believer. And then 
thirdly, salvation is affected through the instrumentality of 
the Word of God. Notice in verse 18, of His own 
will, He brought us forth by what? The Word of truth. Some 
commentators believe that James isn't necessarily dealing here 
with salvation. He may be dealing with the creation 
of the world, He may be dealing with the creation of the Jewish 
people or the nation of Israel, but this instrumentality of the 
Word, I think, makes it decisive that He is dealing with salvation 
by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he'll 
highlight faith in chapter two at verse one. But notice here, 
of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. That 
word of truth must be believed. That word of truth and the instrumentality 
of it must be believed. And this is an emphasis again 
that is everywhere in the New Testament, along with what James 
says here, we see it elsewhere. Romans chapter 10, verse 17, 
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." That text 
I just read in Ephesians 1.13, in him, you also, after you heard 
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also 
having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. 
We see this emphasis throughout Scripture, the emphasis on the 
necessity of the Word of God to be believed on. Again, the 
Spirit produces faith. The Spirit produces our ability 
so that we may appropriate by faith that message of the cross. There is faith in that Word, 
and it's faith in that Word, the message of the gospel. Apart 
from gospel preaching, sinners will perish in hell. This is 
the whole purpose behind world missions. This is the whole purpose 
as to why we pray for missionaries, why we fund missionaries, why 
we send missionaries out. Because if they don't hear of 
salvation by grace through faith in Christ, they will perish in 
their sins. Jesus taught that in his earthly 
ministry. Unless you believe that I am 
You will die in your sins. So persons need to know that 
Christ is the I Am. Persons need to know of His active 
obedience to the law. They need to know of His passive 
obedience at His death and sacrifice. They need to know of that empty 
tomb. They need to know of the current 
session. They need to know that He's coming back again in glory 
to judge the living and the dead. They need the content of the 
gospel. so that the Holy Spirit will 
produce faith in them to lay hold of it." You see, James is 
consistent with every other New Testament author in highlighting 
the necessity of God's gospel for the salvation of sinners. 
So salvation is according to the will of God, salvation is 
likened to a birth, salvation is affected through the instrumentality 
of the Word of God received by faith, and then fourthly and 
finally, salvation is not according to our works. You see, he doesn't 
say of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth 
and all the works I'm going to tell you about. James affirms 
grace alone through faith, chapter two, verse one, alone. James 
is not teaching us faith plus works. James is not inconsistent 
with the Apostle Paul. James is not the patron saint 
of the Roman Catholic Church. James isn't about conflating 
justification and sanctification. James wasn't a proto new perspective 
on Paul guy. James was not a proto federal 
visionist. James is not teaching salvation 
by faithfulness. James is teaching salvation by 
grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, along with the 
rest of Scripture. Salvation is not according to 
our works. The basis is the will of God, 
the means or the instrumentality is the Word of God, and the result 
is that we become firstfruits. It's not that we were the first 
fruits of those choice-hard workers and meritorious keepers of the 
law, so God confers blessing on us. No, He saves us unto this. This is James' emphasis from 
the end of chapter 1 through the rest of the epistle. He has 
saved you unto pure and undefiled religion. He has saved you unto 
visiting widows and orphans in their distress. He has saved 
you unto internal sanctity. He has saved you unto impartiality 
with reference to the convening of God's people together. He's 
not saved you because of those things. James is not addressing 
persons on how they must be saved. He is addressing those who say 
they're saved on how they are to flesh it out. Paul does the 
same thing in Ephesians 1. You can turn there. And I think 
this has taken us a little bit off the beaten track in terms 
of the impartiality thing, but I hope that you'll see that James 
is consistent with Paul. Notice in Ephesians 1.3, Blessed 
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed 
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 
Isn't that a beautiful statement? Isn't that a glorious statement? 
Everything we need for life and salvation, God has blessed us 
with. Justification, sanctification, glorification, everything has 
been secured for us by Christ Jesus. Notice verse 4, just as 
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that 
we should be holy and without blame before Him. Notice, it 
doesn't say, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation 
of the world, because we were holy and without blame, we're 
chosen, we're redeemed, we're saved unto this holiness and 
blamelessness. This is James' point as well. Calvin, on James 1.18, says, 
the will and counsel of God are often set in opposition to the 
merits of men. So James is on the right track 
in terms of his presentation of salvation. It's an amazing 
thing that this debate has ever occurred because James 1.18 is 
clear. James 2.1 is clear. We understand 
the argument in James 2.14-26, and when we get there, you'll 
see what James is dealing with. All these demonstration verbs 
are employed by James. Do you see? Do you see? Do you 
see? Show me, show me, show me. He's 
not dealing with how is a sinner right with God. He's dealing 
with how a sinner who professes to be right with God shows her 
evidences in his life that he is indeed right with God. That's 
what James is counteracting in James 2, 14 to 26. It's this 
profession of faith in Christ that is devoid of the other graces 
that always accompany saving faith. John Gill on James 1.18. Can't imagine I'd go through 
James 1.18 and not quote John Gill, right? I'm sure some of 
you are just waiting for John Gill. Calvin and Gill typically 
get these things right. He says, "'Nor does God regenerate 
men through any consideration of their will, works, and merits, 
nor have these any influence at all upon it. But He begets 
of His own free grace and favor, and of His rich and abundant 
mercy, and of His sovereign will and pleasure, according to His 
counsels and purposes of old.' Matthew pulled out of his mere 
good pleasure as the original cause and not moved to it by 
any dignity or merit in us. So you see, James' doctrine of 
salvation, in the first place, James 1.18, is an emphasis upon 
sovereign grace. The second aspect is the emphasis 
on saving faith. James 2.1, my brethren, do not 
hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with 
partiality." A very curious statement if James is teaching salvation 
by works. He summarizes, he highlights, 
he identifies, he gives us the content of true religion with 
this brief descriptor, the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's 
by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, unto 
good works, unto a bridled tongue, unto the visiting of widows and 
orphans in their distress, keeping oneself unstained from the world, 
unto impartiality when it comes to the gathering of the people 
of God. There is no inconsistency. There is no contradiction. James and Paul are singing off 
the same page. So still, under the command stated, 
we've seen the pastoral appeal, the definition of true religion, 
the consistency with Paul. Now, notice the specific sin 
condemned. My brethren, do not hold the 
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. The NIV captures it as favoritism 
or translates it as favoritism. And that's pretty good. And that's 
what the idea is, as the example or illustration makes very clear. But the word basically means 
the receiving of one's face. Partiality. Now, economic status 
is in view in the example that James gives us. The two men who 
come into the worship service, one is in finery, another is 
in dirty or poor clothes, and we tell the one in the finery, 
sit up in the front, and we tell the one in the bad, dirty clothes, 
you got to sit in the back. But it's not just economic status. social status, rank in society, 
any number of things can violate James' word here. I've often 
thought that churches who have a contemporary service in the 
morning and then a traditional service are unwittingly showing 
partiality. Who typically goes to the contemporary? 
It's the young people. Who typically goes to the traditional? 
It's the old people. Why would you introduce that 
sort of faction into your church? Why would you cultivate partiality? And it's always intrigued me 
that the old people have to be there at 8 or 8.30. I guess we 
just assume they're out of bed earlier than the young people 
who roll out of bed at 11. If you're one of the traditional 
adherents, you're probably able to get up at 5 or whatever. But 
if you're one of those contemporary ones, we don't expect you to 
fall out of bed before 10.30, so we'll make it 11. Any sort 
of thing that would divide the people of God, why would we do 
that? Why would we found a church based 
on ethnicity? What does the church triumphant 
look like in heaven? In Revelation 5, 9, it is men 
from every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation. Why would we be the first church 
of Canadians only? Why would we be the first church 
of Americans who happen to live in Canada? Why do we do that 
sort of thing? Why are we trying to produce 
tension and division and disunity when James tells us, my brethren, 
do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of 
glory, with partiality? Why would you exclude persons 
that don't fit that particular demographic? It is to introduce 
an anomaly into the body of Christ. It is to say, if you're not an 
arm, we don't want you here, but I'm a leg and the body needs 
that. But you're not the kind of leg that we like, so we don't 
want you here. Now this is something that has 
a great deal of pedigree in the Old Testament. Go back to Deuteronomy. Probably wondering now or know 
now why I would read Deuteronomy 10 at the outset of worship. 
I think James is trafficking in the law of God. Actually go 
back to Exodus 23. Exodus chapter 23. It will never cease to amaze me 
how we in churches want to manufacture division when God says don't 
have division. Why would we do that? Why in 
the world would we say, you know, this is the black church or this 
is the white church? You mean a white guy can't go 
to a black church? A black guy can't go to a white 
church? Are we really going to owe that line? If I'm a white 
guy and I wander into a black church, are they going to say, 
hey, brother, welcome? I hope so. Because that's the point 
of James 2.1. It is reflective of God. God 
shows no partiality. Notice in Exodus 23, specifically 
at verse 3, you shall not show partiality to a poor man in his 
dispute. Deuteronomy chapter 1. Now there 
are so many texts, and I know preachers say that to impress 
everybody, but there really are. But we're going to just look 
at a few specimens here, a few samples. Deuteronomy 1.17, you 
shall not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the 
small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid in any 
man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The passage that I 
read at the outset of worship in Deuteronomy chapter 10, very 
specifically verses 17 and 18, it's basically repeated in chapter 
16 and verse 19. 2 Chronicles 19.7 tells us and 
highlights for us that God is impartial. But I would suggest 
that perhaps one of the texts that is in the forefront of James' 
mind is Leviticus 19. Now, that's a difficult proposition 
to make. How do I know what was in James' 
mind? I don't, but later on James is 
going to quote Leviticus 19.18. So I don't think it's a stretch 
to see him at least with the concept of Leviticus 19.15. Notice in Leviticus 19.15, you 
shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the 
poor nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness 
you shall judge your neighbor. Look at verse 18, "...you shall 
not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of 
your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I 
am the Lord." That will come up again later in James as he 
highlights or defines for us the royal law of liberty. So several passages affirm that 
this is indeed a characteristic of God and it must be imitated 
by God's people. Notice in the New Testament, 
well, I'll just give you the text, you can look them up later, 
with reference to God, Acts 10, 34, the incident concerning Cornelius, 
Romans 2, 11, Galatians 2, 6, Galatians 3.28, though it doesn't 
say there is no partiality with God, that's the passage we looked 
at last week where Paul tells us that these distinctions have 
been obliterated through the redemptive grace of God. There's 
neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, there's 
neither male nor female. Now again, that doesn't obliterate 
gender distinctions, doesn't mean men can go into women's 
rooms and women can go into men's room, but in terms of redemption, 
we are co-heirs God shows no partiality. If you're a woman, 
you're a slave, you're a Gentile, God saves by grace through faith. And then it's commanded with 
reference to believers here in James 2, James 3, and then again 
in 1 Timothy. And essentially Calvin defines 
it this way, he means that the respective persons, that's another 
sort of meaning of it, partiality, favoritism, respective persons. He means that the respective 
persons is inconsistent with the faith of Christ so that they 
cannot be united together and rightly so. For we are by faith 
united into one body in which Christ holds the primacy. It 
is to introduce division. It is to introduce cliquism. 
It is to introduce factionalism. Notice his illustration provided 
in verses 2 to 4. Again, it's pretty simple. I 
don't think it takes a whole lot of exegeting to sort of figure 
out what James is getting at. Well, you know, here he probably 
means what he means. Now, there is some question. 
He uses the word synagogue. That could just highlight an 
early an early date for James, which I think James was an early 
epistle, probably around the late 40s. The fact that he uses 
synagogue, that was something that we see. The early Christians 
met at synagogues, they assembled together there, and so James 
uses that. Now, some believe that he's not 
only dealing with corporate worship and the public assembling for 
the worship of God, but sort of church courts. The idea being 
what we find in 1 Corinthians 6, where Paul basically reproves 
the Corinthians for going to court against a brother. He essentially 
says, can't the church sit in judgment of two brethren that 
have disagreement? Can't the church hear evidence, 
counter evidence, offer it up? and render a verdict? Can't the 
blood-bought, spirit-filled people of God settle their own problems? 
Yes! That's what he emphasizes. Now, whether that's the case 
or not, whatever it is, whether it's this church-court sort of 
a thing, some sort of an ecclesiastical, judicatory sort of setting, or 
whether it is corporate worship, the idea is the same. We've got 
two men. One is rich. Notice, for if there 
should come into your assembly, verse 2, a man with gold rings 
and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy 
clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes 
and say to him, you sit here in a good place, and say to the 
poor man, you stand there or sit here at my footstool. Pretty 
simple to understand, isn't it? Favorites up. It's partiality. It's man-pleasing. It's courting 
the favor of the rich man and relegating the poor man to the 
back of the bus. Essentially, you're not as important 
as this rich fellow. You're not as important as this 
man decked with rings and fine apparel. You're not as important, 
so we're not going to give you a position of esteem or a place 
of honor. Now, we need to understand that 
the Bible understands and presents to us honor to whom honor is 
due. Romans chapter 13. 1 Peter chapter 
2, Peter tells us to honor the king. If the king comes to corporate 
worship, it is not wrong to esteem him. It is not wrong to show 
respect. It is not wrong to say kind things 
to him. It is wrong when we do it at 
the expense of those who are not kings. It is wrong when we 
set the one up in esteem and we insult the other. How about 
this? We honor the king and we honor 
the visitor who comes in among us. We honor the man of prestige 
and we honor the poor man because this is what the body of Christ 
really ought to be about. Because as the body of Christ, 
we ought not to be man-pleasers. We ought not to say, wow, oh 
king, have everything that you want at our beck and call. No, 
again, we show respect, we show honor, we show dignity. I mean, 
if even a politician we didn't like was to show up, we should 
show honor. That's what Romans 13 and 1 Peter 
2 actually means. But by doing that, we don't insult 
the poor. We don't show favoritism. We do not show that kind of partiality. as Gil says, take notice of him 
and show favor to him to the neglect and contempt of the other. 
Calvin spends about two big paragraphs talking about the fact that the 
honorable deserve honor. There are kings, there are princes, 
there are men of esteem and we are to show them honor and Calvin 
highlights that. But he says, not at the expense 
of the poor. You don't do this and then, you 
know, treat the other slobs like they're slobs. You're not supposed 
to do that. We're supposed to show honor, 
not only to the rich, but to the poor as well. And then note 
how James concludes this particular prohibition or gives us sort 
of an implication in verse 4. He says, have you not shown partiality 
among yourselves by doing that, by inviting the rich to a place 
of prestige and telling the poor to go sit in the back or to sit 
at my footstool or to, you know, go clean the dishes while we 
gather together? Have you not shown partiality 
among yourselves? And now note, and become judges 
with evil thoughts. Motier says, the sin of partiality 
is the sin of judging by accidentals and externals, and as James noted, 
it always bears down on the poor and disadvantaged. It usually 
doesn't work in their favor. Hey, the poor are here, let's 
give them all the... No, it typically bears down on 
the poor and the disadvantaged. Douglas Moo makes this observation 
concerning verse four. When Christians show favoritism 
toward people in the assembly, they implicitly claim God's own 
right to stand in judgment over other people. That's scary, isn't 
it? If we treat people with that 
sort of disrespect, or we take the poor man and tell him to 
go sit at the footstool, or we send them to the back of the 
bus, we are taking the position of God as judge. James condemns 
this later in James chapter four, not necessarily with reference 
to partiality, but this idea that Christians, for whatever 
reason, are always striving to be rival lawmakers right alongside 
of God. You see, this is the problem. 
Rival lawmakers. God brooks no rivals. God's never 
called his people to help him when it comes to regulating his 
affairs. God is perfectly able to carry 
out his affairs without our assistance. But it's in us, isn't it, to 
judge? It's in us to cast our verdict. It's in us to engage 
in what Christ condemns in Matthew 7. Do not judge. He's not saying 
ever in any context, but he's condemning judgmentalism. Notice in James 4.11, do not 
speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother 
and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the 
law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, 
but a judge. There is one lawgiver who is 
able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? 
Boy, that we would take that to heart, that we would embrace 
that, that we would receive that, that we would act upon that and 
not be judgmental of everything and everybody. God doesn't always 
need our opinion. God doesn't need our counsel. 
God doesn't need us to pick up the bat phone and call him and 
say, did you see so-and-so today? Get him, get her. That is not 
what we are called to do. We're called to be an impartial 
people to maintain the unity of Christ's body. When we send 
someone to the back of the bus or we treat someone miserably 
based on their skin color, based on their ethnicity, based on 
their economic status, based on their rank in society, haven't 
we ripped apart the body of Jesus? Didn't He save us to bring us 
together? Didn't He save us so that, you 
know, Southern Californians could worship with, you know, older 
brethren from Holland? Didn't God do this for His glory 
and for His honor so that the church militant, the church on 
earth, would be a picture of the church triumphant, that it's 
made up of every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation? 
And yet some tribe or tongue or person or nation comes into 
our church and we say, you know, we're not really into this sort 
of a mixed thing. That's not our ministry. We suggest 
you go down the road to a church that would be more hospitable 
to you. That is wretched. It is wicked. It is evil. It 
is to introduce division into the body of Jesus Christ. Paul 
tells us we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit 
and the bond of faith, and then we introduce all of these artificial 
things to further separate and segregate the people of God. 
It really makes no sense, brethren, in light of the truth of God. Well, in conclusion, I want to 
just summarize by suggesting that partiality is a persistent 
problem. For those of you who want alliteration, 
partiality is a persistent problem. In the first place, we do have 
the tendency to judge men based on externals. Now, you're probably 
saying, not me, Pastor. Good, you can tune out for the 
next couple of minutes. The rest of us need to hear this. 
The tendency to judge men based on externals, race, social status, 
economic status, whatever, it's in us. Again, you may be the 
holy, harmless, undefiled one that it's not in, and I praise 
God for you. But for the rest of us, that 
tendency might be there. We need to destroy it. We need to mortify it. You know, 
later on, James is going to highlight or he's going to appeal to the 
law of God. The same God who says don't murder says don't 
commit adultery. You may not murder, but if you 
commit adultery, you've broken the law. What's the argument 
in the context? Maybe you didn't murder. Maybe 
you didn't commit adultery, but you're partial. You play favorites? Do you think that somehow you 
haven't broken the law? Do you think that somehow you're 
okay? Do you think that somehow you're the holy, harmless, undefiled 
one, likened unto Jesus? No. Secondly, there is a tendency 
to only associate with those who aren't like us. Again, ethnicity, 
I'm not saying you can't have close friends. Jesus had the 
12 and there were three particulars that went with him into Gethsemane, 
that went with him up on the Mount of Transfiguration. I believe 
there is a doctrine of close friendship. You can have close 
friends. You should be every Christian's 
friend, but there is a doctrine of close friendship, and there's 
nothing wrong with that, but we ought not to exclude people 
and become clique-ish. It ought not to be the case that 
one church is actually two or three or four. Thirdly, there 
is a tendency to exclude others because they are not like us. 
I thank God that not everybody's like me, and I hope you do too. Not me, but you. You're all saying, 
yeah, we're really thankful that not everybody's like you. Praise 
God for his goodness. What would the world be like 
if everybody was just like us? It'd be terrible. Diversity and 
difference and all of that is the spice of life. It's a good 
thing. You see this in marriage. God 
takes two radically different people and puts them together. 
I don't think that's because he's got a sense of humor and 
he's just, you know, wants them to have some fun. Because in 
his ingenuity, he knows that that oftentimes is the component 
that makes it work. Because if we're too much alike, 
we'll drive each other absolutely bonkers. Fourthly, there is a 
tendency to destroy the unity of the body of Christ by splitting 
the church into cliques and factions. Let's not do that. Let's not 
ever do that. Let's seek to be faithful and 
mirror on earth what is going on in heaven where the saints 
of God, the angels of God say, you are worthy to take the scroll 
and to open its seals for you were slain and have redeemed 
us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people 
and nation. And then secondly, and finally, 
I wanna highlight the wickedness of judgmentalism. I referred 
to Matthew 7. You can turn there. We're coming 
to a conclusion, so keep the tomatoes holstered. Matthew 7, 
verse 1, judge not that you be not judged. If there were a top 
ten of misquote or misapplied Bible verses, Matthew 7 would 
find its way onto that list with, you know, nine others. People 
got to be in their bonnet about the teaching of scripture and 
somehow think that this is the end all tax that trumps everything. 
Can't judge. Jesus isn't condemning judging. 
Jesus is condemning judgmentalism. We are to judge who may be a 
dog or a pig. Notice in verse six, do not give 
what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, 
lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear 
you into pieces. That's a curious statement if in verse one of 
chapter 70 means never judge. I'd be inclined to say, how do 
we know who's a dog or a pig if we can't judge? Of course 
he doesn't mean you can't ever judge. We are to judge in matters 
of doctrinal orthodoxy. You see that in Matthew 7, 15, 
beware of false prophets. Well, how do we beware of false 
prophets unless we engage in a bit of judgmental, or judging 
rather, of doctrinal orthodoxy or departure therefrom? We are 
to judge in matters of church discipline. Matthew chapter 18, 
if your brother sins against you, Go to him. If he hears you 
and he repents, then great. If he doesn't, take two or three 
witnesses. If he won't listen to them, then 
tell it to the church. If he still refuses to listen 
to the church, then count him as a heathen and as a tax collector. 
You see, there are persons involved exercising what? They're exercising 
judgment. So Christ in 7.1 is not saying 
never, ever judge. We're to judge in matters concerning 
sins in the eldership, 1 Timothy 5.19. Do not receive an accusation 
against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. 
You see, the Bible is not against judgment. The Bible is against 
judgmentalism. And certainly, if we are a civil 
magistrate, we're to judge in civil disputes. We are to participate 
in that process. Even if we're not a magistrate, 
we witness a crime and we get called, we can't say, well, you 
know, God's told me never to judge. And if I walk into that 
courtroom and I swear an oath and I testify, that's a... Go 
and testify. Go and do what you're supposed 
to do, vis-a-vis Romans 13. The idea is judgmentalism. Ryle explains, what our Lord 
means to condemn is a censorious and fault-finding spirit, a readiness 
to blame others for trifling offenses or matters of indifference, 
a habit of passing rash and hasty judgments, a disposition to magnify 
the errors and infirmities of our neighbors and make the worst 
of them. This is what our Lord forbids, 
it was common among the Pharisees." So you see, we are to guard against 
this intrinsic desire, rather inherent desire to judge others. And with reference to our text 
in James 2, 1, illustrated in 2 to 4, we are to guard against 
the judgmental attitude embroiled in or tied up with the sin of 
partiality. Let us, by the grace of God, 
love the body of Christ and all of its differences and all of 
its distinctions and all of its, you know, weirdness and oddities 
at times. Sometimes people say, you know, 
the church is so messed up. Well, tell me a family that isn't 
messed up. And sometimes people say, oh, 
my family, they're just so bizarre. You're not alone. All of us live 
in bizarre families. and then you bring us together 
in the church, it's an amazing thing that we can sit here for 
an hour and a half. When you actually think about 
life as it is, it's an amazing thing that we can sit here together 
for an hour and a half. It truly is the grace of God 
from various tribes, various tongues, various peoples, various 
nations brought together, unified in Christ in a common bond by 
grace through faith in Him. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the consistency 
that we see throughout Scripture. We thank you for James and his 
emphasis on sovereign grace and faith alone in Christ Jesus. 
We thank you for that emphasis from Genesis to Revelation. And 
we thank you that you have given us the grace to believe on him 
who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. Help us to 
guard our hearts against this sin of partiality. Help us to 
be impartial. Help us not to show favoritism. 
Help us not to be respecters of persons, but to honor You, 
to honor the body of Christ, and do so for Your glory's sake. 
Go with us now, we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.