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James 2 – Showing Favoritism to Ourselves
Showing Favoritism to Ourselves
How is the sin of favoritism like adultery and murder? Does James speak of these contextually together in James 2?
Favoritism in the assembly is displayed by paying special attention to the rich, and devaluing the poor. This is made evident by relegating the latter to standing over there or sitting by your feet (2:3). How humiliating! The former gets a special place to sit (2:3). The evil motives (2:4) probably is from hoping the rich man could do something for you; while looking at the poor as incapable of being of any value to you. In either case, people’s value or lack of value is based upon selfishness.
Then James adds to playing favorites, the sins of adultery and murder, saying whoever breaks one law is guilty of all, being a lawbreaker by definition (2:10-12). Is James simply using extremes to show there is no distinction in sin, in that any violation earns one the title of lawbreaker? Possibly, but consider James goes deeper.
Adultery is paying special attention to someone because of what they can do for you in the flesh. Murder is devaluing some as less than you, destroying their flesh. In this sense, positive favoritism towards the rich is like adultery – What can you do for me! And negative favoritism to the poor is like murder – You are worthless to me!
No one wants to be guilty of murder and adultery, but too many willingly show a distinction between those who can do something for us, versus those who can’t.
Whether in the assembly or not, whether the categorically “lesser” sins of positive and negative favoritism or “greater” sins of murder and adultery, we have sinned.
This is how dismissing the poor while showing preference to those who are rich, is like murder and adultery. Our motives are me over you. Ultimately, we are showing favoritism to ourselves.
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