(James 2:12-13)

(A) PARTIALITY IN SCRIPTURE

(1) God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (c.f. Exodus 20:3-17) – and not one of them says anything about “favoritism” (c.f. James 2:1). Idolatry is mentioned – as well as murder and adultery – lying and coveting are listed – but nothing is ever said about “discriminating” against certain people, while showing others “preferential treatment” – or is it?! Actually, God gave Moses other commandments besides the Ten – and one of those says: “you shall not show partiality” (c.f. Exodus 23:3, NKJV).

(2) Jesus once summed up “the whole law and the prophets” by saying we should “love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul” – and “our neighbor as ourselves” (c.f. Matthew 22:36-40). But, He never said anything to suggest there was something wrong with “show(ing) (a little) partiality” (c.f. James 2:9) now and then – or did He?! Actually He did – for He says through His apostles that “there is no partiality with God” (c.f. Romans 2:11) – and since we are to imitate our heavenly Father’s example in every area of life (c.f. Ephesians 5:1), there shouldn’t be any partiality in us either (c.f. I Timothy 5:21).

(3) James is on solid footing, then, when he opens this morning’s Scripture lesson by saying: “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism” (c.f. James 2:1) – and later (in verse nine), “if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (c.f. James 2:9).

(4) Actually, God’s word has a great deal to say about showing partiality – saying in one place: “you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly” (c.f. Leviticus 19:15) – and again: “You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike” (c.f. Deuteronomy 1:17) – and once more: “(do) nothing in a spirit of partiality” (c.f. I Timothy 5:21).

(5) I find it interesting that the illustration God the Holy Spirit inspired James to use, regarding the sin-problem of “partiality” (c.f. James 2:9), is that of an “assembly” (c.f. James 2:2-3) of believers – rather than a situation involving school, or work, or some other secular arena. This indicates we Christians are prone to practice “personal favoritism” (c.f. James 2:1) in the one place (in a fallen world) where it ought never rear it’s ugly head – that we Christians need to guard against “show(ing) partiality” (c.f. James 2:9) when we gather for worship, or fellowship – that we Christians need to make a conscious effort to treat ALL the brothers and sisters in our church family with the same courtesy, and compassion, and respect – which often means getting out of our comfort zone and/or going out of our way to visit with people we don’t normally spend time with.

(6) “Show(ing) partiality” (c.f. James 2:9), then, is a sinful act – just as surely as “adultery” and “murder” (c.f. James 2:11) are sinful acts. Showing “favoritism” (c.f. James 2:1) based on outward, superficial criteria, like those mentioned in verse two (c.f. James 2:2), is a transgression of God’s law (c.f. James 2:9) – especially “the royal law” that says: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (c.f. James 2:8). Moreover, those who violate this command – including Christians like ourselves – deserve to be judged by God for their “evil motives” (c.f. James 2:4) and sinful behavior.

(7) Fortunately, our God is merciful (c.f. Psalm 145:8) – and the fact He deals mercifully with us, instead of always giving us what we deserve, forms the basis for what James says in the last two verses of this morning’s Scripture lesson (c.f. James 2:12-13).

(B) AN ADMONITION AND WARNING

(1) James closes the first half of chapter two with an admonition in verse twelve, saying: “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty” (c.f. James 2:12).

(a) One of the first things to notice is that we need to be careful about what we “say and do”, because Christians (not just unbelievers) are going “to be judged” (c.f. James 2:12). Scripture tells us there is “NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus” (c.f. Romans 8:1) – but it never says there will be no judgment.¹ On the contrary, it says things like this (in regard to Christians) – “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (c.f. Romans 14:10) – and again: “each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (c.f. Romans 14:12) – and once more: “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (c.f. II Corinthians 5:1, NIV).

[1] And, lest some remain unconvinced – thinking only unbelievers will be judged – the Book of Hebrews says: “the Lord will judge HIS PEOPLE” (c.f. Hebrews 10:30) – and again (speaking of pastors and others in positions of spiritual authority): “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls AS THOSE WHO WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT” (c.f. Hebrews 13:17) – give an account to who? – to God! What’s more, James will say in chapter three: “Let not many of you become teachers, MY BRETHREN (which indicates he’s talking to Christians), knowing that as such we (i.e. we Christians who teach God’s word) WILL INCUR A STRICTER JUDGMENT” (c.f. James 3:1) – and again in chapter five: “above all, MY BRETHREN (again, James is obviously speaking to Christians), do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not FALL UNDER JUDGMENT” (c.f. James 5:12) – the implication being that if we are careless about the swearing of oaths, we WILL “fall under judgment”!

[2] Remember, the Day of Judgment will NOT be a day of CONDEMNATION for Christians. Because the penalty for our sins was paid by Jesus Christ on the cross, and the guilt of our sins forgiven by of the same (c.f. I Peter 2:24), no Christian need ever worry about having to suffer the punishments of hell.² However, we must not misapply that wonderful truth by imagining our lives will not be subject to any kind of divine scrutiny.³ On the contrary, one of the most definitive passages of Scripture on this subject says (in part): ¹⁰“…each man must be careful how he builds … ¹¹For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹²Now if any man builds on the foundation (i.e. the foundation of Christ, which indicates they are Christians) (if any man builds on that foundation) with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴If any man’s work which he has built on it (i.e. the foundation of Christ) remains, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; BUT HE HIMSELF WILL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire” (c.f. I Corinthians 3:10-15).

[3] So again I say, that NO Christian EVER has to worry about sinning away their salvation. BUT, we should be concerned about sinning away our rewards – and practicing “partiality” (c.f. James 2:9), without fleeing to Christ for cleansing and forgiveness (c.f. I John 1:9), is one way to do that! Hence, we Christians ought always live with the awareness that one day we are going to stand before “the Judge of all the earth” (c.f. Genesis 18:25) and give an account of all our “words and actions”⁴ (c.f. James 2:12). That’s undoubtedly one reason why James exhorts his “beloved brethren” (c.f. James 2:5) to “SPEAK AND … ACT AS THOSE WHO ARE TO BE JUDGED …” (c.f. James 2:12).

(b) Mercifully, that same verse (i.e. verse twelve) goes on to say that we Christians are going to be judged “by the law of liberty” (c.f. James 2:12). Regarding this “law of liberty” (c.f. James 2:12), we need to address at least three questions – what is it? – from what does it liberate us, or set us free? – and, how does it effect the way God judges us?

[1] As to what it is, it appears to be a reference to the Gospel of Jesus Christ⁵ – the Gospel of salvation by grace,⁶ through the gift of faith, rather than having to try and save ourselves by keeping God’s Laws (c.f. Romans 3:28). As Scripture says in another place: “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (c.f. II Corinthians 3:17) – and of course, the Spirit of the Lord is only present in those who have professed faith in Christ (c.f. Romans 8:9).

Along these same lines, Jesus once said: “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (c.f. John 8:36) – nor was He talking about some kind of physical freedom – rather, He was talking about spiritual freedom, including freedom from sin – which, in turn, frees us to love and serve God “in newness of life” (c.f. Romans 6:4). Hence, the Book of Romans says that “Christ is the end of the law FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS to everyone who believes” (c.f. Romans 10:4) – i.e. because Christ kept the law perfectly – and because His righteousness has been transferred to us – we no longer have to strive to establish a righteousness of our own in God’s sight by keeping His laws⁷ (which we can’t do perfectly anyway).

[2] And that leads us to the second question – i.e. what does “the law of liberty” (c.f. James 2:12) liberate us from? From what does it set us free?

Jesus once applied a prophetic passage from Isaiah to Himself, saying: “The Spirit of the Lord … is upon Me, because (He) has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim LIBERTY to captives and FREEDOM to prisoners” (c.f. Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18) – and while many who have suffered physical captivity and imprisonment on account of Christ have found comfort in those words, the real meaning has to do with being “set free” from our enslavement to sin and the curse of death in all its forms. Hence, the Book of Romans says that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set (us) free from the law of sin and … death” (c.f. Romans 8:2). So, that which James calls “the law of liberty” (c.f. James 2:12) sets us free from slavery to sin and the sentence of eternal death on account of our sins – which would include the sin of “show(ing) partiality” (c.f. James 2:9).

[3] Finally, how does “the law of liberty” (c.f. James 2:12) affect the way God judges His redeemed people? Since there is “no (longer any) CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus” (c.f. Romans 8:1), God is able to judge us with mercy! Since we will stand before Him clothed in Christ’s righteousness, rather than a righteousness of our own based on trying to keep God’s laws (c.f. Romans 10:3-5) – which we kept imperfectly (c.f. Galatians 3:10) – God is able to judge us with mercy! Since we have obeyed the Gospel, by repenting of our sins and professing faith in Christ, God is able to judge us with mercy instead of “dealing out retribution” (c.f. II Thessalonians 1:8). Because we have been “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (c.f. Romans 3:28), God is able to judge us with mercy!

That doesn’t mean we won’t have to give an account of how we lived our post-conversion life – nor does it mean we may not lose some rewards as a result of our post-conversion sins – but it does mean we won’t lose our salvation. And, it also means that “our God (will mercifully) requite us less than our iniquities deserve” (c.f. Ezra 9:13) – or, as the Psalmist says, thanks to Jesus Christ, “He (will) not (deal) with us according to our sins, nor (reward) us according to our iniquities” (c.f. Psalm 103:10) – rather, He will “be merciful” to us (c.f. Hebrews 8:12)!

(2) And that leads us directly to the warning James gives us in verse thirteen, saying: “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (c.f. James 2:13).

(a) Lesson #1 is this – since God has been merciful to us, we should be merciful to others – and one way we do that is by not practicing “partiality” (c.f. James 2:9) – by not showing preferential treatment to some people based solely on superficial criteria, while discriminating against others because of their outward appearance (c.f. James 2:1-3). As Scripture says elsewhere: “Be merciful, just as your (heavenly) Father is merciful” – and interestingly, the very next verse talks about “not judg(ing)” or “condemn(ing)” other people (c.f. Luke 6:36-37) – all of which reminds us of the Golden Rule that says: “treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (c.f. Matthew 7:12). No doubt we prefer other people to be merciful to us, so we should be merciful to them – I doubt if any of us like being judged “according to (superficial) appearance(s)”, so we shouldn’t judge other people that way either (c.f. John 7:24).

(b) Lesson #2 is more difficult for us to accept – namely, that if we judge others without mercy God will judge us without mercy. Sounds rather harsh, doesn’t it.

[1] Actually, this principle – that God will treat us the same way we treat others – is found several places in Scripture. For example, the Book of Proverbs says: “He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor WILL ALSO CRY HIMSELF AND NOT BE ANSWERED” (c.f. Proverbs 21:13). Jesus once said: ¹⁴“… if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS, THEN YOUR FATHER WILL NOT FORGIVE YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS” (c.f. Matthew 6:13-14). He also said: ¹“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ²For IN THE (SAME) WAY YOU JUDGE (OTHERS), YOU WILL BE JUDGED; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (c.f. Matthew 7:1-2). On the other hand, coming at it from the positive side, Jesus said: “Blessed are the merciful, FOR THEY SHALL RECEIVE MERCY” (c.f. Matthew 5:7).

[2] Our Lord even told a parable to illustrate this truth, called the parable of the unforgiving servant. It’s found in Matthew chapter eighteen, beginning at verse twenty-one, where Peter came up to Jesus and ask: ²¹“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” – and Jesus replied: ²²“I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. ²³For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. ²⁵But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. ²⁶So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ ²⁷And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt (which is what God does for us through Christ!). ²⁸But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ ²⁹So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ ³⁰But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. ³¹So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. ³²Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave (note that his lack of forgiveness toward others has revealed the true nature of this slave) (‘You wicked slave), I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³Should you not also have had MERCY on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had MERCY on you?’ ³⁴And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. (And then comes the application!) ³⁵MY HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO DO THE SAME TO YOU, IF EACH OF YOU DOES NOT FORGIVE HIS BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART” (c.f. Matthew 18:21-35).

[3] Some think this parable – along with the principle it illustrates – teaches that Christians can lose their salvation. However, other Scriptures clearly state that’s not possible (c.f. John 10:27-29). What this parable (and principle) DO teach is that true Christians will practice forgiveness – or in the case of our text, that true Christians will practice “mercy” (c.f. James 2:13).

This doesn’t mean we do so perfectly – or that we do so in order to maintain our salvation, for then we would be back under the severity⁸ and rigidity of the law. What it DOES mean is that showing “mercy”, as opposed to not showing mercy, should characterize every true Christian’s life to some degree. And if it doesn’t – if we don’t repent and start to practice mercy – then as James asks in verse fourteen: “Can that faith save him?” (c.f. James 2:14) – or as John asks: “how does the love of God abide in him?” (c.f. I John 3:17).

Like the servant in the parable Jesus told, the person who doesn’t practice mercy toward others shows that they have no appreciation for the mercy God extends to them through Christ – and if they continue to reject that mercy, they will die in their sins and receive justice (but not mercy) when they stand before “the Judge of all the earth” (c.f. Genesis 18:25). Hence, James says: “judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” (c.f. James 2:13, NKJV).

(c) Finally, lesson #3 tells us that “mercy triumphs over judgment” (c.f. James 2:13).

[1] This is the climax⁹ of everything James was inspired to teach us about practicing “favoritism” (c.f. James 2:1). “Show(ing) partiality” (c.f. James 2:9) is incompatible with “faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (c.f. James 2:1) – it’s also incompatible with God choosing “the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom” (c.f. James 2:5) – what’s more, it’s the opposite of “loving our neighbor as ourselves” (c.f. James 2:8-9), thereby making us law-breakers (or “transgressors”) in God’s sight (c.f. James 2:10-11).⁹

And now today we’ve seen that “show(ing) partiality” (c.f. James 2:9) is also incompatible with mercy – and when we stand before God to be judged, and He sees that we NOT shown mercy to others, His “judgment (of us) will be without mercy” (c.f. James 2:12). On the other hand, if He sees that we have lived a life that showed mercy to others, He will be merciful to us – not because we earned it – but because mercy will be one of the evidences of God’s saving grace in our life – as well as one of the testimonies to the genuineness of our profession of faith in Christ.⁹

[2] Along these line, John Blanchard writes (and with this we close): “(When James writes that ‘mercy triumphs over judgment’) (c.f. James 2:13), there is, of course, NO suggestion that a man’s works of … mercy are the ground of his confidence (in the day of judgment); rather (it is proof) of that greater mercy already shown him (through Jesus Christ). Although not even the finest Christian deserves to stand in God’s presence, (because) every Christian has continually fallen short of God’s glory (c.f. Romans 3:23) in his daily life, God’s mercy will triumph over the judgment that would otherwise overwhelm His (covenant) people. When the saintly Puritan theologian Thomas Hooker lay on his deathbed in 1647, someone said to him, ‘Brother, you are going to receive the reward of your labors,’ to which Hooker replied, ‘Brother, I am going to receive mercy.’”

We should never “show partiality” (c.f. James 2:9) toward anyone. But when we do, it’s good to know that thanks to Jesus Christ, “mercy triumphs over judgment” (c.f. James 2:13).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

¹Blanchard: Truth For Life; p. 149.

²The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on II Corinthians

5:10; p. 1834.

³Blanchard: Ibid; p. 151.

⁴Kistemaker: New Testament Commentary; James,

Epistles of John, Peter and Jude; p. 84

⁵MacArthur: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary;

James; p. 116.

⁶Keddie: The Practical Christian; p. 106.

⁷The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on Romans 10:4;

p. 1785.

⁸Calvin: Calvin’s Commentaries; Vol. XXII; The Catholic

Epistles; p. 308.

⁹MacArthur: Ibid; p. 117.

¹⁰Blanchard: Ibid; p. 157.