Sin of Partiality

Background

First and foremost, what is partiality? According to Bible Hub, the word partiality means “showing favoritism or bias” (https://biblehub.com/topical/p/partiality.htm). According to the word of God, showing partiality is a sin.

• James 2:1 states, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”
• James 2:9 states, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
• Leviticus 19:15 states, “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
• Galatians 3:27-29 states, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
• John 3:16 states, “ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Think About It

Biases such as prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination are spreading through the church like a worldwide pandemic. Sometimes it’s hard to tell religious leaders from politicians or Christians from non-Christians. We can blame social media if that makes us feel better, but social media is a tool that people use to share their thoughts and opinions with the world. Unfortunately, brothers and sisters in Christ share thoughts and opinions that do not always align with scripture, or their delivery is so harsh that no one can experience the love of Christ. This exposes the biases that exist within the church walls. For example, there’s still a racial divide in the body of Christ. In 2026, Christians still refer to churches as “white churches” and “black churches.” Pastors of multicultural churches stand before their congregations, saying things like, “This is what heaven looks like,” but struggle to address social justice concerns in their communities for various reasons. This was on full display in 2020 after George Floyd was murdered. Christians flooded timelines with “Black Lives Matter” posts while other Christians flooded their timelines with “All Lives Matter” or “Blue Lives Matter.” All the while, no one truly seemed to matter to each other. Politicians used George Floyd’s murder to divide us and gain votes. To society, he was a victim who suffered at the hands of a corrupt police system, or a criminal who did not deserve to be grieved at the level he was. Again, these thoughts and opinions were in the church too. Somehow love and compassion were lost on us.

A similar situation happened when Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Christians argued online about his life and legacy. Some people thought he was a martyr for the Christian faith, while other people questioned his Christianity based on his political views. The fact is that when we value politics, race, and personal opinions more than God’s word, we cannot love our neighbors as ourselves. We can’t love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-45). The keyword here is love. No matter what anyone thought about the man, every believer in Christ should have been able to show love and support to his wife and small children. Think about it. Let’s go to the Father.

Go to the Father

James 2:1-4 states, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” In summary, someone’s economic or social status does not matter in the eyes of God. We should treat everyone with love and dignity. Whether a man wears an expensive suit or blue jeans on Sunday mornings, he should be welcomed into the house of the Lord. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). We need a Godly perspective. We need to stop showing partiality to people because their outward appearances make us feel comfortable and safe, and start building meaningful relationships based on God’s love. This will help us get to the heart of the matter.

In the same vein, we should not prefer one race or nationality over another. There is no “Black Pride” or “White Pride” in the Kingdom of God! Our Savior is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is love; therefore, His love should flow through us and connect us to our brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.“

Showing partiality does not give us an opportunity to truly love others the way God intended. Showing partiality just robs us of the opportunity to love one another. Think about it. Then go to the Father and pray about it.

#Soul Searching with Our Father#