Sermon Tone Analysis

Background

It’s only natural we gravitate towards people who know us and like us, and have similar values.

The problem becomes when we get so comfortable in these relationships we grow in a tendency to ignore or overlook those who don’t fit the standards for our inner circle.

The letter of James is one of the earliest epistles dating back to just roughly 20 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Known as James the Just, the half-brother of Jesus wrote his letter likely with little knowledge of Paul’s writings.

In the second chapter, James deals with the issue of favoritism towards the rich over the poor.

Let’s start with

4

Partiality is an act of evil

When we show favoritism, what are we saying about the equality of people in God’s eye?

Compare ; ;

As a church, what do we need to stop doing to show no favoritism and what do we need to start doing?

It is exactly this regard to external circumstances against which St. James is warning his readers; and the fact that our Lord had himself been known, when on earth, as no respecter of persons (), would give point to his warning.

The plural (ἐν προσωποληψίαις) is perhaps used to include the different kinds of manifestations of the sin.

It is exactly this regard to external circumstances against which St. James is warning his readers; and the fact that our Lord had himself been known, when on earth, as no respecter of persons (), would give point to his warning.

The plural (ἐν προσωποληψίαις) is perhaps used to include the different kinds of manifestations of the sin.

2:1–13 The Sin of Partiality.

The problem of the poor and the rich, already emphasized in 1:9–11, 27, now comes to center stage with this warning about discriminating against the poor in favor of the wealthy in the Christian assembly.

2:1–7 Preferring the Wealthy over the Poor in the Assembly.

James shows the fundamental incompatibility of holding faith in Christ and showing partiality among people.

2:1 partiality as you hold the faith.

There is no place for prejudice in the life of faith.

“Partiality” combines a group of terms signifying “to accept/judge according to face” and refers to favoritism shown on the basis of status in society.

Jesus, according to James, is the exalted and glorious Lord and Christ, and is always to be thought of as such.

2:1.

This verse commends Jesus as our glorious Lord Jesus Christ and warns that partiality against the poor is inconsistent with faith in Jesus Christ.

My brothers shows that James wrote to his readers as believers and urged them to show the reality of their profession.

Who is this Jesus?

First, Jesus is the object of our faith.

We have made a trust or commitment to him.

We are believers in Jesus.

Second, Jesus is the Lord of Glory.

The Greek literally reads, “our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Glory.”

James gave the title of “Glory” to Jesus, using a term that represents the full presentation of God’s presence and majesty.

Jesus is the glorious God.

This is a remarkable confession to come from Jesus’ half brother.

The practice of favoritism involved giving benefits to people who had outward advantages such as money, power, or social prominence.

The readers of James were courting the favor of these important people by showing preference for them over the poor.

The Mosaic Law had forbidden giving respect to persons of prominence ().

To these scheming readers James gave a sharp directive, “Stop it!”

Ver.

1.—The translation is doubtful, two renderings being possible.

(1) That of the A.V. and R.V., “Hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”

(2) That of the R.V. margin and Westcott and Hort, “Do ye, in accepting persons, hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory?”

According to this view, the section commences with a question, as does the following one, ver.

14.

According to the former view, which is on the whole preferable, it is parallel to ch. 3:1.

The faith of our Lord.

“The faith” here may be either (1) objective (fides qua creditur), as in the Epistle of St. Jude, 3, 20; or (2) subjective (fides qua creditur), “Have the faith which believes in,” etc. (cf.

).

Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Exactly the same title occurs in , in the letter written from the Apostolic Council to the Syrian Churches—a letter which was probably drawn up by St. James himself.

The Lord of glory.

The same title is given to our Lord Jesus Christ in , and seems to be founded on , etc.

The genitive, τῆς δόξης, must depend on Κυρίου, in spite of the intervening Χριστοῦ.

Similar trajections occur elsewhere; e.g. , where δικαιοσύνγς depend, on καρπόν and, according to a possible view, (see Hort’s ‘Greek Testament,’ vol.

ii., appendix, p. 56).

Bengel’s view, that τῆς δόξης is in apposition with Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ can scarcely be maintained, in the absence of any parallel expression elsewhere.

Respect of persons (ἐν προσωπο ληψίαις); literally, reception of faces.

The substantive is found here and three times in St. Paul’s Epistles—; ; ; the verb (προσωποληπτεῖν) only here in ver.

9; προσωπολήπτης in .

None of them occur in the LXX., where, however, we find πρόσωπον λαμβάνειν in ; , etc. (cf.

), for the Hebrew נְשָׁא פָנִים.

Bishop Lightfoot has pointed out (‘Galatians,’ p. 108) that in the Old Testament, the expression is a neutral one, not necessarily involving any idea of partiality, and more often used in a good than in a bad sense.

“When it becomes an independent Greek phrase, however, the bad sense attaches to it, owing to the secondary meaning of πρόσωπον as ‘a mask,’ so that πρόσωπον λαμβάνειν signifies ‘to regad the external circumstances of a man’—his rank, wealth, etc.—as opposed to his real intrinsic character.

Thus in the New Testament it has always a bad sense.”

It is exactly this regard to external circumstances against which St. James is warning his readers; and the fact that our Lord had himself been known, when on earth, as no respecter of persons (), would give point to his warning.

The plural (ἐν προσωποληψίαις) is perhaps used to include the different kinds of manifestations of the sin.

When we make distinctions between persons, what are we doing?

Those who make such distinctions show themselves to be judges with evil thoughts.

Christians are not to “judge” each other (; ; ), and to do so can only mean one’s mind is consumed with evil “thoughts” (Gk.

dialogismos, which can mean “opinions,” “reasoning,” or “conclusions”).

How does fit into our discussion?

Shabby, used to describe the poor man’s clothing, pictured clothing which was dirty or filthy.

The man may have come from work, his clothing stained with the evidence of his labor.

The handsome apparel of the rich man earned special treatment for him (v.

3).

The greeter gave him a place of special honor.

The soiled clothing of the poor man earned indifference to his comfort or feelings.

He received the options of standing in some undesirable place or sitting on the floor near the greeter.

The greeter showed no concern for his needs.

Verse 4 uses a question to accuse the readers of a pair of evil actions.

An affirmative answer is expected.

They had indeed discriminated and become evil judges.

First, they discriminated among themselves.

They were guilty of creating divisions in their midst despite the fact that they had accepted the abolition of class distinctions (see ).

Second, they acted like evil-minded or prejudiced judges, regulating their conduct by blatantly false principles.

Verse 4 uses a question to accuse the readers of a pair of evil actions.

An affirmative answer is expected.

They had indeed discriminated and become evil judges.

First, they discriminated among themselves.

They were guilty of creating divisions in their midst despite the fact that they had accepted the abolition of class distinctions (see ).

Second, they acted like evil-minded or prejudiced judges, regulating their conduct by blatantly false principles.

Move on to

In 1982, the Rev. Nico J. Smith, professor of theology at the elite Stellenbosch University in South Africa, left his post to become pastor of a one-thousand-member church in Mamelodi, a black township outside Pretoria.

He took a substantial salary cut, moved into a modest home in a whites-only section near his church, and began to relate to his congregation.

Concerning the abrupt transition and change of lifestyle, Smith said, “I feel I am starting my life over again.

I have a wonderful opportunity to get to know the black people, their hopes and their fears.”

Nearly six years later Smith presided over a visit by 173 whites, who came to his church in Mamelodi to live for four days among the blacks.

They slept in cramped homes, washed at backyard faucets, and tried to build bridges between the races.

Concerning the visit, Smith said, “The whites of this country have got to see what pain there is under the black skin.”

Smith’s efforts represent an attempt to show that the gospel of Jesus Christ relates to people of all groups and backgrounds.

His boldness and courage can help to overcome the evil results of the practice of partiality and discrimination.

Vers.

2–4.—Proof that they were guilty of respect of persons.