In this passage James continues to attack favoritism, You may ask yourselves why. One simple answer is in the way James has designed his book. Remember the three proofs given in 1:26,27. Holiness is spoken about in chapters 4 and 5. The tongue is spoken about in chapter 3. In chapter two, James is concerned with a caring ministry. A caring ministry is impossible if one shows favoritism. In last week's example, the rich are probably the greatest persecutors of widows and orphans. In a church, widows and orphans may even tax the church resources. You may think that the church is better off without these charity cases. See how easy it is to fall into the favoritism trap and so destroy an important aspect of ministry.... caring.

There are 3 key ideas I want to capture from this passage. The first is the comparison James makes between the royal law that gives freedom and favoritism. If you really keep the royal law found in scripture 'you shall love thy neighbor as you love yourself' you are doing well. This was taught by Christ in Matthew 22:37-40. When we live in this manner we are doing right. When we live in this manner we cause great things to happen. Ernest Gordon wrote about such a transformation that happened in a prisoner camp in WW11. In 1942 the camp was a sea of mud and filth, the scene of grueling labor and brutal treatment by the Japanese. There was hardly any food, and the law that pervaded the whole camp was the law of the jungle: 'every man for himself." Twelve months later the ground of the camp was cleared and clean. The bamboo bed slats had been debugged. Green boughs had been used to rebuild the huts, and on Christmas morning 2,000 men were at worship. What had happened? During the year a prisoner had shared his last crumb of food with another man who was also in desperate need. Then he died. Among his belongings they found a Bible. Some who witnessed his ultimate act of love wondered, could the Bible be the secret of willingness to give sacrificially to others? One by one the prisoners began to read it. Soon the Spirit of God began to grip their hearts and change their lives, and in a period of less than twelve months there was spiritual and moral revolution within the camp. The royal law had done its work.

Love does what favoritism can't. Or favoritism destroys love. The following verse says that if you show favoritism you sin. What we see is that favoritism is a flagrant violation of the 'Royal Law.' It discriminates between people made in God's image bases on false assumptions, evil assumptions, and selfish assumptions. You cannot love others if there is any favoritism in your life. The implication is this; your ministry will not be led by God if you do not minister in love. Favoritism destroys the foundation of effective ministry as well as the relationships developed in ministry. All will be surrounded by sin.

Our next key idea is found in the seriousness of favoritism. Something we don't think about very often. A lot of us today do not think favoritism is that bad. Look at what James thinks. If you show favoritism you sin. If you sin you break the whole law. The same lawmaker who said don't commit adultery or murder. Quite a group to travel in. Murder, adultery and favoritism are evils against God. Favoritism shown to rich people is adultery to wealth. In Jer 7:6, 22:3, I Jn 3:15 the Bible associates murder with the discrimination of the poor. Showing favoritism violates the will and character of God. God is a person with constant character. When we transgress the law at any point we break that which verbally demonstrates who God is. We corrupt the character of God. It is the law, as a verbal representation of the character of God that can lead us into freedom. Favoritism fights against such freedom by making us a slave to that which we show favoritism to.

Why is favoritism a violation of the Royal Law? How does the Royal Law bring freedom, doesn't law bring us under bondage to it? If the law verbally characterizes God's divine nature, how should we relate to it? What sins do favoritism hang with? Why is favoritism as bad as adultery and murder? What damage has favoritism done in your life, your family's life, and society in general? How will those who show favoritism be judged? Why? Favoritism is a sign of someone who is lost...true or false? Why is favoritism a sign of an unmerciful heart? What do you show favoritism towards? Are there people at school you don't want anything to do with? Are there certain types of sinners you don't want to minister to? Are there certain types of sins you consider worse than others? How about this. A convicted murderer joins our church and wants to lead the youth group, do we let him? Why or why not? Are we a people who show mercy? Do we really forgive others as God forgives us? When does 'playing it safe' cross over into favoritism and discrimination? Every man knows his own heart, do you show favoritism. What are you going to do about it?