The Subtle Ways We Size Each Other Up

Most of us like to believe we are fair people. We listen politely. We hold doors open. We try not to stare. But there are moments when instinct takes over. A quick assessment. A quiet preference. A subtle shift in how much attention we give someone based on what we see. Often it happens so fast we barely notice it. We tell ourselves it is harmless, just human nature. Scripture tells us it is more than that.

James does not begin chapter two with a gentle suggestion. He opens with a direct command, one that presses against our habits and assumptions. The issue he raises is not abstract or theoretical. It shows up in ordinary places, among ordinary people, in gatherings that look very much like our own.

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1)

James places two realities side by side. On the one hand, faith in Jesus Christ. On the other, favoritism. His point is simple and unsettling. These two do not belong together. They cannot comfortably coexist. Where one takes root, the other is exposed as false or at least deeply compromised.

Faith That Refuses to Judge by Appearance

The word James uses for partiality carries a vivid picture. It refers to receiving someone based on their face, judging by what is visible. Clothing. Status. Wealth. Social standing. It is the habit of making distinctions based on external markers rather than on the shared dignity of being made in the image of God.

This kind of judgment comes naturally to us. We live in a world that constantly sorts people by what they have, how they look, and what they can offer. From early on, we learn how to read these signals. James is not surprised by this tendency. He knows it well. But he also knows that following Jesus requires a break from it.

To confess faith in Christ is to confess allegiance to a different way of seeing. Jesus does not look at people the way we instinctively do. He does not measure worth by visibility or advantage. James underscores this by calling Jesus “the Lord of glory,” a title that points to the very presence of God. The One we claim to follow is holy, present, and righteous in judgment. To show favoritism while claiming faith in Him is a contradiction.

As Pastor Danny put it, faith and favoritism do not go together. One undermines the other.

The Scene James Asks Us to Picture

James moves quickly from command to illustration. He paints a simple, concrete scene.

“For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothes 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?” (James 2:2–4)

Two men enter the same gathering. One is clearly wealthy. His ring and clothing signal status. The other is clearly poor. His clothes are worn and dirty, not by choice but by necessity. James is careful in how he tells the story. The problem is not that the differences are noticed. Observation itself is not sin. The issue is what follows.

Attention is given. Honor is assigned. Comfort is offered selectively. The wealthy man is welcomed into a place of ease. The poor man is pushed aside, literally and socially. In that moment, James says, something deeper has happened. The community has made distinctions and stepped into the role of judge.

Where the Sin Actually Lies

It is important to see where James locates the wrongdoing. The sin is not in recognizing that people are different. Scripture never asks us to pretend those differences do not exist. The sin is in allowing those differences to shape how we value and treat one another within the body of Christ.

Favoritism reveals itself in small, practical decisions.

Who gets our attention first.

Who we assume will fit in.

Who we instinctively trust or distrust.

Who we believe will contribute more.

These decisions feel minor, but James says they expose something serious. They reveal “evil thoughts,” not in the sense of dramatic malice, but in the sense of distorted judgment. We begin to think like judges who have forgotten the standard by which God judges.

The Deeper Issue of Authority

When James accuses the church of becoming judges, he is not simply talking about poor manners. He is talking about misplaced authority. Judgment belongs to God. To assign worth based on external markers is to take into our own hands a role that does not belong to us.

This is why James ties the command so closely to faith in Christ. Jesus is not only Savior. He is Lord. He is present. He sees clearly. He will judge rightly. When we show favoritism, we act as though His judgment is insufficient or irrelevant. We quietly replace it with our own.

That is why this issue matters so deeply. It is not primarily about social etiquette or fairness. It is about allegiance. Whose values are we living by. Whose assessment carries weight in our hearts.

A Church Shaped by Different Values

James is not introducing a new idea. He is echoing a long-standing concern in the heart of God. Throughout Scripture, God warns His people against partiality, especially in matters of justice and community life. The people of God are called to reflect His character, not the instincts of the surrounding culture.

The early churches James addressed struggled with this, just as we do. Wealth carried influence. Status opened doors. Poverty was easy to overlook or quietly sideline. James refuses to let the church normalize these patterns.

The gathering of God’s people is meant to be a place where the world’s hierarchies lose their power. Not because differences disappear, but because they no longer determine belonging or honor.

Why This Still Presses on Us Today

It is tempting to read this passage and assume it applies mainly to extreme cases. Obvious discrimination. Clear favoritism. But James’ example is intentionally ordinary. A seat offered here. A dismissal there. Small acts that reveal larger assumptions.

In modern church life, favoritism can take many forms.

We may gravitate toward those who seem successful.

We may give more patience to those who look like us.

We may assume spiritual maturity based on confidence or polish.

We may overlook those who cannot give back in visible ways.

None of this requires malicious intent. James does not accuse his readers of cruelty. He exposes the quiet drift toward valuing people by what they bring rather than by who they are in Christ.

The Cost of Looking the Other Way

When favoritism is tolerated, it reshapes a community over time. Those who are honored feel affirmed. Those who are sidelined feel it, even if nothing is said. Trust erodes. Unity thins. The witness of the church is dulled.

James wants his readers to see that partiality is not a private flaw. It is a communal failure. It affects how the body represents Christ to the world and to one another.

This is why the command is so direct. Show no partiality. Not a little less. Not only when it is obvious. None.

What Faith in the Lord of Glory Requires

To hold faith in Jesus Christ is to submit our instincts to His lordship. It means learning to see people through the lens of grace rather than advantage. It means allowing Scripture, not comfort or familiarity, to shape our responses.

James does not offer a complex strategy here. He calls for repentance and alignment. Stop judging by appearances. Stop assigning value where God has already spoken.

The Lord of glory does not play favorites. He does not reserve honor for the impressive. He does not overlook the unseen. His kingdom is marked by mercy, justice, and truth.

A Simple and Necessary Step

The call at the end of this passage is not dramatic. It is practical and deeply personal. Examine how you respond to the people God places in your path. Notice where preference creeps in. Confess it honestly and turn from it.

As Pastor Danny reminded us, faith and favoritism cannot walk together. One will always push the other out.

James leaves us with a clear path forward. Trust the judgment of Christ over your own. Let His values govern your welcome, your attention, and your care. And in doing so, allow the church to reflect something of the glory of the Lord it proclaims.

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To hear Pastor Danny's full teaching on this passage, click here.