Before we start the lesson about favoritism, what exactly is it?
Favoritism: the practice of giving special treatment to a person/group.
Favoritism is a practice, meaning, you are constantly doing it. Also, favoritism is a negative term. It is usually done for someone's own selfish gain, and it's usually UNFAIR special treatment.
There is a huge difference with FAVORITISM and FAVOR though! No where in the Bible does it say God shows FAVORITISM, it actually says He doesn't in Romans 2:11. But what the Bible DOES say is that He shows FAVOR, which is, by definition, "approval" or "done/granted out of goodwill (friendliness)/a kind act." Favor is something that is just. We gain God's favor once we receive Jesus into our hearts. God favors us over other people because He sees us covered in His blood.
In James 2:1, James opens up the verse by saying "My brothers" (ESV). This indicates that we, Christians, are brothers and sisters to one another. All believers in Christ are a part of the same family, and in a family there should be no favoritism.
As Christians, we should strive to be like God, and as shown earlier with Romans 2:11, God shows NO favoritism (He also shows no partiality in Deu. 10:17-18, Deu. 16:18-20, Luke 20:20-21, and Acts 10:34-35)
In James 2:2-4, an example of favoritism is given to us. Sadly, favoritism is inevitable in our lives, whether we know it or not. Just because it's inevitable doesn't mean it's acceptable though. Once a person recognizes their sin, they should lift it to God to help control it. A person creates judgments out of instinct, but they have the ability to control whether their judgments come out as favoritism or stay hidden in their mind. Seek God for help in not showing favoritism because He will grant you the strength that you need to control and diminish it."
James 2:5-7
-verse 5 says: "Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?"
It says here that God chooses the poor in the world to be rich in the faith. Meaning even though the poor were not be rich in world possessions, they could be rich in faith. If they were rich in the faith, that means that they were full and could never truly be poor because they belonged to Christ.
-3 things the rich did to the Christians to whom James was writing:
-dishonored them-dragged them into court-blaspheme the honorable name they bore
verses 6-7:"But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?"
So, God chose the poor to be rich in the faith and to be heirs in His kingdom. This does not men that God is showing partiality. Remember that He is impartial, He is just, He is fair. God is not playing favorites because this shows that anyone can be a part of the kingdom of God, even the lowly.
RICH vs POOR
The poor are also recognized in Matthew 5:3 (part of the Beatitudes): “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
-"the poor in spirit" :
-knowing you need a Savior-knowing that you can not earn salvation--knowing that you must rely on God's grace and mercy for every aspect of you life.
-We can all be poor in the spirit. We can all recognize our desperate need for a Savior.
-It's important to remember that we are all sinners and we are all, ultimately, worthless and horrible. But it's also very important to remember that only with God and through God, we have worth.
Many times, the rich don't recognize that they need anything, and tend to reject the gospel.
Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Many people are so focused on their treasures on earth (clothing, popularity, shoes, wealthiness, etc.), and fail to realize that all of these are temporary. That their satisfaction with these treasures is temporary. In 2 Corinthians, Paul tells us to not trust in the seen, these treasures on earth, but to trust in the unseen, meaning God, because He is eternal and with Him you can be genuinely satisfied.
So, the true conclusion of this lesson on favoritism is in the next lesson! But for now, just remember that since God does not play favorites, you should not play favorites. Also to not play favorites with people because we are all in the same family with God as our Father, so favoritism isn't allowed. Until the next lesson, just ask God to create a heart in you that values what He values, a love that mirrors His love. Thank Him for His justness and mercy.
Stay tuned til next time! Forreal.
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