Playing Favorites

What if the way you treat someone at church on Sunday is the same thing that kept Mahatma Gandhi from ever becoming a Christian?

In this message from "A Faith That Works," Pastor Ron opens James 2:1–13 and tackles one of the most uncomfortable sins the church rarely names: favoritism. He walks through five thoughts from the passage — the ideal, an illustration, the inconsistency, the indictment, and the impact — showing why partiality has no place among the people of God.

The Ideal:

James sets the standard plainly: do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. Even Jesus' enemies had to admit he treated everyone equally — he was no respecter of persons. God looks at the heart, not the resume.

The Illustration and the Inconsistency:

James paints a picture: a wealthy man walks in draped in gold rings and fine clothes, and gets the best seat. A poor man walks in with nothing, and gets told to stand in the corner. The inconsistency isn't just social — it's spiritual. The same God who chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith is watching how we treat them.

The Indictment:

James calls favoritism what it is: sin. Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point is guilty of all. Favoritism is the root of jealousy, prejudice, and anger — it's not a trivial thing to brush off. The royal law is to love your neighbor as yourself. That barber who gave his competitor's earnings back to him when the competitor got sick — that's what it looks like.

The Impact:

Mercy triumphs over judgment. When the church operates by the law of liberty — loving because we've been loved — lives change. That elderly deacon who dropped his cane and sat on the floor next to the barefoot hippie? That's a picture the whole congregation never forgot.