Prejudice because prejudice puts us at odds with God’s activity in the world...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. Yesterday, in James 2:1-4, we discovered that the faith that works does not demonstrate prejudice. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in James day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the faith that works does not demonstrate prejudice.

 

Yesterday, we talked about the reality that prejudice is making judgments about others based on the external appearance of others. Prejudice is prejudging others based on the external social, economic, cultural, or ethnic appearance of others. James revealed for us the reality that the faith that works does not demonstrate prejudice because prejudice puts us at odds with one another.  You see, prejudice puts at odds with ourselves because at one time we were outsiders when it came to God as a result of our selfishness and rebellion against God.

 

James point here is that as followers of Jesus who were once outsiders but now have been made insiders, how can we treat anyone as outsiders?  To demonstrate prejudice and treat people as outsiders puts us at odds with ourselves because of how Jesus treated us when we were once outsiders. As followers of Jesus we are to reflect Jesus by treating outsiders as insiders instead of demonstrating prejudice towards those who we may consider outsiders.

And as followers of Jesus, when we demonstrate prejudice, we put ourselves at odds with others by making judgments about others that are morally and socially worthless because those judgments are based on externals such as the cotton count of their clothing or the color of one’s skin instead of the content of one’s character. As followers of Jesus, our faith and confident trust in Jesus should bring unity and community.

 

However, prejudice will only put us at odds with one another in a way that brings division and disunity. Today, we see James reveal for us the second reason why the faith that works does not demonstrate prejudice in verse 5-7:

 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

Here we see James remind followers of Jesus throughout history of God’s transformational intervention and activity in the world. James reminded the readers of his letter that God’s choice when it came to who He rescued from selfishness and rebellion was not based on economics.

As a matter of fact, James points out that God often chose those who were poor economically to become rich spiritually by providing them the faith to place their confident trust in Jesus so that they could experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for. God often chose those who were poor economically to receive the riches that come from experiencing eternal life in relationship with God and participation in God’s royal reign as a part of the family of God in the kingdom of God. 

However, as James points out in verse 6, there were some followers of Jesus who have dishonored the poor. There were some followers of Jesus who were robbing those who were poor economically of the honor or respect that was due them as a result of their bearing the thumbprint of God.

And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works does not demonstrate prejudice because prejudice puts us at odds with God’s activity in the world.  You see, prejudice puts at odds with God’s activity in the world because God chose the poor financially to experience the riches that come from a relationship with Him spiritually. And prejudice puts us at odds with God’s activity in the world because when we demonstrate prejudice, we are depriving others of the respect and honor that they deserve.

Regardless of economics, all of humanity was created in the image of God for relationship with God and one another. Yet, there were some followers of Jesus who only viewed others through the prism of economic status.  However, in the second half of verse 6, James confronts those who were engaged in this prejudice with the reality that they themselves were the victims of prejudice by those who were better off economically.

James basically says to these early followers of Jesus “So let me get this straight. You are demonstrating prejudice to those who are poorer than you by depriving them of the honor and respect that they deserve. But aren’t you also suffering from the same type of prejudice from those who are better off than you? Aren’t you being exploited by others who are better off than you? Aren’t those who are better off than you taking you to court so that they can try to get more from you? Are you enjoying being victimized? No. Then why are you victimizing others by demonstrating prejudice against them?”

James hammers his point home in verse 7 by reminding these early followers of Jesus that those who were wealthy and were demonstrating prejudice by exploiting and dragging them off to court to get more from them were blaspheming the fair name by which you have been called. Now to blaspheme is to speak in a disrespectful way that demeans, denigrates, and maligns someone. So the name of Jesus was spoken of in a disrespectful and demeaning way by those who were wealthy and far from God as they exploited and drug into court followers of Jesus.

But why would James remind the readers of this letter of that reality? James point here is that just as the prejudice of those who were wealthy and were exploiting poor followers of Jesus disrespected and demeaned the name of Jesus, we at odds with God’s activity in the world when we demonstrate prejudice because when we demonstrate prejudice we disrespect and demean the name of Jesus. God is actively at work in the world to bring people to the place where they experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for.

And God’s activity in the world is independent of economic, cultural, or racial and ethnic status. So when we demonstrate prejudice to others, we place ourselves at odds with God’s activity in the world in a way that disrespects and demeans the name of Jesus. But not only does the faith that works not demonstrate prejudice because prejudice puts us at odds with one another. Not only does the faith that works not demonstrate prejudice because prejudice puts us at odds with God’s activity in the world.

Friday, we will see James reveal for us a third reason why the faith that works does not demonstrate prejudice...