Warning against discrimination

James 2:1-4 (The Message)

My dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row," haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't be trusted?

One Sunday morning years ago I was teaching a Bible study on James 2.  Prior to the day of that study, I asked a friend not to shave for a few days, not comb his hair, dress like a bum and come into my class late, and act like he was drunk.  He came through for me, looked liked a complete bum when he stumbled into this classroom filled with 30 or more adults.  I surveyed the faces of those in the classroom and sure enough saw looks of dismay, annoyance, and even horror.  Then as we read this passage from James, I asked for honest feedback about first impressions and thoughts about the appearance and demeanor of my bummed-out friend.  While many people wouldn’t admit anything, others were candid about their less than favorable first impressions with some bordering on being negatively judgmental

Why do people quickly show favoritism and judge others on the basis of appearance, be it height, weight, skin color, beauty vs. ugliness, hair style, clothing, jewelry, physical handicap, etc.?  Is not a main basis of materialism to impress others because of the reality of judging others and materialists want to be judged favorably?  James is writing about the sin of partiality that must not be part of the character of a faithful Christian person.  Christians tend to forget or ignore this teaching.  You see this every Sunday where most people congregate before and after services with those they know and barely look or acknowledge strangers.  And, woe to the stranger who does not look good, or dress nicely, or comes from a different culture or ethnicity compared to the usual church crowd.  Often such actions and responses are not necessarily intentional or antagonististic; it’s just the way we are programmed in the natural world.  However, for others, there is intentional dislike and unfriendliness and opposition to those who do not fit a certain code of appearance and background expectation. 

James warns Christians against showing favoritism or discrimination.  Christian love is supposed to be unconditional and sacrificial.  In our pursuit of Christlike character, we are not “to look at the outward appearance, but look at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).  No, we are not God, but we can pursue to be like God (Matt 5:48, John 17:20-23, Rom 8:14-18, Eph 3:19).  The mature Christian is someone who looks at others and does not judge on outward appearance.  This is a good measure of your own maturity in Christ---how much favoritism towards other people still exists in your life?  How willing are your to interact with poor, ignorant, ugly, handicapped, and other kinds of people who Jesus described as “the least of these (Matt 25:40)?  How willing are you to go to hospitals, nursing homes, shut-ins, prisons, and other places where the “least of these” are found? 

The next time you see people in your church who you don’t know and who is not wearing nice clothes or otherwise does not look physically attractive, will you ignore them or will you make the effort to show Christian love toward them?  Your action/reaction will be your indicator of your true Christian character.  Do you tend to cater to people who can help you or cater to those to whom you can help?  Does God see you playing favorites?  

It's not what you know or what you say, but what you do

James 1:21-25 (NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.   But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. 

The book of James has been called the most practical book of the Bible and these verses are a good example of its practicality.  The focus here is action.  It’s not what you know or what you say, it’s what you do.  James later says “faith without works is dead”.  The emphasis of James throughout his 5-chapter book is conduct, what you do daily with your life, not what you know or what you say.  You can claim anything about who you are, but the proof of who you are, what you contribute and why others can believe that you are Christlike is what you do and how you live your life. 

There are seven symbols of the Bible—sword (Heb 4:12), hammer (Jer 23:29), seed (I Peter 1:23), fire (Jer 20:9), lamp (Ps 119:105), food (I Peter 2:2), and a mirror (this passage).  What does a mirror do?  It shows who you are; it reflects where you need to make yourself more presentable.  Yet you have to do something about it.  If you look into the mirror, it may show that you need to shave, that you have a pimple that needs to be popped and medicated, that your hair is a mess and needs to be cleaned and combed.  But, the mirror does not make these changes for you; it does not make you presentable to the world.  You have to react to what you see in the mirror.  You can ignore what the mirror shows you and go about living your life, but the flaws that the mirror showed remain. 

While the mirror shows who you are physically, the Bible shows who you are spiritually, morally, and ethically.  The Bible itself cannot change you, it can only point out where changes in your life need to be made, but you have to take action to make those changes.  You can ignore or forget what the spiritual mirror shows you, but then you remain with all your flaws and weaknesses.  A mirror for you is different than a mirror for someone else.  Rabbi Harold Kushner said that God is like a mirror. The mirror never changes, but everybody who looks at it sees something different.

So what James is saying here is that when you hear the word of God preached, or taught or read the Bible yourself, you will learn of aspects of your life that you need to change or you need to do.  Then you have to take action and do what the word of God revealed to you.

The next time you look at yourself in a mirror, think about the following.  Are you deceiving yourself morally and spiritually?  Are you ignoring what you know the word of God is saying for you to start doing or stop doing?  Are you a true believer or a hypocrite?  Reacting positively to what the mirror of God tells you will have its rewards.  Note what the end of this passage says---by continuing to allowing the mirror of God—His Word—to have an impact on your life, by reacting to what you learn and doing something about it, not ignoring or forgetting about it, you will be blessed in what you do.  May you experience the wonderful blessings that happen to a person who is not a forgetter, but a doer of the word of God.    

Foul language

Ephesians 5:4 (NLT)

Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.

Starting in Ephesians 4:25 through 5:18, Paul writes of many commands and exhortations for Christian conduct.  I have prepared a table that summarizes these exhortations.  I have omitted what the Bible says are the reasons for these exhortations so you can discover these while studying these verses during your quiet time. 

Ephesians Verse(s)	Negatively Stated	Positively Stated
4:25	Lay aside falsehood	Speak truth with your neighbor
4:26-27	Do not let the sun go down on your anger	Be angry, yet do not sin
4:28	Steal no more	Labor with your own hands
4:29	Do not use bad language	Say only good and helpful things to others
4:30	Do not grieve the Holy Spirit	--
4:31-32	Stop being bitter, bad-tempered, angry.  No quarreling or harsh words	Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving
5:1-2	--	Be imitators of God, walk in love
5:3	No sexual sin, impurity, or greed	--
5:4-5	No dirty stories, foul talk, coarse jokes	Remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful
5:6	Do not be fooled by those who excuse their sins	--
5:7-9	Do not associate with evil people	Your behavior should show the light that is in you
5:10-12	Take no part in worthless pleasures of evil and darkness	Learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  Expose and rebuke those partaking in darkness
5:15-16	Do not be fools	Be careful how you act, be wise, make the most of the time you have
5:17	Do not act thoughtlessly	Understand what the will of the Lord is
5:18	Do not get drunk	Be filled with the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:4 clearly states that for the Christian, you are not to tell obscene stories, talk foolishly (foul language), or tell coarse jokes (dirty or questionable jokes), basically using any kind of language you know that you would be ashamed to say to the Lord Himself.  You likely have been in situations where you are not telling the dirty stories/jokes, but someone else is.  What should you say or do?  In my experience, I don’t make a scene, but I do use facial and body language to express my discomfort.  If the person/people do not take the hint and keep talking foul-mouthed, I find a way to excuse myself.  In a couple of instances, I have had to be bold and express the fact that while I love humor, I cannot listen to foul language.  One time I had to tell a man riding with me in a golf cart while playing golf that his foul language was bothering me.  Foul language is fool’s language. 

In contrast to filthy talk or questionable stories, you are to be thankful to God.  A Christian who has a thankful heart and mind is not interested in telling obscene stories and jokes and using foul language because he/she cannot.  Jesus said that “every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).  That truth alone should keep you from using foul language.  Additionally, Jesus said that whatever is in your heart, that is what comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:18).  So a heart filled with thanksgiving to the Lord is not a heart that can speak evil things.

You likely have engaged in this sort of unacceptable conversation in the past, but by confessing it, the Lord will forgive you and you must forgive yourself.  Who can you be working with today to help them see the foolishness of their foul language?  What exhortations in the list above do you know that you are guilty of either doing or not doing?  Pray about these and change your ways through the help of the Holy Spirit in you.

Wrongs that will not inherit the kingdom of God

I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  Some of you were once like that.  But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Those who do wrong……..doesn’t that include just about every human being who ever lived?  Haven’t you done wrong in your life?  Or, do you see yourself as a perfect human being?  No, you know that you have done wrong and, in fact, continue at times to commit a sin (or a sin of omission).  The Bible says that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  So, who can inherit the Kingdom of God? 

First, what does it mean to inherit the Kingdom of God?  To inherit the Kingdom of God has several interpretations---becoming a child of God (John 1:12, Romans 8:16-17), entering heaven (I Peter 1:3-5), a place where sinners cannot live (Gal 5:19-21, above passage), and entering under the rule and sovereignty of God (Col 3:15).  Just as earthly children inherit the estate of their parents so children of God are given the right to inherit His Kingdom.  But, you must be a child of God so please believe and understand the meaning of verses like John 1:12 and Romans 8:16-17.  You must confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10) and be sealed with God’s Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14) in order to be considered a child of God be an heir to His Kingdom. 

Paul list 10 “wrongs” in verses 9 and 10.  Homosexuality is one wrong and that sin tends to dominate the thinking and accusations of those against homosexuality, but there are nine other sins mentioned.  Those who judge others because of a certain sin likely are just as guilty of one or more of the other sins listed here.  Of the 10 wrongs listed, 4 are sexual, 3 are related to money or possessions (theft, greed, and cheating others), and 3 are related to extreme practices (idol worship, drunkenness, and being abusive).  Other translations for being abusive include being a reviler, lying about others, or using foul language.

Some people, even Christian people, review this list of wrongs and scoff.   Christians, even Christian pastors, do not believe that some of these wrongs are sins.  People justify adultery, homosexuality, idol worship, lying and so forth.  However, regardless of what you believe, God’s Word says that committing these wrongs will keep you from inheriting the Kingdom of God.  So if do not believe that one or more of these wrongs are sins and continue to do them and never repent, you are risking your position in the Kingdom of God. 

If you do believe that these wrongs are sins, yet sometimes commit these wrongs, are you jeopardizing your position in the Kingdom of God?  Well, indeed, as a Christian saved in Christ, it is your responsibility to live your life under the Lordship of Christ and do all you can to avoid these wrongs.  Yes, in your past life, you may have been practiced one or more of these wrongs.  But, Paul writes in verse 11 that while you were once like that, you have now been “cleansed”, “made holy”, and “made right with God” because of your testimony that Jesus is now Savior and Lord of your life.  You have called upon the name of the Lord (a common phrase for receiving openly and publicly the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior) and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of God. These three terms---cleansed, made holy, made right with God---are the three phases of salvation—justification, sanctification, and glorification.  Calling on the name of the Lord and giving your life fully to Him gives you the right to inherit the Kingdom of God!

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you”.—Matthew 6:33.  According to Jesus seeking the kingdom of God is the most important pursuit of your entire life.  How do you react to this truth?  What changes do you need to make in your daily life?  Are you convicted of any of the 10 wrongs that Paul lists above?  What must you do to eradicate them from your life forever?