The Danger of Partiality

Main Point: Discuss why showing partiality is such a dangerous thing. Roman 13:1-2 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, You stand there, or, Sit here at my footstool, 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
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you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself,[a] you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in onepoint, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery,[b] also said, Do not murder.[c] Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
8 If

Questions: 1. In verse 1, James says that we should not hold our faith in Christ with partiality. What is he referring to specifically? (see vs. 2-4) The Greek word used for partiality (strongs G4382) is defined as follows: The fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their essential merits. 2. Have you ever passed judgment on someone based on his or her outward circumstances? Why do you think you did? 3. What royal law is James referring to in verse 8? 4. Read verses 9-11. Why is partiality so dangerous? 5. Verse 12 says to speak and live as those being judged by the law of liberty. What is the law of liberty? (see v. 8, Luke 10:27-28)

Q: So, who is my neighbor? A: A man had this same question for Jesus and Jesus told him this story: Luke 10: 30-35 A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
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chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant[a] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
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a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,[b] telling him, Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, Ill pay you the next time Im here. 6. Which of these three men would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits? Why? (The Samaritan looked past the mans outward circumstances and had compassion for him) What about you? How often do you judge people based on their outward appearance, economic status, Intelligence, etc and completely overlook the heart of that person. Mankind is programmed by the world to think this way. We all want to look our best, have our money right, and be intelligent in our areas of study. These things are important, but they should never be the deciding factor in whom you choose to respect and show love to. Check yourself daily to make sure you love the people around you as if they were you. When you are down and out, you need comfort so seek to comfort those around you. When you have fallen in an area of your life, you need mercy so give mercy to the people around you. As you sow into others and treat others with no partiality, God will return it to you abundantly!