Common-Sense Christianity: A Study of Jamesਨਮੂਨਾ

Common-sense faith teaches us to avoid favoritism

James doesn’t mince words when it comes to favoritism. Early Christians were giving special treatment to the wealthy while dishonoring the poor, and James called it what it was: sin (James 2:1–4). His warning still rings true today. Whether it’s race, status, influence, or personality, our human nature tends to play favorites—but God’s nature does not.

James reminds us that loving our neighbor as ourselves is the “royal law. He says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:8-10 ESV). James is telling us that no one is more valuable or less deserving of love. We’re all sinners equally in need of grace, and none of us is qualified to judge others when we carry our own flaws and failures.

So, what do we do when we naturally have “favorites”? We ask God for mercy-filled love—the kind he’s shown us. James says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13 ESV), and that’s the key: We extend mercy not because others deserve it, but because we’ve received it in abundance.

Today, ask God to help you see others through his eyes. Let’s be people who live like everyone is God’s favorite—because in his eyes, they are.