James 2

Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.

Mercy Over Partiality, Living Faith Over Dead Faith

Text: James 2

Opening

Morning brethren. I think Brother Manong exercised great faith in me by choosing to sing a song at 9:45. So I will endeavor to show that his faith is not in vain by releasing you at 10:30.

This morning our passage is James chapter 2. Please join me in prayer as we prepare our hearts to consider this passage.

Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this time that we can come together to meditate and to reflect on your word in James chapter 2. We thank you for this sermon series that we have to think about what your servant James has shared with us through his letter. And pray, Lord, that as we reflect on this passage, you would open up our hearts and help us, Lord, to be convicted by your word and respond to it in faith—that our faith will not be dead but alive. We pray these things in your Son, Lord Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

Reading the Passage

This morning we’ll read James chapter 2 in two parts.

• The first is verse 1–13, which tells us that partiality is sin.
• The second is verse 14–26, which covers the biblical truth that faith without works is dead.

We’ll read the first chunk first, and then we will talk about that.

James 2:1–13

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory…”

(Reads through verse 13)

Part 1: Partiality Is Sin (James 2:1–13)

A Question and an Illustration: “White Horses”

To start our first segment, let me start by asking you a question. Does anyone know what a “white horse” is? A quick show of hands. Have you heard of the term “white horse”?

Very lukewarm—maybe half, half.

So it’s a common but informal term used in the Singapore military to refer to soldiers with powerful parents. Their parents might be politicians or even ministers in government. And surrounding these white horses is the perception that they get special treatment—perhaps lighter punishments or certain privileges.

I recall that after completing a 24 km route march as part of my basic military training, my company of soldiers was not allowed to return to our bunks to shower or freshen up. Instead, we were instructed to polish our boots in the hot sun while waiting for our passing out parade.

And in the block next to us, as we sat there in the hot sun polishing our boots, we heard laughter and glee as people ran across the bunk lines toward the showers.

We noticed that this company of soldiers—who had also just finished their march—were allowed to go back to change and shower. And as you sat there exhausted and sweating, we were sure that this differing treatment was because that company had a white horse.

And there really was one.

So such partiality is common in the world around us. But today we’re going to talk about why such behavior has no place among God’s people.

The Command: Show No Partiality

You will recall from last week that James chapter 1 instructs believers to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Here in chapter 2, James begins by telling the Jewish believers what they should do.

Verse 1 reads:

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”

Right from the start, James makes this call to action clear: show no partiality.

I actually didn’t think much of this instruction when I first read it. But as I studied this passage, I was struck by how verse 4 tells us that showing partiality makes us judges with evil thoughts, and verse 9 goes on to say that it is committing sin.

James helpfully provides an example in verses 2 to 5—so we don’t gloss over it and forget what it means. It’s very visible and clear: partiality based on appearance and wealth.

Two Scriptural Anchors: Riches Fade, and the Least Matter

Reading this, I want to draw our attention to two other passages in Scripture.

1) James 1:9–11

We are reminded that riches are temporary. Any riches one might have now will fall away and beauty perish.

2) Matthew 25:31–46

Here the Lord Jesus tells us of the final judgment:
“I was hungry and you gave me food… I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
And when the righteous ask when they did such things, Jesus says that when we serve the least of these, we are serving the Lord himself.

So with these in mind, not only should we not show partiality based on poverty and wealth—which are only temporary and only exist in this world—but we should even see our deeds done to others as a form of service to the Lord himself.

Bringing It Home: How Would We React?

Practically speaking, if a brother or sister who is poor with tattered clothes comes to sit in a pew with you right now—just next to you—how would you react?

Would you welcome them readily, squeezing in to make way for them?
Or would you instinctively react with annoyance that they have come to take up space in a pew, making you squeeze in further?

Would you then actively approach them to welcome them at the visitor’s corner later after worship? How would you view them?

Would your reaction be the same if this person was instead rich and well-dressed?

What if this person was the MP of Kabunaru?
What if this person was our PM? What if the PM came to visit today? How would you react? Would you give him a seat of prominence, or would you tell him to sit at your feet?

And partiality doesn’t come only in the form of rich versus poor. It could come in the form of esteeming certain professions more highly than others, respecting the educated more than those who are not, or simply treating those who speak well or are famous better than those who aren’t.

How many of us are guilty of such partiality?

Why Partiality Is So Serious

Having established that partiality is a sin, James goes on in verses 8 to 11 to explain that even if we have sought to fulfill God’s laws but have shown partiality, we are guilty in God’s eyes.

We are told: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And we are reminded of God’s absolute standard of holiness: keeping all the laws but failing in just one still falls short of the mark.

And just as the passage approaches a hopeless conclusion, we are told:

“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty… Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

When I read this, I thought to myself: why does James say this here?

Luke 7:41–43 helps us. The story of the moneylender with two debtors who cannot pay back their debts—one owing 500 denarii and the other 50. Jesus asks which will love him more when forgiven. The reply: the one whose larger debt was cancelled. Truly, the greater the mercy, the greater the love.

Partiality is natural because it pegs a person’s value to deeds and accomplishments. But the Lord calls us to realize all our righteous deeds are but filthy rags. We are all debtors unable to repay our debts to Him.

Yet we have been shown mercy on the cross.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26–31, God has called what is foolish to confound the wise, what is weak to shame the strong. It is because of Christ—His mercy shown to us—that triumphs over judgment. Not because of wealth, accomplishments, or knowledge, but because of Christ.

In sum, partiality is sin because we base the worth of a person on their accomplishments—a deeds-based value judgment—rather than recognizing our own wretchedness as sinners and perceiving the value we receive only through the infinitely more precious blood of Christ.

It is the blood of Christ that unites complete strangers—stripping away partiality and making us spiritual brothers and sisters.

Recalling the white horse example earlier: may we then see every brother and sister in Christ as a white horse—not that we are partial to them, giving them special treatment more than others, but that we are keenly aware of who their Father is.

Partiality is sin, and we overcome it through the gospel of Christ.

A Pastoral Warning

As we wrap up this first segment, I want to warn us to be careful.

Having heard that partiality is sin, I know that the devil will twist God’s word and tempt some of us to react saying, “Yeah, Benjamin say partiality is sin. How come this person still act like that? Still don’t treat me well. Still don’t want to talk to me. Give other people things but never give me. Why?”

If these thoughts are allowed to fester, they will lead us to bitterness, as we focus on why others are still not showing care or concern to us.

Instead, in line with our assembly theme for the year of servanthood, may we first reflect on ourselves—whether there are subtle ways we are showing partiality in the church—and respond to God’s call this morning to put away this sin, taking the example of Christ who put aside His majesty and privileges to pursue us on the cross.

I just realized my daughter left a snack in my pocket, and I hope that it hasn’t affected my appearance that you show partiality against me.

Part 2: Faith Without Works Is Dead (James 2:14–26)

Now we move on to the second segment: faith without works is dead.

James 2:14–26

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

(Reads through verse 26)

No Contradiction: True Faith Produces Works

It is important to quickly point out that there is no contradiction between James’ declaration that faith without works is dead and what we know of salvation from the rest of the Bible—that faith in Christ alone is what saves us.

When we believe and proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it is indeed true that we don’t need works to earn our salvation.

What James is telling us is that true faith leads to works. Works are the natural outpouring of our faith in the Lord Jesus—willing obedience and submission to His word—rather than actions attempting to earn salvation.

A Dead Faith: Words Without Mercy

James explains further that telling our brother or sister who is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving the things needed for the body, shows a faith that does not lead to action—and hence is a dead faith.

Similar to the parable of the good Samaritan, how often are we the priest or the Levite who readily walks past those in need without lending a hand, betraying the coldness of our own hearts?

Drawing a link to partiality: would we do the same to a rich, well-to-do brother or sister? Most of us wouldn’t think twice about buying a meal or clothing for a rich person in need—perhaps knowing in the back of our minds that we would have their gratitude and maybe repayment.

But Luke 6:34 tells us:
“What good is it if you lend to those who are able to repay you? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount.”

Which requires more faith—lending to the rich who can repay, or lending to the poor and possibly never getting it back?

Surely lending to the poor requires us to exercise more faith in the Lord’s provision for our own daily needs.

And to be clear: while we are called to care for those in need among us, we are also warned in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. So helping is not a blank check for idleness.

Even Demons Believe

James presses the point further:

“You believe that God is one… Even the demons believe—and shudder.”

Growing up, this verse struck me deeply.

Am I different from a demon? How am I different from a demon?

It surprised me to realize the demons know the truth—but continue to rebel against it. What differentiates us is how we respond to the truth.

Are we convicted for change, aligning to God’s truth and turning from sin? Or do we stubbornly persist in our wrong ways?

Two Examples: Abraham and Rahab

James gives us two examples: Abraham and Rahab. Both acted on their faith—not just believing, but living it out.

Abraham

We know from Genesis 15 that Abraham’s belief in God’s promise was counted to him as righteousness. Isaac was his promised heir, long waited for, after missteps and 25 years of waiting.

To Abraham, the instruction to sacrifice his only son would have been senseless. Yet Abraham was prepared to sacrifice what was most precious to him, showing faith that led to obedience.

And through his obedience, we receive a picture of God Himself who sacrificed His obedient Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross.

Rahab

In Joshua 2:9–13, Rahab concealed the Israelite spies at great risk because she believed the accounts of God’s mighty works—the Red Sea, the victories, the power of the living God.

She acted on faith, seeing past immediate danger, because she knew that trusting God was the only real way to save her family from destruction.

As believers today, we have the same accounts Rahab had—and so much more. Do we live our lives in a way that shows we believe that the God of the Bible is who He says He is?

What commands or instructions have we found difficult—or even senseless—to exercise faith in? One example might be simply last week’s lesson: to count it all joy when we face trials and temptations.

A Closing Story: Faith in the Small Moments

Let me end by telling you a story—another military one—because I just served my ICT a few weeks ago.

During training, we needed to load equipment into vehicles parked outside the storeroom. But before we could load anything, we received a warning that there was a thunderstorm ongoing. We had to call off loading.

At the same time, safety rules required personnel on the ground to guide vehicles reversing into the parking lot to cover blind spots. But during a thunderstorm, we cannot have personnel on the ground because they may be struck by lightning—it’s an open car park.

So we couldn’t park the vehicles back into the designated lots, and we also couldn’t leave them there overnight. And I had no idea when the thunderstorm would lift.

I felt stuck.

I struggled with whether we should just ignore the rules and park the vehicles back anyway—probably no one would see. In fact, those around me asked if we could do precisely that. “Why not just do it? No one’s going to see it.”

But I knew it would be wrong to ignore the rules. Even then, I was tempted to skirt them so everyone could call it a day.

And in that moment, not being able to see a good way out, I prayed and asked God for wisdom.

Almost immediately, someone suggested we simply park the vehicles in a sheltered bay. The shelter meant we didn’t need to worry someone guarding the vehicles would be struck by lightning.

In hindsight, this simple solution was somehow obscured from my mind until I had sought God’s help—and was perhaps a test of faith from God Himself.

To me, simple moments like these test whether our faith is alive or dead.

When faced with the choice to honor God or pursue our desires, we may think we are better off pursuing ourselves—but we may then be gaining the world and losing our soul.

This morning, what might God be calling you to act in faith in?

Think about it.

What might you be resisting submitting to God in?

Conclusion

To conclude, let us put away the sin of partiality—recognizing our brothers and sisters in Christ as the white horses they are because our Father in heaven, whose mercy shown to us on the cross, has triumphed over the judgment we deserve and unites us by His blood.

And let us be ever ready to act on our faith—living not as demons who only shudder at God’s word, but instead may our faith grow and come alive through acting in faith in response to God’s word.

Closing Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this passage in James chapter 2 to remind us of this subtle but such an evil sin of partiality. We confess to you, Lord, that there are many times we falter—that we naturally, instinctively show partiality because of the culture of our world, because of how we have been of the world.

We pray, Lord, that you would reveal to us the ways in which we have failed, the ways in which we need to change, and that you would grant us the faith to do so.

That we may cry out to you for help—that in times of need we know you will hear us, and that you would empower us and grant us the solutions we need, that our faith may come alive.

We thank you, Lord, for these examples of Abraham and Rahab who acted on their faith even when it didn’t make sense—even when there was much at stake. We pray, Lord, that you would help us to be ready—to be courageous for you—to show faith in times when it matters, even in the small everyday matters that we might think are small and don’t have consequence.

We pray, Lord, that you would enlighten us and open our spiritual eyes that we may see these as battlegrounds for the devil—battlegrounds for souls that the devil is using to turn us away from you, and to turn other souls away from you.

Strengthen our faith and grant us the faith we need to persevere and to look forward to the hope we have in Lord Jesus Christ when you come again. We pray these things in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ’s most precious and holy name. Amen.

So, as promised—10:30. Enjoy your breakfast.