James 2:1-7

The Sin of Favoritism

^aMy brothers, ^bdo not hold your faith in our ¹^cglorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^dpersonal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your ¹assembly with a gold ring and dressed in ^abright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in ^bdirty clothes, 3 and you ¹pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^abright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^awith evil thoughts? 5 Listen, ^amy beloved brothers: did not ^bGod choose the poor ¹of this world to be ^crich in faith and ^dheirs of the kingdom which He ^epromised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves ^adrag you into ¹court? 7 ^aDo they not blaspheme the good name ¹by which you have been called?