James, the Apostle and the Lord’s half-brother, makes this simple yet binding command to his fellow believers. “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons” (James 2:1). This seems straightforward enough – as a Christian we are not to show favoritism and, consequently, treat men differently for any cause. In the context he sets forth an illustration of a rich man who received better seating in their assembly than a poor man. He rebukes them for their partiality and calls them “judges of evil thoughts” (James 2:4).
The Scriptures declare that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, emphasis added). It is before Christ, the very Lord of Glory, as James refers to him, that we all fall short. Differences between us are meaningless before him “with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). Hence, there is no basis for preferential treatment since a man’s education, wealth, or position makes him no better or worse in the eyes of God.
Rather, all men are made in the image of God which makes each man worthy of honor and respect. That image is indeed marred by sin, but it remains indelibly imprinted on every man. It is God’s desire to restore this image. To that end he “gave his only begotten Son that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We call this the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is through this gospel that God deals with the problem of sin. Through this gospel, the image of God can be restored in the chief (pinnacle-foremost) of God’s creation, mankind.
As followers of Christ we are then to view each and every man as one for whom Christ died; each one as bearing that divine image though marred; each one standing no further from the cross than we ourselves. We must see men in the context of their relationship to God their Creator and not how they compare to one another. This is the message James writes to these scattered believers.
We lose sight of this truth all too readily. We compare ourselves among ourselves as Paul writes to the Corinthians, but in so doing we “are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12). We continue to frame our judgements of one another on the basis of what we see and know of men rather than what we know from God. James would have us to know this one thing. I am equal to every other man and every other man is equal to me in this most important regard – we are all sinners before a holy God and need his grace!
From the Chaplain 