Greetings everyone and thanks for joining me for this edition of our Sunday School preview. This Sunday’s lesson is entitled “Impartial Love” and is found in James 2:1-13.
The lesson this week tells us not to judge people differently based on appearance and perceived wealth or importance. When we make such preferences based on superficial attributes, James calls this sin.
God’s law teaches us to treat others without respect of outward appearance as we would want someone to treat us. When we pick and choose and discriminate how we treat others, that becomes a violation of God’s law.
James gives the example of someone who appears rich and another who appears poor who enters the congregation. The rich one is given special attention while the poor one is basically asked to stay out of sight. This is the type of behavior that violates God’s commandment.
One way to expand upon James’s example and properly apply God’s law is to imagine that we have only one seat for all people. So regardless of who we encounter, there is only one seat and everyone is invited to sit there.
Once seated, we must offer God’s love to everyone sitting in that seat the same way, or better yet, as if that someone was us. If we do this there is no chance of us sinning by breaking God’s law to love others as ourselves.
A second point James make is that sin is sin and it all results in God’s judgement. The reason he makes this point is because some may view respect of person as something mild without consequence even though it may be sinful.
He makes the point that the violation of any of God’s law makes us just as guilty as if we broke any other law. The reason why is because the specific violation is secondary to the fact that it is God we have disobeyed regardless of what it was we were disobedient about.
It is the fact of disobedience and not the infraction that makes us equally guilty before God. So James concludes this passage of the lesson by appealing to mercy. Those with the greatest needs are those who are in need of the greatest love.
Those who demonstrate love and mercy are those who will receive such. Those who do not, will also not receive any. Do not love with respect to persons. Give to and offer everyone the same seat.
Well, I hope you will be able to attend SS this coming Sunday. Invite someone to come and share your thoughts with the class. Sunday School at Flag Branch will begin at 9:00 am and you are invited to join us at www.fbmbc.org and clicking the online services link.
I look forward to giving the lesson highlights and addressing questions that arose during the lesson. If you have any comments or questions before then, be sure to place them in the comment section of this preview and I will get back to you. So, as always remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
