One of the first biblical books I ever really studied as a Christian was the Epistle of James. I don’t know how or why I landed on it, and that biblical book is not where I would first direct others to start, but the influence of that first study on my faith should not be underestimated. It wasn’t so much the content of James that grabbed me, it was the simple fact of an in-depth study of God’s Word. Not that James doesn’t speak powerfully to our everyday situation in life, it surely does: caring for others, works and faith, controlling the tongue, perseverance in difficulty. James touches on everyday, real-life issues.
One of these issues is James’ condemnation of showing favoritism—“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith” (James 2:1). In this chapter, James warns against showing special treatment to some over others and gives some good illustrations. When I first read this, I was young and filled with youthful indignation over any such unjust treatment—if we show favoritism toward some, we are being fundamentally unjust. As much as I rejected such notions as partiality or prejudice attitudes, I couldn’t imagine situations where it would be a struggle in the church community. Certainly, God’s people of all people would be able to live without such crass, negative stereotypes and actions! James’ illustration—putting some people in better seats than others—makes sense, but it was hard to imagine it would really happen (James 2:3).
Of course, I am older, wiser, and unfortunately, more jaded today than I was back then. Discrimination, prejudice, and blatant unfairness are all too common in our society. Injustice is not just something that exists “out there” in the world. Indeed, it exists “in here” at its core—the “here” being in the sinful heart of every human being. Small acts of bias, involuntary divisive thoughts, overt comments of favoritism, conscious actions of inequality, pepper our everyday experience. James’ warnings take on great relevance when we see the transparent sins in our community.
One of the sadder aspects of this unjust treatment of others is that it happens while we are fully aware of the fundamental injustice of such actions. Created as we are in the image of God, we reflect in some ways His character. We have some meager capacity to love because He is love. We can show some form of mercy because He is mercy. And, we have a sense of justice because He Himself pursues justice. All humanity shares in the image of God, and, hence, all have an innate sense of what is right and wrong. Of course, equally, all humanity share in the depravity of our sin—that fundamental characteristic of the image of God in each person is damaged by our brokenness—and, thus, we all equally distort that innate justice. Often we can identify injustice (in others, it is easier!), but often sin overrides and we do not respond to injustice as we should.
Thus, we have the book of James warning us to avoid favoritism and to pursue just relationships. And, not just James, but throughout the Bible, God is portrayed as Just, and we are to follow Him in justice. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul had to remind Timothy himself of the need to be on guard against showing partiality and favoritism to others (5:21). This is a challenge to our world, to our particular society, to our institutions, to our church, and mostly, to ourselves, to our own hearts. And this challenge flows naturally from the text we will study together this Sunday.
In preparation for worship this Sunday, please read 1 Timothy 5:17-25.
1. Make a list of all the commands Paul tells Timothy here. I count at least eight!
2. What holds all these commands together? The ESV lists them all in a single paragraph… why? What is the common link?
3. What would a “double honor” mean in verse 17? The implication is clear, but why this particular phrasing?
4. How does the Old Testament citation about an ox have any bearing at all? Read Deuteronomy 25:4 and the verses around it. Does that help at all?
5. Verse 20 sounds tremendously threatening… how might you understand this more generously/graciously than to think Paul is trying to scare people?
6. Why does Paul insert this comment about Timothy’s stomach here (vs. 23)? How does this fit with the overall message?
7. I think verses 24-25 sum up this paragraph. Why do you think I think so? Can you give specific examples of either the sin of verse 24 or the good deeds of 25?
