As Christians, we must watch ourselves and ensure that we are not succumbing to favoritism, as it is a sin. The Bible clearly speaks against showing favoritism of any kind.
James 2:1 – My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
During the unfortunate war between Russia and Ukraine, the government is expediting immigration for Ukrainians. Meanwhile, immigration is being downgraded as a secondary priority for thousands of Afghans (who assisted the Canadian government in fighting terrorism during the Afghan war). As the Canadian army withdrew from Afghanistan, they and their families are now in immediate danger of persecution from the Taliban. Yet they are not being treated with the same urgency as the Ukrainians. This is favoritism and it is wrong. As Christians, we should not be supporting this and we have a duty to speak against this type of favoritism and discrimination. If we support favoritism, we also become guilty of this sin.
At the same time, Christians in Canada are opening up their homes and wallets to Ukrainian refugees. This is a good thing, a very generous act filled with love. Considering there are currently 40 wars taking place around the world, it does bring into question the fact that this type of generosity and hospitality has not been readily offered to people of other ethnicities and races, who are in the same predicament of war, and this is wrong.
Most Canadians opposed Trudeau’s plan to bring Syrian refugees to Canada. Yet they have no problem bringing unlimited numbers of Ukrainian refugees. This is favoritism/discrimination and it is a sin. This is the concept plainly spoken of by the Apostle James, the half brother of Jesus. He then goes on to give an example of favoritism (he is not stating that this is the only form of favoritism, he is rather speaking against the concept of favoritism itself).
James 2:2-4 – Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Showing favoritism amongst people is wrong and James calls it discrimination.
James 2:8-11 – If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
To show favoritism is not to love your neighbor.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
I am speaking to Christians who have done the kind act of assisting Ukrainian refugees, through opening up their homes and wallets. I do not want this kind deed nullified by the act of being marred by favoritism. We must help all ethnicities, tribes, tongues and families from all the nations of the earth. If we favor one group over another, this is a sin.
As Christians, we are meant to keep the commandments of God and to love your neighbor, is the culmination of the last six commandments.
2 John 1:6 – Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
Jesus explains that we are all meant to follow his commandments, no matter what nation we come from.
Matthew 28:18-20 – Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
And he commanded us to love one another.
John 13:34-35 – A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
It is clear that Jesus expects us to help people from all nations and not just certain ones. If we only help refugees from the nation that our family is from, then we are not following the teachings of Jesus.
Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
We must love everyone, the good, evil, righteous and unrighteous. Not only must we help and accept people from our national background, we should also help those whom we have no affiliation with. This includes helping those who may be from the same ethnicity as our enemy. By enemy, I am referring to a country that may be considered an enemy to Canada in a time of war, like Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria. We must be perfect in this way as our heavenly Father is perfect. We must show love to the righteous and the unrighteous, and not show favoritism. Otherwise, what is the difference between us and an unbeliever?
Luke 6:32-36 – “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
We must be kind to the ungrateful and wicked, this is mercy. Jesus is clearly speaking against any form of favoritism. Favoritism is for the Pagans and unbelievers, not Christians. We must act as God does and be merciful to all people, regardless of their ethnicity, and not show favoritism, which is discrimination.
Romans 2:11 – For God does not show favoritism.
Acts 10:34-35 – Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Deuteronomy 10:17 – For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
2 Chronicles 19:4-7 – Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 5 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. 7 Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
The Bible warns us many times not to show favoritism or partiality of any kind.
1 Timothy 5:21 – I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
James 3:17 – But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Proverbs 24:23 – Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.
Proverbs 28:21 – To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.
Malachi 2:9 – “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”
Deuteronomy 16:19 – Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.
Exodus 23:3 – And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
We must transform our minds to align with God’s will, and no longer to align with the world’s philosophies and ways.
Romans 12:2 – Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We must not conform to the pattern of the world’s thinking but rather the pattern of the Bible’s teachings.
2 Timothy 1:13 – What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
As Christians, we must constantly meditate on the words, teachings and commandments of Jesus so that we may remain righteous in our dealings with others. This concept is written in both the Old and New Testament:
Joshua 1:8 – Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Psalm 1 – Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
The wicked show partiality and favoritism. The righteous remember the words of the Lord and remain impartial. The only way to ‘remember’ the Lord’s words so that we can stop a sinful/unrighteous spiritual habit, such as showing favoritism, is through daily meditation on His word and our conduct.
Psalm 119:15 – I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Psalm 119:78 – May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
Psalm 119:148 – My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
Psalm 143:5 – I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
Psalm 119:97-99 – Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. 98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
The concept of keeping commandments is also in the New Testament.
John 14:15 – “If you love me, keep my commands.
John 14:21 – Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:23 – Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
John 15:10 – If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
1 John 2:3 – We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
1 John 5:3 – Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
As James clearly stated, we must not show favoritism as this breaks both the Old and New Testament commandments. The Old Testament commandments states to love your neighbor as yourself and the New Testament states to love one another.
Leviticus 19:18 – ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Romans 13:8-10 – Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Galatians 5:14 – For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
James 2:8 – If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
Jesus commanded this specifically.
John 15:12 – My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 13:34-35 – A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 15:17 – This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus is not just talking about loving Christians.
Matthew 5:43-44 – You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
We are meant to love all people, regardless of race or religion.
A Christian should not identify themselves by their race of origin.
Colossians 3:10-11 – and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
The world may show a double standard in terms of who they may or may not assist. As Christians, we must be a leader in this way and be a light for the world.
Matthew 5:13-16 – You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
We must be a light to the world; a beacon of truth that refuses to compromise the teachings of Jesus through favoritism and discrimination. Then we will become children of light.
John 12:36 – Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”
Through becoming children of light, we become righteous.
Proverbs 4:18 – The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
Christians must show the world the truth regarding morality and not think and act like them.
James 4:4 – You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Showing favoritism and partiality is wrong. We must help people like refugees from all nations, even refugees from nations that we consider an enemy. Not only must we follow the truth and not compromise it (through showing favoritism), we must also be an example to the world, and not be influenced by it with compromise.
James 1:27 – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
This goes for widows and orphans of all ethnicities. With no favoritism, we must be beacons of the truth and not allow any pollution from the world’s ways. The world is polluted with favoritism and discrimination, but we must not be.
Philippians 2:15 – so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
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