Imagine if a celebrity started attending our church. Would you treat them the same way you treat everyone else? 

Giving groups of people special treatment has grown into a worldly norm. But to practise partiality is to disobey the commandment of loving our neighbour as ourselves (Jas 2:8). 

This neighbour isn’t necessarily someone who is like us. This neighbour can be anyone in God’s wide world: the quiet person at the edge of the crowd, the stranger with sour body odour wishing to enter our chapel, the one whose words and ways feel too challenging for us to understand…

James 2 warns us of how partiality appeared in the church. Partiality began quietly in the mind. These believers let society’s sense of status shape their thinking: they valued those who appeared rich. They didn’t think the poor were worthy of their intentional care–not even in church. These thoughts then manifested in their attitude and actions. To the rich man, believers held a warm and welcoming attitude, inviting him to “sit here in a good place”. To the poor, they were disrespectful and dismissive, giving them insignificant places to sit (Jas 2:3). 

Left unchecked, such mental shortcuts can quietly harden into harmful habits.

In other words, the seed of partiality can be sown through labels we give others. These in turn influence our tone, patience, and attention, manifesting as partial behaviour.

A child labelled “good” may receive more smiles and praise. The “naughty” child is treated dismissively with a sharp tone. Someone thought of merely as following their employee to church, or “too difficult to work with” in the office, may be overlooked from receiving our evangelical efforts.

Partiality may also stem from having stronger emotional connection to certain people over others. Do we affirm ideas from those we prefer while downplaying others? Do we excuse the sins of close friends but correct others quickly?

The world may not notice partiality. Instead, it may even teach us to mimic the rich man in James 2 so we can milk the partiality of others for our benefit. 

But in God’s eyes, partiality is evil (Jas 2:4, 9). God wants us to intentionally notice and value everyone, not only those who resemble or please us. His purpose is clear: because we are faithful to the Lord of glory (Jas 2:1). Such faithfulness then extends to honouring God’s impartial heart of bringing salvation freely to all. 

God’s impartiality is both a comfort and a challenge. It comforts because His grace crosses every human divisions—nationality, personality, social standing… No matter who we are, His standard remains unwavering: to live out our faith with righteous deeds (Rom 2:6; Jas 2:24). 

At the same time, we are challenged to be more like Jesus: To rise above our earthly biases, to love our neighbour with His same impartial heart (Rom 2:11).

Reflection:

1. In church, do I treat newcomers or those different from me with the same warmth and respect as friends? If not, what are some actions I can take to improve this?

2. In what ways do I subconsciously judge others based on appearance, background, or habits?