James begins with tell us that we are not to show partiality – vs1.
Vs4 – if you do you have shown partiality and have judged and have evil thoughts.
When asked, Jesus answered that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.
The vertical relationship with God and the horizontal relationships with our neighbours: that is the whole message and everything else hangs on these 2 commandments.
Violating any part of the law you have violated the whole law. The law has integrity vs 10, its about cohesion, the whole part. There is no part of the law.
James makes reference to the law of liberty, freedom! The law of mercy.
Vs1 – have no partiality
Vs10 – the law has integrity
Vs12 – judgement by the law of liberty
Favouritism, partiality = discrimination
The law of Moses contains 613 laws from God and it took the Hebrew Scribes quite some time to find them all in their ancient scrolls. Our government has over 613 rules just about discrimination alone and it wouldn’t take much to find them all.
So here we have a real, actual, eternal safe space = at the foot of the cross under Jesus. There is no other safe space about discriminations.
The Bible provides the information to determine discrimination, the truth and how it is to be.
Genesis 1:27 – “God created man in his own image, male and female he created”.
This one verse clears up all debate about discrimination. It says everything you need to know. It provides all the value we need.
It’s the Bible and the Bible alone that provides that basis for human value and dignity! Nothing else can or does and thought they (man) try, they can’t.
God and God alone endows you and you alone with inherent worth!
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