We thank the Lord that He has given us yet another opportunity to be found here in this manner, to study from His Word. We have been looking in the past weeks from James chapter 1 and we have been trying to cover this epistle and see it verse by verse, see the points that James especially wants us to see. In the past we have seen James giving us a right perspective on trials. on why trials occur, what is God's purpose through allowing trials to come into our lives. We saw also the right perspective to temptation. That there's a very possible way how trials could become a temptation. But importantly, we are shown how we ought to see temptations, the right perspective on temptations. We also saw a right perspective on the Word of God. that it is so integral, so important in all these things, in our trials, in our temptations, in our Christian work to have a very right perspective of the Word of God.

And finally, we looked at the last two verses of this chapter, James chapter 1, we saw the right perspective on religion itself. And we saw that there is a form of religion which is external and in its essence that's what the word means, the external evidence of anything that we believe in. and James points us out that there is indeed a right external evidence of the faith within, is ideally or there is indeed a pure religion, a pure form of outwardly serving God and that also we covered in the last time. Today, in the grace of God, we will look from chapter 2, verse 1 to 13 and we will be looking at it as the right perspective on people, a right perspective on people. Firstly, let's Chapter 2 verse 1 to 30 here in a good place and say to the poor, stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool. Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Harken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, not commit adultery, and also do not said also, not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." As you can clearly see, The main topic here that James now wants to address and it's a clear new section. We may see chapter 2 verse 1 begins with, brethren, he has covered a clear topic, a flow of thought that was with trials and temptations and the Word of God and how we are to remain in this world being the witnesses of God. That has been covered in chapter 1. Now he's moving to a new topic that he must address. Similarly, we will see the same news in chapter 3 verse 1 where a new topic is to be taken up. So here is the faith.

Here begins in Chapter 2 something of how our faith should look like. And again for our ease of remembrance, we will divide it into certain points. Firstly, we see in this passage the confrontation. James is not shy to confront the people, the believers, the gathering about this problem of partiality. Next we see a case, an example of what partiality would look like. And then James explains to us what the great contradiction this is. It's a contradiction that we are having this kind of partiality amongst ourselves. And then James would take us to show how the commandment itself is entirely against, opposed to partiality and he concludes with a condemnation on all who would practice partiality. Now if I ask you this question, is partiality wrong?

undoubtedly we will all say it is wrong. Even if I ask this question to the world outside, they also will say the same thing that of course partiality is wrong. But now what we consider as partiality is something that we need to try to understand. And James initially will label to bring to our hearts what are the forms, what kind of thing, what kind of action, what kind of behavior by the believers looks like partiality. and he will endeavor to explain to us that this is no casual thing. This is not just any light thing that we may think, okay, it's just partiality, it's not like as if it's murder, it's not like such a big deal here. But James will endeavor to show to us, this is no small thing in the sight of God.

This is going to be taken very, very seriously and that's what James will be laboring to show to us in these 13 verses. But he begins with this. with a confrontation of the fact that partiality can indeed, may have been seen at that time in the church and may indeed appear its form in even today's churches. So, first verse we see, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. What is partiality, if you are to think of it? Any definition of partiality, what would you say? favoring someone. It's essentially what it I will read out a very nice definition I found. The fault of one who then who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merit.

So a judgment is being made on a person based on something outward and not on their intrinsic merits. Outwardly like... as one who is rich, high-born, powerful or any of such qualities which can be seen visually outside. Something externally that is seen which causes the person to make a judgment in favor of that person, to prefer a person over another for these kind of criteria, these kind of things. That's what respect of persons, that's what partiality in essence means. James puts it this way, do not have, do not hold, do not possess the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, along with this respect of persons, along with this partiality. And here is a pattern for us to also follow, which we see many other places in scripture as well, especially in the book of Revelation.

When there is a problem... with the church when there is an issue to be addressed in the believer's life, the Spirit always endeavours to show Christ to us meeting that need. So, He will glorify Christ in a way, in an attribute, in His glory, in such a way that it very clearly meets that particular need. We may see the letters that are sent to the churches and we will see exactly that, that how Christ is represented to each church very clearly meets the need. meets their lack if they are willing to acknowledge it. And even in the epistles, that's exactly what we see that it begins with addressing a situation, addressing a problem in the church, but how is it brought to light? How is the solution? How is the way out found? It is in Christ.

It is showing to us something about Christ more fully, more clearly. And James also here, when the problem of partiality is to be addressed, is to be resolved or is to be prevented to happen in the church, he will begin with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will say that if you have understood, if you have the right practicing of the faith of what you know of the Lord Jesus Christ, then one cannot... take that and the respect of persons and the partiality together hand in hand. He says that if we have understood the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a very significant title. James already used that in chapter 1 verse 1, to equate Christ with God, to show them to be equal, to show them to be one.

And it is the same title he saying here, that if one has fully or understood, come to an understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is and therefore, has committed himself unto such a one and therefore is wanting to live his life according to one who is submitted to such a one. That's the point here. Such a person cannot take partiality along with himself. He cannot keep partiality as a way of living while he continues to profess that, I have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, I know this Lord Jesus Christ. John would... also use something similar when we read the first episode of We see how John presents these two tests in the way that he would say, who is God? God is light. In him is no darkness.

And therefore, anyone who claims to have fellowship with God cannot be found walking in darkness. It's a clear contradiction. It's an impossibility. If you know who God is, if you have come to see the God is light, then it is not possible. It is not possible that one would habitually continue to walk in darkness having known, having come to be in fellowship. with God who is entirely light, in whom is at all no darkness. The same he would say about love. He would say that God is love. He would say that no man has seen God. And he would say also that if we cannot love the brother whom we can see, then how can such a person claim to say... that they love God whom they cannot see.

It's not possible. In John's writings, in John's thought, that's a very clear contradiction, it's a very clear opposite. One who knows God cannot be living in the opposite of what God is. And that's exactly also the way James is presenting it here. If we have the faith, if we hold the faith, if we have known to begin with who the Lord Jesus Christ is, then that naturally has to remove this attitude or this feeling, this practice of partiality from a person. And I stress on it this way because it's the most natural thing that you will find in people to have partiality, to prefer people for some reason or the other. It is the most very clear fleshly thing that exists in man.

And James is laboring to tell us if we have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ? He is the One who is in the very form of God, who took upon Himself the form of a servant, was found in the fashion of a man, was obedient even to death, even death on a cross. He who was rich became poor so that we could be rich in Him. This is the one whom we claim to believe in. This is the one who has shown Himself to us in His earthly life. So those who have known Him in this way, cannot continue in partiality. Do not hold this faith and partiality together. It's not only the Lord Jesus Christ, James gives another title, the Lord of Glory.

And partiality is essentially a wrong way of attributing glory to someone. It's about preferring or it's about... Esteeming someone for the wrong reasons. It's about giving glory to someone else because we have not really seen the one who is glorious. The one who is all glorious. If we have a clearer vision, a clearer picture, a clearer understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, then we would not think too highly of another one. based on their outward circumstances. When John saw the vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, he felt as if he was dead. When Isaiah saw in Isaiah chapter 6 the vision of Christ there, there again he was greatly convicted of how unworthy he is.

One who has come to see any bit of the Lord Jesus Christ, they come to see truly that which is glorious. And then... anything that the world would call as glorious, anything that the world would regard, be it riches, be it being high born, be it being powerful, be it any worthy manner of anything, everything suddenly falls far, far short, far short of this one who is truly glorious because we have come to see that everything falls apart in front of Him. And that's James' first point that partiality cannot go hand in hand with those who profess to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we seeing this case of partiality or an example of partiality. What does that look like?

He says here an instance of two people who have walked in. One, he says man, he is not calling that man rich, but he is calling a man who outwardly dresses very clearly to indicate that he is a... one who is rich, he has enough money, is enough powerful or he is in such a good position to dress up like that. And there another man who very visibly, evidently is poor. He is wearing wild rain men, there is nothing outwardly that would attract others to him. He is very visibly, clearly, evidently poor. And now here comes the behavior of the brethren, of those who are in the gathering. How are they going to treat that? And James as we know such a practical letter, he is visualizing this for us or making it very visual for us.

Example that we may all encounter, we may all see happening. How will we respond to it? And James says in this way that if we are going to prefer that person, so the word there verse 3 says, and he have respect to him. It's a different word from the word partiality. It simply means to pay one more attention, to look more closely, to give more attention, care to that thing or that person. If you have respect to the person who is in that way in a rich clothing, then you have indeed sinned. If you are letting that person be more preferred, be given more preferential treatment simply because of the outward appearance of such a person, then we are sinning.

And if we are going to ignore the poor man, then we are found sinners. We are found as those who would make a wrong judgment. If you have to look at this aspect of respect of persons itself, shall we look at some verses firstly? In Romans chapter 2 verse 11, Why is God so particular about partiality? Why is God so particular that people should not be partial? Romans 2 verse 11. We read about our salvation. For there is no respect of persons with God. It's regarding our salvation. God wants salvation for everyone. He's not going to look at how rich one is, which country one belongs to, whether he was part of the covenant earlier, whether he was part of the promise of Abraham earlier.

He wants salvation to be for all. Here is an instruction to the Masters. And ye Masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your Master also is in heaven. Neither is there respect of persons with Him. So the way the Master is going to treat the servant, he has to be very particular. Don't think of himself as if, worldly, I am better than him, I am in a higher position than him, so I can do whatever with him. In the eyes of God, it has no difference at all. You are all, every one of us is just human, whether you be Master, whether you be servant. In the eyes of God, you are all just men.

So the Master has to be always mindful of that fact that in the eyes of God, there is no respect of persons. God is not going to prefer me because I am in providence of God found to be a Master of someone. Same goes in Colossians chapter 3 verse 25. which He had done and there is no respect of persons. There it is about the servants. That the servants have to be mindful in how they are working, that God has no respect of persons. If we do that which is right, if we are found laboring for Him in His name, doing all as if we doing unto the Lord, then indeed, He will not have any respect of persons.

He will not be looking whether He is a servant, whether He is a master, whether the servant is from that place or this place. He is going to reward each one accordingly. In the Old Testament law, we see how God was very, very particular that those who would be appointed as judges, they are to have no respect of persons. It's a very important thing that when there is a judgment to be made between the people of God, that there is no bribe taken, there is no preferential treatment given to anyone because they are standing in the place of God to give judgment for the people of God and they cannot at all prefer one over So, God is very clearly against this kind of preferential treatment, this kind of partiality.

What does it do? James says, Are you not then partial in yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts? The translation again is not fully conveying the meaning that is put there. So, in verse 4, we reading the word partial, but it's a different word again from what is earlier used in verse 1. There that word essentially means to divide, to judge in a way, to discern in a way, as well as to divide. And what James is saying is, by so making a judgment, by preferring the rich man over the poor, are you not dividing among yourselves? Are you not making the judgment in such a way that these are us, those are they?

Are you not making dividing amongst yourselves in this manner? And he then exposes the other part, that such judgment... comes from where? It comes from evil thoughts. It is not according to scripture, it is not according to the will of God, it is really showing a underlying root of problems of sin, which is evil thoughts. It is coming through evil intentions that such kind of judgment comes in. Now, this is one case that James is bringing before us and that's only one case. We have to think of also how else could this be seen today? if we are living now in this world in today's time, how else can partiality be seen?

Clearly the rich and the poor can be distinguished. We can also be preferential to people who speak the same language. People who belong to the same place that we are from. People who are from the same families that we are from. we could start dividing or we could start thinking of so many ways we can prefer one over another and take it in that same way that James says, if somebody is to walk in, if two people distinct in that way are to walk in, how are we to respond? How will we respond? Now it's important to see here that James is not saying that we should seat everyone in the high place, but rather what he pointing out is that the rich man got a incorrect treatment.

He was given more attention than that was needed. The safe way as we know is that each one is given equal standing and the problem here what is happening was that the rich man was given more attention than that was needed. What we are to do is to give each one equal attention whether he be poor, whether he be rich, whether he be speaking this language or from that family or from that place, whether he looks this way, whether he looks that way, we are not to show a partiality in that way, a preferential treatment thereafter in how we communicate with that person, in how we approach so-and-so person, in how we are welcoming them into the fellowship, into the fellowship of the saints.

There must not be a distinction between these external, outward appearing things. And it is very serious and it is something that can, as we know in the natural man, happen so easily. If you take the outside world, the world is trying its best to liberate people from all these things because that is something that remains. It is something that is so easily found in all men. And James is saying that this is not the world here. This is God's place. This is the Church of God. And here, those who profess to have the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, who have come to see themselves in the light of the great glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, amongst them, there cannot be such preferential treatment.

Firstly, why? It's going to divide you. It's not just a thought, it's not just a feeling, it's not just a light matter. We are dividing ourselves in those criteria's. We are bringing people together according to those criteria's. And secondly, it exposes what we really are, what is our interior, that it is indeed. Judgment has been made by us with evil thoughts. Now we proceed to the contradiction part. James wants to reason with those who are practicing this way or are in danger of practicing this way and he does it with love. He says, Harkin, listen, my beloved brethren, this is not just a cold rebuke but it is really coming out of much affection, much concern that they should not fall into this way.

My beloved brethren, see the contradiction that is evidenced when a believer has partiality. Why? Because he taking the case of the rich and the poor. Had God not chosen the poor of this world rich in faith? What does God think of the poor? And then compare that with what the believer or the person who may be in danger of showing partiality, how they look at the poor. God looks at the poor and He is saying, they are chosen as the rich in faith. They are chosen to be the heirs of the kingdom. They are those that will declare or will shine to show that they love God.

These three things are shown about the poor. Firstly, we see they are rich in faith. Their poverty is not changed because they come into faith. A person who is poor before he came into faith does not suddenly become rich and prosperous because he accepts the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very striking blow to the prosperity gospel. which would like people to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, so that they may be prosperous. This verse very kilter tells us also, He has chosen the poor in the world not to be rich in the world, but rather to be rich in faith. And we see in evidence of history, throughout scripture also, that being very very true.

It is always the poor in the world who are found to be more rich in faith. It has a direct relation with the... need of a man. It has a direct relationship with how self-sufficient a man is and how one recognizes easily that they are so dependent on God, that they need God for every day, they need God for everything. We may ourselves also think of it when other times that we draw certainly to God. It's in times of need. When there is crisis, when there is need in our lives, we will not shy away from drawing near to God. We will want to put all our faith, everything we know about God, we want to excise that.

But in times of peace, in times of prosperity, we may not be so active, eager to come and draw near to God, to really excise our faith in God. And that's the point here, that those who are poor in the world are providentially found in such a way that they need God or they experientially continue to have that need of drawing near to God. They are rich in faith indeed. And the Lord says and James says here that they are heirs of the Kingdom. God has prepared that Kingdom to come for such and simply because they are saved, simply because they are found in the faith, they are going to be reigning, they are going to be in the Kingdom.

Not only that, but they are going to evidence this fact that they indeed love God. In 1st John we read that He first loved us and so that is why our love proceeds from recognizing that love, recognizing that God has loved us in His Son. And these here are going to evidence in the Kingdom that indeed God has loved us and God is going to use them as His display to show that they have loved me. It is a promise that God gives to such people, that word promise same as we read for Abraham. It's the same promise of the seed. It's the same things throughout scripture where God is the one promising.

God is the one when He promises, He will entirely fulfill it. He that has promised is faithful. He is promising such things to the poor. And James is looking at the contradiction. Now see, this is what God is preparing for the poor. But then how is it that we are treating the poor in the exact same way? Again, if we know God, if we have come to know God, if we have come to understand who God is, this cannot be the way we treat the poor. It's a very clear contradiction. Not only that, he will go to part of the rich men. So, there are three things shown here.

Don't they draw you, bring you, drag you near to the judgment seats and are they not blaspheming that worthy name by which you are called? Three things given concerning the rich men. They at that time especially are seen to be the ones who were oppressing the believers. In John chapter 16, if you could quickly turn there, John chapter 16 verse 2. We read of another set of people who would be found persecuting the believers. John chapter 16 verse 2, Here at this time already the Lord is prophesying how the believers are going to be treated, not only the disciples of that time but later on because we take the place of Christ here in this world.

It is the religious lot because as they attempt to kill believers, they are doing it with what motivation? That as if we doing service to God. They are the religious lot and it is evidenced very much in history. Beginning from the Jewish people who were persecuting the Christians in the first centuries, to the Roman Empire who considered Caesar to be their God, to the nominal church which began a time of great persecution known as the Dark Ages, extending all the way to 1800s, where every faithful witness had to be martyred. It is often, often the way that it is a religious lot who continue in their persecution of the believers and even today we will find that is the exact thing that happens.

It is the religious people who thinking that they are offering or doing a service to God are very zealous to persecute believers. Here James brings to us another set of people, the rich men. They are also then at that time at least found as the ones who were trying to persecute the believers, oppressing them and bringing them before the judgment seats. Not only that, why were they being brought before the judgment seats? Why were they being oppressed? In the verse 7 we read that because of how they saw their faith. They were blaspheming the worthy name by which they were called. What was the worthy name? was Christian.

It was a name firstly given in Antioch to those who believe in Christ, who were beginning to show very evidently that they are like Christ, that Christ was being wholly formed in them and people who were around them could see that they belong entirely to Christ. They are Christians. They are all about this Christ. And so a name of mocking, a name of despise is how they started calling Christians. But today we greatly pride, greatly rejoice in receiving that title from others that we are Christians. We belong to Christ. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name. And this is exactly the situation when James is writing.

And that's how we have to see that the rich men were at that time oppressing the believers, they were persecuting the believers for their faith and they were... holding in derision, holding in despise that worthy name of Christ. And the question is this, whose side are you on? That's how plainly and that's how seriously James is putting it before the people. This is how God looks at the poor in the world. This is what the rich men are doing to those who are of God, those who belong to God. Now on whose side are you? Are you in the side of the people of God or are you in the side of those who oppose?

God, who oppose the people of God, who oppose his purposes and that's the question that James wants us to put that by exercising, showing partiality, we are putting ourselves in opposition to God. We are in the other side of where God is. Next we are looking at the commandment. There is a clear commandment against partiality. Partiality cannot continue because it is against the very commandment. James says, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

There is a royal law according to the scripture and that law, James says, is thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. The Lord Jesus also, when he was asked what are the most important commandments, he took the same. In Galatians, Paul would also explain, if you have kept this one commandment, you fulfill the whole law. Why is that commandment so precious? Why is that commandment called the royal law as if it governs everything, as if it holds the entire authority over the whole law? And this is how it is pictured. That if we are to look at any other commandment, it's really an extension of this one commandment, to love your neighbor.

It essentially holds everything together. The whole law is to then be seen as a vessel or as a glass that in breaking one part of it, we break the whole. In breaking one part of the vessel, we break the whole vessel. In breaking, cracking one part of the glass, the glass is ruined. That's how love permeates everything that the law shows to us. In not murdering, in not giving false witness, in not committing adultery, in every other commandment given in detail in the Old Testament, it all is governed by this authoritative law to love your neighbour. So, in effect, when we don't keep any one of those commandments, we have broken the very fundamental royal law which is to love your neighbour.

So, by breaking that one commandment and that's the point here. that James wants to make or to convince us about in breaking a single commandment, it's not just a commandment, it's just a light commandment, no, not at all. The Pharisees were doing this much. If you look at Matthew chapter 5 verse 19, Matthew chapter 5 verse 19, Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. The Pharisees of the time, they were beginning to treat the laws according to certain categories. So these are the very serious sins. These are okay okay sins.

These are okay negligible sins. The Lord wants to tell us that that's not why the law was given. The law was so strict, so detailed, so clear, so as to show our helplessness, so as to show that we are sinners. So, every small little commandment has in itself the same authority, same value that comes with this royal law to love your neighbour as yourself. And that's how the Pharisees were trying to show themselves to be righteous by doing those commandments that are very important in their eyes, while it is fine to neglect a few things. While the law was designed to break us, they were trying to show themselves as righteous.

And here James is looking at the whole law in that same way and looking at partiality in that light. It may be considered as something very trivial in the world to have a preference over another. But James wants us to understand this is breaking the law. This is equivalent to murder. This is equivalent to adultery. The two commandments which are resulting in death, the punishment for both those commandments is to have death and James certainly uses both those together in that way to show to us how serious this breaking of the law is to love your neighbor as yourself. So in practicing partiality, it is a clear breaking of the commandment.

We are found as those who are sinners falling short of the glory of God. We are found as those who are transgressors who have overstepped, went ahead of the law. And finally, He would tell us about the condemnation that awaits such who will continue in this path of partiality. So, what have we seen till now? We have looked at from verse 1, we have seen the confrontation of How it is not possible? Those who have known the Lord Jesus Christ, who have the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot practice partiality. We have seen that in practicing partiality, the effects of it, we are dividing ourselves amongst these criterias.

We are evidencing what is within that there is evil thoughts by which we making those judgments. We are seeing then that we are in contradiction to where God is, to what God wants to achieve in this world. We are found directly in opposition to God's purposes by exercising partiality. And now, in the commandment part, we are seen to be transgressors of the commandments, equivalent to those who are murderers, those who are adulterers. We are found to have broken the one law that ties up the whole law together. We have not kept the law which says to love your neighbour as yourself. and to even more stress on this point, James brings before us the point of condemnation.

That such will have to undergo or experience condemnation if they continue in this way in partiality. If you notice, we saw in verse 4 that there was a judgment being made. The people were making a judgment on those who came in based on their external appearances and that was with evil thoughts. Now here comes... James warning, speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. So our words speak ye and so do our words, our works, these will be judged. And these are best evidenced here in the case that James expressed. Speaking to that person, sit thou here and our action in how we treat that particular person, James says, you will be judged.

for how you speak, you will be judged for how you behave towards this particular commandment. They shall be judged by the law of liberty. In making the judgment, we were not making the judgment according to scripture but according to evil thoughts. But that very scripture is what will judge us, will determine our condemnation. It is a law of liberty, that's how James calls it. We have seen other descriptions of the Word of God. We saw it as the word of truth, we saw it as the un-grafted word which should remain in us and has the capability to grow in us. We saw it as the perfect law of liberty.

We saw it now as a royal law, that law which commands or governs every other law. And now we seeing it again as the law of liberty. And that's how the law, this law particularly is designed to do, is to give liberty, is to free the poor, is to humble the rich, is to bring everyone in the right place by being submissive to the law. In Romans and Galatians, we see very clear explanations of how true freedom looks like. If you want to be free from sin, if you want to true freedom, we have to submit ourselves to another and that is the yoke of Christ, that is the law of Christ. True freedom is in truly being submitted to the one who is worthy and that is Christ.

And that's how the law of liberty is pictured. is yet still a law. It is restraining, it guides, it's light, it shows us what to do and it's intended for liberty, for freedom. By submitting ourselves to that law, by letting our instincts not take over but rather submitting ourselves in obedience, we are actually being freed. And it's also designed as the law was in the Old Testament for the people who were in need to free them. to not continue them in oppression, to not continue persecuting them. But we see so many commands in the law which were really designed to bring up or to deliver those who were poor, who were the marginalised section of the society.

Such things cannot continue in the church. There must be the practising, obeying of the law of liberty. The condemnation James says is this, make no mistake about it that every word, every deed is going to be judged. It is not as if we don't give an account for what God has given to us and James is very clear here that even for this sin of partiality, this respect of persons that we have, it is not a trivial matter if we in any form, any way consider a person more better. than the other because of external things as we saw that definition, not because of anything intrinsic, but because of how they are externally appearing before us.

If we practice that, then indeed this is the ending that those who have judgment without mercy, they will also be shown no mercy. in that time and James says mercy which I said over judgment meaning mercy triumphs over judgment and That's what believers are looking forward like in the Bay of Judgment seat We are looking for God's mercy knowing that God has already shown to us mercy in saving us It is by his grace by his mercy alone that any good work proceeds through us it is in this work set we are walking and even on judgment that is the heart with which we come before Him, that we will be found in a mercy, not boasting in our works even at that moment, knowing that we've also been living a life of showing mercy, knowing that this is how we want to be before God, certainly we also ought to exercise the very same things, showing mercy to those who need mercy. May the Lord continue to bless us with these thoughts.