judgment to come (2:12,13). He encourages believers to work in the light of the hour of reckoning. Christians will not be arraigned before the Great White Throne Judgment of Rev. 20. That is re served only for unbelievers. But we will be judged at the Bema, the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Cor. 5:10). The Lord will evaluate the character of our works. Here re wards will be given appropriate for Christian service. On that occasion social status will have no bearing whatsoever. The standard will be the law of liberty, the royal law of love. How thankful we should be that the mercy of Cod tempers judg ment. That does not mean that the Lord will overlook our sins. It sim ply tells us that equity will prevail. Men and women who are born of God take on the characteristics of the heavenly Father. As they grow in the Christian life, they will con tinue to demonstrate the qualities of mercy. The child of Cod who shows mercy and compassion up on the lawly, friendless and help less need not dread the judgment. The Apostle Paul understood the possibility of incurring the displeas ure of the Lord. He plead with the Corinthian believers to walk by faith, to labor to be accepted of Christ, and to witness faithfully to the lost (II Cor. 5:7-11). He did not want to be disqualified from re ceiving the reward as a believer (I Cor. 9:27). How careful we must be in these difficult days. Yes, preferential treatment of one class of people over another is an offense against Cod. Believers who show partiality among men will lose blessing here, and may forfeit the rewards for eternity by so doing.
of economic distinctions. Such is a sin in God's sight. James is truly "The Epistle of Right Living." The showing forth of good works is not to be apart from Christian faith but rather an evidence of the fruit which Holy Spirit brings forth within us. Never before has so much em phasis been placed on social equal ities and human rights as in this present hour. As believers we can not remain indifferent to today's burning issues. Let us never forget that we have a salvation which will never pass away. Because of this we are not to show partiality on favoritism toward others. This dan gerous sin nevertheless is constant ly lurking. We dare not classify people according to their wealth or social status. Prejudice of any type, according to James 2:1-13, is wrong. There is a wonderful law given to us in the New Testament which overrides all others. It is the royal law of love. Partiality, you see, strikes at the principle of love. This does not mean that we stop loving rich people. The point is to stop showing favoritism. It should be our business to love everybody, rich and poor alike. Jams comes right out and calls prejudice sin (vrs. 9). Here we have an appeal to the legalistic spirit of the Apostle's constituency. The people were quick to recognize the binding nature of the law, but they were slow to apply it to this particular principle. Sin is missing the mark and it refers to anything which is contrary to the character and will of God. Sin lies in neglect ing and rejecting the man who has less. James warns of a day of future Page 58
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