Insincerity

KEY VERSES

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. - James 2:1, NASB

For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
James 2:2-4, NASB

Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 
James 2:5, NASB

“But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
Matthew 19:30, NASB  

But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 
James 2:6, NASB

Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
James 2:7, NASB

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 
James 2:8-11, NASB

So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 2:12-13, NASB

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 5:24, NASB

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1, NASB

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:10, NASB

CENTRAL IDEAS

An insincere faith is a faith that is impressed with externals.

Looking at people in terms of how they look and what they wear has always been a problem. It is a blot on sincere Christian faith when Christians are impressed with externals.

An insincere faith is a faith that forgets that Jesus Christ is the glory of that faith.

When we show partiality in the church, we are falling for the world’s value system. The world delights in trumpeting its success. 

An insincere faith is a faith that displays favoritism thereby partially usurping God’s sovereignty. 

We dishonor those whom God honors.

The CROSS of Jesus Christ is central to all that Christians believe and do. So how is it that we sometimes forget about that when we deal with people? Don’t forget His glory! That guides us in everything. 

God’s standard of evaluation is simple. He is looking for mercy exercised in your life. When James says, “So speak and so act,” he is referring to our total conduct. Words alone are not enough. Our words need to be accompanied with godly actions. 

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