(a) How did James deal with the problem of partiality in the church?
(b) In what two ways does the church today fall short of the standard which James recommended?
(a) James advised all Christians to do away with any acts of partiality in the church. He said that partiality can manifest when well-dressed and poorly-dressed individuals go to church and the poorly-dressed person is asked to stand up for the well-dressed person. According to James, this is partiality. God often honours those who are despised on earth but are highly faithful in spiritual affairs because it is the earthly rich who are the oppressors of the faithful poor they drag them to court without cause. All Christians should observe the royal law which says: love your neighbour as yourself. If you show partiality, you commit sin and you are convicted by the law. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one has become guilty of all of it. If one commits adultery, but does not kill, he is guilty of breaking the law. Therefore, all our thoughts and actions must be in consonance with observation of the law of liberty. A Christian who fails to show mercy to the oppressed will receive God's condemnation.
(b) The Church today falls short of the standard prescribed by James in many ways:
(i) Appointment to church offices are often based on considerations other than merit.
(ii) Allocation of seats in the church during occasions depends on special status and not morality.
(iii) Contributions in terms of funds made by the poor are not recognized as that of the rich in the church.
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