Unstained & Lovingly Impartial      

James 1:26-27 (NASB)

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 2:1-8 (NASB)

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

²  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,

³  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,"

⁴  have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

⁵  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?

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

⁷  Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

⁸  If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.

1. Be Holy & Help The Helpless

James 1:26-27 (NASB)

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 4:4 (NASB)

⁴ You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

James 2:5 (NASB)

⁵ 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 1:27 (NASB)

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

2. Avoid The Peril Of Partiality

James 2:1-7 (NASB)

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

² 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,

³ 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,"

⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

⁵ 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?

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

⁷ Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

 James 2:8 (NASB)

⁸  If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.