THE SIN NOBODY CONFESSES
There are sins that shock us—and there are sins that sit comfortably beside us in the pew.
The apostle addresses one of them with unsettling clarity in James 2. He speaks not to pagans, not to persecutors, but to believers assembled. A rich man enters wearing fine apparel; a poor man follows in humble clothing. And the church, with subtle instinct, moves toward one and away from the other.
No adultery.
No murder.
No public scandal.
Just preference.
James calls it partiality—and he does not treat it lightly. He says that when we show favoritism, we become judges with evil thoughts. We dishonor the poor. We transgress the royal law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And if we stumble at this point, we are guilty of breaking the whole law.
That is strong language for what many would call social instinct.
But heaven does not measure sin by how polished it appears. Partiality is pride dressed in church clothes. It is valuing people by usefulness rather than by image-bearing dignity. It is the quiet assumption that some souls are worth more attention than others.
And it flourishes where it is rarely named.
We confess lust more readily than favoritism. We condemn theft more quickly than prejudice. Yet partiality reveals something foundational: we have forgotten how we ourselves were received. The gospel levels the ground. The ground at the cross is not elevated for the influential and lowered for the obscure. We all came needy. We all came bankrupt. We all came undeserving.
How then can the forgiven rank the forgiven?
The sin nobody confesses is often the sin most defended. We call it prudence. We call it culture. We call it preference. But if love is impartial in Christ, then partial love is not Christlike.
The church must examine herself—not merely her doctrine, but her posture. Not merely her preaching, but her welcome. For if we claim faith in our glorious Lord and yet measure people by appearance, we contradict the very mercy that saved us.
The Lord who opened His arms to us did not first inspect our résumé.
He saw our poverty—and invited us near.
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Righteous and impartial Father, Search us and expose what we excuse. Deliver us from hidden pride that ranks souls according to comfort and advantage. Teach us to love as You have loved us—without calculation, without preference, without quiet superiority. Make our assemblies places where the poor are honored, the overlooked are seen, and Christ alone is exalted. Let the royal law govern our hearts until favoritism withers and holy love remains. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD
