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Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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5. Partiality: Could We Reject What Comes from God?

God’s Image • Partiality Study

What makes partiality dangerous?

It can influence whom we hear, whose words we examine, and whom we dismiss before we have established what is true. When that preference enters a gathering claiming to serve God, we must ask:

Could we reject what comes from God while believing we are defending Him?

Dishonoring Someone God Has Chosen

James places two actions beside one another.

God chooses the poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love Him. Yet the gathering dishonors the poor person.

The outward condition that influences their treatment does not reveal the person’s standing before God. Read James 2:5–6.

James then brings their conduct beside the command:

“YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”

— James 2:8, LSB, excerpt

This quotation comes from Leviticus 19:18. Partiality violates that instruction; James explicitly identifies it as sin. Read Leviticus 19:18, ASV, and James 2:9.

Hospitality Before Recognition

Hebrews gives a reason for receiving strangers that deserves careful attention:

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

— Hebrews 13:2, LSB

They did not first recognize the angels and then decide to extend hospitality.

Their lack of recognition did not prevent them from receiving those who stood before them.

This raises a question for us: Do we require someone to carry a familiar title, affiliation, or reputation before we extend consideration?

Who Has Believed—or What Has Been Heard?

In John 7, the officers return without arresting Jesus. The Pharisees ask whether any rulers or Pharisees have believed in him. Nicodemus asks whether their law judges someone before hearing from him and knowing what he does.

Notice the difference between appealing to a group’s acceptance and examining the person’s words and actions. Read John 7:45–52.

We must ask ourselves:

  • Have I examined the teaching, or dismissed the speaker because of an association?

  • Have I established a contradiction with Scripture, or only with my group’s understanding?

  • Would I give these same words more attention if a favored teacher spoke them?

  • Am I using a label to end an examination that has barely begun?

The Messenger and the Sender

Jesus describes the Father’s Spirit speaking in those he sends. He also connects receiving them with receiving himself and the One who sent him. Treatment of the messenger therefore carries significance beyond outward appearance. Read Matthew 10:19–20, 40–42.

Mark records a particularly serious accusation: Jesus’s opponents attributed his work to an unclean spirit. Mark connects that accusation with Jesus’s warning concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Read Mark 3:22–30.

These passages show why accusations require care. They do not make every disagreement or act of partiality the unforgivable offense.

Love and Examination Belong Together

First Thessalonians places seeking good for everyone alongside examining everything, retaining what is good, and abstaining from evil. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:15–22.

We can test a claim without humiliating its bearer. We can refuse wrongdoing without withholding love.

Discern what is practiced while remaining careful about whom we condemn.

Threads to Follow

  • Rich in faith: Compare James 2:5 with Psalm 37:14–17 and Zephaniah 3:12–13.

  • Speech and judgment: Follow James 2:12–13 into the responsibility to show mercy.

  • False accusation: Preserve these connections for Commandment 9, bearing false witness.

The books were opened…

🌿Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.

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