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Showing posts from October 10, 2026

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Browse at Your Own Pace

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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12. Partiality: Love Without Favoritism

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God’s Image • Partiality Study We began with a question: Must someone agree with us to be accepted? As we examined the passages, that question led into our gatherings, judgments, speech, and conduct. Partiality can shape whom we hear, whose needs we notice, and whose claims we accept without examination. James brings these practices beside the command to love our neighbor. He identifies favoritism as sin and calls us to examine both how we speak and how we act. Read James 2:1–13. What Determines Our Response? In James’s example, outward clothing influences the place each person receives. Yet the person dishonored by the gathering may be rich in faith before God. We followed that distinction into questions about status, titles, buildings, and affiliations. These comparisons ask whether visible signs have become our measure of spiritual standing. Revelation sharpens the examination. Sardis has a reputation for life while being described as dead. Laodicea claims wealth and a lack of need ...
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11. Partiality: What Are Our Words Doing to Others?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study A judgment formed through partiality can become an accusation spoken aloud. Once repeated, that accusation may influence how others receive the person being discussed. James’s examination of speech therefore belongs beside his warning about favoritism. Teaching Carries Responsibility James 3 begins by warning against many becoming teachers because teachers will receive stricter judgment. He immediately acknowledges that all stumble in many ways, then directs attention to speech. Read James 3:1–2. The responsibility to teach does not remove the responsibility to examine oneself. When people trust a teacher, that teacher’s description of another person can carry considerable influence. What happens if that description is shaped by rivalry, an assumption, or loyalty to a group? A Small Part with Far-Reaching Effects James compares the tongue with a bit directing a horse, a rudder directing a ship, and a small fire setting a forest ablaze. Each comparison dir...
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10. Partiality: What Does Our Wisdom Produce?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study Someone may claim knowledge, understanding, or authority. James directs attention to how that claim is expressed through conduct. He asks who is wise and understanding, then calls for works shown through good conduct and the gentleness of wisdom. Read James 3:13. This brings another question into our examination of partiality: When our understanding is challenged, what does our response reveal? Examine What Is in the Heart James names bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, warning against boasting and lying against the truth. He describes wisdom accompanied by these qualities as earthly, natural, and demonic. He connects jealousy and selfish ambition with disorder and evil practices. Read James 3:14–16. The examination reaches beneath the claim to understanding. We can ask whether our response seeks another person’s good or protects our own position. Are we searching together, or treating the discussion as something we must win? Wisdom from Above James 3:1...
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9. Partiality: What Does the Outward Covering Reveal?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study A person enters wearing bright clothing and receives special attention. Another enters in dirty clothing and is assigned a lesser place. James exposes how outward appearance influences the gathering’s judgment. Yet the person they dishonor may be rich in faith before God. Read James 2:1–6. This raises a question beyond the clothing itself: What outward signs persuade us that someone possesses spiritual understanding or authority? Our Own Clothing and Another’s Name Isaiah 4:1 describes seven women taking hold of one man. They say: “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.” — Isaiah 4:1, ASV, excerpt Keep the details together: their own bread, their own clothing, his name, and the removal of their reproach. The request for the name appears alongside their stated intention to provide for themselves. As a comparison for our study, this invites us to examine the relationship between w...
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8. Partiality: What Does Our Care Provide?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study James moves from the warning about partiality and merciless judgment to a question about faith and works. Earlier, a person’s clothing influenced how the gathering received him. Now clothing appears again, alongside the need for daily food. What will those who profess faith do when someone lacks what is needed? A Brother or Sister in Need James 2:15–16 describes a brother or sister without adequate clothing and daily food. Someone responds with words wishing them peace, warmth, and satisfaction, but does not provide what their body needs. James asks what benefit that response supplies. Read James 2:14–16. The words acknowledge a desirable outcome. The need remains unmet. This gives us another part of our examination: What does our response actually provide for the person receiving it? From Appearance to Responsibility Read the two scenes alongside one another. In James 2:2–4, clothing becomes a basis for assigning someone a place. In verses 15–16, the lac...
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7. Partiality: Speak and Act with Mercy

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God’s Image • Partiality Study James does not end his discussion of partiality with the seating arrangements. He follows the treatment of the poor person into questions of love, transgression, speech, action, and judgment. These belong to the same examination. If we claim to honor God’s instruction, how do we treat the person standing before us? The Command We Cannot Set Aside James identifies love of neighbor as the royal law, quoting Leviticus 19:18. He then states that showing partiality is sin. Verses 10–11 explain why obedience in one area does not excuse transgression in another. James brings adultery and murder into the discussion: refraining from one does not make committing the other acceptable. Read James 2:8–11. That comparison matters to our study. Can we appeal to the instructions we follow while setting aside the instruction to love our neighbor? Does defending a teaching excuse dishonoring someone during the discussion? James places partiality within the examination of o...
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6. Partiality: Poor in Whose Eyes?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study James describes a gathering that gives special attention to someone wearing a gold ring and bright clothing while dishonoring someone dressed in dirty clothing. Then he directs attention to what their judgment has overlooked: God’s choice of the poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom promised to those who love Him. Read James 2:1–6. Outward poverty and richness in faith can belong to the same person. What, then, are we measuring when we decide whom to honor? Poor and Upright Psalm 37 describes the wicked drawing weapons against the poor and needy, placing them alongside those whose way is upright. Read Psalm 37:14. The Hebrew uses distinct descriptions: עָנִי — ʿānî (H6041): poor or afflicted. אֶבְיוֹן — ʾeḇyôn (H34): needy. יִשְׁרֵי־דָרֶךְ — yišrê-dāreḵ : upright in way or conduct. The words describe different aspects of those being attacked. Their vulnerable condition does not erase their upright conduct. Examine Psalm 37:14 in Hebrew. Vers...
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5. Partiality: Could We Reject What Comes from God?

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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 gi...
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4. Partiality: What Determines How We Receive Someone?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study We have considered whether agreement becomes a condition for acceptance. James now gives us a scene in which partiality becomes visible through the way people are received. The Word and the Conduct In James 2:1, the Greek word προσωπολημψίαις — prosōpolēmpsiais , from προσωπολημψία — prosōpolēmpsia (G4382), refers to partiality or favoritism. James places it beside the faith his readers profess in Jesus Christ. Examine James 2:1 in Greek. The following verses show what that partiality looks like. Two men enter the gathering. One wears a gold ring and bright clothing. The other is poor and wears dirty clothing. The first receives special attention and a favorable seat; the second receives instructions to stand elsewhere or sit by a footstool. Both entered, but they were not received equally. The distinction appears in the attention, words, and places given to them. Read James 2:1–4. Being allowed into a gathering does not, by itself, settle the question ...
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3. Partiality: Will We Search Together?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study A shared name does not resolve a division that remains in our conduct. Saying we belong to the same larger group does not answer whether we hear, accept, and care for one another. When someone presents a different understanding, what happens next? Do we examine the passage together—or does our established position end the discussion before that examination begins? Quick to Hear James instructs: “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” — James 1:19, LSB, excerpt The next verse says human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. James then directs his readers to receive the implanted word in gentleness and become doers of it. Read James 1:19–22. Hearing, speaking, anger, receiving, and doing belong together in this instruction. For our examination, this raises a direct question: Am I listening to understand what someone is saying, or only waiting for an opportunity to defend my answer? Receiving and Examining Acts describe...
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2. Partiality: When a Name Becomes a Dividing Line

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God’s Image • Partiality Study People can gather in the same place while remaining divided in allegiance. They can also meet in different places without making those locations the basis of their belonging. Our examination therefore begins with the people gathering—and what governs their relationships. The Assembly and Its Meeting Place Romans 16:5 refers to the church in Prisca and Aquila’s house. The Greek ἐκκλησία — ekklēsia , translated church , identifies the assembly; the house identifies where it meets. Read Romans 16:3–5 and the Greek wording of verse 5. James 2:2 uses συναγωγή — synagōgē , translated assembly . His account examines how people are received when they enter. Read James 2:2 in Greek and English. These passages direct our attention to the gathering and its conduct. A building’s name cannot answer whether those within it are treating one another faithfully. “I Am of…” Paul confronts quarrels at Corinth, where people identify themselves with Paul, Apollos, Cephas, an...
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1. Partiality: Must You Agree to Be Accepted?

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God’s Image • Partiality Study Before continuing to Commandment 9, we pause to examine partiality. How do we receive people, hear their words, and judge what they share? Our starting question reaches beyond a preferred seat: Does someone have to agree with us before we will treat them with care and acceptance? What Do Divisions Reveal? Paul writes: “For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.” — 1 Corinthians 11:19, LSB The Greek αἱρέσεις — haireseis refers here to factions. The sentence connects their presence with approved people becoming evident. It does not identify approval by the size or popularity of a faction. Read 1 Corinthians 11:19 in Greek and English. The surrounding account matters. Paul describes gatherings that do harm, divisions among those attending, and some eating while others remain hungry. He confronts their shaming of those who have nothing. Later, he directs them to examine themselves and wait for one ...
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100. Do Not Steal: Receive Faithfully, Restore, and Share

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal We began with the instruction: “You shall not steal.” — Exodus 20:15, LSB Following its connections through Scripture brought us to possessions, words, entrusted care, people, and claims of credit. Throughout, we returned to these questions: Whose is it? Who gave it? What responsibility accompanies receiving it? What Our Examination Brought Together Jeremiah explicitly describes prophets stealing God’s words. His charge requires us to distinguish faithful speech from claims of divine authority that God did not commission. Read Jeremiah 23:21–32. Abram’s refusal introduced the question of credit: he would not enable the king of Sodom to claim to have made him rich. The stewards in Luke brought responsibility into view: administering another’s possessions does not make the steward their owner. Read Genesis 14:18–24 and Luke 16:1–13. The captured Ark helped preserve another distinction: taking the vessel is not possessing the Source . Joel and Re...
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99. Do Not Steal: Returning What Was Taken

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal Recognizing wrongful taking brings us to another question: What happens to what was taken—and to the person who suffered the loss? Scripture’s instructions concerning restitution keep both in view. Wronging a Neighbor and Trespassing Against God Leviticus describes someone dealing falsely with a neighbor over entrusted property, robbery, oppression, or a lost item. It also includes lying under oath about these matters. The passage calls this a trespass against Jehovah. What happens between people is not separated from responsibility toward YHWH (יהוה) . Read Leviticus 6:1–3. Notice the different circumstances. Something may have been forcibly taken, entrusted for safekeeping, or simply found. How it came into someone’s hands does not remove the obligation to deal truthfully with its owner. “Unto Him to Whom It Appertaineth” The instruction requires restoration in full, with an additional fifth: “unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it...
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98. Do Not Steal: Receiving Glory and Claiming It for Oneself

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal Our study has repeatedly asked who gives, who receives, and who claims ownership. These distinctions remain important when we examine Glory. “My Glory” God declares: “I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images.” — Isaiah 42:8, ASV The surrounding passage identifies His servant, whom He upholds and upon whom He places His Spirit. God calls, keeps, and appoints the servant for work that brings light and deliverance. Read Isaiah 42:1–8. The servant’s commission comes from YHWH (יהוה) . The work does not make its recipient the origin of the authority entrusted to him. What the Father Gives Jesus speaks to the Father about Glory the Father has given him and which he has given to those who belong to him. Read John 17:22–23. We must preserve that wording alongside Isaiah. Scripture speaks both of God refusing to give His Glory to another and of Glory being given by the Father. Our compa...
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97. Do Not Steal: A Name Claimed and a Covering Given

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal Our examination has followed possessions, words, entrusted care, and people. We now return to a comparison involving a name, provision, and covering . “Our Own” and “Thy Name” Isaiah describes seven women taking hold of one man: “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.” — Isaiah 4:1, ASV, excerpt Their request distinguishes what they will provide from what they seek through him: their own food and clothing, his name, and removal of reproach. The verse does not call this request theft. Within our developing comparison, it raises a question: Can someone desire the standing associated with a name while retaining their own provision? That question must remain distinguishable from what the verse explicitly states. Cleansing and Covering Isaiah continues with those remaining in Zion being called holy. The passage describes washing, the removal of bloodshed, and the covering ...
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96. Do Not Steal: When People Become Merchandise

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal Taking what belongs to another reaches beyond objects. Joel describes people being scattered, traded, and removed from their land. God’s response begins by identifying whose people they are. “My People” and “My Heritage” In Joel 3:2, God speaks of His people, His heritage Israel, and His land. The nations have scattered the people and divided the land. The next verse preserves two specific exchanges: “and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.” — Joel 3:3, ASV, excerpt A boy for a harlot. A girl for wine. The details matter. Those making the exchange obtain something for themselves at another’s expense. The charge continues with God’s silver, gold, and precious things being taken, and the children of Judah and Jerusalem being sold far from their border. God declares that He will rouse them from the place where they were sold. Read Joel 3:4–8. Their captors’ actions do not erase God’s claim upon them. Babyl...
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95. Do Not Steal: Taking the Vessel Is Not Possessing the Source

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal Our examination of stewardship distinguished access from ownership. The account of the captured Ark brings another distinction into view: taking something associated with God does not place God under the taker’s control. The Ark Comes into the Camp After defeat, Israel’s elders call for the Ark of the covenant to be brought from Shiloh. They expect its arrival to bring deliverance. The Ark arrives, the people shout, and the Philistines become afraid. Yet Israel suffers another defeat, and the Ark is captured. Its presence in the camp did not guarantee the outcome the elders expected. Read 1 Samuel 4:1–11. Both the expectation and the outcome matter. We must follow what happens rather than stop at what people assume God will do. The Captors Do Not Become Masters The Philistines place the Ark in Dagon’s house. Dagon falls before it; after being restored to his place, he falls again, with his head and hands severed. The chapter also describes Jeho...
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94. Do Not Steal: Entrusted Does Not Mean Owned

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal A person may have access to another’s possessions and responsibility for their use. That responsibility raises a question central to our examination of stealing: Does being entrusted with something make it ours to use for any purpose we choose? Jesus’ accounts of stewardship help us examine the difference. Provision at the Proper Time In Luke 12, the faithful steward receives an assignment: distribute the household’s food at the appropriate time. The master finds him carrying out that responsibility. Jesus then describes a servant who assumes the master’s return is distant. His conduct changes into mistreatment of the male and female servants, indulgence, and drunkenness. The master returns and holds him accountable. Read Luke 12:42–48. The household’s care remains the assignment. A position over others does not authorize their abuse. Whose Accounts? Whose Future? Luke 16 introduces a steward accused of wasting his master’s possessions. Facing ...
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93. Do Not Steal: Who Claims to Have Made You Rich?

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God’s Image • Commandment 8: Do Not Steal Something offered can raise a question beyond its immediate value: What claim might accompany receiving it? Genesis 14 brings this question into view through Abram’s encounter with the king of Sodom. Recovery Before the Offer The chapter first describes possessions and people being taken, including Lot. Abram pursues the captors and brings back the goods, Lot, the women, and the people. What comes into Abram’s hands has a history. His recovery of it precedes the king’s offer. Read Genesis 14:11–16. The Blessing Identifies the Source Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, blesses Abram. He identifies God as possessor of heaven and earth and credits Him with delivering Abram’s enemies into his hand. Then the king of Sodom offers Abram the goods while asking for the people. Read Genesis 14:18–21. Abram refuses even a thread or sandal strap belonging to the king, explaining: “lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich” — Genes...
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