Must not show favoritism
“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” (James 2:1)
The Independence Movement of 1919 March 1st in our modern history is the epoch-making event that we cried for the freedom and independence of Korean nation. Among the 33 national representatives who signed the Declaration of Independence, Christians accounted for the largest number of 16 people. From the number, we can guess how strong the Christian community’s desire for national independence was at that time. The March 1st Movement was a bloody cry of protest against Japanese militarism, the forces that suppressed freedom. As a result, Korea defeated the oppression of Japanese Imperialism and was liberated in 1945. Since the liberation, along with the development of the country, Christian church has also made a remarkable development in appearance. That was a great development that it would be hard to find an example in the world.
It’s already been 76 years since the liberation this year. According to the World Economic Outlook Database released by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, in April 2020, Republic of Korea’s ranking of global Gross Domestic Product, GDP, rose from 12th in 2019 to 9th in 2020. Also how has changed the situation of the Korean church? In ‘Korea’s Religious Status in 2018’ by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ranked Christianity occupied 45% as No. 1 in the religious population. And according to the Korea World Missions Association, KWMA, the number of Korean missionaries sent around the world was about 28,000 as of the end of 2019. This is a thing also surprising greatly.
Despite the development of the country and the religious community, in parallel with it, we have been undergoing a social problem that arises from the gap between the rich and the poor and the personal discrimination. Unless the problem of discrimination between the rich and the poor is solved, it is difficult to achieve a peaceful life of individuals and social stability. The Guardian reported, with ‘Global Wealth Report 2014 by Credit Suisse’, “The 48% of the world’s assets is concentrated to the 1% wealthy in the world.” and “While one percent of the world’s wealthiest people has nearly half of the world’s assets, the poor bottom 50 percent have only one percent of the world’s assets.” The situation of the Korean economy is also serious because of the phenomenon that the poor become poorer more and more. The ‘Top Income Share to 2017’ published by Korea Labor Institute says that the top 10% of the standard groups had 50.6%, more than half of the income. The church also is laid in a situation where it doesn’t escape the problem of imbalance. To be solved for all those problems fundamentally, the God’s word is needed for all people above all. The text says, “~ believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” That means, “Do not discriminate against people if in faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
With what kind of mind and attitude will you treat of each one when a person in beautiful clothes with gold ring and a poor person in shabby come into the chapel? Of course, we have to treat them fairly within the love of Christ. But can you be confident on your fairness toward the persons? If you can’t do rightly and you discriminate against people, it shows your thought has been already ruled by injustice. To tell honestly, mind could be influenced by bad thoughts for a moment. If you can’t treat someone who gave a gift to you in a calm and natural manner, that displays a phase of injustice revealed from mind hidden.
Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as if your body.” This is the best ideal to be practiced in Christians’ life. Therefore, if you treat people with favoritism, you are guilty for yourself. Such the person would be get a scolding from God. An important fact that we should remember is that God chooses the poor in the world and makes them rich in faith. For an example, though Jacob who a small, vulnerable, and no manly, had been chosen by Jehovah, he was blessed greatly to be the ancestor of the chosen people Israelite. Also God had chosen Joseph, a poor carpenter, and made Messiah bear to the world through Maria, Joseph’s wife.
The eternal blessing to be given to people is the life of salvation through Jesus Christ. Those who have obtained eternal life can live in the word of God with joy, gratitude, and peace. The best goal of lives following God’s word is to not discriminate against people. The essential teachings of the Old Testament are the practice of fair justice in social life, along with the absolute awe to Jehovah. Christ had come the world to accomplish completely that purpose, so Christians can change the neighbors and the world to be good, by believing in Jesus really.
(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Mar 7th 2021)