Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
Easier said than done. Did WN add some kind of "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" to the LRC in your mind?
Consider Bernie Madoff. He was once the head of the Nasdaq! That adds credibility, people feel a guy like that is already established financially and is not going to threaten his reputation with shady deals. No doubt it was the "respect of persons" that helped him build his business and rob people.
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James addresses "
the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory" as the defining standard of God, His own "
Good Housekeeping seal of approval." As soon as brothers begin elevating men over other men, playing favorites among members or leaders in the church, they have left the faith. James warns us that these same ones will one day hurt us. Did not WL, who was proclaimed to be the "richest" of them all, "
oppress us and drag us into the courts?" (v 2.6)
James had witnessed failures of all sorts. He is warning us to keep the faith of the Lord Jesus, and not use other criteria whereby we honor or respect men. Even God Himself has no respect of persons. Compared to Him, we are all poor and needy, deserving nothing. We should never overly extol those in the church who appear richer, wiser, or more gifted than we because they are nothing compared to the Lord of glory.
Here the thought of James closely parallels Paul's in I Corinthians 1-3.