Unit 3: Godly Love Among Believers ❤
Impartial Love | Bible Background • JAMES 2 Printed Text • JAMES 2:1-13 | Devotional Reading • MATTHEW 12:1-8
AIM FOR CHANGE
By the end of this lesson, we will UNDERSTAND the difference between showing partiality and treating others equally, AFFIRM that all people are equally valued and loved by God, and PRACTICE James’s call to fulfill the “royal law” of loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
IN FOCUS
Standing before the congregation in his freshly laundered white robe, Pastor Philip “opened the doors” to the church for the call to salvation. It was communion Sunday, his favorite ritual of the church. Two men came down to the altar to give their lives to Jesus Christ. One was well-dressed; the other man was unkempt. He obviously had not had a bath in weeks. The custom Pastor Philip had begun at the church was to have the congregation come and hug those who had just given their lives to Jesus Christ. With both men standing next to him and the unkempt man standing closest, Pastor Philip knew he would have to hug him. Pastor Philip’s first thought was of his freshly laundered white robe. As he began to privately repent to Jesus, he turned to the man, welcomed him into the body of Christ, and fully embraced him, welcoming him to the church. Partiality contradicts loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
What are some ways the body of Christ can genuinely embrace those not like us in order to show them God’s love?