人人平等
雅各书二章1至10节
1我的弟兄们，你们信奉我们荣耀的主耶稣基督，便不可按着外貌待人。
2若有一个人带着金戒指，穿着华美衣服，进你们的会堂去；又有一个穷人穿着肮脏衣服也进去；
3你们就重看那穿华美衣服的人，说「请坐在这好位上」；又对那穷人说：「你站在那里」，或「坐在我脚凳下边。」
4这岂不是你们偏心待人，用恶意断定人么？
5我亲爱的弟兄们，请听，神岂不是拣选了世上的贫穷人，叫他们在信上富足，并承受他所应许给那些爱他之人的国么？
6你们反倒羞辱贫穷人。那富足人岂不是欺压你们、拉你们到公堂去么？
7他们不是亵渎你们所敬奉（所敬奉：或作被称）的尊名么？
8经上记着说：「要爱人如己。」你们若全守这至尊的律法，才是好的。
9但你们若按外貌待人，便是犯罪，被律法定为犯法的。
10因为凡遵守全律法的，只在一条上跌倒，他就是犯了众条。
信息分享
在初期的基督教教会，有许多会友都是作奴仆和穷人，但另一方面亦有不少有钱人。雅各在这里教导说，无论穷人或富人，在神眼中都是一律平等，在教会里面亦应该受到平等的对待。
神是看人的内心和本相，因此，在神眼中，所有人都是罪人，都需要一位救主。昔日神吩咐撒母耳到伯利恒的耶西的家，膏立大卫为王时，便曾经说过：「人是看人的外貌，但神是看人的内心。」
因此，我们便要学习以一视同仁的态度去对待每一个人。我们去爱那些爱我们的人，当然是毫无困难。难的是要爱那些不可爱，或与自己性格不合的人。
雅各叫我们留意那条「至尊律法」，究竟是甚么律法呢？就是要爱人如己。我们可以选择自己喜欢的人，做自己的朋友；可是，出现在我们身边的人，却非我们可以选择，而是出于神的安排。神要我们在日常生活中接触各式各样的人，为的是要我们向他们作见证，引领他们认识祂。
要一视同仁地对待任何人，绝不是易事，然而，这既是神的心意，神必定赐下祂的恩典，让我们有足够的力量去遵循祂的教导而行。首先，我们必须让所有参与教会聚会的人，都感到自己被接纳，而没有被排斥的感觉。
雅各的话再次提醒我们，要检视自己对别人的态度──无论他是和蔼可亲，或是难以相处；无论他是衣着得体，或是衣衫褴褛；无论他是仪容整洁，又或是不修篇幅──我们是否都一律以爱相待呢？我们是否像神看人那样去看人呢？即看见每个人都需要救主的拯救，都需要我们引领他到救主面前？
经文反思：
神不偏待人。
EVERYONE ON THE SAME LEVEL
James 2:1-10
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place, ” and say to the poor man, “You stand there, ” or, “Sit here at my footstool, ”
4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man.Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, ” you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
Message
In the early years of the Christian church, many of the members were slaves or were very poor. On the other hand there were some who were very rich. James said no matter who people may be or how much money they may have, they are all the same in the sight of God. Every one must be treated in the same way.
God sees men and women as they really are - all sinners needing a Saviour. God said to Samuel, when he went to anoint David in the house of Jesse in Bethlehem, 'Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart'.
We need to see men and women in the same way. It is easy for us to be nice to those who are nice to us. We don't find it difficult to love those who are lovely. But it is very different when we are face to face with those who are unlovely.
What does James say to us from what he calls the 'royal law'? 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Our friends are those whom we choose for ourselves. Our neighbours are those whom God has chosen for us. He puts us along-side various kinds of people during our lifetime. His plan is for us to be witnesses to them, no matter who they might be.
It is not easy to do this, but if that is what God wants, then certainly he will give us the grace to do it. Our church gatherings also ought to be places where everyone feels genuinely welcome in the name of Christ.
Perhaps the word from James to us today is to look again at how we treat people, the lovely and the unlovely, the well dressed and the poorly dressed, the clean and the dirty. Do we see them all as God sees them - men and women who all need Christ? Do we seek to lead them to him?
A VERSE FOR TODAY:
God is no respecter of persons.