Partiality means to accept the face. What does it mean to accept the face? It means judging or accepting someone on the basis of an outward appearance. And in particular James focuses on clothing as a sign of status and wealth. We all tend toward accepting the man with the gold ring and the good apparel, and we tend to reject the bum, the fellow who has dirty clothes; the word there is vile clothes. That same kind of acceptance of face can also be based on other things than the clothing that we wear, for example, the parting of our hair, or the amount of weight that is on our body—whether we are heavyset or light, or whether we are well built. We judge amongst ourselves whether someone is beautiful or handsome. We judge one another. We accept people based upon their clothing, based upon what they look like, based upon their personality. Many times these things are done so improperly; we accept the face, and James says this is sin.

Faith, on the other hand, according to the writer of Hebrews 11, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. What is partiality? The evidence of things seen. Do you see how oil and water do not mix? Faith is the things not seen. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; is it because you have not seen him? No, blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe, Jesus says. Partiality is judging another by their appearance…We are to evaluate with an eye on eternity, rather than with an eye on appearance. We are to treat one another based on what is eternal, or I could even say internal rather than what is external. James is saying, beware that you judge not based upon an external, but upon what is internal: faith and love.¹

Michael Voytek