The Sin of Favoritism

My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(A) For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world(B) to be rich in faith(C) and heirs(D) of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? Yet you have dishonored the poor.(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(F) you into court? Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?(G)

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My egō brothers adelphos, stop showing echō favoritism prosōpolēmpsia as you live out en your ho faith pistis in ho our hēmeis glorious doxa Lord kyrios Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos. · ho For gar if ean a man anēr comes eiserchomai into eis your hymeis congregation synagōgē wearing a gold ring chrysodaktylios and en fine lampros clothes esthēs, and de a poor man ptōchos in en dirty rhyparos clothes esthēs also kai comes in eiserchomai, and de you pay special attention epiblepō to epi the ho one wearing phoreō the ho fine lampros clothes esthēs · ho and kai say legō, “ You sy sit kathēmai here hōde in a good place kalōs,” but kai to the ho poor ptōchos man you say legō, “ You sy stand histēmi over there ekei, or ē sit kathēmai down here at hypo · ho my egō feet hypopodion,” have you not ou made distinctions diakrinō among en yourselves heautou and kai become ginomai judges kritēs with evil ponēros motives dialogismos? Listen akouō, my egō dear agapētos brothers adelphos! Did not ou · ho God theos choose eklegomai those ho whom the ho world kosmos considers poor ptōchos to be rich plousios in en faith pistis and kai to inherit klēronomos the ho kingdom basileia, which hos he promised epangellomai to those ho who love agapaō him autos? But de you hymeis have dishonored atimazō the ho poor ptōchos! Is it not ou the ho rich plousios who oppress katadynasteuō you hymeis? And kai are not they autos the ones who drag you hymeis into eis court kritērion? Are they autos not ou the ones who are blaspheming blasphēmeō the ho honorable kalos name onoma by which ho you hymeis were called epikaleō?

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