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Greetings dear community, happy to share once again the word of God with all of you.

Welcome to my blog one more time !!.

What does it mean to make sense of people?

According to the Spanish academy, respect for people is: "Action to favor or lean towards some people more than others for a particular reason or affection, without paying attention to merit or reason."

Very well, the meaning of people is to show favoritism of one person over another, for example a child over another child, a better treatment of someone rich than someone poor, a better treatment of a Christian than of an unconverted person, to treat a person better employee than to another, etc.

We will see what God thinks about the meaning of persons in Scripture.

James 2: 1-5
1 My brothers, may your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ be without respect of persons.
2 For if a man with a ring of gold and splendid clothing comes into your congregation, and a poor man also comes in a ragged garment,
3 and you look with pleasure at the one who brings the splendid clothes and you say to him: Sit you here in good place; and you say to the poor: Be standing there, or sit here under my platform;
4 Do you not make distinctions among yourselves, and come to be judges with evil thoughts?
5 My beloved brothers, hear: Has not God chosen the poor of this world, that they may be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

James was half-brother of Jesus from the human point of view, but the apostle mentioned him here with his full name "our Lord Jesus Christ". And he called him "glorious Lord Jesus Christ." Here we have a firm affirmation of the deity of Christ.

James was telling us that we should not profess faith in Christ and, at the same time, be a spiritual believer who presumes to be superior to others. All believers are brothers in the body of Christ, whatever the congregation or denomination to which they belong.

James talks about the differences we make when dealing with people from different social classes. How do you treat the rich man? How do you treat the poor man? How do you treat the ordinary man or woman you know every day?

We should not judge others because of their social position or appearance, because of the esteem that men have of them, but because of what is before God, and before God we are all equal, both because we are creatures and because we are sinners calls to salvation. God does not look at appearances; God sees the hearts.

God, in his infinite goodness, has not excluded anyone from his love, not even those who have little or no value in the eyes of the world. On the contrary: "What is foolish to the world, God chose to shame the wise" (ICor 1,27).

Do not deduce that the rich are excluded from salvation. But man must recognize this special choice of the poor, of the lower social classes, and he must consider them and honor them as rich because of the treasure of faith they possess.

Because the true wealth of man is the divine election, the gift of faith, the grace of having been named heir of the kingdom of God.

The elect are rich now; the believers are heirs nowadays. There is, then, to love and honor them from now on. How can you stop loving those whom God loves? How can you stop honoring whom God honors? How is it possible that these norms are neglected so much in our communities? How is it possible that there is so little consideration and so little respect in our communities for the brother in Christ, for the fact that he is humble or because he lacks social or cultural importance? Do we not pass ourselves with indifference in front of others, after the service of the Church? Do we often have little love for our brother, whom God has chosen and loves? Who does not love his brother, whom he sees, God, whom he does not see, how can he love him? (cf. Jn 4,20)

Friendship should be on them like a banner. James was addressing the total community of believers: the rich, the poor, the common people, those who occupy a high position, the humble, the slaves and the free, the Jews and non-Jews, Greeks and barbarians, and men and women. They are all one when they are in the body of Christ.

James said: "Do not have your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of favoritism." If you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and another individual also belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, he is your brother.

If a sinner enters your congregation and you contact him, remember that he is a human being for whom Christ died and he has to stand at the foot of the cross, just as you had one day to do the same.

In verse 2 a man with a gold ring was mentioned. This description did not imply that the man used a single ring, but rather that his fingers were full of gold rings, which were evidence of his wealth. The detail is added, with splendid clothes, which meant very good, very fine clothes. That individual was making ostentation and his clothes highlighted the contrast with the poor man's clothes.

We have to admit that many who profess to be believers or Christians today, attend Sundays at church as if they were going to a social act, and their main motivation is to see them and see other people with whom they get along; They want to continue being part of that social circle, and the main point of contact of the group is in the regular meeting of the church.

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This verse reminds us of the contrast that can be observed in the account of Luke 16:19, in which the Lord Jesus Christ told us about the true story of the rich man and Lazarus, who began by saying: There was a rich man, who dressed in purple and of fine linen, and made feast every day with splendor. 20There was also a beggar named Lazarus, who was lying at his door, full of sores, 21and he longed to be satisfied with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; and even the dogs came and licked his sores.

In our passage, the Apostle James highlights, in the context of the Christian congregation, in the context of the church, the marked contrast between two men located at both ends of the social scale. In our time, it is evident that social differences can not be distinguished so easily in the way we dress, bearing in mind that many people go to church with informal and comfortable clothes.

In verse 3

We observe that this situation, in our time, would be equivalent to making the poor people sit in the last places, near the door, or simply making them stand, if the capacity of the temple is fulfilled. Obviously, in our society, such situations of discrimination do not usually occur. But in those times of the primitive church, surely there were reserved places at the front, in the most visible places, for the people who, by means of their dress, ostentatiously exhibited their high level in society.

James continued emphasizing the existing discrimination among the Christians of the time, as well as disqualifying the intentions of those who promoted those differences in the treatment between believers.

In verse 5

Pay attention that the apostle addressed them as my beloved Brothers, hear. Here it is clear that he considered that he was speaking to Christians, to believers.

In the past, and sometimes in stages of church history, low-income believers have been viewed with contempt, ignored, or treated with the minimal courtesy required by education. However, many of those people have been the most spiritually rich in a church.

Because I say that you have been the most spiritually rich in a church? Simply because of his total dependence on God, recognizing that without nothing we are, that his hand is the one that guides us, helps and provides for our needs and this takes us to a communion with God to an intimacy with Him, which develops that wealth spiritual that many rich people with all their money can not have, because because of their wealth they think they are self-sufficient denying in their heart to God even when they attend services.

God has clearly pointed out from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation that He has an interest in the poor and has treated them with great consideration. No matter which city or region of the world we refer to, it is evident that people with less resources or who have crossed the poverty line, usually do not receive fair or considerate treatment. As long as people remain natural human beings, who have not been born spiritually again, the poor will occupy in this world a lower place in various aspects of social life. In this way, the only hope for them is the Lord Jesus Christ.

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In the book of Job, chapter 5, verse 15, we read: He delivers the poor from the sword, from the mouth of the wicked and from the hand of the violent; therefore, the needy has hope. And also, in chapter 36, from the same book of Job, verse 15, we read: The poor will be freed from their poverty; in the affliction he will wake up his ear. Then in Psalm 9, verse 18 says: The needy will not always be forgotten, nor will the hope of the poor perish perpetually. Also in Psalm 68, verse 10, we read: Those who are of your flock have dwelt in it (in your presence, in your inheritance); for your kindness, God, you have provided for the poor. And Psalm 69, verse 33 says: For the Lord hears the needy. And also, in Psalm 72, verses 12 and 13, we read: He will deliver the needy who cries and the afflicted who has no one to help him. He will have mercy on the poor and the needy; it will save the life of the poor. And then, in Psalm 102: 17, we read: He will have considered the prayer of the helpless and will not have rejected their request. And so, as we can see, in many Biblical passages, the Holy Scriptures speak of the poor and of God's concern for them. In beautiful Psalm 45, we find that one will come who will reign on this earth in righteousness. And, in Isaiah, chapter 11, the prophet presented us to the One who will judge the poor with justice.

Conclusion:

God had a lot to say about the mistreatment of the poor in this world by the rich and those in power. Someday they will have to answer before God for the injustices they have committed. But the poor can be rich in spiritual goods, enjoy the solidarity of their brothers in the faith and, above all, trust in the provision of God passes their needs.

In the eyes of God, there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile with respect to condemnation or salvation. God does not take into account the social condition either. For Him, masters and slaves, rich and poor are equal.

God tests faith for the actions and attitudes we have regarding other people around us and among whom we worship God in the church.

Thank you for reading this far.

Blessings!