Do Not Judge One Another with Favoritism or Partiality

... because God calls these attitudes sin.

Aug 15, 2024

Concluding Thoughts About Favoritism and Partiality

Favoritism and Partiality are Sin

Favoritism and partiality divide people in big ways and small ways. God is opposed to such attitudes and makes his point clear by calling favoritism and partiality sin. This attitude will no doubt seem excessively restrictive to anyone who does not take loving your neighbor seriously. Nevertheless, we must admit that God’s attitudes about loving your neighbor as you love yourself are critical to making the world better for everyone.

This understanding of favoritism, partiality and justice is hard for humans to accept because favoritism, partiality, and bias for and against individuals and groups are acceptable practices in all cultures. It is a hard notion to accept, but the world would be a better place if everyone would abandon their cultural habits regarding favoritism and partiality and treat everyone the same. This is God’s reason for the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” which does not allow for biases between your neighbor and you or any individuals or groups for which you might be biased. We see the biblical principle that bias toward some people is always accompanied by bias against other people in these three verses: Proverbs 18:5: It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.

Leviticus 19:15: You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
Deuteronomy 16:20: Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

‎‎These verses include the second most misunderstood and ignored theme of the bible: Injustice. These particular verses are God’s warnings about injustice where the wicked, rich and powerful receive undeserved benefits and advantages that are not available to the innocent and poor because of favoritism and partiality.

Deuteronomy 16:20 highlights God’s attitude about injustice with the command to pursue justice, and only justice. Jews and Christians would do well to note that God says that it is “only” justice that he wants people to do. He has already told Jews and Christians how he feels about religious sacrifices and offerings, and he has said many times that they should not show favoritism and partiality to anyone. The fact that Judaism and Christianity are built on favoritism and partiality is a clue that their hearts are closed to anything God has to say about “only” doing justice.

God’s strong, unequivocal, attitudes about injustice makes it very clear that doing justice by fighting favoritism and partiality is not an optional activity for anyone who wants to make the world better or to please God. Perhaps that is why he gave us many commands to avoid practicing favoritism and partiality which he equates with wickedness and evil.

But, it is not enough to not practice avoidance of favoritism and partiality personally. God also wants people to love their neighbors with Godly love — not human love. This is the only way to make the whole world better.

The World Permits Favoritism and Partiality

In the world there are no prohibitions against favoritism and partiality. In fact, in many cultures and institutions — including partisan politics and religion — favoritism and partiality are the common currencies that make institutions work. That fact, however, should not be taken as license to practice favoritism and partiality. Consider these verses:

1Corinthians 10:22-24 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? 23 All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. 24 No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor.

1Corinthians 6:12 All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

‎‎ What these scriptures say is that showing favoritism/partiality to someone or some group of people is permissible according to cultural standards and laws, but that these practices are not beneficial according to God’s standards when the following conditions exist:

1. People who extend favor/partiality/deference/bribes/praise/honor to someone or some group, they primarily do so as a means of gaining a personal advantage or benefit (e.g. money, power, influence, security etc.) of some kind from the individual or group who benefits from the favoritism/partiality. This kind of “quid-pro-quo” exchange is common and legal in most cultures but not in God’s kingdom because God has given clear commands prohibiting bribery. The problem is that people show favoritism and partiality for their own advantage — not for the benefit of their neighbor. That means that favoritism and partiality directly oppose the goal of making the world better by loving your neighbor.

2. When favoritism/partiality extended to one person or group happens at the expense of others, favoritism/partiality is not beneficial from God’s point of view. Favoritism and partiality create cultural systems of haves and have nots., insiders and outsiders, winners and losers, great and small, rich and poor, masters and slaves. These separations of people is totally opposite of God’s standards of unity and oneness. God feels so strongly about this principle that he calls favoritism/partiality sin. God takes this very strong position on favoritism/partiality because these attitudes are inconsistent with his command to love your neighbor as you love yourself which he says is equal in value to loving him. The way to interpret this radical position, therefore, is to say that showing favoritism/partiality to someone is to place that person whom you favor ahead of God in your heart. That, of course, is idolatry.

When we show favoritism to a person or organization, we elevate that person or organization to a position ahead of God in our heart. God considers that any person, ideology or organization that takes his place in our heart to be an idol.

In the kingdom of God, idols are people and organizations that have rules and regulations (i.e. laws) and values that they adopt and police to keep order while pursuing their goals. In other words, idols are not statues made of wood, metal or stone. You will know that a person/organization is an idol for you if you slavishly obey their laws instead of God’s Spiritual laws which are written on our hearts. More specifically, you will know that you have idols in your heart if you do not obey all of God’s commands about loving your neighbor as yourself.

The obvious exception to this rule is obedience to government laws. Government is not an idol for people who obey its laws if their attitude about government is consistent with Right Attitudes Toward Government and People in Authority.

People who obey God’s Spiritual laws about loving your neighbor naturally love God, themselves and their neighbors without effort. When people obey other laws they put those laws ahead of God’s laws. Those people are idolaters.

Favoritism and Partiality are Unjust, Unfair Judging

It is impossible to separate favoritism and partiality from the issue of judging. When Christians think about judging, they usually focus on Luke 6:37:

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Because the common takeaway from this verse is “do not judge,” most people — even people who do not believe in God — do their best to avoid judging others face to face — even though they freely judge others in their hearts. Not judging is good, but meaningless in God’s eyes if you judge in your heart. Not judging publicly is also meaningless if you don’t understand the nuances of favoritism and partiality. In God’s eyes, every time your show someone even a little bit of favoritism or partiality with thoughts, words and deeds, you have made two kinds of judgments simultaneously in your heart:

You have affirmatively judged an individual or group that you personally like, honor, esteem, trust, and favor as being especially worthy or deserving of some reward (e.g. status, honor, affection, gift, vote, money, flattery, etc.) Typically, politicians, religious leaders celebrities, and wealthy people are judged in these positive ways.
A the same time you have also negatively judged other individuals or groups (e.g. people of color, migrants, homeless people, poor people, uneducated people, people who have different religious beliefs and ethnicities, etc.) as being unworthy or undeserving of similar rewards, gifts, honors and flattery. Typically, it is poor, marginalized people who are the targets of these judgments but wealthy people of different ethnicities and skin colors can also be targets of negative judgments. These judgments may not happen at the conscious level, but are always present in the heart. That explains why people who display open or covert prejudice and bigotry can claim without shame that they are not prejudiced and not bigots. The pride of their self-righteous hearts has deceived them.

‎This two-part, positive/negative judgment is not how people generally think about judging. Affirmative, verbal judging of individuals and groups is never evaluated in terms of negative judging that begins in our hearts and eventually results in evil words and deeds. We may say nice things about someone, but what is in our mouth does not immediately reveal what is in our heart. Sooner or later the deep, evil, thoughts and intents of our hearts become clear to everyone.

The very fact that we single out an individual or group for affirmation shows that we see others as unworthy of similar affirmation. If we held all individuals and groups in the same high regard without favoritism or partiality, we would not need to single some individuals or groups out for our personal affirmation. This highly nuanced analysis is hard for anyone to make because the heart is deceitful and beyond cure. But God knows what is in our hearts and judges us on the basis of what he sees in our hearts. And what he sees when we show favoritism and partiality is discrimination, bias, bigotry and inequity for others — not love.

God forbids partiality and favoritism because these heart attitudes divide people into two basic classes (e.g. winners/losers, strong/weak, rich/poor, and smart/stupid, evil/good and beautiful/ugly.) People who judge others with favoritism and partiality typically think of themselves as winners, strong, rich, smart, good and beautiful — not as losers, weak, poor, stupid, evil or ugly. Their positive judgments of themselves are rooted in pride — not humility. And their judgments of others are rooted in evil.

Judgments that result in favoritism and partiality are always based on external, visible qualities — not on the heart condition. This is not how God judges. He always judges on the basis of heart condition — not on external, visible qualities that can be seen.

If discrimination, favoritism and partiality are important to God, we might expect that these sins would be included as another commandment along with the so-called Ten Commandments. But the bible does not include such a commandment in so many words. It does however address the principle of discrimination in the following verses:

James 2:2-4 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Acts15:9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
Acts 6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
Job 32:21 I will show no partiality, nor will I flatter anyone;
Deuteronomy 1:17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”
Acts 10:34-35 states: "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."
Romans 2:11 affirms: "For there is no respect of persons with God."
Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
Matthew 7:12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

These verses make it clear that discrimination/judging/partiality are connected. What we learn from them is that partiality/discrimination always occurs in the context of one group receiving benefits, flattery or social acceptance that others do not receive. This happens after a judgment has been made about who does and does not receive the benefits/flattery/acceptance.

Note: Click this link for a complete list of scriptures about favoritism and partiality.

Favoritism, Partiality and Discrimination are Evil

God’s threshold for defining evil is very low, but man’s threshold is very high. Favoritism and partiality are not typically thought of as being evil or sinful, but this is just another example where man’s ways are not God’s ways. In human cultures, giving a benefit of one kind or another to our favorite people is a common practice. We say and/or do something nice for someone while also hopefully expecting to receive a reward for our kindness or flattery in the future. This habit is especially true in politics.

With a future reward in mind, we can see that favoritism and partiality are very much like bribes for a future reward. With this perspective in mind, we see that acts of favoritism and partiality are never purely oriented to the benefit and building up of others. Acts of favoritism and partiality are always self-serving in big and small ways. Doing things for personal benefit is a feature of human love but not of Godly love.

This self-serving attitude contrasts with attitudes in God’s Kingdom where no one does anything for personal gain. This is the only way that the world will become a better place. Judging with favoritism and partiality always causes injustice. In God’s kingdom, judging is always done for the benefit of others — not for personal gain.

When we analyze favoritism and partiality from this positive/negative perspective, we see that God has no tolerance for any degree of difference in our attitudes about others. We see his attitude in these scriptures:

Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
1 John 4:20: Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
Luke 14:26: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 10:37: “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

‎Understanding of favoritism and partiality depends on the right understanding of hate in this link. God’s definition of hate is an expression of relative human value – not absolute value. In God’s eyes we hate someone when the following are true:

We detest (i.e. hold a low opinion of) people because we judge them to be deficient in some way (e.g. intelligence, wealth, beauty, education, ethnicity, morality, religious beliefs, etc.)
We love them less than we love ourselves.
We esteem them less than we esteem ourselves and others whom we hold in high regard.

‎Humans cannot easily understand or accept this love/hate definition because it goes against human nature. You cannot understand God until you understand that, when you outwardly show favoritism and partiality for some people, you simultaneously have hate in your heart for those you have excluded from your favoritism and partiality.

You may fool others with your pious, public devotion to your favorite people, and organizations, and you may fool yourself into believing that your motives are sincere, righteous and designed for the benefit of others, but God is not fooled. God knows that you have hate in your heart for those you exclude from your kind words and generosity.

To summarize, God says we hate anyone whom we don’t regard as our equal in all respects. This definition sets a very high threshold for love and a low threshold for hate. It also helps us understand why favoritism and partiality are sin: favoritism and partiality are the outward, public evidence of murder in the heart.

God’s Strategies for Achieving Unity and Oneness

The bible reports God’s two main strategies for achieving unity and oneness:

God’s ultimate goal for his kingdom is that people live in unity — not divided.

John 17:20-23 is the model verse about unity:

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one– 23 I in them and you in me–so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

This prayer reads like a bunch of religious “mumbo jumbo.” Christians have confused its meaning by interpreting it in terms of Christian unity to the exclusion of unity of all people. This elitist attitude allows Christians to frame their concept of unity very narrowly (i.e. within churches, denominations, religions) while ignoring the global application of the prayer to God’s commands to love your global neighbor. Here are a few tips about how to interpret the prayer correctly:

This prayer is for all people around the world — not just Jews and Christians.
It is not that people around the world will convert to Judaism or Christianity and go to a place called heaven, or not to a place called hell after they die.
The prayer is that the hearts of all people — not just Jews and Christians — would be united. God does not think in terms of religious, political, ethnic, racial or economic unity. When hearts are in agreement about loving your neighbor as yourself, all of the artificial divisions that humans have created to separate themselves from each other through favoritism and partiality disappear. Religion and politics have done more to create division than any other institution.
When hearts are united, people love one another as they love themselves. They are not divided. For their benefit and the benefit of their neighbors they sacrificially obey God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another.
Everything Jesus said and did exemplified how to love your neighbor. He didn’t just preach that message, he lived it. God did not intend that religious people should religiously follow a human person called Jesus. He intended that they should follow the example of how the bible character called Jesus lived and what he taught about loving your neighbor.
John 17:20-23: appears to be a public prayer. Actually it was the prayer of Jesus’ heart. He would not have prayed publicly because he otherwise told people to pray in their hearts — not in public. Since Jesus spoke for God — not for himself — the prayer is an expression of the desire of God’s heart for unity for all people.
Jesus was not praying that people would believe in him as a person who could take away sins. He was praying on God’s behalf that everyone in all generations would believe in his message about mutual, reciprocal, sacrificial, neighborly love and trust.
Jesus did not have the power to take away sins. He only had authority to speak for God. When people believed and applied Jesus message of mutual, reciprocal, sacrificial love and trust, those whose hearts were open to hearing would stop practicing the sin of favoritism and partiality in their relationships. In that sense only, Jesus was a messiah who solved their sin problem. The ones who had hard hearts, on the other hand, would continue to practice favoritism and partiality.
Jesus was praying that people in all generations would hear his message about loving your neighbor as yourself and obey God’s many commands to personally love their neighbors.
The glory God gave to Jesus is God’s spoken word. The commands to not show favoritism and partiality and love your neighbor are God’s spoken words.
The goal of complete unity is that people would come to experience God’s love in the context of sharing love with their neighbors. The only way to fully experience God’s love is through the love of your neighbors. This is the only way that God makes himself known to the world.
This prayer is fully consistent with Old Testament prophecies about God writing his laws on hearts. When God’s laws are written on hearts, people will no longer obey the teachings of religious, political and cultural leaders who openly practice favoritism and partiality for everyone to see and emulate. As more people obey God’s laws about loving your neighbor. the world becomes a better place.

‎This detailed explanation of John 17:20-23 is a summary of God’s hopes when he gave the general command to love your neighbor. Beyond the general command, all his other commands are details about the do’s and don’ts of Godly love.

Because Jews and Christians are so focused on religion, they don’t understand that God’s love is embodied in all commandments — especially those about loving your neighbor. In other words, everyone who reads and obeys God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another makes the world better and receives God’s love. People who are inclined to verbally share these commands with others go beyond what Jesus prayed. The main thing is to obey the commandments in everyday relationships. If opportunities to share emerge, that is great, but obedience to the commands is the most important thing. In fact, obedience is a teaching activity because, when people experience God’s love in action, they notice and learn.

John 17:20-23 reveals God’s intention that all people would live in unity. It also tells us that God’s character is revealed in unity. Religious people work hard to create religious experiences that indicate God’s presence. This is all religious theater designed to stir emotions.. Even some non-religious people look for physical evidence that God exists in the physical, created world. They are all looking in the wrong places. God can only be experienced in the heart — never in the physical world.

The ultimate way to know God is to experience Godly love from your neighbors. When God’s love is written on their hearts, his love flows naturally out of their hearts to their neighbors. That is why God wants to write his laws of Godly love on the hearts of people. Human love only causes division and strife, but Godly love includes forgiveness and heals hearts. It also inspires people to love others the same way. That kind of love will not be experienced, however, unless people stop practicing the sin of favoritism and partiality in religion, politics, business and all other relationships.

John 17:20-23 says that the ultimate expression of who God is will be revealed when the hearts of everyone in the world lives in unity. When that happens, they will also be one with God. This is all very complicated theological stuff that is beyond the scope of Make the Word Better. It is worth mentioning briefly, however, because it introduces the reason why God makes such a big deal about favoritism and partiality.

The world will not become a better place as long a people continue practicing favoritism and partiality in religion, politics, business and private relationships. The reason the world is in such bad shape is that favoritism and partiality have reigned unchecked in all cultures for thousands of years. And the world will continue to deteriorate until good-hearted people around the world stop practicing favoritism and partiality and start loving their neighbors as themselves sacrificially. There is no other option. Religion and politics cannot make the world better. Religion and politics are the problem because they practice favoritism and partiality.

Small and large acts of favoritism and partiality actively militate against unity and oneness between individuals, groups and God.. People who sincerely desires to make the world better will not continue to sabotage God’s intentions by practicing favoritism and partiality in religion, politics and personal relationships. Instead, they will incorporate God’s commands about loving your neighbor into their lives. See this link for some of the basics of Godly love.

It is nearly impossible for most people to interpret words found in the bible without thinking in religious terms. This habit is most unfortunate if it causes people who are averse to religion to reject the principles of loving your neighbor because the idea of loving your neighbor embodies a strong, offensive, religious idea. Those people need to know that obedience to God’s commands about loving your neighbor can be adopted and applied privately without being religious. They don’t need to convert to Judaism or Christianity to love their neighbor. They don’t need to pray or go to religious meetings. They don’t need to wear a cross or carry a bible. In fact, people who already identify as Jews and Christians would do well to sever their relationships with their churches and synagogues, stop practicing religion in all its forms, and focus all their attention on loving their neighbors.

The following points are worth repeating:

God’s ultimate desire is for people to live in complete unity. which is also called oneness.
He does not want religion because religion practices favoritism and partiality.
God knows that unity and oneness are impossible in a world that is filled with favoritism, partiality and religion. That is why he spoke about it so often.
Unity is the reason God gave the command to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Loving your neighbor produces unity, harmony and oneness.
A world that practices favoritism and partiality is broken, chaotic, full of disharmony and evil;

‎From beginning to end, every story of the bible shows how disunity, evil, hate and chaos are overcome by love and unity. Every bible character is either an agent of disunity or an agent of reconciliation that leads to unity. Jesus and the prophets were agents of reconciliation for the sake of unity. In that sense only are they messianic messengers.

Commandments are either warnings about avoiding thoughts and deeds that cause disunity or principles for overcoming disunity. Because nothing is more important to God than people living in unity and harmony, all of his commandments support that goal. Sadly, Jews and Christians do not understand God’s priorities. They think that unity is a concept that only applies to relationships in religious organizations. They do not think in terms of global unity and harmony that makes the world a better place for everyone.

Obedience to God’s Laws Overcomes Injustice and Builds Unity

Biblical representations of justice and judging are always framed in terms of God’s spiritual laws — not in terms of human laws or morals. Therefore any time someone judges another person with respect to human laws, they break God’s laws about judging and create injustice. By contrast, when they judge someone with respect to God’s spiritual laws, they judge fairly and righteously and create unity. The world would be a better place if Jews and Christians understood these bible basics.

Humans make judgments about people that are based on what they see, hear, feel (i.e. emotions), and intellectually know about others. This contrasts with the way God judges which is to look at hearts. This means that all human judgments based on what people see, hear, feel and intellectually know are unjust and unfair. It also means that these judgments are sin. This explains the chaotic nature of the world.

Whenever we judge others based on what we can see, read and hear about them, we judge them preferentially or with partiality. This kind of judging is not God’s way because God judges hearts. Whenever we judge others with human judgment, we disobey God’s commandments about justice, favoritism and partiality:

James 2:8-9 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators.
Deuteronomy 10:17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe.
Deuteronomy 1:17 ‘You are not to show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’
Deuteronomy 16:19 “You shall not distort justice, you shall not show partiality; and you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. See this link for more about bribes.

‎‎Examples of unjust, unfair judging include:

Preferential treatment for employee candidates and employees who are less qualified or experienced than others.
Preferential treatment based on personal relationships.
Preferential treatment based on superficial characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, income, sexual orientation, education, and religion.
Unequal access to community resources such as job opportunities, public services, food, education, housing, voting access, etc.
Unequal/unjust consequences for lawbreaking and misconduct.
Unequal access to information.
Unequal participation in political process and decision-making.
Unequal access to membership in exclusive social circles.
Unequal access to training, development, or other career advancement opportunities.

Basic Principles of Loving Your Neighbor

When most people think about loving their neighbor they think in terms of warm, affectionate feelings and random acts of kindness. While feelings and kind deeds can be elements of human love, they are not present in Godly love. Godly love begins in the heart where humans judge one another. What happens in the heart is what God looks at to determine if we obey his commandments to love him and our neighbors. Biblical commandments and judging cannot be understood without first understanding these biblical basics:

1st Category of law: Love God. Matthew 22:36-38 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.

2nd Category of law: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:39-40 “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Commentary on this basic truth: All scriptures provide details about loving God or your neighbors. For example, the so-called Ten Commandments contain two categories of laws. Commandments 1-4 provide details about loving God:

You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

The second category of commandments provides details to the general command to love your neighbor as yourself. To make the point about the weight of these commandments, God says that obedience to them is more important than religious sacrifices and offerings and that these particular commands can be summed up as “love your neighbor as yourself.”

5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

It is important to notice that the first category of laws are positive (i.e. “do” these things) and that the second category of laws are all negative (i.e. “do not’) laws. This is a clue that loving your neighbor focuses on things we should not do. We see this principle clearly in these scriptures about judging and justice:

James 4:11-12 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor?

John 7:24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Exodus 23:3, 6 and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. .6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

Deuteronomy 1:17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Deuteronomy 16:19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.

Leviticus 19:14-16 ” ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD. 15 ” ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. 16 ” ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. ” ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.

Because Jews and Christians make the gross mistake of interpreting the first five commandments, and many other scriptures, as religious laws — not spiritual laws — , they miss the intended meanings of God’s commandments. For examples, see this link, this link and this link. If they understood that the bible should be interpreted symbolically — not literally — they would not be religious at all. Then, not spending time, money and energy on religion, they might instead focus on loving their neighbors by obeying scriptures about not judging, not doing injustice, and loving their neighbors.

In misinterpreting scripture, Jews and Christians communicate to the watching world the very wrong impression that God is all about obedience to silly religious laws. In fact, God’s one and only priority is protecting the interests of poor, disadvantaged and marginalized people as they contend with influential, wealthy people who have power over their lives.

Jesus emphasized God’s priorities in the following scriptures which can be interpreted literally and symbolically. For purposes of this discussion, the emphasis is on the literal interpretation. Readers who are interested in bible symbolism should click on highlighted links. See Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 1 of 3, Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 2 of 3, and Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 3 of 3 for a thorough discussion of literal and symbolic interpretation of scripture.

Luke 6:20-21
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.’
Luke 4:16-19
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
Matthew 25:34-36
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
Mark 10:21-22
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Mark 12:41-44
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’
Luke 14:12-14
He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’
Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
Luke 11:39-42
Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God.’

These scriptures can be interpreted both literally and symbolically. Literal interpretations identify the poor in human terms. Symbolic interpretations identify the poor in spiritual terms. Either way, Jews and Christians don’t really understand how God feels about the poor or those who are oppressed by injustice. Nor do they understand that his commands to love their neighbors are meant to be intentional, aggressive interventions to make the world better for poor, marginalized, oppressed people — not optional add-ons for religious people.

Jews and Christians also make the mistake of interpreting the second set (5-10) of the ten commandments literally instead of symbolically. See this link for an example.

Fairness and equity is what God had in mind when he gave the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. His priority strategy for securing fairness and equity in the world is to write his laws on the hearts of people who love him and follow his commandments. This is his preferred way of preventing injustice because people who have his laws written on their hearts will always love all of their neighbors all the time and will never say or do anything that demonstrates favoritism and partiality toward some people but not others. In other words, people who have God’s laws written on their hearts do not discriminate in their judging of others. These are behaviors that the watching world will notice, admire and respect, and maybe adopt. If and when they do adopt these behaviors, the rate at which the world becomes a better place accelerates.

Obstacles to Justice There are two main obstacles to God’s approach to minimizing injustice. The first problem is that very few people have God’s laws written on their hearts. The second problem is that favoritism and partiality are baked into all cultures. This means that larger cultures (whether public or private) have more opportunities to show favoritism and partiality to more people. In other words, large institutions, businesses and governments have more opportunities for individuals in positions of authority to manipulate the institution, business or government for their personal interests.

To accomplish their goals, they will solicit bribes and contrive legal, self-serving laws and policies that will favor their interests, and the interests of those they favor, while discriminating against those to whom they do not show favoritism and partiality. Self-serving discrimination always creates injustice which God rigidly opposes. Discrimination does not make the world better.

In a world characterized by uncontrolled discrimination of all kinds, everyone does what seems right in their own eyes. This is the world into which God sends true prophets, angels, messiahs, high priests, witnesses and warriors with his laws written on their hearts. Their job is to overcome injustice by confronting the world about the sin of favoritism and partiality. This is a thankless job but their revulsion against injustice compels them.

Global, Historical Evidence of Culturally Embedded Favoritism and Partiality

Because the logic, reason and veracity of our judgments about others is confirmed by people we trust (e.g. family, friends, religious leaders and political leaders, etc.), the power of our opinions — whether positive or negative — of others grows over time and becomes embedded in our hearts and minds. It becomes nearly impossible, therefore, to change our negative and/or partial/preferential feelings about others or our attitudes about ourselves with respect to others. These attitudes become “baked in” to cultures. When we think about ourselves compared to others (i.e. better than others or worse than others) we commit the sin of partiality and favoritism.

The problem is that favoritism and partiality are accepted human habits that are not only permitted, but even encouraged, and in all cultures. Consider the following truths that apply globally:

Patriarchy: a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and customs that favor men and withhold opportunity from women:

Misogyny: ingrained and institutionalized prejudice against women; sexism.

Research results indicate that misogyny remains deeply entrenched in many cultures, manifesting in political discourse, institutional practices, interpersonal interactions, and broader societal attitudes. See this link for understanding of the relationship between patriarchy and misogyny.

Misogynistic norms are pervasive societal expectations and beliefs that enforce the subordination of women and maintain male dominance. See this link for more about misogyny,

Examples of misogyny include:

Lack of gender diversity in politics, religion and business are indicators of institutional sexism.
Misogynistic views see women as manipulative, deceitful, or needing to be “kept in their place.”
Sexist behaviors are sometimes justified with the excuse of “boys will be boys”.
Women are expected to be more “ladylike”; they are judged for not fitting feminine stereotypes, they are commonly judged about their appearance, and receive unwanted sexual attention.

Xenophobia: fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners. See What the Bible Says About Immigrants, Strangers, Aliens and Enemies

Globally, experts have reported that racism and xenophobia have been increasing in recent years, fueled by issues like the migration crisis and social anxieties about demographic shifts.

Nationalism: a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups. See What the Bible Says About Immigrants, Strangers, Aliens and Enemies.

Nativism: a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants. See What the Bible Says About Immigrants, Strangers, Aliens and Enemies

Colonialism: domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation : the practice of extending and maintaining a nation’s political and economic control over another people or area. Academically speaking, there are three types of colonialism: manifest, latent, and neocolonialism.

Latent colonialism refers to the unconscious, deeply-rooted assumptions and stereotypes about non-white, non-European populations that permeated Western thought and writing. It is the fixed idea that non-white, non-European nations are static, backward, sensual, and in need of Western interpretation and domination.
Manifest colonialism is defined as “the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, or people group, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.” The expansion of the United States westward fits this definition, as the U.S. government forcibly took control of Native American lands, displaced or killed the indigenous populations, and settled the territories with American citizens. This process was driven by an imperialist ideology that viewed the Native Americans and Mexicans as “inferior” and in need of “civilization” by the superior American settlers. It was a form of continental colonialism, similar to the European colonization of Africa and the Americas, but often not viewed with the same level of criticism.

Neocolonialism: This practice refers to the indirect economic and political control that a powerful country exerts over a nominally independent, usually developing country, in order to maintain its influence and access to resources, even after formal colonization has ended

Racism: Research in the following disparities indicates that structural racism is deeply rooted in most world cultures:

10 Examples of Systemic Racism in the USA
Black K-12 students are almost 4 times more likely than white students to receive out-of-school suspensions.
School districts with more Black, Native, and Latino students receive significantly less revenue than districts with fewer students of color.3
There are racial disparities in access to gifted education programs, even after adjusting for factors like standardized test scores.3
Black and Latino workers are underrepresented in high-paying management and professional occupations compared to white and Asian workers.
Research indicates that racial discrimination and voter suppression are deeply entrenched issues in the United States, with a long history of efforts to limit the political power of Black Americans and other communities of color.
Some states are increasing efforts to suppress voting rights.
Resumes with “white-sounding” names receive 50% more callbacks for interviews compared to those with “Black-sounding” names, even with the same qualifications.
The children of white households in the bottom income quartile are much more likely to move up the economic ladder compared to the children of Black households.
Redlining and other discriminatory housing policies have limited homeownership opportunities for Black Americans, contributing to the racial wealth gap.
Black patients are significantly less likely to receive pain medication, even when their reported pain levels are the same as white patients.3
Only around 5% of doctors in the U.S. are Black, while the majority (56%) are white.
Black drivers are 20% more likely to be pulled over by police, and 1.5-2 times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop, despite being less likely to be carrying contraband.
Strong public opposition to non-white immigrants.
History of oppression of slaves and indigenous cultures.
See God’s Commands About How to Relate to Him and to One Another

Homophobia and transphobia: Research indicates that homophobia, transphobia, and related hate speech have been on the rise globally, with increases in hate crimes, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies, and the proliferation of online hate speech targeting LGBTQ individuals. This trend exists despite growing public support for LGBTQ rights in many countries. These two phobias are prominent examples of favoritism and partiality. These phobias will not be overcome until people understand that Godly Love is not Human Love.

Religion: Globally, all religions work hard to distinguish themselves from other religions. Most religions actively strategize to entice followers of other religions to migrate to their religion. Religions and governments in some countries openly discriminate against members of other religions and violently oppress them. See these links for strategies to avoid practicing favoritism and partiality in religion:

Politics always function in an environment of favoritism and partiality. See these links for strategies to avoid practicing favoritism and partiality in politics:

Slavery and Human Trafficking: Slavery has always been a feature of world history. ‎‎In the above list, only Slavery and Human Trafficking are illegal. All the other cultural practices are technically legal even if not fully endorsed by governments or individuals. General acceptance of cultural practices listed above testifies to the degree that favoritism and partiality are baked in to all cultures, politics and religions.

Jews and Christians who say that this is the way the world has always been, and will always be, demonstrate weak faith that God can make the world better. More than that, they show that they are comfortable and accepting of a world that practices favoritism and partiality and that they are unwilling to make any personal sacrifices to make the world better. Their attitude says that they have all they want/need and are ignorant about injustices they and others perpetrate on poor, marginalized people.

Ignorance of God’s laws about favoritism and partiality are the reason the world is in the shape it is in. This reality strongly suggests that the rest of the world should not expect Judaism and Christianity to be leaders in efforts to make the world better. But, who knows? If Jews and Christians would shed their religion, stop practicing favoritism and partiality, and take God’s command to love your neighbor seriously, anything is possible.

SCRIPTURES ABOUT FAVORITISM, PARTIALITY, EVIL, CORRUPTION, WICKEDNESS

2Chronicles 19:7 “Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be careful about what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in injustice or partiality, or in the taking of a bribe.”

Malachi 2:9 “So I also have made you despised and of low reputation in the view of all the people, since you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in the instruction.”

Acts 10:34-35 I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.

Galatians 2:6 But from those who were of considerable repute (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism)–well, those who were of repute contributed nothing to me.

Romans 2:11-12 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

Ephesians 6:7-9 With goodwill render service, as to the Lord, and not to people, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether slave or free. 9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Colossians 3:25 For the one who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

Exodus 23:3 nor shall you show favor to a poor person in his dispute.

1Timothy 5:21 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

James 2:1 My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

1Peter 1:17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;

Luke 20:21 And the spies questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth.

James 3:16-17 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.

Job 32:21-22 “Let me be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man. 22 “For I do not know how to flatter, Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.

Job 34:18-19 Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘You wicked one’; 19 Who shows no partiality to the prominent, Nor regards the rich as above the poor, Since they are all the work of His hands?

Job 13:10 “He will certainly punish you If you secretly show partiality.

Proverbs 18:5 To show partiality to the wicked is not good, Nor to suppress the righteous in judgment.

Proverbs 28:21 To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

Provers 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.

Psalms 82:2 How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked?

Mark 12:14 They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth.

Philippians 2:3-5 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one.

Deuteronomy 1:17 Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God.

Leviticus 19:9-18 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘And you shall not swear falsely
‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.
The wages of a hired worker are not to remain with you all night until morning.
‘You shall not curse a person who is deaf, nor put a stumbling block before a person who is blind,
‘You shall not do injustice in judgment
you shall not show partiality to the poor nor give preference to the great
you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people;
you are not to jeopardize the life of your neighbor.
‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart;
you may certainly rebuke your neighbor, but you are not to incur sin because of him.
‘You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. These verses are a useful summary of all God’s commands about loving your neighbor. People who want to take loving your neighbor seriously would do well to print these verses on a card and post it in a conspicuous place for convenient reference.

Proverbs 24:23 To show partiality in judgment is not good.

1Timothy 5:20-21 Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. 21 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of his chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

Deuteronomy 16:19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Romans 2:11 For God does not show favoritism.

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Job 34:19 who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

Romans 9:14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!

Acts 10:34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.

Galatians 2:6 As for those who were held in high esteem–whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism–they added nothing to my message.

Ephesians 6:9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Colossians 3:25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

2Chronicles 19:7 Now let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

Ezekiel 45:9 9 ” ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Psalms 94:20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you–a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?

Proverbs 22:8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

Acts 15:5-9 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

All of these scriptures should be interpreted as commandments.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ABOUT FAVORITISM AND PARTIALITY

In the world there are no prohibitions against favoritism and partiality. In fact, in many cultures and institutions -- including partisan politics and religion -- favoritism and partiality are the common currencies that make institutions work. That fact, however, should not be taken as license to practice favoritism and partiality. Consider these verses:

1Corinthians 10:22-24 (NIV) Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? 23 All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. 24 No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor.

1Corinthians 6:12 (NIV) All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
1Corinthians 6:12 (Amplified Bible) Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me.
1 Corinthians 6:12 (New Living Translation) You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.

‎‎What these scriptures say is that showing favoritism/partiality to individuals and groups is permissible according to cultural standards and laws. More importantly, they say that consistent application of these cultural standards and laws is evidence of slavery to those standards. People who love their neighbors are not enslaved to cultural standards. They are obedient to God’s laws/standards written on their hearts.

Make the World Better: Love Your Neighbor

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