Acts 10:34-35
“My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?…
“Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s royal command found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law”
James 2:1-4, 8-9
Romans 2:11 because God does not show partiality.
How many times have I seen this idea that God is no respecter of persons made to walk on all fours? “Because God is no respecter of persons,” the argument goes “I am required to let my daughters marry scofflaws.” “Because God is no respecter of persons,” they say “I am required to have a derelict babysit my children.”
Clearly, we have to make distinctions between different senses if only because we see in Scripture that God requires us to be respecters of persons. God requires us to be respecters of persons when we don’t allow women to be preachers.
I Timothy 2:8 I desire then that jin every place the men should pray, klifting lholy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also mthat women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 nbut with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly owith all submissiveness. 12 pI do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 qFor Adam was formed first, rthen Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but sthe woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in ufaith and love and holiness, with self-control.
Likewise, God requires us to be a respecter of persons when it comes to family responsibilities.
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. I Tim. 5:8
Obviously, God commands favoritism when He insists that we provide for our own households vis-a-vis providing for everybody else’s households.
We have a need to realize that texts can have different senses wherein they are true and wherein they are false. God is no respecter of persons when it comes to commanding all men everywhere to repent. However, God is a respecter of persons when it comes to who we choose to be Church officers. God commands we are not to show favoritism when it comes to how we treat the rich and the poor in the congregation. However, just as clearly God commands us to show favoritism when doing good as we are to concentrate “especially to the Household of faith.” (Gal. 6:10)
