What is a biblical view of favoritism?

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TL;DR:

The Bible calls favoritism a sin. We are to see and love people as God sees them, with equal value regardless of appearance, status, or abilities.

from the old testament

  • We are called to treat all people with dignity and respect, as image-bearers of God (Genesis 1:27).
  • The Old Testament specifies that in legal situations, it is wrong to treat people differently: "You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:15; see also Exodus 23:2–3).
  • God cannot be bribed and shows no partiality (Deuteronomy 10:17).
  • God does not show favoritism but remains equally just to all (Job 34:19).

from the new testament

  • Jesus is our perfect example of not showing favoritism. He treated all who came to Him with the same level of equality—from the poor crippled man who could not help himself into the healing pool (John 5:5–9) to Zacchaeus, the wealthy tax collector (Luke 19:1–10).
  • God does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11).
  • Paul warned Timothy not to show favoritism: "keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality" (1 Timothy 5:21).
  • The book of James reveals favoritism as sin because God has commanded us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (James 2:1–9). We are called to "show no partiality" (James 2:1).
  • Early in his ministry the apostle Peter was hesitant to minister to the Gentiles, or non-Jews. However, after God gave Peter a vision and Peter interacted with the Gentile Cornelius, he recognized the error of his bias: "So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him’" (Acts 10:34–35).
  • Paul similarly told the church in Galatia: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27–28). In Christ, we are all of equal worth; favoritism is inappropriate.

implications for today

God has created all people equal in worth. A person's physical appearance, gender, possessions, skills, intelligence level, or even religious affiliation do not determine his/her value. However, that does not mean that everyone is treated the exact same way. This does not mean that we are using favoritism. For example, it is not “favoritism” to give your child more of your time than you give a random stranger. It’s also not “favoritism” for a member of a group to be given a vote and a non-member of that group to have no say, etc. When it comes to God, choosing Israel, Jesus’ having three disciples with whom He was closer, and God loving believers differently than unbelievers is not favoritism. Equality and equity are not the same. But treating people more favorably based on things like their ethnicity, social status, or wealth is wrong. Favoritism was a struggle in the early church and is still a struggle today. Showing partiality seems to come naturally to our fallen natures. We need to stay aware and be conscientious to keep ourselves in check about this issue. God has loved us and given us the right to be His children through Jesus Christ, which means we are to love others as He has loved us (1 John 4:7–11). We need to ask the Lord to help us to love and treat others as equally worthy image-bearers and without favoritism, showing them His love indiscriminately.

understand

  • Favoritism is a sin.
  • God does not show favoritism.
  • God calls us to love others as He loves them.

reflect

  • Where in your life do you feel tempted to show favoritism, and what steps can you take to avoid it?
  • How does knowing that God does not show favoritism challenge or encourage you in the way you view and interact with others?
  • How can you intentionally love and treat others as equally valued image-bearers of God?

engage

  • Earning something by ability is based on merit, effort, or skill, while favoritism is showing preference based on personal biases, often arbitrary and based on our own preferences, unrelated to merit or worth. Predestination, the concept of sowing and reaping, and receiving punishment for our sins are not examples of favoritism. What is the difference between favoritism and treating people differently based on merit or non-sinful reasons?
  • What practical steps can we take to be aware of, address, and prevent favoritism in our interactions?
  • How can we see people as God sees them, appreciating our differences, especially in situations where showing favoritism feels natural?