"God does not play favorites" in Paul, James and Acts

[gryan]

"God does not play favorites" in Paul, James and Acts

Jouette Bassler, PdD, Yale, wrote in Biblica, 1985:

"There are, as we have noted, some striking similarities between Paul’s statement of the concept of impartiality in Romans and the statement we find in Acts 10. The wording, for example, is very similar. Both draw on the translation Greek of the Septuagint to give the initial statement of the concept in terms derived from prosópon and lambanó (Rom 2,11; Acts 10,34, Cf. James 2:1), and both revert to standard Greek terms for the subsequent discussion. Paul, for example, uses the noun διαστολή in Romans 3 and 10 to develop further the idea of no distinction (impartiality) while Luke shifts to the verb διακρίνω in Acts 15,9
[Cf. James] for the same purpose."

Rom 2:11
For God does not show favoritism.
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν προσωπολημψία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ

Rom 3:22
And [this] righteousness [from] God [comes] through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction
δικαιοσύνη δὲ Θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή

Rom 10:12
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek:
The same Lord [is Lord] of all, [and] gives richly to all who call on Him,
12οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή Ἰουδαίου τε καὶ Ἕλληνος
ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς Κύριος πάντων πλουτῶν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους αὐτόν

James 2:1
{do} not [show] favoritism as you hold out [your] faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ
μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις ἔχετε τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης

James 2:4
have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges [with] evil thoughts?
[καὶ] οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν

Acts 10:34
Then Peter began to speak:
“I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
Ἀνοίξας δὲ Πέτρος τὸ στόμα εἶπεν
Ἐπ’ ἀληθείας καταλαμβάνομαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ Θεός

Acts 15:9, Peter said
God did not discriminate between us and them, [for] He cleansed their hearts by faith.
καὶ οὐθὲν διέκρινεν μεταξὺ ἡμῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν τῇ πίστει καθαρίσας τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν

-------

Contra Bassler, I think the author of Acts had not only read Romans and Galatians, but also James.

[gryan]

Generative AI

According to Bible Hub, God does not play favorites because He judges everyone by the same standard. Here are some Bible verses that mention this:

Romans 2:11
"For God does not show favoritism. For God judges everyone by the same standard".

Deuteronomy 10:17
"The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring God. He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe".

Acts 10:34
"Then Peter said, 'Now I understand that God doesn't play favorites'".

Colossians 3:25
"God does not play favorites. And all wrongdoers will be repaid for the wrong things they do, because God judges everyone by the same standard".

1 Peter 1:17
"And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do".

According to James 1:19-27; 2:1-4, God condemns favoritism because it is contrary to His character and command.

[gryan]

Exegetical Thesis: "God does not show partiality" is an axiom that Paul and the pillar apostles concurred upon.

For an hour, we did {not} yield [to them]
in the submission,
5οἷς οὐδὲ πρὸς ὥραν εἴξαμεν
τῇ ὑποταγῇ
in order that the gospel's truth would continue toward you.
ἵνα ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διαμείνῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς
6but from [by the agency of] the ones recognized to be somebody.
viewtopic.php?p=155204#p155204
6Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι
Whatever they once were
[before realizing that God does not play favorites]
makes no difference to me.
ὁποῖοί ποτε ἦσαν
οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει.

God does not play favorites.
πρόσωπον ὁ Θεὸς ἀνθρώπου οὐ λαμβάνει

For the recognized ones did not consult me
[to be convinced that God does not play favorites].
ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἱ δοκοῦντες οὐδὲν προσανέθεντο
7On the contrary,
discerning that I had been entrusted with the gospel of the foreskin
[since God does not play favorites],
7ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον
ἰδόντες ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας

[[just as Peter [ had been ] to the Jews.
καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς
8For [the One], who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the Jews,
was also at work in me to the Gentiles
[since God does not play favorites].
8ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ εἰς ἀποστολὴν τῆς περιτομῆς
ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη]]

9And recognizing the grace given to me,
James, and Cephas, and John—
those recognized to be pillars—
gave me and Barnabas [the] right hand of fellowship,
so that we [ should go ] to the Gentiles and they to the Jews
[since God does not play favorites].
9καὶ γνόντες τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι
Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάννης
οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι δεξιὰς
ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρνάβα κοινωνίας
ἵνα ἡμεῖς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν
10[They] only [asked us] to be mindful of the poor,
the very thing I was eager to do
[since God does not play favorites].
10μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν
ὃ καὶ ἐσπούδασα αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι