No Shirt No Shoes No Salvation?

When he was vice president of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson, attired in soiled working clothes, tried to get a room in Baltimore's finest hotel. The manager, a fellow by the name of Boyden, took one look at Jefferson's attire and turned him away. A moment later, someone informed Boyden of who he had just dismissed. The manager horrified immediately dispatched a servant to find Jefferson and offer him a room, as many rooms, as he wished. After he heard the message, Jefferson, replied: "Tell Boyden that I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no room for a dirty farmer, he shall have none for the vice president."

There are times when the church take the same approach as Boyden did. For example in James’ letter we see him scolding the church just for that:

For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"

James 2:2-3

It is amazing how fame, wealth or position can garner our attention in a person. It may not be as blatant as this example but we still have ways of playing favorites. Race, politics, birthplace, if he is college educated or a good old country boy, do they have kids, are married, drive the right car, live in the right place all are subtle factors in how we treat others.

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

James 2:9

Yet for the church, the only thing that we should see in a visitor is a sinner in need of salvation. Whatever worldly accolade they carry on them shouldn’t be as important to us as the soul within. There should be room in the inn for everyone that needs it.

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