In the first half of James chapter 2, James deals with the sin of partiality. Partiality obscures the justice of Christ and His church. When we treat the poor with disdain, we place ourselves at odds with God, who is the champion of the downtrodden. Partiality also obscures the love of Christ and His church. Favoritism distorts the gospel. Whereas the ground is level at the foot of the cross, we find that the ground is often uneven in the church. James speaks to this and provides two remedies, the Royal Law of Love and the Law of Liberty.