My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others? – James 2:1 (NLT)
A clique is a group of people who have similar interests who like spending time together. While this in itself is not a bad thing, it becomes a bad thing when it becomes exclusive to the point of not allowing others in.
At first, your group may be welcoming as they allow newcomers, especially those who fit easily in. However, at some point, the group becomes so exclusive, you begin to ignore other people, forgetting them as you start making your group’s plans right in front of them.
For those who are excluded, watching a select group of people bonding can be very hurtful. Some feel like they are outsiders, and they wonder what they have to do to get accepted by the clique. This can lead to all sorts of problems as they try to break into the group. For others, it can be a matter of reluctantly accepting the fact you will never be part of the clique.
Usually, when a clique is formed, it is done unconsciously. You start spending a lot of time with certain people and before you know it, you’re in a clique even though you never meant to be in one. You start favouring the type of people who will fit into your group and slowly it becomes a part of your life. Your clique preferences then start having an influence on the type of person you are becoming.
For Christians, forming a clique can be a dangerous thing. Many churches have them, and many Christians are part of them – some without even knowing it. If a new person comes to church and they fit into a clique’s criteria, they are readily accepted. But what about those who don’t fit into any group? The answer is that they are ignored and in some cases to the point of them leaving the church and even God.
The Bible warns us about showing favouritism. A clique, as James 2:1 states, is basically a group of people favouring or showing partiality to some people over others. We are told not to show favouritism but to treat everybody equally. Jesus did not exclude anybody, even though the disciples and other people wanted him to e.g. Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).
While it is true that Jesus did spend some time alone with just the disciples, it was never to the point of ignoring others and not including them in some other ways. As Christians, we must try to include others in our lives when we can. We have to show others love even if they don’t fit into our circle of friends.
Being part of a clique means that you are focussing on yourself and your own needs. Getting out of a clique and letting other people into our lives is something that Jesus wants us to do. When we get heaven, there will no favouring certain people over other people – we will all be mixing together and there will be no exceptions.
So, if you are part of a clique and there are people you ignore because they don’t fit into your clique’s criteria, then it is time to start living here as if you were in heaven. Favouritism or showing partiality towards people is a sin and the sooner you realise this, the better off you will be as you will be doing the will of God and he, in turn, will bless you abundantly for it.
Originally published at Inspirational Christian Blogs – July 2016