James 2:8-13

Passage

On one hand, you all do well in the full royal Law according to what was written: “You will love your neighbor as yourself.”  But on the other hand, if you all show partiality you all produce sin while being convicted by the Law as transgressors.  For whoever observes the whole Law but stumbles in one part has become guilty of all.  For the one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.”  If you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law.  Therefore speak and do as if you are to be judged through a law of freedom in the future.  For a merciless judgment is for the one who does not do mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We need to remember this passage in the context of the prior passage.  James was talking about showing partiality to the rich man while showing very little love to those who are poor.  James knows the human logic.  James knows that there are people who will say, “But the Law tells me that I should love my neighbor as myself.”  James is saying that if this is their defense for showing the rich man great welcome then it is also their judgment for showing the poor man no honor.  If they are truly interested in loving their neighbor as themselves they will love all of their neighbors, not just the rich ones.  When we apply God’s truth to our life, we cannot simply apply it where it is fun or convenient.

Why do human beings like to rationalize their lives?  Why do we tend to apply rules and regulations when it is to our benefit yet ignore them when it implies sacrifice or hardship?  Why is wealth such a dividing issue among human beings in that it almost always influences how we treat others?

Second Thought:

James tells us that a person guilty of one aspect of the Law is guilty of the whole Law.  A sinner is a sinner.  There may be different kinds of sinners (murderers, liars, thieves, adulterers, etc).  But that doesn’t change the fact that we are all sinners.  It is not as though we earn “positive credit” when we do one part of the Law and incur “debt” when we violate another part of the law.  Our life is not on some grand balance where our good will be weighed against the bad.  It is a single question: “Were you able to keep the whole of the Law or were you not able to keep the whole of the Law?”  Of course we know the answer to that question.

How does our desire to compartmentalize the Law help us rationalize that we are “good people” most of the time?  How does it make you feel to hear James saying that this is not the case?  How does it make you feel to hear that if you break any part of the Law you are guilty of being a lawbreaker in God’s eyes?

Third Thought:

Therefore, James concludes that we must live differently.  If we live as though God will judge the good against the bad then we are all doomed.  However, if we live by giving mercy to those around us because God gave us mercy when we did not deserve it then we shall truly find mercy.  We should not be a people who try and compartmentalize the Law and rationalize our behavior.  We are a people live out of grace and mercy because we know the importance of God’s grace and mercy in our own life.

What does it mean to you to live out of grace and mercy?  How had God brought grace and mercy to your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: James 2:14-17