Free Bible Commentary
“James 2:8-13”
Categories: James“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not commit murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”
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The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (verse 8) is a timeless law that we must continually be “fulfilling,” otherwise we are “committing sin and…convicted by the law as transgressors” (verse 9). It is called the “royal law” because it is the chief commandment concerning our dealings with other human beings and ranks just under the command to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:29-31).
Our King Jesus kicked the royal law up a notch with His words in John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Above and beyond loving our neighbor as we would love ourselves, we should even try to love other people as Jesus loves us. Jesus poured himself out completely in His love and service for the beings He created in His own image.
All the people you see on the street, at the store, at workplace, in the pews are all your brothers and sisters in the human race. It matters not what their skin color is, what part of town they live in, what language they speak, what kind of car they drive. They all struggle with similar challenges, problems, weaknesses and temptations to what we battle with. Instead of feeling contempt for any of them or expressing frustration or hatred toward them, we should try to love and help them and pray for God’s blessings in their lives.
When we look at other people, no matter what they look like, we should see the King who died for them. “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40).
Instead of judging our brothers and sisters in the human family, we should show mercy to them. “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (verse 13). The mercy we show others will be returned to us by our Creator. But if we prove ourselves to be “merciless” our Judge will show us “no mercy,” only condemnation for our calloused and pitiless hearts. Remember, the “perfect law of liberty” mandates that we care for those less fortunate and weaker than ourselves, and that we keep ourselves “unstained by the world” (James 1:25-27).
Please read James 2:14-20 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
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