Let Me Not Wander

because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (NIV) To jump right to the point... (like James likes to do) If you show judgment without mercy, there is a high probability that you have not yet understood the mercy of God or have never recognized your encounters with God's mercy. To put it bluntly, if you don't show mercy, then maybe you aren't even saved. This is a perfect lead-in to the next set of verses .

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, (NIV) This verse would make a great sign. Blow it up huge and stick it on the wall above your bathroom mirror in the morning! Everyday read to yourself, "Speak." "and act. "as those who are going to be judged." You could stop there. That is a good motivational speech for the day, because it is true. You will be judged. We won't be punished for our sins. The price has already been paid, but there is still a judgement seat for us. I don't have the time (or the energy) to get into the details of that judgment seat, but it is real and it will happen. But don't forget the rest of this verse. "...by the law that gives freedom." We are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. No longer will be be judged in such a way as to lead to confinement, we will be judged by the law that leads to freedom! This is why it is such a motivational speech. Live you...

For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. (NIV) James obliterates the categorization of sins. Right here in the same paragraph where he mentions that something simple, like showing favoritism is breaking the law, he also states that murder and adultery are also breaking the law... And... that if you have broken one part of the law then you are a lawbreaker! Let that sink in. We always say that all sins are equal, but do we really believe that? Is that just part of our churchianity mantra, or have we allowed that idea to sink in. This idea is essential for our understanding of our personal need for a savior, but this passage was written to Christians. So, do we as Christians realize our own ongoing sinfulness as we continue to confess and forsake our sins? Or do we continue to think to ourselves that we are "... not as bad as those people..."

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (NIV) This verse is a great teaching verse when it comes to understanding that we are sinners, and that we are guilty. When we sin, whether it is a big sin or a small sin (speaking in human terms...) we have broken God's law, making us law breakers. There are no big sinners or small sinners in God's worldview. There are simply sinners, and they are all in need of a savior. It is for this reason Jesus came. He lived, without sin, without becoming a law breaker, then took our sins upon Himself, was crucified, died, and was buried. Then on the third day he rose again! As law breakers, let us be thankful that a savior came, because there is not a one of us who is not a law breaker. Notice in the previous verse, that showing partiality is breaking God's law.

But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. (NIV) I would suggest going back and scanning through the first 8 verses again. This is a very important section, which can be used to understand more than just the sin of favoritism. Before we move on, note that favoritism is sin. It isn't just a bad idea or something that "we probably shouldn't do..." It is sin, and according to this verse, you are lawbreakers if you show favoritism.

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. (NIV) This verse is a great stand alone kind of verse. All by itself, it is saying that you are doing well (or right) if you are loving your neighbor as yourself. But this verse is not stand alone. In the NIV it leaves out an essential word at the beginning of the verse. The NASV does a little bit better of a job on this one. If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. Notice the word however . When it is left in, it is kind of like saying, "OK. You have heard the wrongs of favoritism. Let me show you what is opposite to favoritism..." In other words, you can't be loving your neighbor as yourself and showing favoritism. They stand in opposition to each other.

But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? (NIV) (Now, before I continue on with this discussion, I think that it might be important to do a little background here. Consider the commentary on James 2:2-4 , and also consider James 1: 9 , 10 , & 11 .) These two verses are very real-word-ish or maybe you could describe them as a reality check. It is almost like James is saying, "...umm guys. Ignoring the wrongness of discrimination based on the outward for just a moment... You are insulting the poor people, when it is the rich people who are doing all of this stuff. Your logic doesn't even make sense!" Sometimes it can be very useful to take a step back and really look at things. Really look at the results of our actions or really look at the logic of our reasoning. God's word is true, but gues...

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (NIV) God has not discriminated on the basis of possessions. There are those people who in the eyes of the world are considered to be poor. They are not the types of people that the world would say had "arrived". Yet, has not God chosen them to be rich in faith? Are not some of the people who we might turn away from potentially kingdom inheritors... maybe even ahead of us?!? Maybe for you it isn't riches. Maybe it is skin color. Maybe it is nationality. Maybe it is their clothing choices. Maybe it is their family. Maybe it is their language. Maybe it is the nation that they currently live in or they are from. All of these things are superficial. God chooses all types to inherit His kingdom.

Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (NIV) I have tried to stick with a verse a day, but every once in a while there are a few verses that it would confuse the matter to separate them. The thought would become muddled by trying to discuss the one thought over a few separate days. So, I am keeping these verses together. In James' day, there was a discrimination going on between the rich and the poor. Rich people would many times make assumptions about poor people based on their outward appearance. If they were poor, they were probably not very spiritual. The reason for this was because there was the inco...

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. (NIV) Simple enough, right? There are some people who would not say that favoritism is a struggle at all. There are others who would say that they struggle with it all of the time. The need here is to be honest with yourself. Do you show favoritism? Strong's Concordance defines this word in this way: he fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful, to another who does not have these qualities I would also like to point out that the verse states, "...as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ..." Favoritism and true faith don't go together. The New American Standard puts it this way: "...do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism." In the original greek, that i...