The Royal Law of Love
James Young Adult Study • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
*icebreaker question — fun but geared toward the lesson
James 1:26–2:7 (KJV 1900)
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
Can anyone summarize some of what we discussed last week during our time together?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
James continues addressing the theme of favoritism or partiality that he began in chapter 1.
Essentially the main point that James is trying to hammer home is this — What we do says far more about the authenticity of our faith than what we say we believe. A heart that practices favoritism toward the privileged and ignores the poor is imperiled to say the least. And in our passage tonight, James shows how favoritism relates to God’s Law.
Before we begin deeply looking into the next couple of verses, let’s discuss this question for a little bit: Why is it important for believers to show no partiality? What does this show us about our God?
(I’m going to ask several people to read a couple of different verses throughout our study tonight so if I can have volunteers ready that’d be awesome.
Understanding the Royal Law (vs. 8-9)
Understanding the Royal Law (vs. 8-9)
How would you (according to Scripture) summarize the whole law?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
To catch the force of what James is saying here, we need to understand that the Ten Commandments — in fact, the entire Law — was summarized in two commandments, the first being vertical (Deuteronomy 6:4,5): to love God with all that you are, and the second horizontal (Leviticus 19:18) : to love your neighbor as yourself.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
The royal law of loving our neighbor is foundational to Christian living.
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
How does showing favoritism break this law?
Showing favoritism contradicts God’s impartial love for all people.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
We cannot claim to follow Christ while discriminating against others.
God’s standard of love does not allow for selective application
Why is this a theological issue as well?
What does James mean by neighbor?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Love for neighbors must extend beyond our comfort zones and natural inclinations.
Where, or who, do you struggle most with showing impartial love?
*remember their answers for this next section
The Whole Law (vs. 10-11)
The Whole Law (vs. 10-11)
James transitions from discussing the “royal law” to the “whole law.”
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
What does James mean by the whole law?
The law of God is not a series of detached injunctions, but a basic unity that requires perfect love of Him and our neighbors.
God’s law is an integrated whole, not a menu of options. Certain
Why does breaking one part of the law make us guilty of all?
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
What was the purpose of the law?
How does our understanding of the law tear down partiality or favoritism? The foot is level at the cross. Our theology is that everyone who has ever lived is equally sinful. There is no scale. We are all law-breakers.
Self-righteousness often blinds us to our own law-breaking.
Verse 11 shows us something vitally important concerning our relationship to the Law.
Breaking one commandment reveals a heart willing to disobey God.
What’s interesting here is the sins that James compares favoritism to — adultery and murder.
To us, it may seem like James is making a big deal out of a rather common sin of favoritism. But he isn’t, for favoritism indicates the tilt of one’s soul.
How does this principle affect our view of small sins?
We cannot justify one sin while condemning others.
Our tendency to rank sins reveals our misunderstanding of God’s holiness.
Here’s a quote from Kent Hughes:
It takes but one lie to make a liar, one adulterous act to make an adulterer, one theft to make a thief, one murder to make a murderer, and only one broken law to make a lawbreaker. This does not mean you and I have committed every individual sin mentioned in the Law, but that we have broken the seamless garment of the whole Law — and thus are guilty of breaking all of it! “The law is a transcript of divine character,” and any violation of it is a violation of the character of God. The same evil that causes us to break one of God’s laws will, in different circumstances, cause us to break the others.
Every sin is ultimately a violation of God’s character.
Mercy and Judgment (vs. 12-13)
Mercy and Judgment (vs. 12-13)
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The coming reality is that everyone will be perfectly and relentlessly judged according to the law of liberty. So James invites his hearers to: keep on speaking and keep on acting in the reality of the coming judgment.
How should the “law of liberty” influence our speech and actions?
James concludes his warning with the insertion of a note of terror, a proverb-like statement: “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy…”
“There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. — NLT
The Parable of the Unmerciful Slave
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
We will be judged by how we treated others.
Mercy reflects understanding of our own need for God’s mercy.
An unmerciful spirit reveals a heart that has not received mercy, but the heart that has been the object of divine mercy will be merciful.
The way we judge others reveals our hearts condition.
Showing mercy doesn’t mean ignoring sin but responding with grace.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Favoritism is the evidence of an unmerciful spirit.
What are some ways that we can remind ourselves of the mercy we have received?
Our treatment of others should reflect the mercy we’ve received.
What does it mean that “mercy triumphs over judgment”?
A truly merciful Christian heart looks forward to judgment. The person whose life is characterized by mercy is ready for the day of judgment, and will escape all charges that strict justice might bring against him because by showing mercy to others he gives genuine evidence of having received God’s mercy.
God’s mercy doesn’t negate his justice but fulfills it.
Application
Application
How is my heart in this matter of favoritism? Is it in peril of judgment because I am transgressing the royal law? Or does it wait triumphantly?
List three ways to practically show love to someone you’ve overlooked.
