Royal Mercy

INTRODUCE THE TEXT

Well this morning, we arrive at part 4 of our break-off series in the letter of James. If you have a copy of God’s Word, you can make your way to James 2, where we’ll be covering verses 1-13.

But before we read our text for today, let’s briefly consider what we’ve covered so far in chapter 1 of this letter.

James—the half brother of our Lord Jesus—he’s writing to a large number of suffering saints…a large number of primarily Jewish Believers who’ve been displaced from their homeland due to Christian persecution. Now living in the Dispersion and facing trials of various kinds…these suffering Christians are recipients of this letter from James, who is seeking to comfort, encourage, & exhort them toward faithful living amid these circumstances.

And throughout the opening chapter of his letter, so far we’ve seen James touch on a variety of important truths that are necessary, not only for mature Christian living in the Dispersion, but for mature Christian living that is fit for all circumstances.

Important truths, such as remembering God’s good & sanctifying purposes in the various trials that we face. The need for us to faithfully ask Him for wisdom where we lack. Our need to remain centered upon Christ and our exalted status in Him, rather than upon our rich or poor external circumstances. Remembering that blessing & reward comes to those who remain steadfast under trial. Being sober-minded about sin & temptation, and about the enticing & deadly lure of our own sinful desires. And remembering that the temptations we face? They DON’T come from God. Just the opposite comes from God! From our unchanging Father comes every good and perfect gift…most chiefly the gift of our new birth…the gift of Him bringing “us forth by His word of truth…as a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

And as new creatures in Christ, James has reminded us that we are to put off our old selves. To put off unrighteousness, such as unrighteous listening, unrighteous speaking, unrighteous anger, and all other forms of wickedness. And to instead, put on the righteousness of God by living in accord with our new calling & identity. Continuing to receive, with meekness, the implanted Word of Christ’s Kingdom. Persevering as perpetual hearers AND doers of God’s Word, which includes upholding the commands of His perfect law. Striving to practice religion that is pure & undefiled before God our Father…pure religion that springs forth from humble & devoted hearts of faith, and is evidenced in various ways…such as the way we are self-controlled in our speech, the way we care for the afflicted, and the way we strive to keep ourselves unstained from this sinful world.

As you can see, up to this point, James has spoken on a variety of truths that are important for us to faithfully embrace. And as we now turn our attention to chapter 2, Lord-willing he’ll continue to show us what being mature & devoted people of God looks like…what being hearers & doers of God’s Word looks like…what being practicers of pure & undefiled religion looks like.

READ THE TEXT

So with all of that by way of introduction, I invite you to now stand and to listen as I read today’s text for us.

James 2:1–13 “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill 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 but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

PRAY. SEAT CONGREGATION.

SET THE TABLE

Well looking back at chapter 1, in a sense, James’s opening chapter has more of the feel of an opening survey…the feel of a more quick-hitting, general overview of various topics…topics that—in considering the rest of his letter—he would revisit later.

And here, as we now set our sights on chapter 2, James now seems to begin to settle into what we might call the body of his letter. As we’ll see from our text, he now starts to camp out a little longer in particular spots at times…at times, he now starts to get a little more specific with certain topics that he’s already more briefly alluded to in the opening chapter.

One of those general topics that James mentioned back in chapter 1 had to do with two different classes of people in the world’s eyes: the rich and the poor. And before we consider this text, again, it’s important for us to remember the context of who James is largely writing to here. He’s primarily writing to Jewish Believers who have been uprooted from their homeland, and who are now in Dispersion. And so, what kind of financial situation…what kind of socio-economical class do you think most of these believers found themselves in amid this Dispersion? They were poor.

And so back in chapter 1, we saw James encourage this largely-poor community of believers by reminding them that true wealth isn’t about the external riches of this world! No, it’s about the riches of a new & exalted status as new creatures in Christ.

Amid the Dispersion, these believers needed a strong reminder about the reality of their rich status as believers. Why? Because remembering can be hard sometimes.

Beloved: you and I both know that although we are heirs of a rich inheritance in Christ, actually walking by faith and actively remembering this rich reality can be very difficult at times…especially when we’re facing difficult trials of various kinds…or—maybe even more especially—when things might be going really well for us externally or financially.

Regardless of our poor or rich circumstances, remembering where our only true wealth lies can be difficult at times. Why? Because as saints, we’re simultaneously sinners…and as we wait to receive our rich future inheritance, for the time-being we continue to battle against our remaining sinful flesh, this sinful world, and the devil himself.

Leading into our text for today, James has just been talking about being doers of God’s Word, and about practicing pure & undefiled religion. And one mark of practicing pure religion that he mentions is to “keep [ourselves] unstained from this [sinful] world”.

Sadly, far too often, the Church struggles to keep herself unstained from this world. Far too often, we allow the sinful ways of this world to creep into our local church life & gatherings, and the Bride of Christ gets stained in the process. Sadly this can happen in Christ’s Church of our day, as it did in Christ’s Church of James’s day.

And in James’s day, one of the impure issues that was taking place within the life and gatherings of those Christian communities had to do with this topic of the rich and the poor. Right out of the gate in our text for today, James makes it very clear what was going on. He writes this in Verse 1: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”

Showing partiality. Discriminating against others based on worldly external reasons. As we’ll see later, in this case, particularly discriminating against others based on external, socio-economical status. Favoring the rich over and against the poor. This is James’s main idea and main focus in this section. On some level, this was taking place among brothers and sisters in Christ whom he was writing to. God’s Word was not being done...pure & undefiled religion was not being practiced in this particular way by certain professing believers.

This showing of partiality is not compatible with holding the one true Christian Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. And so James here is writing to correct and to rebuke those who would sinfully showing this kind of partiality within the body of Christ. And yet amid his correcting and rebuking, he is also sure not to leave them without hope and without encouragement in the Lord.

This morning, we’re going to consider the rest of this passage under 4 basic headings. Under the first two headings, we’ll consider a tangible example of what partiality looks like, and examine why this particular kind of discrimination is problematic. And then under our last two headings, we’ll turn our attention to a more positive plea toward impartiality , and consider why there is hope and victory in doing God’s word in this way.

EXPLAIN & APPLY THE TEXT

A PICTURE OF PARTIALITY (v2-3)

That said, let’s jump into our 1st Heading for this morning, which is this: A Picture of Partiality. Here we’re considering verses 2-3.

After exhorting his fellow believers to “show no partiality” while holding the faith in Christ, James immediately then paints a picture of what partiality looks like.

Now before we take a look at this…there’s a little debate over this scenario that James presents. First, there’s debate on whether this situation occurred during a typical weekly Christian gathering, or whether it was during more of an offshoot Christian assembly where a dispute was being handled between a rich and poor member of the church. And then Second, there’s also debate on whether James is even referring to an exact situation at all that occured amongst his recipients, or whether he’s more so using it as an illustration for them.

Compelling arguments are made on both sides, and I’m not sure that we can know for certain…but personally, I lean in the direction that James here is using this scenario to portray a “picture”—to provide a “case study”— of a hypothetical situation during their typical weekly worship gathering…in order to illustrate a real, general issue that was taking place within this large, scattered community of believers that he’s addressing.

The good news is that even if I’m wrong in my leanings? Jame’s main point still stands: “showing partiality” is not compatible with holding the Christian faith.

So…with all of this said, here’s the situation that James portrays to these believers in Verses 2-3: “a man [who is] wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into [their] assembly…and a poor man [who is wearing] shabby clothing also comes in [to their assembly]…”

And then James continues on by presenting these believers with what I believe is a hypothetical case study…a hypothetical outworking of this situation by saying this: “you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet…””

Here, James is giving color and clarity to what partiality and discrimination against a poor believer looks like. A man wearing a gold ring—likely indicating that he’s a member of the upper-Roman class—this rich man is shown favoritism by the Church, over and against this other poor man. Some sort of church leader—one who is at least comfortable enough to give authoritative direction on seating arrangement—he directs this rich man to “sit here in a good place”…likely meaning an ideal seat close to the speaker…while directing the poor man to one of two “lesser” locations: he is either to “stand over there”, likely meaning a standing place far away from the speaker (which, this poor man is probably already weary from standing & walking)….or, he is to sit at this church leader’s feet (a degrading position, not to mention likely a position with poor visibility to the speaker).

Brothers & Sisters: whether this literally happened or not, James is obviously using this scenario to illustrate how problematic the practice of discrimination is within the Church. How problematic partiality is.

FIVE PROBLEMS WITH PARTIALITY (v4-11)

We know this, because he immediately goes on talk about just how problematic this kind of conduct is in the next handful of verses. This brings us to our 2nd Heading for the morning, which is this: Problems With Partiality. Here’s we’ll be considering verses 4-11 and we’ll be taking a look at 5 different problems that James highlights.

It Comes From Evil Motives of Judgment (v4b)

One of the first problems that he shows us about showing partiality is that this kind of outer conduct? It comes from inner, evil motives of judgment. We see this in the back half of Verse 4. After playing out this scenario of partiality in their Church assembly, James then assesses the discriminatory behavior by saying this: in doing this, “have you not…become judges with evil thoughts?”

You know, when it comes to the notion of judging others…there is a popular tendency to isolate these well known words of Jesus: “judge not, that you be not judged.” They take these words and proceed to then rule out any form of judging others—though they ignore the fact that Christ goes on to say a lot of about rightly judging others…and though they themselves, quite frankly, often seem to be among the worst when it comes to judging others.

Beloved: we must be careful to remember that there is such a thing as judging others rightly…and may we strive to do this wisely and faithfully. But here in this scenario, James is calling out the wrong kind of judgment. He does so by labeling this discriminating body as “judges”…saying “have you not become judges?” This label is NOT meant to be a compliment! No, he’s using the term “judges” here in a pejorative sense against them. Essentially, he’s saying that these discriminators have become their own rogue judges over other people……that they’ve wrongly laid claim of God’s own authoritative right to stand in just judgment over other people.

And James tells us that this wrong judgment against this poor man? It’s the bad fruit of inner “evil thoughts”…it’s the outflow of unrighteous inner motives. This is the mark of an immature believer. The mark of a wavering, divided believer. Yes, all of us will struggle with sinful inner thoughts, but this kind of un-checked inner evil is what characterizes immature & double-minded people. Yes, this person is a professing believer in Jesus Christ…but wow, this kind of discrimination sure wreaks of this sinful world. This kind of partiality is concerning, and it needs to be corrected quickly! If not, the ripple effect will be devastating…not just individually, but corporately as well!

It Causes Division In The Church (v4a)

And this leads us right into second problem with partiality. What happens when evil & divided motives of judgment flow forth into practicing this discrimination outwardly? It causes division within a local assembly…it creates separation within a local body…a local body that is meant to be, practically, what it already is, positionally, in Christ: United. Together.

In the front half of Verse 4, James says this about those who discriminate against the poor believer: “have you not then made distinctions among yourselves?”

Making “distinctions among yourselves.” Here, James isn’t referring to more horizontal kinds of distinctions…such as the way that we’ve all been distinctly created and uniquely gifted as fellow believers——and yes, within these horizontal kinds of distinctions, we’ll certainly find aspects of God-given authority, headship, etc.

But no, James here is saying that the favoring of a rich believer over and against a poor believer is a vertical kind of distinction. Whether explicitly or implicitly, it’s making distinctions that actually place the inherit value and worth of the rich over and above the poor. It’s inequality within the body of Christ.

These unjust judgments & distinctions start within the minds of members who are immature & who are divided in their attitude & devotion to the Lord. And if left unchecked and unrepented of…these members who are divisive in their thinking will become divisive in their conduct toward other members, which will lead to a divided local body…which is not glorifying to Christ, Who is the Head of every local body.

It Contradicts God’s Regard For The Poor (v5-6a)

Moving on, James goes on to show us a third problem with partiality in this section. In verse 5 through the first part of verse 6, he writes this: “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man.”

Beloved: what James is telling us is that when we show discrimination against a poor brother or sister—whether that be in thought or in external conduct? This actually goes against and contradicts our Father’s own regard for them.

And what kind of regard does our Heavenly Father have for the poor believer? The kind of regard that has led Him to set His redeeming love upon them. Our Father has chosen them and given them the gift of faith—the rich gift of faith! Faith, as Peter tells us, that is “more precious than gold.”

This faith of the poor person is rich and more precious than gold because it’s a faith that receives the most Good and Perfect Gift that our Heavenly Father gives: the King Himself. Our Father has given the poor believer a faith that receives Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory! A faith that is directed and lovingly devoted to Him. A faith that vitally unites the poor person to this Supremely Rich King. A faith that makes them “heirs of the kingdom”, with a rich inheritance that their King is ready to bestow upon them!

This is the kind of regard that our Father has for the poor believer: royal regard…full of exaltation and honor! And in this case study of partiality, James is sharply rebuking those who would dare dishonor this poor believer…those who would dare show partiality to this man whom our Father holds in such high regard.

Beloved: here in our own local assembly…both with our external conduct and with our internal thoughts…may we fight to forsake any form of dishonoring one another. And should the King continue to add more to His local kingdom outpost here? May we honor, and may we hold in high regard the poor believer who comes through those doors…as well as the rich believer…and as well as any other fellow believer.

Though God indeed has a special care and concern for the poor—Scripture makes that abundantly clear—it’s not only the poor that He saves and redeems. This isn’t what James is saying. The Lord is bringing all sorts of people into His Kingdom.

And so, as fellow believers who are rich in faith—who are equally rich in Christ—may we regard all fellow believers as our Perfectly Impartial Father does: with love and with honor.

It’s Makes No Common Sense! (v6b-7)

Well not only does showing partiality contradict our Father’s high regard for the poor, and thus makes no sense theologically…but it also makes no sense practically…it makes no common sense. This is another problem with partiality that James shows us in Verse 6-7.

Here we see James briefly use more practical reasoning as he continues to rebuke those who would discriminate against poor believers in favor of rich believers. And he reasons with them by presenting 3 parallel questions…3 parallel questions that he expects his recipients to affirm with a resounding “Yes”.

Before we consider these questions, for a moment, let’s first try to put ourselves in the shoes—in the sandals, if you will—of one of the recipients of this letter…of one of these Jewish Christians who had been driven from his or her homeland, and who now (in Dispersion) is living in poor conditions, along with many other poor Jewish Christians. One who in that day likely witnessed (or even experienced for themself) certain levels of oppression at the hands of rich pagans…maybe even oppression at the hands of rich fellow believers from time to time.

With this lens on, let’s consider James’s 3 questions here in Verse 6-7:

“Are not the rich the ones who oppress you?”

“Are not the rich the ones who drag you into court?”

“Are not the rich the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?”

Here I think James is simply trying to get these poor Jewish Christians to just pause…to just stop, and to soberly consider the discriminatory ways of so many rich pagans in the world around them at that time…and to contrast that way of life with their own high calling as new creatures and co-heirs with Christ. To remember some things that he had just said a few verses earlier: that pure religion is about caring for the afflicted, and that it’s about keeping yourself unstained from this world. So why, then, would you follow the filthy ways of the rich who discriminate against those who are afflicted and vulnerable? Why would you let that way of life creep into the life of Christ’s Church? Far be it for that to happen! And not only that, but why would you specifically show partiality in favor of this “discriminatory class” (generally speaking) at the expense of your fellow poor and afflicted believers? It makes no sense!

Beloved: showing partiality is the way of this sinful world. This sinful world oppresses…it abuses…it blasphemes the honorable name of Jesus Christ…the name by which our Father has called us and brought us forth. And among the loudest, most blaspheming discriminators in this sinful world are those who have the resources and the positions of power to exercise this partiality against those with lesser resources, and against those in powerless positions.

So may we not follow the way of this world. May we fight to keep ourselves unstained from this world. May we not let the discriminatory practices of this world creep into our congregations. May we not cater to classes of people that are “higher up” in the world’s eyes…higher-up classes that tend to oppressively and abusively discriminate other “lower class” people in the world’s eyes.

And yet..may we also be very careful not to swing too far into another ditch …into another ditch that has become more prominent in recent years. May we be careful not to swing too far into a realm that has been called cultural marxism…where people of certain demographics are automatically placed into categories of being either “the oppressed” or “the oppressor.” This kind of ideology is not only opposed to the Word of God, but it’s highly discriminatory in itself!

Beloved: again, may we strive to be like our Impartial Father, Who (as Deuteronomy 10 reminds us): is “God of gods and Lord of lords”…Who is “the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.”

It’s The Committing of Sin (v8-11)

Well finally…now looking at verses 8-11…James gives us one other reason as to why showing partiality is problematic. James has been alluding to this reason all along, and it’s why he’s been in “rebuke mode” up to this point…only now he proclaims it loud and clear: Showing Partiality is Sinful. One who would favor the rich over and against the poor? He is one who is committing sin against God Most High…he is one who is a transgressor of God’s Law. He stands guilty.

And in an effort to open the eyes of his recipients toward this reality…in an effort to move perpetrators toward repentance…James appeals directly to God’s Law.

Let’s go ahead and read Verses 8-11. James writes this: “If you really fulfill 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 but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”

In appealing to God’s Law here, James’s appeal has a few different aspects to it. First, he’s very straightforward about partiality’s rightful place among the commands of God…meaning this: if you show partiality against your neighbor, that means that you are not fulfilling God’s royal law of love. And if this is the case, then you’re transgressing God’s Law. You are sinning. God’s Law convicts you as guilty.

Beloved: partiality is NOT just some lesser, minor sin that doesn’t affect one’s relationship with God. I think that’s partly why James goes on to mention other (more obvious) sins here in the same breath, like adultery and murder! No, were’ talking about a completely holy and just God!

The sin of partiality is very serious. And that’s why James goes on to continue to appeal to God’s Law…this time in two other ways: by reminding them of the perfect demands of God’s Law, as well as the perfect unity of God’s Law.

What does the perfectly righteous standard of God’s Law demand of all people? Perfect, personal, perpetual obedience. This includes perfectly forsaking the discrimination of others in our lives…not only in our external conduct, but also as it pertains to our inner thoughts & motives as well.

Again, I don’t think it’s random that James mentions the sin of partiality in the same breath as adultery & murder. As I’ve said before in this series, James closely has in view the direct teachings of Jesus in this letter. And here, I believe he likely has in view Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

Consider Jesus’s words in Matthew 5: ““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

And then just a few verses later, Jesus proceeds to clarify the one other of the 10 commandments mentioned here in James 2: ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Brothers and sisters: when we’re confronted with the true, perfect demands of God’s Law—demands that probe the deepest part of our hearts—we should be left asking the same thing that Jesus’ disciples asked Him: “who then can be saved?”

You see, not only does the Royal Law of God’s Kingdom demand perfect obedience when it comes to discrimination, but the command to forsake partiality is indivisibly connected to the whole of God’s Law. The breaking of even just one command—like partiality? It means that you are convicted as being a transgressor of God’s law as a whole.

And so James here…in hopes of seeing repentant fruit as it pertains to partiality within the Church….and in hopes of seeing the fruit of continued maturation within the Church…he reminds these believers of the convicting power of God’s Law, and of the sinful reality of discrimination.

Beloved: holding the faith in Jesus Christ means upholding God’s royal law of love…which includes forsaking any form of unjust partiality against our neighbor.

THE PLEA FOR IMPARTIALITY (v12)

And then positively-speaking…this also means positively striving to love our neighbor well…positively striving to love our neighbor impartially, regardless of their external status in the world’s eyes. This brings us to our 3rd Heading that we’ll consider this morning, which is this: The Plea For Impartiality.

Up to this point in this section, James has mainly been in “negative mode” with his recipients…in “rebuke mode” as it pertains to this particular aspect of God’s royal law.

But here in verse 12, we start to see his tone and focus shift a little bit. He’s not shifting away from his focus on partiality, but now, he’s focusing more on positively exhorting them to impartially love the poor. He writes this in Verse 12: “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”

Having just reminded these believers of Christ’s royal command to love their neighbor as themselves…and having just convicted them with the perfect and righteous demands of this royal law, James is now calling them into positive action.

In particular, James is calling on them to “speak” and to “act” righteously. Remember, he had just presented them with a case study in which their Church is speaking and acting discriminatively in favor of a rich believer over and against a poor believer. Verbally telling, and actively directing their fellow brother in discriminatory ways…ways that weren’t fit for the Kingdom of Christ.

Brothers and Sisters: as co-heirs and servants of the King…we are to speak and act in ways that are fit for Christ’s Kingdom. Of God’s own will, He has called us and brought us forth by His word of truth. And in bringing us forth as new creatures in Christ, God has planted the Word of Christ’s Kingdom within our regenerated hearts. Not only has He planted His gospel promises within our hearts…but He’s also planted the good commands of His royal law within our hearts.

And so, as we continue to trust His Gospel promises…as we continue to hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ…we are to continue to meekly receive God’s royal law. We are to continue to be doers of God’s royal law by holding the poor believer in high regard…by speaking to them and conducting ourselves before them in edifying, gospel-rich ways. Likewise, we are to hold the rich believer in such a high regard as well.

And we are to faithfully strive to love our fellow co-heirs in this way, not as the basis for our just standing before God—that’s impossible for fallen sinners like us! But we are to faithfully strive to love our fellow co-heirs in this way because we have been justified before God…because we have been set free in Christ..because we have been counted with His royal righteousness. And having been set free and counted as righteous in Christ, it is now our privilege and our duty to love our fellow co-heirs within Christ’s Kingdom.

Beloved: we are no longer those who are judged under the law of condemnation, but under the law of liberty. Having been set free in Christ, and with His royal law now written within our hearts…we have been given new desires and new a calling—a high calling—to be doers of Christ’s law for the glory of our King, and for the good of our neighbor.

With this high calling comes increased responsibility for faithful kingdom living. And so we must heed James’ warnings thus far about partiality, as we must also heed his positive exhortation here to speak and to act faithfully toward fellow believers, regardless of their external status in the world’s eyes.

THE PRIZE FOR IMPARTIALITY (v13)

Well in closing, this now brings us to our 4th and Final Heading, which is this: The Prize for Impartiality.

Here we’re considering Verse 13, where James is continuing to talk about what it means for believers to be judged under the law of liberty.

Let’s consider the first part of this verse: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.” Again, it seems like James is gleaning from the direct teachings of Jesus here. Think back to the Sermon on the Mount again…this time to His opening Beatitudes. Christ says this in Matthew 5:7: ““Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

You know it’s interesting…if you pay attention to this, James takes a bit of a unique approach while gleaning for Jesus’s teaching here. He actually takes Christ’s words and flips them on their head for his own warning purposes. Rather than saying “blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”…James is essentially saying “cursed are those who are not merciful…there is no mercy for those who show no mercy…there is only judgment.”

As James throws in this brief warning, he still has this issue of partiality closely in view. Remember the picture of discrimination that he presented to them earlier? Where the rich and poor believer came into their Church gathering? In this scenario, what was the Church significantly lacking in thought, word, and deed toward their poor brother? Mercy. They showed no mercy toward their brother…which is one in the same with showing no love to him…which is a serious violation of Christ’s Royal Law.

And so the warning here about judgment being without mercy to those who show no mercy? It goes like this: Brother or sister, if you continue down this path of discrimination in a hard-hearted and unrepentant way…at the end of life’s road, you will find no mercy. You will find the just judgment that you deserve…because your faith will have been proven to be counterfeit. Dead faith..which is where James will actually go in the following verses, and where (Lord-willing) Kevin will lead us through next time.

Though as believers, our obedience is never the basis of our right standing on Judgment Day…our Lord absolutely takes into account the way in which our faith is legitimate or not…the way in which our faith does or does not spring forth into speaking and acting in ways that are fit for His Kingdom.

Beloved: showing partiality against a poor brother or sister in Christ? Showing no mercy to them in this way? This is a forsaking of God’s royal law. This is NOT loving them as yourself. If we are not going to show mercy to one another in this life, God’s judgment upon us will be without mercy.

If we aren’t repentantly striving to impartially love one another while holding the faith? Then we will wind up like the unforgiving and unmerciful servant in Jesus’s parable. Remember that parable? Surely James had this at the forefront of his mind as well. I invite you to turn to Matthew 18 if you’d like. If not, just listen as I read verses 23-35.

Matthew 18:23–35 ““Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.””

Beloved: we all fall so short in loving our neighbor as we strive to faithfully serve our King. In our endeavor to show mercy to those who are deemed as “lesser than” in the world’s eyes, we sin…and God’s royal law convicts us as transgressors. We are so imperfect in our pursuit to impartially love as our God impartially loves.

So what are we then to do? Do we just give up? Do we just keep on sinning so that God’s mercy may abound? By no means! There is no abounding mercy for the one who continues forth in unbridled, unrepentant discrimination (or any other unrepentant sin for that matter).

But here’s the good news, brothers and sisters: God’s mercy DOES abound toward His beloved children. As James reminds us: “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” And we can take it to the bank, knowing that if , by faith, we continue to humbly and repentantly strive to love one another in merciful ways, His streams of mercy will never cease. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

In and of ourselves, we deserve judgment. Full stop. But we are not in and of ourselves, Beloved. We are in Christ. By faith, we have been vitally united to the One who triumphed over the judgment of the cross. And in triumphing over judgment, Christ has earned victorious mercy for all whom the Father has given Him. Saints: this means that in Christ, we too triumph over judgment! Though all of us were at one time utterly poor in and of ourselves, we are now fellow recipients of this rich mercy. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Because Christ has triumphed over judgment, we are richly blessed with victorious mercy. But this is so much more than a positional status for us. Mercy is to be our way of life in Christ’s Kingdom. Rather than making distinctions among ourselves based on worldly, external reasons…rather than becoming judges with evil thoughts…mercy must win the day for us! Mercy must triumph over sinful judgment within our lives, and within our Church Body.

This stained world around us? Apart from Christ…not rooted in faith: Partiality is their way of life. Forsaking love and mercy is their way of life. Not so in Christ’s Kingdom, Beloved. We are to show impartial love and mercy to one another in our thinking, in our speaking, and in our actions. This is what rightly holding the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ looks like. This is what victorious Kingdom living looks like. The kind that triumphs over judgment.

CLOSING PRAYER.

BENEDICTION TEXT

Our closing benediction this morning comes from 1 Corinthians 15:56–58...

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers (and sisters), be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” AMEN.