Faithful Living - Studies from the Book of James
No 13 The Royal Law.
Part 1 James 2:1-13
Introduction.
In the opening verses of this chapter James is dealing with the Peril of
Discrimination. He condemns behaviour that is based on worldly or material
considerations.
The Church of the Jesus Christ ought to be
the one place where discrimination is not tolerated. Having highlighted this
folly, he now examines behaviour in direct relationship to God’s Law and its
fundamental teaching.
Those who discriminate are presumptuous.
They presume that discrimination is not a sin, it is not significant, and it is
not serious. God does not excuse discrimination, for it is an ugly sin. To
presume otherwise is to make a false presumption.
James 2:9 But if ye
have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors. KJV
James 2:9 but if you show partiality, you commit
sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (NKJ)
Wrong treatment of the poor is a violation
of God’s law and the guilty must be made to see that they are lawbreakers.
Sometimes we can make light of the way we treat others, but, if we treat people
unreasonably, we are breaking the Law of God.
The Description of the Law.
James 2:8 If you really fulfil the royal law
according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbour as
yourself," you do well;
Notice the unique phrase "The Royal
law according to the scriptures" This Law is Royal in its Source. It is
the Sovereign law of God, which is settled in heaven.
It is the law exemplified and fulfilled in
the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings. The Royal law of
Christ’s kingdom ought to control the subjects of that kingdom. This law is to
control the Believer’s attitude towards all men.
Illustration.
At one particular point, during our coronation service, a bible is handed to
the monarch with these words; " We present you
with this book, the most valuable thing this world affords. Here is wisdom;
these are the lively oracles of God.
The Bible is Royal because God is its
author. James is pressing home the fact that there is a law that is pre-eminent
and it’s the Royal law of God, which is according to the scriptures
The language of the scripture is filled
with phrases such as; "God said" "God spoke" "the word
of the Lord came". James believed in the inspiration and the infallibility
of the Royal law of the Scriptures. This is what he turns to for his authority
for dealing with the problem of discrimination.
The Bible stands alone. All other books
are trees, which men have planted, have trimmed and pruned with periodic care.
(Joseph Parker 1895)
Yes the Bible stands alone in thought,
event, direction, and sovereignty. It is the law of Christ’s kingdom and as
such it is to control all the subjects of that kingdom who are in fact royalty.
1 Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
Friends, God’s Law is relevant to everyone
on the face of the earth. Everyone must consider God’s spiritual law as much as
they would His physical law.
A Person might say, "I will have
nothing to do with the law of Gravity" they might say that, but they dare
not live by it.
If they deny the law of gravity, very soon
they will end up by breaking their neck.
But the person, who denies God’s law, will
end up by damning their soul. In that sense no obe
can afford to ignore the Royal law of God.
1) God’s Law helps the
Ungodly to find Christ.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The Apostle Paul, writing to these
Galatians about the law and their new-found faith, makes it abundantly clear
that the law was never given to save souls. It was given to be our
schoolmaster.
Gal 3:23 But before
faith came; we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. (KJV) Gal 3:23 But before
faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would
afterward be revealed. (NKJ
It was the Law, which showed people, how
futile it was to think that they could ever get to heaven by their own work.
The law revealed man’s guilt, his rebellion, his helplessness to keep the law
and the standard, which had been set by a holy God. The law was put in charge
to lead them to Christ.
The law of God, the Bible, is still used
today to bring souls to Christ. It is the entrance of God’s Word that gives
light and brings life to dead souls.
The Law still brings men and women from
the kingdom of darkness into the light of the glorious
The question, which is asked, is—Does this mean that, since Jesus has come, we don’t have to
obey the Law today?
1) God’s Law helps the
Ungodly to find Christ.
2) God’s Law helps the
Godly to Follow Christ.
The Bible helps the Believer to follow
Christ and to find Christ in all the scriptures.
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
From Genesis to Revelation we have the law
of God. —The word of God points us to Christ and reveals how we should live and
walk in the Truth The Bible is a lamp unto
our feet and a light unto our path.
Christians are bred by the word, fed by
the word and led by the word, that they might be conformed unto the likeness of
Christ.
Illustration.
As someone has said " The Bible is the statute book of God’s Kingdom,
wherein is comprised the whole heavenly law. The perfect
rules for a holy life and the sure promises for a glorious life".
Friends it is the duty of every believer
to be a witness for Jesus, living by the Royal Law of God, displaying the new
life in Christ, and standing fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us
free.
Jesus did not come to do away with the Law
for Christians. In fact He said
"Mat 5:17 think not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18 for verily I say unto you, till heaven
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Jesus made the Law a matter of heart. He
made it a matter of Love and he made it clear that Christians are under the
Royal Law of love.
James 2:8 if ye fulfil the royal law according
to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself, ye do well:
1) God’s Law helps the
Ungodly to find Christ.
2) God’s Law helps the
Godly to Follow Christ.
3) God’s Law Helps the
Believer to reach others for Christ
Martin
Luther, Not only are we the freest
of kings, we are also priests forever, which is far more excellent than being
kings, for as priests we are worthy to appear before God to pray for others and
to teach one another divine things.
James highlights, a particular portion of
scripture to describe the Royal Law, it’s the command. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"
To abide by the Royal Law, we must love
our neighbour as we do ourselves.
Mat 22: 37 --40 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 This is the first
and great commandment And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The Royal Law is not only, given by the
King of Kings, it is also the king of all laws. It is the Law of love that is
to govern those who are the citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. If we keep this law
we do well.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh
no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
The people, to whom James was speaking,
were not doing well because they were making a distinction between the rich and
the poor by showing favouritism.
The Royal Law set higher standards than
this. This Law demands that we love all and that we act in a way that will be
to their good and will bring glory to God.
Oswald
Chambers If my heart is right with
God; every human being is my neighbour.
In Luke 10 a Lawyer asked Jesus " Who is my neighbour?" The Lord told the parable
of the Good Samaritan and made it very clear that our neighbour is anyone who
needs our help.
The Priest and the Levite looked at the man who had been wounded by those who
had robbed him and passed by on the other side. But the
Samaritan bound up his wounds and then took him to an
Jesus says to the Lawyer " Which was the neighbour unto him who fell among the
thieves? The important question is not "Who is my neighbour? But "To
whom can I be a neighbour"?
Luke 10:36 which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto
him that fell among the thieves?
Luke 10:37 and he said, He that showed mercy on
him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
If you truly love God, you will love your neighbour.
It does not make any difference if they are rich or poor Love is the fulfilling
law. There would be no need for the thousands of complex laws that we have
today, if every person really loved their neighbour as they love themselves.
The secret of many a successful Christian
worker is not that he is skilled, or has gifts, which are superior to others.
But that those, to whom he ministers, know that he really cares about them, and
that he wants, with all his heart, the best that God wants for them.
Christian love does not mean that I must
like a person and agree with that person on everything. It does mean treating
others as God has treated me.
Christian love is an act of will; it is
not an emotion to be manufactured
The motive is always to glorify God; the
means is the Holy Spirit;
For the fruit of the Spirit is
Love" Christian love does
not leave a person where it finds them. Love builds up. Hatred always pulls
down.
Illustration.
In his book "Through the
The camp was a sea of mud and filth.
Gruelling labour and brutal treatment by the Japanese guards was the order of
the day. There was hardly any food, the law of the jungle prevailed, the
survival of the fittest.
Twelve months later, the situation was
transformed. The place was cleaned up, there was a lot more food for the
prisoners to eat and on Christmas morning 2000 men were at worship.
What brought about this transformation?
During the year, a prisoner had shared his last bit of food with another who
was in desperate need. Then he died. Among his belongings they found a well
read Bible. Could this be the secret of his life, and of his willingness to give
to others, and not to grasp all for himself?
One by one the prisoners began to read the
Bible. Soon the Spirit of the Lord began to work in their hearts, and changed
their lives. In a period of 12 months there was a Spiritual and moral
revolution in the camp.
It was lifted from disgrace to dignity,
from death to life by the Royal standard of God’s law.
When the Bible begins to be loved by men, men are lifted by the power of the Bible. As
Christians, may we ever remember that a Profession of Faith is empty without
love! Love finds and makes neighbours of those who need our love. This is
practical Christianity at its best.
John 13:34 A new
commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another. If
believers fail to love one another how can we really love God or those who are
lost?
13:1 Though I speak
with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding
brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Friends, God saw our need and He moved
towards us to meet that need
Rom 5:8 But God commended his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Having received such love, this love is to
go forth to others in need.
Others
Lord, yes others, may this my motto be
Help
me to live for others that I might live like Thee.
The Description of the Law.
The Declaration of the Law.
James 2:9 But if ye
have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors.
James 2:10 for whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
James now moves from a Description of what
the Law is, to a Declaration of what the law commands. He sternly condemns
those who have been practicing discrimination and favoritism
in the house of the Lord.
He speaks of their Guilt—v 9 ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors.
James is saying, if you show favoritism," you sin" and are convicted as
lawbreakers. You have offended God by your actions. In God’s eyes, favoritism, is not a trivial thing, it is intolerable.
Beloved we are reminded that no sin is to
be regarded as small or insignificant, because God forbids all sin. Minimizing
sin is the work of the Devil and we are not to fall into that trap.
Many self-righteous people presume that,
because they have lived lives free of what society call significant sins such
as, murder rape robber etc.
God will smile and just past over the
little sins of discrimination and the lack of love among His people. If we
should ever think this then we should look at, v 10
James 2:10 for whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
James is not saying that a person, who
commits sin, is held guilty of every other sin. Nor is he saying that to break
one part of the law is to break every other part of the law.
What he does say is,
that because God’s law is an entity, a unity, even one sin results in the law,
as a whole being broken.
It only takes one puncture to make the
whole tyre flat. One leak in a boat can cause it to sink.
It takes just one lie to make a liar, one
theft to make a robber, one murder to make a murderer.
John
Trappe. Once said " If the
best man in the world had his faults written on his forehead, it would make him
to pull down his cap over his eyes.
Surely we would all hide our faces in
shame if our sins were led open for all to see. We may not be guilty of what
would be termed as major sins.
But if we have not respect to persons and
do not love our neighbour as ourselves, then we have sinned against the Royal
Law of God and are guilty before Him with whom we have to do.
D.L. Moody—compared God’s Law to a chain of ten links suspending
a man over a Clift. If five links break the man falls
to his doom. If only one link breaks, he still falls to his doom. To violate
the law in one part is to be a lawbreaker.
God said to
Ezek 18:21 But if the
wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my
statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall
not die.
Friends where sin abounded Grace did much
more abound. V 10 has also an application to the
ungodly
James 2:10 for whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Many are still trying to cancel their sin
with good works and religious observance. The Apostle Paul,
makes it very clear in Gal 3
Gal 3: 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.
Gal 3:11
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident:
for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on
a tree
If sinners could be saved by keeping the
Law, there was no need for Christ to die on the Cross.
2 Cor 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich.
Eph 2:5
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;)
Even at our best we fall short of what God commands us to be. He will
never lower His standards, nor will he excuse our sin. He deals with them in
Grace and covers them with the Precious Blood of His Son who is the Lamb
without blemish.
1 John 2:1 My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Precious
blood of Jesus it hath Redeemed us-
All the Price is paid.
Perfect
Pardon now is offered
Peace
is made.