If ye fulfil the royal
law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do
well:
But if ye have respect
to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all.
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.
We tend to associate James 2:10 with the
verses following it regarding two of the Ten Commandments; against
adultery and murder. It is key, I believe, to associate it also with the
verses preceding it regarding what might by many be considered a lesser
commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.
This "lesser commandment"
though not found among the ten, is part of those laws of the Old Testament[1] and
was especially singled out by Christ as second only to "Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thine…"[2]
Two things come to mind:
- The importance of
loving and respecting all persons
- The serious mistake
of attempting to earn righteousness through these laws
If a man is trying to earn his
righteousness through keeping the law and just one time prefers one man above another
he has committed a sin as heinous as adultery or murder.
God offers a better righteousness through
faith in Christ. His righteousness liberates us to then practice good works for
the sake of the work and not as a futile effort to please God in the flesh.
James 2:8-11 Offend in one point
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