None of us like to hear the word guilty if it is referring to ourselves. Most of us have watched shows like Matlock or Perry Mason, (ok, I know I am dating myself). We sit waiting for the verdict to be read. We know in our minds what the correct verdict should be, but somehow the jury finds the opposite of what we thought. We form our opinions based on the knowledge we have, but our knowledge may not be complete. While I love a good mystery where you sit in suspense and hope for a certain outcome, this is not the way it will be when we stand before God. He is a just God, and his verdict is final. He is the judge and jury, all wrapped up in one. His knowledge is perfect. These four verses in James chapter 2 deal with our guilt or innocence concerning whether or not we have true love.
James 2:8-11 “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor 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.”
In Verse 8 of our passage, the “royal law” of scripture is stated. Love your neighbor as yourself! This leaves many with the question, who is my neighbor? Our view of this would be anyone who lives around us, but if you read Luke 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan, you will understand it’s anyone we meet that has a need. This does not mean that we are to neglect our family, and their needs because that would be a sin also.
I Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
It does mean that we are to have compassion and love for others, and the result of that love will guide us to be selfless, not selfish. It is teaching us to love others. When we are saved the Holy Spirit comes in, and fills our hearts with God’s love, and he expects us to share that with others. Love fulfills the law.
Romans 13:10 “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
To keep this commandment, we do not have to like the person or become their intimate friend. We don’t even have to agree with them. Christian love is very simple. It is treating others the way God has treated us. There is no doubt we have broken God’s heart with our sin. We, before salvation, were his enemies. Yet he still loves us.
How do we do this? It is an act of the will. We determine we are going to obey God, and we chose to love. This love is not based on emotion. We may need to spend a lot of time in prayer asking God for help, but I can assure you that if you are asking God to help you do what he has commanded you to do, he will provide.
This passage is very clear on guilt or innocence, read it again. It’s really following the same theme of the first part of the chapter that teaches about prejudice. It’s just taking our treatment of our fellow man to the next level. It will also seek to take our “neighbor” on the journey to be more like Christ. Is this the way you treat those that are difficult or different from you? ARE YOU GUILTY?
Excellent