Verse 8
Verse 8 tells us that not everyone in the assembly was guilty of partiality (remember as in 1 John, the if really means ‘since’). There are those among the assembly who were fulfilling the royal law. What is the royal law? The royal law is the first and second commandment. This commandment was emphasized by Jesus in Matthew 22:39. Jesus says upon the greatest commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love one another as yourself are what “hang the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). There cannot be a love for one another (man to man) without a love for God. Notice that this love is unconditional without any favoritism. How do we know? Because the love that the Scripture puts forth is the deepest kind of love, agape love.
The term ‘royal’ in addition to the law puts forth several realities. First, this royal law is superior to any vain riches on earth. In context of verses 5-7, the assembly was guilty of elevating the rich person above the poor. However, the royal law, the kingly law, the very words uttered by Christ, are far greater than any rich person that the assembly could have elevated. Second, the royal law puts every human being on a level playing field. In other words, it resets the thought that the rich are truly greater than the poor. For the Christian in the dispersed assembly, he is charged to love both the rich and poor person like himself regardless of his financial status. Practically speaking, to love the rich as a poor person it would look like not having envy upon the rich. And for the rich person to love the poor must not include a looking down upon. Third, the royal law was authoritative over the Christians in this age, as it still is in our age (this is what it means for the church to be “fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture”). If I were to ask, are you still commanded to love others as yourself, I would hope to see a unified answer being, yes! Someone may ask, I am saved by grace through faith, not by the law, how is this binding over me? How do we respond? There are a multitude of ways to respond. Here are a few. 1. Consider the time in which this was written. The church had been established at this point and this law was to be carried out. 2. The law is given here to protect and guard against favoritism. Is favoritism still an issue today? You bet! 3. It comes from the very lips of our Lord Jesus. He told the rich young ruler, and His disciples heard as well that they were to love one another as they would want to be loved. If it is important to Christ, so much that He commanded it, then it is most important that we follow the Master. A note about binding. The law is binding in as much as we are to follow it. However, we are not enslaved to the Law. Instead, as followers of Christ, should we not look at this command, called the royal law, and follow it out of gratitude and love for Christ?
At the end of verse 8, James strikes a human element. There is a part of humanity that tries to do good. Now, the cause of this is God’s common grace, for there is not one who does good (Psalm 14:3). Nonetheless, being made in the image of God brings forth a marred representation, and a marred ‘doing’ well. What is striking about the end of verse 8 is that the word for ‘well’ literally means good. In other words, if you love your neighbor, you are doing good. How is it that humans cannot do good (as seen in the partiality of verses 5-7), yet can do good by fulfilling the royal law? The answer comes from the royal law being according to the Scripture. Think of it like this. In Luke 4:21, Jesus says that He is the fulfillment of the Scripture reading that He quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2 (Luke 4:18-19). What does Jesus fulfill? He fulfills being the One of whom the Spirit dwells, a preacher of the gospel to the poor, release the captives, etc. Would we argue this point? The command to love one another comes from Leviticus 19:18 that says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.” This is the very word of Yahweh. In the same way that Jesus speaks of Himself according to the OT, James 2:8 does not come from man’s mouth, but from God’s. In the same way that Yahweh God gave the ability for Israel to love one another within the camp, so He does with us who have believed in Him. A side note. It is a further extension of His grace that EMT’s and those who serve and ‘do good’ as we would perceive it. Because humans cannot do good on their own, an outside source must come to make this a reality. This is where God comes in. This is not a contradiction between Psalm 14:3 and James 2:8. It shows us our desperate need for God. We can do no good apart from Him.
Verse 9
James returns to the topic of partiality after a brief removal from it. He, again, acknowledges that there is a sect in the dispersion that are at present being partial toward others. As we have seen before, James pulls no punches. He blatantly states that partiality is sin. Not sinful, but that it is sin, the very thing that God hates (Psalm 5:4-6, Proverbs 6:16-19). Nowhere does the Scripture say that the sin of partiality is worse than any other. But James is compelled in verses 10 and 11 to flesh this reality out. The very same question, “is one sin worse than another” must have been asked in there day because James answers that question in the verses to follow. This speaks to how much God hates the sin of partiality and sin in general.
Before we get to verse 10 and 11, it must be said that verse 9 is said of those who have an unseared conscience. Believers in Christ, when we sin, have our consciences on red alert. This is what it means to be convicted by the law. The law reminds us of what sin is. We are not saved by the law, but by God’s grace. Seeing how we sin so frequently, and violate the law, makes the grace of God that much sweeter. Let us think about the other side of the coin. Consider the person who says that he/she is a Christian. A good question to ask is this, “does your sin convict you of your violating the law of God? And if so, have you trusted in Christ to be forgiven of it?” This will tell very clearly where a person stands. On the other hand, the unbeliever will not care about his/her sin. Therefore, there will be no conviction by the law as a transgressor. There will be no want, nor care of the grace of God. Because many times while confronting an unbeliever, he/she will say that they have not transgressed against the law and are ‘morally’ a good person. And this is the unbeliever’s basis for salvation. The law is good, that is why we have the 10 Commandments. Again, considering the audience that James was speaking to, the law must have held significant weight for him to bring it up. And, since the context is the church age, it is just as necessary for us as well.
Verse 10
The question of one sin being above another is clearly answered in verse 10 and reemphasized in verse 11. James does not want to put forth that the sin of partiality is the worst sin and that none come close. This is far from what James is articulating! Notice that James does not mention any specific sin that is committed to cause one to break the entire law. He says if one “stumbles in one point.” Well, which point is it? Thankfully, the Scripture clearly teaches that there is not one sin alone that causes the entire breaking of the law, and the rest are permissible. Instead, if any one sin is committed the entire law is broken. What a need we have for Jesus!
To stumble means to transgress. This is articulated clearly in 2 Peter 1:10 which says, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and choosing sure; for in doing these things, you will never stumble.” This verse follows a call to high, godly living. This is what James articulates as well. There are two others verses that demand a high call to live godly, and the severity for breaking one law out of the many. Deuteronomy 27:26 says that if any one of the laws is broken, such a lawbreaker is cursed. Mounce comments on James 2:10 similarly saying, “James 2:10 uses ‘enochos’ to indicate guilt for sin and the corresponding obligation to punishment on that account. In other words, God does not see the sin that we commit lightly. Therefore, the ‘stumbling’ in verse 10 is full fledged sin. Further, this brings forth that every sin committed is a cause of stumbling. Consider what the preacher says in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”
Verse 11
A practical example is given in verse 11 of what verse 10 looks like. The two commands that are given are different from partiality. This emphasizes that sin is deplorable in God’s sight. This verse reminds me of evangelism today. When we confront people with the law, do we confront them with the entire law? We don’t have to. Asking a few questions against the law, lying, stealing, murder (hatred toward another) or adultery is enough to show that the law of God has been transgressed against. In the context of James 2, the questions that are asked are directed to the church assembly. Therefore, we need to be reminded of the law and the seriousness of transgressing it. James quotes from Exodus 20:13-14, an excerpt from the OT to the congregation. In so many words, the Scripture tells us that the 10 Commandments are just as relevant, powerful, and authoritative as they were when James was reciting them. Consider the words of Paul in Romans 13:8,10, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law… Love does not work evil against a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.” This said, you and I are not bound under the law, for we are saved by grace, not by the law. The grace of God is seen in His great love for us that Jesus Christ took the penalty that the law affords against us. He endured the punishment deserved and the wages of death that our sin deserved. In no way does James remain fixed on the law being our means of salvation. It is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Again, the law (the 10 commandments) is given to us to remind us of our sin. But we are not saved by following the 10 commandments. We are saved because we are free in Christ. This leads us to verse 12.
Verse 12
If there was any doubt to whom James was speaking to, verse 12 erases any doubt. How do we know? In the way that the dispersed believers were to be judged. You will notice that they are not judged by the law that is bondage, but the law of freedom that is found in Christ alone. Although, Christ’s name is not used in verse 12, from other texts we know that Christ is the only one who provides true freedom. Galatians 5:1 makes this abundantly clear saying, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
James comes back to a call to action, a call to act differently than what the believers had in verses 3-4, 6. Instead of being partial, or it could be generally said, instead of living with open sin, live in a way that reflects freedom in Christ. Paul emulates these words in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Paul writes similarly in Philippians 4:8. What James is telling the dispersed believers is simply, to live like Christians! According to verse 12, it is not enough to just live out the Christian life, but to speak it.
The speaking and acting are done from the liberating presence of the law of freedom. In other words, Christians are to speak and live unlike anyone else. We are to stand out from the crowd. This does not mean that we are to throw ourselves to the world and say look at me, but it is to say that in our everyday life, the way we treat people, the way that we speak should reflect who we are in Christ. For the church in James’ day, instead of focusing on where to seat the rich and the poor, their aim should have been much higher. The question for us today is this, do our lives reflect a much higher aim than trivial matters?
Verse 13
The final verse of this section is the conclusion of it. Because there has been both human judgment in sinful partiality, and heavenly judgment according to the law of freedom, James goes a step further in contrasting these two things in a simple, two sentence summary. The merciless judgment is directed back to verses 3-4 and verse 6. The separation between rich and poor was a cutthroat operation. Again, as we saw last week, the partiality and judging with evil motives was out in the open, in broad daylight. They were not hiding it.
This impartial judgment is what Eliphaz convicts Job of in Job 22:6-11. He claims that Job kept all the riches for himself, and that he did not share his wealth with anyone else. And because Job did this, Eliphaz claimed that he was being judged by God. Now, if Job were actually guilty of these things, then Eliphaz would not be far off in his accusations. But because Job was not guilty of doing these things, he was wrongly accused. Regardless, the principle that is founded in what Eliphaz said is spot on. This is a scriptural truth. Proverbs 21:13 clearly states that “He who shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor will himself also call and not be answered.” In other words, when the one who neglected the poor has need, he will not be heard.
The Greek defines judgment not only as a distinction, but as “a judicial sentence” (Mounce). Hence the merciless nature of the judgment. This, too, is not foreign to the entirety of Scripture. Consider the words of Christ in Matthew 25:41-46 and notice the similarities… This is only one side of the coin. This text is only true of those who remain haters of God.
The end of verse 13 is most wonderful for everyone who has put his/her faith in Jesus Christ. Ezekiel 33:11 is Yahweh God’s declaration of not taking delight in the death of the wicked. He does not look upon them and smiles that they are headed for hell! This was true for Israel, and it is seen in God’s patience with them. Consider Micah 7:18 which reads, “Who is a God like You, who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold fast to His anger forever Because He delights in lovingkindness.” Another instance of God being kind is written in Ephesians 2:4-7… The fact that anyone is saved proves that God is merciful.
Because we are to follow Christ’s example, it is not enough for us to say yes and amen to this doctrine and move on. It demands a response. The same was true for the dispersed brothers. James was after a change in heart concerning these matters. His desire was for the brothers to live and act in a merciful way, not a merciless judgmental way. In so many words James is saying, ‘brothers, has God not been merciful to you? How much more often must you be merciful to those less fortunate around you?’ Mercy triumphs over judgment. This is seen, vertically, in Jesus’ death on the cross, fulfilling the Father’s will, to put death away, and provide life for all who would follow Him. Mercy triumphs over judgment humanly speaking in that through mercy and grace displayed to believers, they will be edified and strengthened. And applied to unbelievers, maybe mercy and grace toward them will be a means which Christ brings such a one to Himself.
