The Word of God (James 2:8-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-11-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Word of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 2:8-11

 

            Message of the verse:  “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”  (NKJV) 

“Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s royal command found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law.  And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.  For the same God who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’  So if you murder someone, you have broken the entire law, even if you do not commit adultery (NLT).”

            The term “royal law” seems to have a special meaning, for God the Father gave it first and Jesus Christ also spoke of this law while He was on the earth.  James has been talking about the rich people, and some of the sins that they commit, so now he changes his focus to all as seen in verse eight.  Again it is good to remember that God is not a respecter of people, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 

            As far as to who your neighbors are, we only have to look at the parable that Jesus spoke of concerning the “good Samaritan” to see this point made.  It is not a matter of geography, but opportunity.  If we love our “neighbors” as we love ourselves then we will not show respect of people, for we will love them all no matter who they are.  Now a word about Christian love:  “1. Christian love means that I am to treat others the way that God has treated me.  2. It is an act of the will, not an emotion that I try to manufacture.  3.  The motive is to glorify God.  4. The means is the power of the Spirit within (for the fruit of the Spirit is love).  5. Christian love does not leave the person where it finds him.”  (Be Mature) 

Now a word about breaking one point of the law and breaking the whole thing:  “The law of God is not a series of detached injunctions but a basic unity that requires perfect love of Him and our neighbors.  Although all sins are not equally damaging or heinous, they all shatter the unity and render men transgressors, much like hitting a window with a hammer at only one point will shatter and destroy the whole window.  Guilty of all:  Not in the sense of having violated every command, but in the sense of having violated the law’s unity.  One transgression makes fulfilling the law’s most basic commands—to love God perfectly and to love one’s neighbor as oneself—impossible.”  (MacArthur study Bible)

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to make a point as to how this would apply to my life, and to every believer’s life.  If everyone would keep this law to love one’s neighbor as they do themselves then there would be no need of any other laws.  Love is the reason that Jesus Christ left heaven to come to earth and if I can be filled with that same love then God can use me to do His will upon this earth while He leaves me here.  Love is where it is at for the believer. 

 

The Word of God was instructive and it was refreshing to me and it was also convicting.  I was convicted of a statement in the “Be Mature” book I am reading:  “We only believe as much of the Bible as we practice.  If we fail to obey the most important Word—“love thy neighbor as thyself”—then we will not do any good with the lesser matters of the Word.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Word of God in spite of circumstances or consequences.  To trust the Lord even when things did not work out the way that I wanted them to work out, and to pray that God would fill me with His love for others.