The Word of God (2:8–11)

"[8] If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: [9] But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. [10] For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. [11] 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."

The Word of God (2:8–11)

In the last few years, believers have fought over the Word of God's inspiration and authority. We should always remember that our lives and ministries are the best way to stand up for the truth of God's Word. D. L. Moody used to say, "Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather!"

James quoted one of God's laws from the Old Testament: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19:18). In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus taught us that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help (Luke 10:25–37). It's not about where you are, but about the opportunity we have to help others. The important question is not, "Who is my neighbor?" but more accurately, "Who can I be a neighbor to?"

Why do people call this command ("love thy neighbor") "the royal law"? The law stated this, and Jesus reiterated it to His followers (John 13:34). The first reason is that the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with God's love and wants us to share it with others (Rom. 5:5). “God teaches true believers to love one another” (1 Thess. 4:9).

But "love thy neighbor" is the royal law for a second reason: it is the most important law. “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10). If everyone really loved their neighbors, there wouldn't be thousands of complicated laws.

The third and perhaps the main reason this is the royal law is that following this royal law makes you a king. Hatred makes people slaves, but love frees us from selfishness and lets us rule like kings. Love helps us follow God's Word and treat others the way God wants us to. We follow His law because we love Him, not because we're afraid of Him.

An unhealthy favor ("respect" is the word used in verse 9) might show people can cause someone to break all of God's laws. Even someone who cares about another individual's social or financial status can discover ways to break any of the Ten Commandments. You might lie out of respect for someone, for example. It could lead to idol worship (taking money from the rich) or even being mean to one's parents. If we start acting on the idea that we should respect people and not follow God's Word, we are in trouble. We don't have to break all of God's laws to be guilty. There is only one Lawgiver, and all of His laws come from Him. If I break one law, I can break all of them. I have already done this by rebelling.

Christian love doesn't mean I have to have a regard for someone and agree with everything they say. I may find his manner of speaking or his actions unappealing, and I might not want to consider him a close friend. Rather, Christian love means treating people the way God has treated me. I try to make it an act of the will, not an emotion. This is the attitude that most glorifies God. The means by which we exhibit this love comes from the Spirit's strength inside us ("for the fruit of the Spirit is love," as noted in Galatians 5:22-23). When I love someone, I may feel drawn to them more and more, and I may see things in them (through Christ) that I didn't see before.

Christian love also does not leave a person where it finds him. Love should help the poor man do better, and it should help the rich man use his God-given resources in a greater way. Love always builds up (1 Cor. 8:1), but hate always tears down.

We only believe what the Bible says if we do it. If we don't follow the supreme part of the Word, "love thy neighbor as thyself," we won't do any good with the other parts. The Pharisees were wrong because they focused excessively on minor details while neglecting the more significant issues (Matt. 23:23). They broke the law they thought they were protecting!

{Tomorrow we will look at the fourth and final basic Christian teaching in the light of how we are to treat other people.}