The Law of Liberty

James 2: 8 - 13

This section closely connects with the previous passage, but here, James introduces a new argument. In this third argument, he asserts that favoritism or partiality is a sin because it directly contradicts the commandment of love, referred to here as the “royal law.” It is called “royal” because it is a law given by Jesus Christ—the King of all kings—and is meant to be practiced and obeyed in the Kingdom of God. This royal law, as stated in James 2:8, is: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

So why is partiality a sin? Because love, in this context, is not about “liking” someone. “Liking” is preferential and selective—you choose who to like. But love, as commanded in this royal law, is not about preferences. We are told to love our neighbor, but we cannot define or limit who our neighbor is. Our neighbor is not only those we choose to love but also those who are difficult to love, even our enemies. While we may fall short of loving our neighbor, God—who is Almighty—has the power to transform us. The love commandment is incompatible with the sin of partiality. Anyone who continues to show favoritism is breaking the law, becoming a transgressor. The law is indivisible—unified and whole. This is why it’s referred to as the “royal law” (singular) rather than “laws” (plural). James emphasizes this unity in verse 10: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

This concept is also written in the story of the rich ruler in Luke 18. The rich ruler approached Jesus, calling Him a good teacher, and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus listed several commandments: “Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.” The rich ruler proudly responded, “All these I have kept from my youth.” However, Jesus had only mentioned five commandments, and there were still more. When Jesus instructed him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor, the ruler revealed his failure to keep the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” The ruler’s wealth had become his idol, and he struggled to separate from it. The rich ruler could not fully enjoy God because he also wanted to enjoy his wealth. Despite his outward adherence to the law, his attachment to money led him to reject the call to follow Christ. In the end, he walked away sorrowfully, unable to let go of his material wealth because his heart was attached to it.

I want to connect the rich ruler’s statement, “All these I have kept from my youth,” with James’ argument. James teaches that just as we cannot be preferential when following God’s commandments, we also cannot be selective when it comes to loving our neighbor. James points out that we cannot claim to have obeyed one command while failing in another, because the Lawgiver is one God—He is not fragmented. Therefore, the law given by Him is indivisible. We see a similar point in Galatians 5, where Paul talks about the Fruit of the Spirit. Paul uses the singular term “fruit” even though it consists of nine aspects (see Galatians 5:22). You cannot choose to excel in gentleness but ignore faithfulness, or be loving without also being joyful. This is impossible because all these qualities form one indivisible whole; it is one Holy Spirit who produces this fruit in us.

When we talk about integrity and unity, we’re talking about simplicity. Simplicity is essential in Christian doctrine. The Christian life is simple, but sometimes we make it more complex because our hearts are not simple. If our hearts are divided, then Christianity becomes complicated, and our lives become unnecessarily complex. There’s a teaching that says the substance of this world is one, while others claim there are many substances. The beauty of Christianity is that it can address the problem of “one and many,” such as in the doctrine of the Trinity. Similarly, talking about God’s commandments also involves the idea of one and many. The Ten Commandments are many, but we can crystallize them into one commandment: to love God and love our neighbor.

A lot of the problems in our lives stem from our failure to love. One such failure is the sin of partiality. People often tend to be close to those who are beneficial to them. This reflects the values of the worldly empire. But Christianity is countercultural, and if this countercultural aspect fails, then Christians fail miserably. We should not be a church that only respects and admires those who are beneficial to the church. Christianity must embody a different set of values than the world’s. So, what’s the beauty of loving all people, including the rich? If we only love the rich, it might be because we want something from them. But when we learn to love those who cannot repay us, we are “forced” to be sincere, because we have no expectation of anything in return. This sincerity is essential for our spiritual growth. I don’t want to generalize and say that serving the rich is always insincere. There are certainly times when we serve the rich without ulterior motives. However, the best way to practice love is to serve not only the rich but all kinds of people.

Jesus clearly stated that the law is indivisible. In Matthew 5:18-19, He said that not an iota or a dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. You and I cannot fulfill it perfectly on our own—we fail. But Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly for us. However, it doesn’t end with His perfect fulfillment of the Law. When we have fellowship with Jesus, we become more like Him, which means we are invited to fulfill the law ourselves, despite our weaknesses and shortcomings.

Sometimes, Christians misunderstand the notion of grace. They think that because Jesus has done everything for them, they don’t need to do anything else. While it’s true that Jesus has done everything for us, understanding this should stir a desire within us to obey the will of the Father. In Psalm 1, the righteous delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night. This represents the redemptive perspective of grace, which is crucial in Reformed spirituality. Yes, we live in a fallen world, and we witness the reality of selfishness, partiality, and favoritism all around us. Yet, with a redemptive perspective, there should be a countercultural response to the world’s values.

When we obey God’s law, we should not view it as a duty, obligation, or mere requirement. Instead, we should delight in obeying the law. While living in a fallen world, there will certainly be times when we need to deny ourselves. But if we never find joy in our religious duties, something is wrong. Have we truly been born again by the Holy Spirit if we feel burdened by going to church, struggle to reflect on the Bible, or find it difficult to be a blessing to others? Spiritual regeneration is crucial because it is the turning point that makes us delight in fulfilling our Christian duties.

James refers to the “Law of Liberty” because the law truly liberates. In fact, lawlessness is what actually strangles us and doesn’t bring freedom at all. The world has a very different concept of freedom. For the world, freedom means following and doing whatever your heart desires. For Christ, freedom is demonstrated through His love for us, dying to liberate us from sin. True freedom is found in loving and serving one another, and this is the essence of the “Law of Liberty.” The more we obey God’s commandments, the more we experience true liberty. Everyone has their own understanding of liberty, but if we return to the Bible, we must acknowledge that we are in bondage, and only Jesus Christ, the Son of Freedom, can save us. We are in bondage and cannot free ourselves. Jesus, the Son who is not a slave, is the only one who can liberate us and give us true freedom. As we grow in Christ, we experience sanctification, and one sign of this growth is that what once seemed burdensome—such as living in holiness—becomes increasingly delightful and enjoyable.

Verse 12 says, “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” You might wonder how “to be judged” and the “law of liberty” can go together. The “Law of Liberty” sounds like good news, while judgment sounds negative. But this means that if we disdain God’s law and choose to remain in bondage, we will be judged for our choice of imprisonment over liberation.

James concludes this argument not with judgment but with mercy (verse 13). Judgment is real, but it is only for those who show no mercy. This echoes Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” When we talk about mercy, we’re talking about people who have failed—miserable human beings. I once saw a video of a runner who was injured during a race, and then one man from the stands came down and supported the runner, helping him walk to the finish line. He didn’t win the race, but he received a standing ovation for his effort.

From this illustration, I want to invite you to consider two perspectives. The first is from the runner, who continued toward the finish line despite knowing he wouldn’t win. In the end, he received a standing ovation, not the winner. Despite our failures as human beings, we must keep striving toward the finish line. Don’t give up, because in the end, we will cross it and receive a standing ovation. How glorious is that? The second perspective is from the man who came down to help, representing God the Father helping the miserable human being. The Father shows mercy to His son who is in need, just as we see in the parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger son failed miserably but was shown mercy by his father. The older son, in this story, represents the “try harder” mentality. He feels superior to his younger brother. But in the end, we see that the older son, despite his good behavior, doesn’t have fellowship with the father. Why? Because he doesn’t understand mercy—he only understands reward. He’s the one who has done good all this time and feels entitled to the party and the reward. This is the typical person who lacks joy in their life.

That’s why the Bible speaks so beautifully: “Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.” Those who fail miserably and are forgiven by God are truly blessed. This is very different from the world’s belief that “Blessed are those who are great achievers and work hardest.” Don’t misunderstand me—we’re not celebrating failure, but as human beings, we’ve already failed before God. Only those who truly acknowledge their failure can understand God’s mercy. And those who understand God’s mercy will show mercy to others.

I hope this church becomes a merciful church, not a judgmental one. Let’s practice mercy, because it’s not just about feeling concerned. Concern alone doesn’t help—action is what makes a difference. I’m not saying that Christianity has no emotional aspect; of course, it does. But when we look at Jesus, we see the concrete action of love—a love that descended from heaven and stayed with us. That’s the merciful action we’re called to, not just concern. Let’s grow in Christ and be patient with those who are lacking or have failed, asking God to enable us to show mercy as He does. God bless us all. (G.N.S)