October 07, 2025 | Be God's Family
Mercy Triumphs
Scripture: James 2:8-11(NIV)
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Devotional
Have you ever had one of those, "where have I heard that before," moments? In chapter 2, verse 8 James tells us, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right."
The last time I heard this quoted, Jesus was finishing up His Sermon on the Mount with a notable quotable, "so in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)
It turns out that Jesus was improving upon a well-known saying from a well-known story. The story is about a prospective convert to Judaism who asked if the Torah could be explained to him while he stood on one foot. The man challenged the two greatest rabbis of the time to summarize the Torah in just a few sentences. The first rabbi, Shammai, dismissed the man as unserious. But the other rabbi, named Hillel, took the man up on his challenge and replied, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."
On the surface, both sayings sound like the same "golden rule" that we grew up with, but there's a subtle difference in direction. Rather than the law just preventing us from doing something hateful to our neighbor as Hillel counseled, Jesus tells us to use our freedom in Him to go forth and actively do what will help our neighbors.
James is saying that the law isn't all about what not to do. Like, do not show favoritism, do not commit murder and do not commit adultery. Rather, the heart of the law (and the Lawgiver) is about what you do and why. Timothy said, "the goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (1 Timothy 1:5)
We are free to speak and act as one who will be judged by a law that seeks to extend love, kindness and mercy. That is so much better than a law that seeks to restrict us by condemning us for stumbling "at just one point" of sin. We get to experience a life-giving mercy that "triumphs over judgement."
Poem
Relating To God's Whole Law
Proverbs 3
Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you; take to heart my commands. They’ll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well. Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well n God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.
Proverbs 3:1-4
I have fav’rite commandments
The ones easy for me
The ones which by God’s grace alone
Have guards strong as can be
I have some laws I do not like
The ones I’d opt ignore
The ones I view with nonchalance
Consider quite a bore
Yet, all God’s ways are best for me
Abundant life to bring
I pray for friends who’d come along
With warning bell to ring
Lord, may each rule and precept
Be seen as life, as gift
To keep me steady on Christ’s course
My Rudder, lest I drift
