I am the oldest of four girls. Now, if you believe what the studies say about birth order, than you might guess that I am a natural care-taker, a natural leader, and a natural team player...however, I am also a natural people pleaser, perfectionist and a great lover of order and boundaries and therefore, a rule-follower. Yes, as I told you yesterday, I had and have my moments of rebellion and freedom, but for good or bad, they are far outweighed by my rule following in most cases.
Rule-following is not always a bad thing. Rules are in place for a reason -- they are usually boundaries that exist to enforce some type of protection. However, as we see in James 2, even boundaries have a boundary.
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"
The problem is that even the rules we follow can become gods to us. Rules and boundaries can be good. Margaret Manning says, "Clear boundaries become walls of separation dividing human relationships and community, and the enforcers quickly draw lines around the righteous and the unrighteous. Legalism prompts one to declare her "virtue" as the clearly superior standard." These boundaries can become divisions so quickly. We can quickly declare ourselves as having come out on top compared to someone else.
But look at what the Bible says in verse 10, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." We don't need salvation from Christ if we are perfect, but the moment we break one of God's laws and are no longer perfect, we need a Savior. And which of us hasn't broken one of God's laws? It's just after 6a.m., and sadly, I can tell you that I have already broken multiple! We are all fallen, and none of us will ever measure up...without Jesus.
So why do we do this? Perhaps it's easier to love the laws than it is to love the people. People are not constant and dependable. They are always changing. But if we can hold up a standard of a law or rule, now that is much easier to measure. But Jesus, in His life and ministry, shattered all of these boundaries. He ate meals with the lowest of the low; He had conversations in public with the most disgraceful people in town; He laughed with people who wreaked from their own sin and lifestyle. Jesus even healed people on the Sabbath (when one is supposed to rest), because He was not so concerned about the rigidity of people following the law -- He was concerned about the people. In fact, because of the way Jesus lived and with whom he spent time, the Pharisees accused Him of being a "glutton and a drunkard" (Matt. 11:19).
"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom..." Christ came for freedom. He does not sit by and watch your life, clipboard in hand, saying, "Oh, she did do this. But she didn't do this. And he almost did this correctly, but not quite...no point for him." This verse tells us, His boundaries and laws are established to give us freedom. You can be free from guilt and shame. He desires that you would live with the weight lifted off of your shoulders, because He has taken it off! And we need to speak and act and encourage one another in the same way.
"...because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" What good news! Mercy triumphs over judgment! This verse is not referring to your eternal judgment and whether or not you'll receive salvation, because James is writing to a bunch of Christians who already have received salvation. So, He's referring to the rewards once they get to heaven. Now that we have Jesus, this is how we should live now. Today, we need to show mercy to people who we would naturally judge. Look at the people you will come in contact with today as Jesus sees them, and as Jesus sees You. What a challenge this is to me today! And the truth stated here is that if we don't show mercy, we will not receive mercy. God is just.
So, what rules do you follow and uphold more than you maybe should? Perhaps you are of the no dancing, no cards, no drinking, no long hair list of rule-following? Or maybe your rules have to do with energy-saving light bulbs only, no plastic bags, and no animal products? Or maybe your rules sound like no being late, no clutter in the house, no grades for your kids below an A, and no weeds in the lawn? Does no cussing, no sex before marriage, and no materialism sound familiar? Rules and boundaries can be so good for us; God did establish these things for our own good, and we should follow them. But we cannot love the rules more than we love the people. Let God do the judging. He will judge us in the same way. But we, my dear friends, should speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives FREEDOM. Mercy should always triumph over our judgment.
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