James 2:10 says, For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Still speaking of loving your neighbor as yourself, James said if they kept the whole law except for loving their neighbor as themselves, they were guilty of disobeying all the law. Jesus Himself said that after loving God with all of our heart and soul that loving our neighbor was like it. We cannot love God and hate our neighbor, and our neighbor doesn’t mean just those who live close to us, but everyone we encounter.
Verse eleven adds, 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. James then gave the example of God’s law saying that you should not kill and also saying that you should not commit adultery, and that if we did not commit adultery but killed someone, we were equally guilty. If we don’t do either these but don’t love our neighbor, we are still equally guilty of sin.
Verse twelve continues, So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. James said that people should do what they said they would do so that they should be judged under the law of liberty. The law of liberty is faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord to bring us salvation, and once we accept His gift of salvation, we need to live as He calls us to do,
Verse thirteen continues, For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. James said that they would have judgment without mercy if they showed no mercy and rejoiced in the judgment of others. This still applies today. If we judge people as unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness and delight in their suffering, we will one day be judged by God for this.
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