#12
James 2:1-7
¶ My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
{{ ever catch yourself looking down on someone because of the way they may look? ??
Or trying to be excepted by someone who looks wealthy? ??
Both our sin.
Not one of us is better than another, we are all sinners, we have all fallen short, not one of us on this planet has arrived to any higher states then another, we are all sinners! }}
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
{{ Wow take the time to think about that one.
God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. And it is the rich who oppress you, and are quick to drag you into court.
Do not the rich try to lord over whomever they see as worth less than themselves?
I believe this is one reason Christ Jesus said
“it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” }}
James 2:8-13
¶ If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture,
“YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,”
you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said,
“DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said,
“DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.”
Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.
For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
{{ “mercy triumphs over judgment.”
These words are comfort to a believer’s soul.
But are not a relies to do and act as you wish concerning our life and how we are to live.
Through Christ Jesus we are redeemed, forgiven and saved from the pit of hell.
For through the blood of Christ Father God sees us as clean.
But that does not give us free rain to do as we please in life.
Back to Matthew 5 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
5:14-17
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill’
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Then in Matthew 5:21-47
Christ Jesus tells us that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. He shows us that the commandments we have been told to obey are not only to be fulfilled through actions but that they are now to be fulfilled in out though our thoughts and words. That through our thoughts and words we can break the commandments.
Such as
‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
and
‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’;
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Jesus tells us that He sees our thoughts, actions and words, and that through them we can sin and break His amendments.
It is not just what we physically do but our attitude and motives.
Even though we are covered by His blood and through the blood of Christ Jesus Father God see us as clean.
It is still our responsibility to keep His commandments.
Mathew 22:38-40
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
This is the great and foremost commandment.
The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
(You can’t be kipping these commandments if you are treating s rich man better than you are treating a poor man.)
It is your thoughts and actions that show who you truly are,
And your relationship with Christ Jesus.
Think that over, and then think about it aging.