Godly Justice
Royal Law...”love your neighbour as yourself” ... doing right...Favouritism – Sin – convicted as lawbreakers... keeps this part of the law but screws up in another area your guilty of IT ALL!...
In this passage, James has opened this teaching about living out our faith to a subject much broader than only favouritism. He is addressing and issue of our heart that is particularly highlighted in favouritism.
Then he says something that is really hard to get your mind wrapped around... 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, we understand what it is to be judged by a standard and be found guilty and convicted to punishment. We understand what it is to “pay for a crime” but to be judged by a law THAT GIVES freedom is hard to understand – it seems justice has been cheated. When a murder gets off we feel justice has not been served. The law is there to protect good civil life and when justice is not served our ‘good civil life’ has been discredited and cheated. If you’re a murder, adulterer, thief, your crime must be satisfied – and judgement by a law that leads to your freedom is not part of our intellectual equation.
Mercy...is a good and nice sounding attribute, but if the crime is too heinous mercy may not be deserved. A grandmother may give mercy to a child who snitched a cookie where the parents may be less likely. But when it becomes matters of life and heart – mercy is costly
What James is talking about is the practical working out of a doctrine of our Christian faith called “JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH” and it is crucial for us to know and understand because it is the essence of what Jesus did on the cross and the basis of how we are to live life now.
“The principle of the whole doctrine of salvation and the foundation of all religion” J Calvin
Whether we realize it or not, what we understand about our position before God determines how we live and relate to other people.
One of my favourite movies & plays is “Les Miserables” based on the novel by the French author Victor Hugo.
Les Miserables
The ‘royal law’
‘royal’ comes from the same root as ‘kingdom’ – this kingdom law in which Jesus’ teaching must play a central part
Deut 6:4-6 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Lev 19:18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Then Jesus comes affirming this – His followers must love their neighbour as themselves, including the poorest people, who can offer them nothing material in return.
Luke 10:26-29 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27 He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
“Neighbour” embraces everyone – even enemies, just as Jesus taught in Luke 10 (Good Samaritan). Not only those close to us relationally, financially, or religiously, those similar to us in life or style but those who by circumstance or providence have intersected our lives.
We say... “there are some people I just don’t relate too...” “I am not comfortable around...” “I relate best to...those who are like me..like this...” “I just don’t have a category for ...” “I don’t understand...,” “I don’t like...” = SIN
James, Jesus and all of scripture affirm we are to live the “royal law” but to do it we ...
We must Experience God’s Justice - in our own lives
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, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Lawbreaker – ‘parabatees’ – violator
From God’s perspective it is all or nothing = one keeps the law – completely or else you are a violator of the law.
Jesus upped the bar – when he said
Matt 5:21-22
21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.
Everyone of us have violated God’s righteous laws
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of the law -
Our sin condemned us to death – not annihilation but the complete, physical, emotional, spiritual – ongoing death. It is the death people live in today (which is only a foreshadow of the death to come)
But Jesus changed all that ...Christ died for the ungodly to bring us to God
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
Gal 3:24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
We experience God’s Justice when we acknowledge and
receive the truth that Jesus died as a sinless man, in our place. The only way he could die as a sinless man
was because He was God himself and completely without sin, but took our place
to die for our violations as lawbreakers.
We are justified by faith alone – through grace alone – in Jesus alone.
2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It is in our repentance that we receive God’s forgiveness and the new life that the Holy Spirit brings.
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
2 Cor 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
Experiencing Gods Justice is Experiencing God’s Freedom
Rom 8:1-4Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
When we have experienced Gods Justification we begin to live differently...
Gal 6:2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
God’s law helps us see ourselves clearly...as sinners. Jesus comes to fulfill the law and take our punishment for our sin.
Before Gods Justice can be served, the law has to be satisfied, the law you and I broke.
2 Cor 5:14-15
14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
By faith in Christ alone, we who were previously condemned are free. But if we think we are set free to go and sin more, we are not truely free. But if faith in Christ compels us to live for Him who sets us free, then our freedom is secure, and that begins a transformational change within us...we begin to become regenerated, made new from the inside out and we begin to live in Justice.
Live as one Justified– do not play spiritual games (v8-10)
God’s justice changes us to become more like the person He knows we can become
How we live matters...
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right
James 2:12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
All the characters in Jesus parable of the Good Samaritan revealed who they were and their motivations.
The Good Samaritan acted out of the good of his life. He lived very differently than the priest or Levite and when he saw a man in need his first thought was not who is he, what has he done, should I help him but instead he was compelled to care for the mans needs.
When Jean ValJean was faced with the prospect of another man going back to prison in his place, he traveled to the trial to be ready to come clean
When faced with the situation of Fontane he had compassion and took her in to care for her
When faced with Fontanes death, he continued to care for her daughter as his own.
Because we have been justified before God we live differently...
Rom 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
When you and I begin to live as one justified – we live very differently from the rest of the world.
Jean Valjean was a new man because the bishop had sacrificed for him and gave Valjean a new chance at life. Therefore he was able to give himself freely for Fonatine, Cosset, and men wrongly accused, He gave his factory to his workers, he even gave himself to Jobert, his enemy without contempt or hatred
When we live justified before God there is nothing to hold us back from receiving others, there is no place for favouritism because all are ours to care for
We are free and available to care for others – because I have been justified – the gospel is making me to be a new person...
Express God’s Justice through Mercy
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
I am able to express Christ’s love through mercy
Judgment without mercy is hatred – you are wishing the demise of someone = that they get what they deserve.
But because I have received Mercy from Christ and have been justified before God, have taken on the righteousness of Christ – have been made right and new by faith through grace I can be merciful to others. I can love them, the unlovable, the different, the annoying,
Mercy... by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, a way is opened up for us to exercise compassion to others in misery... Caring for someone...doing for someone...accepting someone...serving someone... that I would not normally
Those who think (by the worlds standards) they are like me – would not do this...”
I am extending God’s justice – through Christ, to those who need mercy, because I needed and received God’s mercy
This is what communion represents
Jesus said “do this in remembrance of me”
I remember what Jesus has done for me and all humanity to bring us to God with our sins forgiven
Do you need to receive God’s mercy this morning before you “remember?”
Do you need to receive God’s forgiveness this morning – come before him in repentance – admitting I don’t want to live that way anymore and ask Him to forgive you,
Receive his forgiveness in faith,
Recognize his grace that makes you right before God, not your works, good deeds but his grace
When you remember what Jesus has done for you – let it change you as you leave the table,
You have received his mercy, to give his mercy to everyone you meet, everyone who crosses your path
Commit to Him to live justified and express His mercy every day of your life.