Mercy triumphs over judgment

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for 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 murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. ¹³ For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:8–13

Introduction

Understanding social dynamics does not require a degree is sociology. All it takes is witnessing lunch hour at your local high school.

Preppies, jocks, nerds, punks, stoners, and the drama club kids all cloister together with their kind, and it’s no mystery why. Everyone feels the need to belong, according to their interests and talents. The unfortunate side is, there are rules to who’s in and out. If you don’t wear the right clothes, make straight A’s, perform on the field, or listen to the right music, you’re excluded. Later, in adult life, the rules may change, but the dynamics remain. You’re either in, or you’re out. But the church, James says, is a family where partiality is a sin.

In response to judgment, our hearts are can be self-justifying. “I may not be perfect, but in the end, God will weigh the good and the bad.” The problem is that to break one law is to break them all.

The one unifying factor in the kingdom of God is all Christians have received mercy from God in Christ. Social hierarchies of rich and poor, black and white, those with status and those with none no longer apply in the family of God.

Our response to others through the power of the Holy Spirit is impartiality and mercy. Through Jesus, mercy triumphs over judgment.

Observation

• What is the royal law? Why does James mention it here (also see James 2:1–7)? What is his intent in writing this passage to his original readers?
• James describes those who show partiality in two ways (v. 9). How does he describe them?
• Underline each time James uses the word “mercy” (v. 13). What is mercy? How does James relate mercy to judgment?

Interpretation

• Simply, what is the law mentioned in verses 9–11? Referencing Matthew 22:37–40, how does this law differ from the royal law? Which law was James’ audience more concerned over or more likely to live by?
• In verse 10, James writes of the “whole law.” In Galatians 5:3, Paul also writes of the “whole law.” Is it possible to keep only part of the law and why do we think we can? Referencing Matthew 5:17–18, is the “whole law” in effect today? Has the Law been accomplished and if so, how?
• In verse 12, James writes of two types of judgment, one explicitly stated and another inferred. What are those two types of judgment? In the context of James 2:8–13, what is the law of liberty and who embodies it? How are we to speak and act under the law of liberty? And how does that relate to the royal law and partiality?
• Mark the following words in James 2:8–13: “law,” “transgressors,” “judgment,” and “mercy.” How does this passage explain and inform us of the gospel? 


Application

• The sin of partiality is not just rich over poor. It can be partiality toward education or lack, ethnic similarities or differences, or even those who have experienced similar abuse or addictions versus those who have not. Partiality can even be playing favorites with those who are just more agreeable and enjoyable to be around. How have you recently shown partiality?
• In what ways do you forget about the unity of the whole law and use a perceived disunity of the law to defend your sin? The doctrine of unity of the law (“whole law”) brings disbelief for the sinner and frustration for the religious. Which way do you most often respond?
• How does the statement “Mercy triumphs over judgment” change how you live out each day? Share with the group how God’s mercy through the cross of Christ triumphs over the judgment you deserve under the whole law. How can your actions toward others change beginning today, knowing that God’s mercy triumphs over the judgment you deserve?

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