11. What About James and the “Royal Law”?

JERRY RECTOR | Physician

A favorite Sabbath text, used by the late Adventist television evangelist George Vandeman and others is in James 2. The context of this passage is a warning against showing favoritism, in this instance based on wealth or class. The first 7 verses of the chapter develop this topic. Now verses 8-13,

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 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!”

People argue from this that if you break one of the Ten Commandments, specifically the fourth, you break the entire law. I want to point out several points here. First of all, we are all law-breakers, plain and simple. Whether the Ten Commandments, the Law of Love in John 14, or any of the other eternal principles of God’s kingdom—we are law breakers every day. Yes, we strongly desire to avoid sin, but the fact is that we all show favoritism, we all have committed adultery through unholy thoughts, we all have committed murder through hate.

The power of the Spirit will bring about changes in this sinful behavior, and we should work within that power to avoid sin. James knows that his readers want to be in harmony with God’s will. Secondly, the principle of showing mercy (avoiding favoritism) does not happen to be covered in the Ten Commandments. James uses some of the Ten as examples (clearly eternal moral principles) and puts them on par with the principle of showing mercy, a command outside of the Ten. This shows that the Ten are not the last word on Christian living. James exhorts his readers to speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. What does he mean by that? 

The Law That Gives Freedom

What is the Law that gives freedom? It is the Golden Rule: Love and act toward one another as you would have them love and act toward you. This is the context of this passage; be merciful, not prejudiced. This is not a passage about murder or adultery or “commandment-keeping.” It is a passage about Christian living. And thank God for mercy that triumphs over judgment. Without mercy, I would not fare well in the judgment.

Finally, I would say again, the principle of the fourth commandment is eternal. Even if you want to turn this passage into an injunction to keep the Ten Commandments, I’m all for that! Each Commandment contains an eternal moral principle specifically enunciated for the Israelites. No where does the New Testament say that these principles are irrelevant. In fact they are affirmed in this passage. This text is not evidence on which to base a weekly Sabbath-keeping doctrine in the format given to the Jews. †