Title: Mercy overcomes judgment (James 2:8-13)
Contents
(Demand 2007704) Approx. 2:8-13
These days, if you don't like anything, more and more people file a constitutional complaint with the Constitutional Court saying that the law is wrong. So some laws are actually found unconstitutional and even amended. What does this mean? This is that, because the Constitution is the supreme law of our country, no laws should be made or implemented contrary to the provisions of the Constitution or its spirit. Any law must be amended to conform to the spirit of the Constitution.
The Bible also speaks of the supreme law. This is the commandment to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. And a typical example of violating this law is treating people differently. Breaking the supreme law is the greatest sin.
But if you think about it from a human perspective, there is nothing as difficult as loving your neighbor as yourself. No, if you think about it a little, this is an impossible story. What does ‘I love my neighbor as myself’ mean? It means using all my best for the sake of my neighbor and living with the leftovers. I value the happiness of my neighbors so much that I spend my most precious time for them, give up my youth for them, and spend my most precious fortune for them, and then I do that and live with the rest of my time, the rest of my money, and the rest of my life. is.
But this commandment is the supreme law given to all of us, not just him. But there are countless reasons in our minds that never allow us to live that way. So, I can fully understand people who do good to people who come in with good clothes and gold rings, and despise people who come in poorly because they are poor. Just because you understand it doesn't mean it's right. We can do that because we are human, but it is that we are so lacking, weak, and flawed. It means that there are still many titles to repent of, and it is far from meeting the standard. This is why we need to be humble.
Look. Are our neighbors really worthy of my sacrifice? What the hell have they done for me, that I have to spend time, money, and energy for them, to love them as myself?
Others abuse the kindness that a Saint should love his neighbor. If I do well from the start, people continue to laugh at me that way. Thinking, ‘This person is a person who can make sacrifices,’ he asks for anything unreasonably, and he doesn’t feel sorry for it either. I feel like this when I keep being hurt by this person ‘Is this neighbor love? This is stupid, this is not neighbor love,' and the door of my heart closes.
But the Bible teaches the exact opposite of what we think. The Bible says that the soul of man needs to be obtained at any cost. The human soul is the image of God. The human soul is the most precious thing. Therefore, even if you lose something else, you should not lose a person's soul.
Believers sometimes lead others away from the truth by disappointing others because of their little pursuit of their own. One of those cases was discrimination against people based on their social status.
The Bible tells those who want to use me to be used even though I know it. Of course, you must not foolishly take advantage of evil. But in some cases it is not clear whether this is love or not. In such a case, knowing that you are being harmed, do not repay evil with evil, but let it go. Who could live like this? Only those who have received this kind of love can have this kind of love. Who received this love? Like me and you, they are people who have been saved only through faith.
We are all people with the mercy of God. I was forgiven before God. He deserves to die, but he deserves to be loved, and he deserves to be cursed, but he receives mercy and lives the rest of his life. So, my present life is not my life, but the rest of the life of someone who should die. Those who have never experienced how little they are and how much God loved them like this are bound to ignore others. However, if you have received grace, you will begin to have compassion for others because of that love.
God has given us one most important commandment for the rest of our lives. It is to live for others. And in the final judgment, he will not judge with other commandments, but with the commandment of love for his neighbor.
This is one of the great differences between believers and non-believers in Jesus Christ. A believer is one who is conscious of the coming judgment. So life is different. Whatever you say or do, think of the Last Judgment. “I tell you, whatever a man speaks worthless, he will be tried for it on the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
One day to come, when you become aware that there will be a judgment, your attitude in life will definitely change. Every day life is serious. We will put love into what we say and do. The act of treating people differently based on their appearance is because they forgot the coming judgment.
Even those who come in beautiful clothes and with gold rings should be treated with respect and kindness. good job. But if you despise the humble when they come in, you are breaking all the law. “If you keep the law and pass through even one, you are a transgressor of all.”
Today's verse (verse 12) tells us to speak and do "according to the law of liberty." Because they are judged according to the law of liberty. What does “the law of liberty” and “the complete law of liberty” mean? It describes the ultimate goal of the law. The purpose of the law is to set us free. Keeping the law is a free choice in your heart. Before, I tried to keep the law because I was afraid of punishment. I was afraid of being punished, I was afraid of going to hell, so I tried to keep the law. In order to receive blessings, I gave my intellect, devoted my heart, did good deeds, and accumulated merits.
But the liberating truth is not that. It is a false belief. Do we not know that no matter how much we do, we cannot be saved by it?
Our salvation is only through Jesus Christ, the grace of our Lord on the cross, who has delivered us from our sins. Jesus died on the cross to fulfill all the requirements of the law that we must keep. So, those who received this gospel were born again. was born again. Endless joy and freedom are here.
Previously, the law was dealt with so as not to be cursed. But now, I want to keep the law because I am so grateful for the grace of being saved. We have the freedom to be willing to obey the requirements of the law. After being united with Christ, we have a new desire to obey God's word from within.
The Bible says, “He who is looking into the perfect law of liberty is not the one who hears it and forgets it, but the one who does it” (1:25). Do you really look into the law? If you look into the Word silently, your image begins to be reflected in it. If we just listen to the Word and pass it by, we cannot enjoy the benefits of the Word. It is beneficial to practice.
A person who has experienced the law of liberty becomes a person who knows how to be compassionate when he sees others. Originally, when God created man, He wanted to live like a human being. The Bible is the concrete record of God's will. He talked about how to worship the Creator who made him, and how to love the fellow life God created in his image.
If we do not keep this law of God, eternal judgment awaits. But look back at your people's past. Everyone knows that we are not all at the level of God.
So we need the mercy of the Lord. Indeed, the Lord has been merciful to us. He calls us out of compassion. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” says the Lord. In this way, those who have renewed their relationship with Jesus will enjoy the joy of life and share the joy of those who have been forgiven.
The Lord commands the disciples who have experienced that grace. Show mercy. “Those who do not show mercy will be judged without mercy.” That's a scary word. God's Word does not only speak of unconditional blessings to God's children. There are also words of judgment. The word mercy appears three times in today's text. Guys, is there a word that best describes what kind of people who believe in Jesus are like the word mercy?
Who is a believer? A believer is a person who deeply and deeply feels that he can stand only by the mercy of God. I know how to be merciful to others because I have tasted that mercy, and because I have shed hot tears. You must also learn how to be compassionate to people. This is also our duty.
“Be merciful as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). “Blessed be the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).
Only those who have received mercy can have mercy. What is the evidence of a person who has received God's grace and is born again? It's mercy. Seeing that you have compassion on others is proof that you are no longer in darkness but are living in the light. He has no judgment of wrath. Seeing that he showed such mercy as his heavenly Father was merciful, we can see that God's mercy was already upon him. This mercy is more than triumph over judgment. “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Now you and I have to change our goals in life. The happiness and abundant life of others should be an important purpose in my life, and everything is decided and moved for that purpose. Say hello to the people next to you. “My goal in life is the happiness of others.” “My goal in life is to make you happy.”