Thursday, August 7, 2008
James 2:12-17
So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (ESV)
by Leota Stevens
These verses are stunning in the deepest sense of the word. Our God puts such emphasis on the law of liberty and instructs us to conduct our relationships with others as one who will someday face judgment for our actions. That sounds so ominous! But wait; there is a mitigating factor that we must consider. As important as the law is to the Lord, there is one thing that holds even greater weight in his overall plan: mercy. Verse 13 sums it all up succinctly, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (ESV).
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
