Working Out the Spots In Your Religion – James 2:5-13
June 19, 2016Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Jerry Cisar
What is the Royal Law? What is the law that gives freedom and how do we speak and act as those who are about to be judged by it? What does it mean that mercy triumphs over judgment? Will merciless judgment really be given to those who do not show mercy?
Last week we examined 1:27 – 2:4, under the title, Pure and Spotless Religion. James informed us that true religion must include extending love—at the cost of our possessions and ourselves—to the weakest, the most vulnerable members of our society. Then James exposed to his audience the spots in their religion—the blemishes that were not pure, that smacked of worldly thinking—by describing how they treated people based on their economic status.
This week, in James 2:5-13, James demonstrates how contrary this is to the Gospel and then turns our attention to the only solution. James is calling us to live our lives, right down to our speech and actions, as if we are about to be judged by the law that gives freedom. That is serious talk. If I am about to stand before a judge, and I am going to be judged, it will indeed affect my behavior. What solution does James offer us to get these spots and blemishes off our religion?
Join us as we continue our series in James, Faith that Turns Your World Right Side Up.