DRAWING NEAR
June 23
Fulfilling the Royal Law
"If . . . you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the
Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are
doing well" (James 2:8).
In Matthew 22:36 a lawyer asked Jesus which commandment was the
greatest. Jesus answered, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is
the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments
depend the whole Law and the Prophets" (vv. 37-40). Love for God and
one's fellow man summarizes the intent of God's law, and is the
measure of true faith.
Jesus wasn't calling for the shallow, emotional, self-oriented love
that is so prevalent in our society, but for a sacrificial quality of
love that places the needs of others on par with your own. That kind
of love is utterly incompatible with partiality, which seeks only to
further its own selfish goals.
Showing partiality breaks God's law because it violates God's
attributes, misrepresents the Christian faith, ignores God's choice
of the poor, and condones the blasphemous behavior of the rich (James
2:1-7). But when you treat others impartially, you fulfill the royal
law. "Royal" in James 2:8 translates a Greek word that speaks of
sovereignty. The law was given by God, who is the supreme authority
in the universe, so it is authoritative and binding. Love fulfills
God's law because if you love someone, you won't sin against him.
Apparently not all of James's readers were showing partiality, so he
commended them, saying they were "doing well." The Greek word
translated "well" speaks of that which is excellent. They were doing
an excellent thing because they were acting in a manner consistent
with God's impartial, loving nature. That's God's call to every
believer: for "the one who says he abides in [Christ] ought himself
to walk in the same manner as He walked" (1 John 2:6). As you do, you
fulfill God's law and thereby prove that your faith and love are
genuine.
Suggestions for Prayer:
God's love is the only antidote for partiality, so pray each day that
He will teach you how better to express His love to those around you.
For Further Study:
Read the following verses, noting the characteristics of godly love:
John 3:16, Ephesians 5:25-29, Philippians 1:9-11, and 1 John 5:1-3.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
James 2:1-7
2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, with partiality.
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings,
in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy
clothes,
3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say
to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You
stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges
with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this
world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised
to those who love Him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you
and drag you into the courts?
7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
Ephesians 5:25-29
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church
and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water
by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy
and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he
who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes
it, just as the Lord does the church.
Philippians 1:9-11
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in
knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may
be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus
Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
1 John 5:1-3
5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of
Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God
and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And
His commandments are not burdensome.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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