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James 2:10–11
“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
Since most of the original audience of James were Jewish Christians (James 1:1), the first readers of his epistle held the law of God in high regard. Thus, James exhorts readers to actually do the law—“the perfect law,” “the law of liberty,” “the royal law”—which is the Mosaic law fulfilled, interpreted, and intensified by Christ as the church’s abiding standard (vv. 22–25; 2:1–8).
People tend to overestimate the degree to which they have kept this law, however, focusing on where they have obeyed and neglecting where they have fallen short. Thus, James reminds us in today’s passage that we cannot pick and choose in our following of God’s law. In James 2:9, the Apostle noted that being partial to people based on their wealth makes one a transgressor, for one of the commandments in the royal moral law is to show no partiality (Lev. 19:15, 18). Lest his readers think that it is not egregious to break this one statute, James notes that in breaking one of God’s commandments, we are guilty of breaking the entire law (James 2:10). God’s moral law is a unified whole, so we are obligated to keep the entire system and not just the parts we like. This is not to say that all sins are equal in every respect; rather, it means that any sin is ultimately against God Himself. Dr. R.C. Sproul comments that James 2:10–11 “does not negate the biblical concept of gradation of evil. Some sins are more heinous than others. However, even in the smallest sin a serious offense is made against God. To sin at one point is to sin against the law and therefore against the Law-giver.”
James 2:11 develops this idea. Breaking the commandment against murder makes one a lawbreaker even if one keeps the commandment against adultery, for the same person—God—delivered both rules. The law is a perfect reflection of the undivided character of the Lord. Just as the Lord who spoke these laws cannot remain the same God if His essence is divided, so the moral law cannot remain the same law if we separate out the commandments that we do not like. Obedience to only part of the law will not suffice. Jesus makes a similar point in Matthew 5:21–30, which James 2:10–11 may have in view.
As we close our study, let us note that James is not dealing with the doctrine of justification here, so he does not expect us to despair when we look at our lives and see that we regularly break the law. His main point is to exhort us not to show partiality by reminding us that such partiality is a violation of the whole law.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Though James is not giving us a systematic treatise on God’s requirement that we obey Him perfectly, John Calvin notes that “this passage and many others, clearly show that there is no righteousness except in a perfect obedience to the law.” Examining ourselves in the light of the moral law, we run to Christ so that we can be declared righteous in Him. Having been justified by faith alone, we then use the moral law as a guide to life that pleases our Creator.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 6:25
- Ezekiel 36:22–38
- Matthew 5:48
- Galatians 5:3
The bible in a year
- Exodus 17–19
- Matthew 19:16–30