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James 2:13
“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Showing partiality to people in the church based on their wealth is no light matter. Ultimately, it is a matter of eternal life or death. James makes this point in today’s passage as he concludes his warning about partiality.
Having stated that we are to act in such a way that we receive a favorable evaluation from the “law of liberty” (James 2:12), the Apostle appeals one last time to final judgment according to this law—the law of God as fulfilled, interpreted, and intensified by Christ. James says, “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (v. 13). On the last day, God will evaluate us according to the royal law of liberty, and as Dr. R.C. Sproul comments, “by [God’s] law . . . we are commanded to temper justice with mercy.” The old covenant gave an avenue for mercy through the sprinkling of sacrificial blood on the mercy seat (see Lev. 16). God reiterated the call to mercy through His prophets in passages such as Zechariah 7:9–10. Jesus proclaimed that we dare not neglect the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matt. 23:23). In the immediate context of today’s passage, James focuses on mercy shown in caring for those who cannot provide for themselves, such as the widow and the orphan. This includes treating the poor in the church with the same dignity that we afford to the wealthy (James 1:27–2:12). Certainly, however, James’ exhortation also includes forgiving others, exercising a temperate hand in church discipline, and so on.
Mercy is so important that if we do not show it, God will not show it to us (2:13). James here may well have in mind Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:21–35). We remember, though, that we do not earn God’s mercy by showing mercy ourselves. As J.A. Motyer puts it, our mercy does not have “purchasing power” but has “evidential value.” If we show no mercy, we have not been transformed by the Lord’s mercy in Christ, so we do not live in saving union with Him by faith. Our mercy demonstrates that we have truly received God’s mercy and have been declared righteous in Christ through faith in Him alone (Eph. 2:8–9).
Yet as we look at our lives, we will see not only that we have shown mercy to others but also that we often fail to show mercy. James tells us that we must not despair. “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). God shows mercy not to perfect people but to imperfect people who live lives of faith and repentance.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Chrysostom, an important church father who lived in the late fourth and early fifth centuries, writes that mercy “breaks chains, dispels darkness, extinguishes fire, kills the worm and takes away the gnashing of teeth. By it the gates of heaven open with the greatest of ease. In short, mercy is a queen which makes men like God.” The Lord is supremely merciful, so if we are to be like Him, we must likewise show mercy.
For further study
- Isaiah 30:18
- Matthew 6:14–15
The bible in a year
- Exodus 23–25
- Matthew 20:17–34
- Exodus 26–28
- Matthew 21