The Law of Liberty (7)

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. James 2.12

The Law fulfilled
James says that we should expect to be judged by the law of liberty – the Law of God. In all our speaking and in all our doing, we should have before our minds and in our hearts the holy and righteous and good Law of God.

That’s a very high standard, to be sure, and none of us can keep it perfectly. Jesus is the righteousness of the Law that we require, and His Law and Word are the way into His presence and glory.

Jesus fulfilled the Law of God in two senses. First, through His active obedience, He carried out faithfully all the requirements of holiness in God’s Law. We cannot fulfill the Law of God, but we don’t have to: Jesus has fulfilled it for us.

Then, in His passive obedience, He bore all the judgments of God’s Law against sinners such as we. We do not have to fear the terrifying sanctions threatened in the Law of God because Jesus has borne them for us. Now He calls us to follow Him and to walk as He did (1 Jn. 2.1-6).

Judgment to come
There are two senses in which God will judge the world by the law of liberty.

First is in the Day of Judgment which is yet to come. In that day every person’s works will be examined, and those whose works do not measure up to the standard of God’s Law – and who have no one to advocate for them, because they have not known Him – will be cast into eternal condemnation.

At the same time, those who have embraced God’s Redeemer, Who is their Advocate, will have their unseemly works – those not in keeping with God’s Law – burned away as in a fire, though their salvation will remain (1 Cor. 3.9-15). At the Day of Judgment our works will be judged by the Law of liberty; but we who follow Jesus here and now expect to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” not because of our obedience but because of His.

The discipline of the Lord
But the fact that Jesus will get us through the Day of Judgment must not make us complacent. Paul says we must all strive to bring holiness to completion in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7.1). This we do, as we have seen, by learning and obeying God’s Law. If we refuse to do this, if we simply will not take up the Law of God, God doesn’t simply shrug from on high and say, “Oh well.”

No, no. He is our Father. He knows what we need. He has given us the rules of His household. And if we will not obey, He will discipline us, and discipline is not pleasant. But its purpose is to yield the fruit of righteousness in our lives – that is, to get us back on track with obeying and teaching the Law of God (Heb. 12.7-11).

Because that’s when we’re following Jesus, that’s when we’re filled with the Spirit, that’s when we’re being transformed, that’s when we’re learning to love and to serve, and that’s when we’re moving toward the Kingdom greatness our Father in heaven desires for us.

Grounded in the Law?
God is very serious about this. He tells us that those who neglect His Law are out of sync with His plan for them. They do not have the mind of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8.5-9). They are deceived into thinking that some other way of life is right for them, rather than what God prescribes (Prov. 14.12). Even their prayers are an abomination to the Lord if they will not study and obey His Law (Prov. 28.9).

God is judging the sinful world even now because of its refusal to acknowledge and worship Him (Rom. 1.18-32). This is the second sense of divine judgment. We may certainly expect that we are not exempt from His judgment when we neglect the Law He has written on our hearts, and which He gave His Spirit to teach us.

Daily reading and meditation in God’s Law is the way of the righteous person, and a crucial component of full faith in Jesus (Ps. 1; 1 Jn. 2.1-6). Hiding the Law in our hearts will help us walk more fully and joyously in His way (Ps. 119.9-11). Far from being a chain to confine us, the Law of God is the law of liberty, so that we can be free from the power of sin and really live in Jesus Christ.

For reflection or discussion
1.      What can prevent you from giving the Law of God a more prominent place in your walk with and work for the Lord?

2.      What do you expect Kingdom greatness to look like in your life as you seek a better understanding and deeper love for God’s Law?

3.      Given what we’ve studied in these lessons, what place would you give the Law of God in the proclamation of the Gospel?

Next steps: Do you think the Law of God needs to have a more prominent place in the life of your church? Why or why not? Talk with a pastor or church leader about these questions.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s ReVision study is Part 8 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “The Law of Liberty” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.