In contrast to the 613 commandments in the Mosaic Law, Jesus taught only two: love God and love your neighbor. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
James echoes this by calling it the Law of Liberty and explains it using a mirror, within the context of comparing anger and meekness, within still a larger explanation of the perseverance required by a beatitude.
So why a mirror? The world would have us replace the Golden Rule (which about what we want) with the Platinum Rule (which is about what they want). While it sounds noble, a sinner's desire would be for us to support their sin (Romans 1:32). Heaven forbid!
Instead James offers the Golden Rule as the solution to our anger. In response someone else's actions, we need it to produce the meekness of knowing that we too needed, and still need, forgiveness.
We should never approach anyone from our position of justification and adoption, but rather as the Prodigal Son, still covered with the filth of the pig pen. We need a mirror and a good memory to remind us everyday of our former condition and our ultimate desire for love and forgiveness.
The beatitude of James 1:12 is conditional upon perseverance, so James concludes the matter this way:
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
So folks, your charge today (and every day) is love the unlovable, just as God loves us (Romans 5:8). That rule is truly golden.
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