Judgment or Mercy



James 2:10-13
10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
11For 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.
12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.
13For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Have you ever sat in church on a Sunday morning, listening carefully to the sermon, only to be thinking “I sure wish _______________________ was here, because they sure need to hear this message.”? If only they would:


  • Recognize they have wronged others
  • Repent of their sin
  • Say they are sorry
  • Change their behavior (to something you could approve of)


Well, if you’ve ever done that, James words are for you today! These verses are an unflinching look at our own self-perceptions when it comes to sin. For God, sin is sin. If you’ve hated someone (which Jesus defines as murder) then you’ve sinned. If you’ve ever looked at someone and just briefly visualized sex with them, you’ve committed adultery. If you’ve broken one of the commandments, you’ve broken them all. You are in need of a Savior, just like everyone else. That means that if you sit in judgment over someone else’s life, you sit in judgment over your own! Perhaps the better path would be to choose mercy instead. We are indeed all in need of a Savior and we are so blessed because God has given us one in Jesus Christ. His redemptive work allows us to focus on being merciful to others instead of judging their lives. He died for their sins too!

Back in 8th grade Catechism class I remember being quite affronted when my Pastor taught us that if we had lied to our parents we had also committed adultery and murdered. My self-important pride rose up and told me he was wrong (and being the extremely confident pre-teenager that I was, I shared that opinion with the Pastor as well). A few decades later I understand that my Pastor was completely correct and I am indeed a sinner who can stand in judgment over no other person. I am still a lawbreaker. I still need the work of Christ in my life or I am doomed. Each day is still a struggle to be a person of mercy rather than judgment, but the words of James allows me to see the importance of that effort.

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