“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”
James 2:12
True Christian liberty is not a license to do whatever we want. We learn in scripture that it is connected to living for Christ and for others. It is found and enjoyed when we are occupied with Christ.
In our verse today, James speaks of the “law of liberty.” The idea behind the word law here is a controlling force or a principle in action. What James is saying is that, as Christians, we are not under a law of bondage, but under the controlling power of liberty.
The Law of Moses required the Jew to love his neighbor, but it did not provide the power to do so and condemned him if he failed. Under grace, however, we are given the power to love our neighbor. The expression “so speak and so do” refers to both words and deeds—our talk and our walk—and the two must be consistent. When they do not align, we violate the law of liberty and will give an account of this failure at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:14–15; 2 Cor. 5:9–10). In Romans 14:10–13, the apostle Paul the Apostle connects the Judgment Seat of Christ with the law of liberty, using it as both motivation and a reminder to let this principle govern our lives.
But what hinders this liberty from being evident in our individual lives and in our local assemblies? James associates the law of liberty with the Word of God in James 1:21–27. To be a doer of the Word is to receive it into our hearts and allow it to guide us in every area of life. The Word of God is to be our standard, and it is an effective safeguard against being influenced by the world around us.
To neglect the Word of God is to allow the world to dictate how we think and behave. But when we look into the perfect law of liberty, continue in it, and are not forgetful hearers but doers of the work, we will experience true liberty.
Anchor For Today:
True Christian liberty is not doing what we want, but allowing the Word of God to govern our lives so that our walk matches our talk and we live in a way that pleases Christ.