“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 what I want to do! We have seen that it is connected to living for Christ and for others. It is found and enjoyed when I am occupied with Christ!

In our verse today, James speaks of the “law of liberty.” The thought behind the word law here is “the controlling force” or “the principle in action.” What James is saying is, “As a Christian, you are not under the law of bondage, but you are under the controlling power of liberty.” The Law of Moses required the Jew to love his neighbor, but it did not give him 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 our words and deeds, to our talk and our walk. Both need to match! When they do not, 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, Paul connects the Judgment Seat of Christ with the law of liberty, using it as both a motivation and a reminder to allow the law of liberty to be at work in our lives.

But what hinders this liberty from being seen 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 hold the Word in our hearts and allow it to be the guide for every area of our lives. The Word of God is to be our standard, and it is an effective tool to keep us from 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 enjoy true liberty!

Anchor For Today:
As the Holy Spirit applies the principles of God’s Word to believers’ hearts, they are freed from sin’s bondage and enabled to obey God.