Love One Another

“If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,’ ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:8-9)

Someone asked Jesus, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 about loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and one’s mind, and said, “That is the first commandment.” Then our Savior said, “and the second is like unto it,” and quoted Leviticus 19:18, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” and said, “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

James refers to the second of those two commandments as “the royal law.” If one keeps that law he does well, James says. But, as A.T. Robertson points out, having respect of persons among brethren in church is more than an error of judgment or a breach of etiquette. It is an act of sin. Robertson further says that a church is only of use when it is open to the people who need the help of the gospel.

Someone wrote this little poem:

“Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout;

                        He drew a circle and drew me out:

            But love and I had a will to win;

                        We drew a circle and drew him in.