James 2:8-13, Romans 8:31,35-37
Such is the pattern of the Christian life. The progression begins with failure. We fail to live up to the Law. We sin, we are inadequate, we let people down, we don't know what to say or do. James says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." It doesn't seem to be about counting our victories and counting our failures. God doesn't care how MUCH we've sinned or how MUCH we've done good. When we do one good deed, we have simply done good. When we fail once, we have failed period.
Luckily that is not the end, or else we'd all be doomed. God is FOR us! As Paul says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" This whole week, we have studied the power of God's mercy and grace. Frankly, there is nothing like it. That's why we worship: out of thanksgiving! We are more than conquerors over sin, we never even had to fight. God fought for us and delivered us from our own weaknesses.
Again, this is not the end. If it were, we might pretend that we don't have to do anything good and just do whatever we want, knowing there is forgiveness for whatever evils we engage in. Some do this anyway, but James calls us to "speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful." We are called to live above our old selves, our pre-grace selves, our selves controlled by natural desires and not by the love of Jesus. In honor of the mercy which saved us, we should be merciful to others. Jesus is our role model and personal savior, why would we not want to be just like him, and let the mercy we've experienced roll over to all we encounter.
May grace free us from the sin we have known, so that we can be about God's business of goodness in the world: telling people about Jesus' love, and living that love in every way possible.
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