“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty …” (James 1:25, NKJ)
The very first principle of the Christian faith (“the doctrine of Christ”) that the writer of Hebrews names is “repentance from dead works” (Heb 6:1), or “dead formalism” (Amp). Later in Heb 9:14 (Amp) the necessity “(to) purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances” is spoken about. It is clear that many of the works that believers do are good but dead works, born out of religiosity, tradition or legalism. They originate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they serve death, in spite of the fact that they are good works.
James writes extensively about this dilemma, because often a believer’s new-found “freedom” leads to a type of lawlessness. Righteousness has got nothing to do with lawlessness (2 Cor 6:14; Heb 1:9). Thus, according to Tit 2:14 (Darby) it is said that Christ “gave Himself on our behalf, so that He should redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself a people as His own special possession, zealous of good works”. Thus James writes with conviction that this issue mustn’t be considered in a superficial manner, and he argues that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jam 2:17), and in verse 18: “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
Therefore, in James 1:25 he talks about those who look “into the perfect law of liberty”. That is those who do the good works that God has already prepared for us to do before the beginning of time so that we merely need to walk in them (Eph 2:10). There is no effort in this; it’s effortless and you move in the rest of God, and “he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Heb 4:10). When it is said of Israel that they didn’t enter the rest of God, it is because they did not listen to the voice of God (Heb 3:7-11). Religious people are controlled externally by laws and, in their adherence to these laws, they produce dead works and thus they cannot discern the voice of God and therefore cannot go into His rest.
For this reason James 2:12 says: “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” The criteria that Jesus provides for all who want to become like Him is not what others do wrong (and what you thus judge as wrong, or as sin); it is a judgement full of “grace and truth” (John 1:14). It requires of you to give food to the hungry, something to drink to him that is thirsty, visit those in prison, take in the stranger (Matt 25:35-45), in a manner of speaking, thus: that you cover his nakedness, take his burden upon you, identify with weaknesses and cover it with love. The law has expired for you, especially in terms of others: thus the perfect law of liberty can judge you.
- Sela: Are you full of grace and truth?
- Read: Judg 17; Ps 107; Acts 17
- Memorise: Acts 17:26-28
- Going deeper: Read chapter 3 in Kelly Varner’s The more excellent ministry.
