James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
This is the second greatest commandment Jesus gave in Matthew 22:39. Loving others is the essence of how believers interact with all others in this world. It is the primary characteristic of those who are in Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:14, 22). This is the royal law because it is the law of the King of kings. If we make this the focus of our lives, we can’t go wrong. It will put everything else we do in the right perspective. It will bring healing and hope to our relationships. James is concerned about how the early Christians to whom he wrote were not showing impartial love to the poor. They loved those who were lovable in the world’s perspective. These were the people who conformed to the desires of the culture in beautiful dress and mannerisms. But the poor struggled to reach the ideals of the culture. They could not dress like the rich. They could not experience all the pleasures of the rich. They could find hope in Jesus. Today, we may find that we make our love conditional. Sometimes this may happen even unconsciously in how we behave towards those less fortunate or who are different from us. As children of the King, we must following His commands. The primary command is to love others unconditionally.
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