James 2:11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
James is illustrating or adding proof to the statement he made in verse 10, that if we break one law, we break them all. It is interesting to consider why he chose these two commandments to illustrate his point. Both of these have a preference behind them that violates in significant ways the law of love. Adultery shows the preference of one man or woman over another. A spouse chooses a different man or woman as a mate than the one whom they have in a God-ordained bond. Thus, a humans or wife “loves” the other person more than his or her spouse. Murdering also violates love by lowering the importance of human life into an object that one can get rid of by ending it. Partiality here is shown through self-centeredness. Adultery, which seems like a soft, white sin is just as bad as murder, which is more grievous. Applying this to any command of God, we can see how any disobedience violates the law of love. Even the so-called “white lies” that seem harmless are just as bad as the so-called big sins. This idea should cause us to seek God’s forgiveness for the times when we have sinned secretly. God forgives if we come in repentance and trust our lives, futures, and even behaviors into God’s able hands.
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