The Royal Law of Scripture // James 1:27

By Mark Jordan | Spiritual Advisor

Why do you think the Bible teaches that genuine religion means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you? I contend it is because those are two very vulnerable groups of people. We ourselves can become corrupted by partiality and looking for what we can get out of a relationship. Jesus taught about this a good bit, especially about how we should do for others; and not just those who might never repay us, but those who do not even have the means to do so (Luke 14:14)! This requires us to rise above our natural tendency toward greed so we aren’t corrupted by partiality. James continues in 2:8-9, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” So, may we uphold the royal law of scripture by loving all God’s children, and especially those who are most vulnerable.