James 2:12-13

NIV: 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. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

The Message: Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.

As Christians, we have been saved by grace, the free gift open to all. We are not saved by the good deeds we do, by how well we conduct ourselves, whether we are kind to our neighbours. The only thing that qualifies us for heaven is the fact that we have received Jesus Christ, the only son of God, as our Lord and Saviour. But just because we have done so, because we are saved, does not excuse us from obeying Jesus, obeying God.

It is not a case of telling ourselves that we are saved, so we don't have to keep the ten commandments, we don't have to obey God. There is not one set of rules governing believers, Christians, and another set of rules governing non believers. Each one of us will stand before God:

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (NIV)

God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of obedience. We will all face Christ on the day of judgment to give an account of ourselves. I don't want to end up in heaven as one escaping the fire:

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

I want Jesus to look at me and say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21, KJV), to know that I used wisely all the gifts God has given me.

It is a case of obeying God no matter what, of trusting in Him despite all the problems we face. But not obeying God through religious conformity, because we have to. We have the freedom to choose, the freedom to obey God or not, whether we are followers of Jesus or not. The difference is that as believers, the freedom we have n Christ means that we willingly obey God, but not begrudgingly, because we have to, because we want a reward, or because everyone else in church is doing so and we don't want to be the odd one out. The law, obedience to God, is not a set of external rules we must follow because we have to, in the same way that we have to obey the laws of our country, pay our taxes, drive within the speed limit and so on. It is a case of wanting to obey God because we have the freedom, the choice, and freely choosing His way, not ours, because we love God and are empowered by the Holy Spirit living within us.

So this involves, as James says here, treating others as we would want to be treated ourselves, not paying back like for like, retaliating whenever we feel hurt or threatened. We need to show mercy and grace to others, forgive them when they wrong us, just as God has shown each one of us mercy, grace and forgiveness. This doesn't mean we lie down on the ground and let everyone and his dog walk all over us, because sometimes we have to take a stand, to refuse to do something if it is wrong, insist on doing something if it is the right thing to do, no matter what the cost.

We need to be different, to be the salt and light in this dark world and to shine out against the general tide of sin and depravity that is rapidly filling every corner of the world. It is not easy. Quite the opposite in fact. There are people dying in Pakistan, India, China, Korea, and other countries for their faith. There are thousands of Christians imprisoned in Eritrea, and many suffer daily torture, persecution, ridicule in many, many other countries of the world.

Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time. So no matter what the treatment we receive, we should try always to behave as Jesus would, to show others the love of Christ, show his mercy and forgiveness. Not always an easy task in this day and age.