James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

This is a justly famous verse, actually not quite as famous as it deserves. Even so, I don’t think we notice that the sin in question is favoritism, of all things! The next verse mentions adultery and murder, which we would be quick to recognize as bad, but this is talking about failure to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no one alive who hasn’t failed in this at some point! This points up two very important facts: the law is impotent to save us, and grace is absolutely essential to everyone. It’s not that the law is meaningless. Paul goes on at length in several of his letters about that. However, he also stresses grace, most famously to the Ephesians. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) I find it ironic that Martin Luther called this letter “a book of straw,” because he thought it promoted works over faith, and he had rediscovered the principle of salvation by faith alone (sola fides). It’s almost like Luther wanted to be proud of his faith! James is simply pointing out that we are all desperately in need of God’s grace, so we should rejoice to be instruments of that grace to one another. That’s what verses 12 and 13 are saying here. Amazing Grace is perhaps the most dearly loved hymn in the whole world, and with good cause. However, never having been the captain of a slave ship ourselves, we tend to miss how extremely applicable it is to us personally. That’s what this verse is talking about. We are all equally headed for hell apart from the grace of God, available to us by faith.

This is something I’ve had to have pounded into me by God, because on my own, I’m all too prone to conceit, thinking I’m more deserving of salvation than the next guy. How utterly foolish! I have been relatively “high status” most of my life, for various reasons, and have had to learn how meaningless that all is. In the process of learning that, however, I have been able to relate on equal footing with people of every social stratum, which is a very good thing. I’ve never been particularly intimidated by anyone’s status because I grew up around people who were high status, and I knew they were just as human as I was. That became a problem only when it morphed into conceit, feeling I was higher than they were. I’ve got to remember that I am just as much in need of God’s grace as anyone else, and they are just as much worthy of God’s grace and love as I am.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m going from “school teacher” to “conference speaker,” which the world considers an elevation in status, but I’m still your foolish, occasionally disobedient child. Help me rejoice in Your grace and extend it to others, never taking it lightly, so that as many as will may receive it with repentance, gratitude, and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!