Christian love does not mean that I must like a person and agree with them on everything. I may not like the words they use or their habits or agree on how to parent, and I may not want them for an intimate friend. Christian love means treating others the way God has treated me. It is an act of the will, not an emotion that I try to manufacture. The motive is to glorify God. The means to do this is the power of the Spirit within (“for the fruit of the Spirit is love”). As I act in love toward another person, I may find myself drawn more and more to them, and I may see in them (through Christ) qualities that before were hidden to me.

We shall be judged “by the Law of liberty.” Why does James use this title for God’s Law? For one thing, when we obey God’s Law, it frees us from sin and enables us to walk in liberty (Ps. 119:45). Also, law prepares us for liberty. A child must be under rules and regulations because he or she is not mature enough to handle the decisions and demands of life. The child is given outward discipline so that he or she might develop inward discipline, and one day be free of rules.

There is one obvious message to this section: our beliefs should control our behavior. If we really believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that God is gracious, His Word is true, and one day He will judge us, then our conduct will reveal our convictions.