Headline: Mercy wins.

The Bible is so complete, so solid. Rock solid in fact. And God is so thorough and convincing in his word. And God tells us that mercy wins. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Don’t let go of that very clear truth. Mercy wins. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

I am emphatic here because it seems that many believers struggle with this concept. I don’t think it is overstatement in fact to say that many are fearful of this very biblical idea. And this fear is a stain of the world. A human rationalizing God’s truth and not hearing God.

But James is not writing here of lives without guidance from God’s moral code. Quite the opposite. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer “under the law,” but we are to “so speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”

So what does that mean? What is the law of liberty? The law of liberty is just what it says–the moral instruction of God that frees us to righteous living. God’s instruction that frees our stained minds from the world’s way of thinking. As we live under the law of liberty, we learn God’s righteousness and we “unlearn” our righteousness.

Last week’s text ended with “and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Showing partiality, or favoritism, is a damaging stain of this world. James addresses this stain in three ways in this week’s text.

• Stain in regard to our acceptance of people from differing socio-economic levels.
• Stain in regard to our rationalized view God’s command to love.
• Stain in regard to our view of morality and justice.

Message Title: Mercy Wins!

Message Text: James 2:1-13

• PDF LESSON 5 : Mercy Wins : James 2-1-13 : ffc : dave scott : 110115 STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF LESSON 5 : Mercy Wins : James 2-1-13 : ffc : dave scott : 110115 STUDY SHEET TWO