James 2:12, “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty,” and James 1:25, ” But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
James refers to the law of liberty. What exactly is the law of liberty? We all understand that liberty is defined as the quality or state of being free. However a law is usually something that binds us or prevents us from doing something. Why then is there a contradiction in this statement of the “Law” of ”Liberty”. You are being bound into freedom.
In order to fully understand the concept of this scripture, we have to start looking elsewhere in the bible. 2Corinthians 3:17, ” Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” Wherever Jesus is, there is total freedom and people are set free from that which holds them captive. When we invite Jesus into our lives, we become bonded to Him in love, and we are therefore bound to Him in freedom.
Galations 5:1, ” Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Christ came and set us free both from the law of moses, and the works of darkness that were in our lives and which held us captive. We are to fully understand the freedom that we have attained through Christ and we are to stand and remain in that freedom, resisting the calling that sin offers to us.
So what then is the law of liberty? The law of liberty is the freedom that we obtain from sin and the works of darkness when we turn from the world and accept Jesus into our lives. At the moment that we accept Jesus as Lord and saviour, we are immediately set free from the laws that held us captive and are released from the jail of sin, and are able to walk in total freedom.
James says that we are to speak and do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. This refers to the fact that although we are set free from the law of sin, many choose to cast aside the freedom that they received through the love of Jesus, and return to the captivity to which they are accustomed to being in, and to give their lives back over to sin. We are to accept that we have been set free totally and that sin has no power over us, or any authority over us. The law that Christ has made, is that we are to be free. The devil has to respect this law, and therefore has no rights over us, and he has to flee from before us.
If you have been set free, then you are to confess your freedom, walk in your freedom, and enjoy the freedom that Jesus has given to you. Above all walk in the perfect love of Jesus, remaining in relationship with Him.
