James 2:10-13 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.… 1. Consider how wonderfully you are obliged to your infinitely good God, in that He hath, through Christ, declared Himself so exceedingly willing to pardon all sins not allowed and lived in. Can you be so foolish and ill-natured as thus to requite the Lord? 2. Consider how gracious God hath been to you in continuing His restraining grace, whereby you have been kept from scandalous sins; whereas He hath had most just provocations to leave you to yourselves, in regard of your allowance of secret ones. 3. Let the partially obedient consider what unaccountable folly and madness it is to disobey God in anything. What can you say for yourselves, why you should obey Him but just so far? 4. Consider what a glorious reward is assured to us to encourage us to obey. 5. Let it be likewise considered that, as vastly great as the reward of obedience shall be, there is no more required of us under the gospel dispensation than, all things considered, needs must. 6. Consider also that the laws which are given us, as they are most necessary, so they are not so many as that we need to be scared at them. 7. Consider that there is so close a connection between them all, that obedience to one law will enable us to obey another, and so on. And the performance of one duty will prepare us for another, and make it easy to us. And on the other hand, the breach of one law will cause carelessness in keeping other laws; and no sin goes alone. 8. I may add that there is no necessity of being very solicitous about any more than one thing, in order to our keeping God's laws; and that is the vigorously possessing our souls with the love of God. 9. What a sad thing and miserable disappointment must it needs be to come near to the kingdom of heaven, and yet at last fall short of it for want of going a little further? (Edward Fowler, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.WEB: For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. |
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