Love One Another

As I read James 2 today, it struck me how much the command to "love your neighbor as yourself" is at the heart of what James says here. Being of a theological bent of mind, my inclination has always been to focus on the second half of the chapter. How does one reconcile James' view of reconciliation with Paul's? (A question whose answer who would require another blog- at least). But as I read today, I see that the whole passage really hinges on the command to love your neighbor.

This theme of loving neighbor really begins in chapter 1, when James speaks of caring for orphans and widows in their distress. But it comes to a crescendo here in chapter 2. In this chapter, James makes the argument that loving one's neighbor is not an option to be added to other, more important religious commands. If you break one part of the Law, you break the whole thing. Then, that whole second half about justification, really makes the argument that you can't claim to be saved if you don't put your faith into practice by loving your neighbor.

James 2 is a good reminder that we can't just talk about loving our neighbor. We need to live it out. And so the question becomes who are we helping in their distress? Are we loving the unlovable? James 2 reminds us that our faith demands mercy and compassion.