Just Love Them

James 2:8-9 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Did Jesus die for the rich? Did He die for the poor? Did He say that He loved one group of people more than another? The Word of God is very clear that God so loved "the world", and Jesus paid the price for all of mankind's sins. The only requirement for receiving the free gift of eternal life that the Lord offers is to come to Jesus with repentance, believing that He is the Son of God who died for our sins, rose again, and wants us to call on His Name, by faith, freely receiving eternal life, by His grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it; it cannot be bought, and there is nothing about our background or current status in life that will make us more worthy of it than someone else. James is removing any excuse we might come up with for being partial to one person over another. The command that was in the Law, to love our neighbor (the same command that Jesus gave) applies to everyone we encounter in life; rich, poor, black, white, with no regard for where they came from. When we choose to love based on some criteria we've decided on, and as a result give favor to one person over another, the Word tells us that we are sinning and are convicted of the law as transgressors. Some of us may think, "Well, in Jesus I'm no longer under the law." That, my friends, is very true. However, Jesus told us that we are to love God and love our neighbor. So when we choose to ignore that command, and be partial toward others, we disobey Jesus' command, and prove our lack of love for Him as well; since He clearly stated that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. The bottom line is that God wants us to love each other in the same manner that He loved, and loves, us. The love of God is a love of action. I may not always like those whom I encounter, or even like how they live, but I am always called to love them, just like Jesus loves me.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).