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“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2.12-13). The groundwork for understanding this passage has been laid in the previous 20 installments. The problem with this text is not the text; it is our understanding (or more properly lack of understanding) of the text. The final13 installments will attempt to lay out clearly what James and the Holy Spirit of God wanted us to get from this passage and its surrounding context.

The most intriguing phrase in this passage and the context around it is quoted here for emphasis; “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” I have read and reread this passage for years; it always piqued my attention, but I just couldn’t seem to get a handle on it, or for that matter, why it caught my eye every time I read it. I think I understand more about that now and will share it as we proceed to close this miniseries in these final installments.

Judgment is such a harsh concept for us to understand, especially when we are on the receiving end of it! Typically we humans are far more willing to dole out judgment than we are to receive it. Likewise, we may, even with righteous hearts and motives, wish God to judge our enemies, but we rarely would be heard asking God to speed judgment toward and upon our souls! The idea of judgment implies a standard, and like most such comparisons, we inanely know that we will not measure up; we will be found lacking! An illustration will suffice here. Not until recent years did I ever hear of someone scoring more that 100% on a test. It was, by definition, an impossibility. It’s like someone saying that they work hard all the time and give it 110%! It just doesn’t compute. There is no way to score more that 100% nor is there any way to give more than 100% effort. We “bend” the definition of words when we speak like that.

When it comes to judgment, and especially the final judgment of my soul, I KNOW one thing if I know nothing else; I KNOW I will not measure up to the standard; I know I will not score 100% on that exam. Yet, I also realize a fearsome truth; that truth is this: NOTHING LESS THAN 100% WILL DO! From a realist’s viewpoint, this leaves a terrible gap to be dealt with. I know I will not score 100% and yet I know that only those who score 100% will pass. If this is not being between the proverbial “rock and a hard place,” I don’t know what is.

There is one other fact that keeps coming to mind; perhaps it should lend comfort to me, but it doesn’t. Here is that fact: No accountable person living, dead, or yet to be born will pass the final exam to which all will be subjected. Seven billions souls living and countless ones dead (and perhaps yet to be born) and no one is any better prepared to pass the test than I am. Maybe I should feel comfort (since it is said that misery loves company) but somehow this does not allay my fears of meeting God in judgment: I find no solace in the fact that others will face the same damnation that I could be facing!

Now back to a point made earlier in this message; why has the text of James 2.13 always attracted me? Answer: Because it talked about something or someone TRIUMPHING over judgment! To triumph is not to fail; it is the exact and absolute opposite. Triumph is glorious and eternal victory! That appeals to me as it does to every rational thinking person. I chose triumph over defeat every time; as we say it is a “no-brainer.” This is why the verse has appealed to me ! (continued)

Questions:

1. What is the standard against which all humanity will be judged (see John 12.48)?

2. What other person or standard will be involved in the judgment of all mankind (see Acts 17.31)?

3. Is it conceivable that God (who wants all men to be saved) instituted a system such that none can be saved? Why or why not?

4. Can you think of a negative sense in which the word triumph is used when it refers to something that will or did happen to me?

"Voice of Inspiration" from Andy Castro

A Lot Of Salt