“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”
as those who will be judged by the law of liberty
The word “law” in this phrase means principle. A principle is a divine system whereby a Christian operates in God’s economy. The “law of liberty” gives us the freedom to serve God freely. There is no absolute freedom in God’s economy, so license is a violation of the law of freedom. True liberty gives us the freedom to make decisions of grace toward the world around us. Once we enter the family of God, we operate on an entirely different economy of principles.
This is the second use of the phrase “the law of liberty” (1:25). The “law of liberty” frees a believer from the bondage of the law. When God frees us from the restraint of doing things by pressure, we serve out of the motivation of love. We serve others without external pressure. We do what we do because we want to do it. Liberty causes us to do what we otherwise would not do.
2 Co 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
God does not judge Christians based on who they are but based on who Jesus is. That means that there can be no prejudice against fellow Christians. On the contrary, we exercise mercy toward them (2:13). This is true to the principle of loving your neighbor as yourself (2:8).
The “law of liberty” operates under the principle of freedom since it delimits only that which is contrary to the character of God and authenticates that which is consistent with the character of God. The law of liberty liberates our relationship with others. God will judge the Christian on how he relates to others, whether on the principle of freedom or the principle the prejudice.
The law of liberty will ultimately judge us. Each believer will have his day in God’s court. We will stand there in our resurrection body for the evaluation of Jesus Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
Freedom is the basis for production in the Christian life.
APPLICATION:
Undue regard for the wealthy violates the law of liberty. The law of liberty is the freedom that God gives us to love others. The law of liberty frees us from discrimination.
God will evaluate every believer after he gets his resurrection body. Before we spend time in eternity, God will sort out how we lived our lives in time. He will evaluate our production. Jesus will judge our qualification for reward, not to determine our salvation. He will review everything we said and did. He will evaluate whether we discriminated against fellow believers or not.
1 Co 3:11-15, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
When you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, will Jesus look at your life as a life of love? He will judge us by what we say and by what we do.
Mt 12:36-37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
