If you are fulfilling the Royal law according to the scripture, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself“, you are doing well.

 Good morning. Continuing with the way you treat the poor versus the way you treat the rich in church: if you are fulfilling the Royal law according to the scripture, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself“, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. This is a clear example where James talks about things concerning the law. I have questions about his using this throughout the book. Is he simply writing this because he is writing to Jews who knew and understood all things about the law, and is using the law to illustrate principles of Christianity? Or is he writing this before he came to a full understanding about what it meant to be saved and to live under grace? Depending on which “expert“ you consult, there are differing views about when the book of James was actually written. My question is, was it written before Paul and Barnabas came up to Jerusalem from Antioch to explain Paul’s revelation about salvation for Gentiles? It appeared that James agreed with the Gentiles having to be circumcised when they became Christians and having to follow the law. There are also verses in the book of Galatians where Paul talks about men from James coming, and then Peter and others avoiding contact with Gentiles. If James wrote the book before Paul and Barnabas came to Jerusalem, that would explain why some of the things he says later on seem to conflict with what Paul says in his writings. Father help us to always show love to our neighbor as we would like it to be shown to ourselves.

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