What does "do not commit adultery" and "do not murder" teach about sin's nature? Setting the Scene James 2:11: “For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” The Link Between Adultery and Murder • Both commands come straight from God’s unchanging moral law (Exodus 20:13–14). • James places them side-by-side to show that breaking any divine command violates the whole law. • The pairing helps us see sin’s character more clearly than if each command stood alone. What These Commandments Reveal About Sin’s Nature 1. Sin is holistic, not compartmentalized • Breaking “just one” command makes a person “a lawbreaker.” • The law functions like a single pane of glass—one crack ruins its integrity (James 2:10). 2. Sin is rebellion against God Himself • James points to the Lawgiver: “He who said…” • The offense is personal: every act of adultery or murder offends the very One who gives life and designs marriage (Genesis 2:24; 9:6). 3. Sin flows from the heart before it appears in actions • Jesus traces murder back to anger and contempt (Matthew 5:21–22). • He traces adultery back to lustful desire (Matthew 5:27–28). • Sin begins long before any physical act, exposing a heart at odds with God. 4. Sin is equally serious, whether society labels it “respectable” or “heinous” • People tend to rank sins; God’s law does not. • Murder shocks us, adultery may not—yet both spring from unbelief and self-centered desire. 5. Sin enslaves and kills • Adultery fractures covenant and destroys families (Proverbs 6:32). • Murder extinguishes life made in God’s image (Genesis 9:6). • “Sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15). The Whole Law Stands Together • Romans 13:9 lists the same commands and sums them up in “Love your neighbor as yourself.” • Failing to love at any point reveals a deeper rupture: we fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus Deepens the Diagnosis • Matthew 5 shows that external compliance is not enough; the heart must be transformed. • 1 John 3:15: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer…”—again exposing sin’s inner roots. • This diagnosis drives us to the only cure: the cross, where Christ “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Sin’s Universal Reach and Need for Grace • James speaks to believers, reminding us that grace does not minimize sin’s seriousness. • The commandments reveal our need for the mercy “that triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). • Confession and repentance remain continual practices for those saved by grace (1 John 1:9). Living in Light of the Truth • Guard the heart: nurture pure thoughts, refuse anger’s first spark. • Cultivate covenant faithfulness: honor marriage vows, respect life. • Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16): He empowers obedience and produces love that fulfills the law. |
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