Tonight I was sitting at Starbucks with a friend and witnessed a police arrest that took place in the store. A business man came in and quickly made his way to the back of the store motioning to several police officers waiting outside. Two of them came in and followed him. They then pounded on the restroom door and eventually emerged clutching the wrists of a young girl in a hooded sweatshirt. They were rough with her and talked loud as they handcuffed her and shoved her into one of the squad cars and drove away. I could hear some people saying that maybe she had shoplifted.
This experience came instantly to light in my mind because earlier today I read a portion of John MacArthur’s Drawing Near, which talked about the laws of God. We have alot of laws in America. I’m sure when people break the law they feel embarrassed, ashamed and regretful. But why do we so regularly break God’s law and not even think twice about it? Usually people think of God’s law as the Ten Commandments or the “golden rule”. But in Matthew 22 when Jesus was asked which law is the greatest He answered:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Love for God and others summarizes the intent of God’s whole law and shows the genuineness of our faith. John MacArthur commented on this passage profoundly by saying, “Jesus wasn’t calling for the shallow, emotional, self-oriented love that is so prevalent in our society, but for a sacrificial quality of love that places the needs of others on par with your own…not seeking to further your own selfish goals.” James shows us that our godly love for others is a test of our faith.
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.”
James 2:8
I was so convicted to read how James says “really”. He doesn’t say if I do sometimes or if I try to, but rather if I really fulfill the law…I do well. I find it easy to try to slip by this command. Not to have enemies but to be passive or even dormant in my love toward certain people that are difficult to love. James goes on in this passage to condemn the people’s partiality. They treated the wealthy better than the poor. He calls people who do this “transgressors.” When I saw this girl arrested at Starbucks I did wonder what she had done, why she had done it. I maybe even thought that it was too bad that she was a troublemaker, lost and living for herself. It is easy to jump to conclusions and think less of some people, higher of others. But God looks at the heart and judges accordingly. MacArthur goes on to say, “Love fulfills God’s law because if you love someone, you will not sin against him.”
Scripture gives two clear commands that validate our faith:
“Now by this we know that we know Him,
if we keep His commandments.”
1 John 2:2
“By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
John 13:15
Obedience and love are the tests of our faith. Tests that we need to consider seriously because none of us are going to get by partially fulfilling the law or with a surrendered “I tried.” God knows our hearts, and hopefully He is seeing genuine faith rather than a game being played. A police arrest is nothing comapared to God’s discipline for breaking the law, and time served is minimal when compred to an eternity apart from Him.