Offend In One Point -- Guilty Of All
"Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all." (James 2:10.)
A man talking with me, protested that he did not understand the foregoing quotation, and that he did not accept anything as true that he did not understand.
Anyone who accepts only what he understands is a candidate for the asylum; and is an undesirable citizen.
It would be interesting, and self-revealing if some people would open their eyes, look to the heavens above, or the earth beneath, and name just one thing that they understand all there is to understand about it. What is it that you see, and understand all about, one thing. Try naming only one!
Come with me to my rose garden; see the hundreds of blooms — no two of them the same color throughout, no two of them identical in shape. Each bush has the same soil, moisture, sunshine and atmosphere. Why the difference in color of the blooms? Two men eat the same food, the same quantity, drink the same amount of water, and one of them has auburn hair, the other very dark hair. Why? Can you answer? Do you understand?
Do you understand why, or how, the food you eat, makes bones, flesh, blood, nails, teeth, hair? You do not reject food because you do not understand all about the process by which certain elements of your food make the different parts of your body. You do not reject food because you do not understand all about the process of digestion, and body building.
You Do Not Understand How Your Spirit Abides, Temporarily In Your Body!
The law of our country stands as a whole — it is composed of different enactments of the legislative body. You may disobey one enactment, but in so doing you break "disobey the law." When you intentionally disobey the law of our land, you thereby show yourself to be a rebel against the law. You may be obedient to all our law, and refuse to obey in ONE point, and by so doing you advertise the fact that you have no regard for the law — you show that the portion of the law that you keep (obey), is because you regard it as right; and NOT because it is the law. It "suits" you to do that one thing, and your obedience to that portion of the law is because it suits you, and not because it is the law. You make yourself the arbiter. The officers of our man-made laws can note your actions; but they cannot read your heart.
God's law stands as a whole. One may observe many of the enactments of God's law, and then offend, rebel at one point, and thereby he shows himself a rebel against the law. God sees your heart. When you obey many of the demands of the law of God, and refuse to do God's bidding at even ONE point, you thereby show yourself a rebel against the law; you do what suits you! In disobeying even in one point you make known the fact that you do not obey in other things commanded because they were commanded by God, but solely because it suited you to do so, and not on the ground that God commanded your obedience. God knows your heart.
The rich young ruler who came to Christ declared that he had been doing what the law commanded. Jesus pointed out that there was something he had not done. He refused to be obedient to the command of Jesus, thereby showing himself unwilling to do what the Lord commanded. He was disobedient to Jesus, and such disobedience showed that he had no regard for him, nor his law!
Check with yourself, brother. Are you guilty of refusing to obey one of God's commandments — are you a rebel? Do you know that God knows what is best for us and we should willingly do what He commands, even if we cannot see WHY?