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8-11 If you obey the royal law, expressed by the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’, all is well. But once you allow any invidious distinctions to creep in, you are sinning, you have broken God’s Law. Remember that a man who keeps the whole Law but for a single exception is none the less a law-breaker. The one who said, ‘Do not commit adultery’, also said, ‘Do not murder’. If you were to keep clear of adultery but were to murder a man you would have become a breaker of God’s whole Law.

12-13 Anyway, you should speak and act as men who will be judged by the law of freedom. The man who makes no allowances for others will find none made for him. It is still true that “mercy smiles in the face of judgment.”

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10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles(A) at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.(B) 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[a](C) also said, “You shall not murder.”[b](D) If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged(E) by the law that gives freedom,(F)

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Footnotes

  1. James 2:11 Exodus 20:14; Deut. 5:18
  2. James 2:11 Exodus 20:13; Deut. 5:17