Word and Law
Excerpt
What James referred to as the “Word” in vv. 18, 21, 22, 23 he calls the “law” here.120 As the “Word” brings new life according to v. 18, so “the law” here is what sets us free121 (lit. “the perfect law of freedom”). The combination of law and freedom points to the free obedience of the Christian life and echoes Paul’s theology of freedom in Christ (cf. Rom 6:18–22; 2 Cor 3:17; Gal 2:4; 5:1, 13–14; 6:2). The law is “perfect” in that it participates in the goodness of God and is essential to his gifts bestowed in wisdom to believers. More
Richardson, Kurt A. James. Vol. 36. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997. Print. The New American Commentary.
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