NOTES for Jam 2:13

In these words the apostle James opens to us the great mystery of God's mercy. Justice and repayment according to deeds are important things; righteous judgment over our deeds is unavoidable, like all the laws of the world. A brick thrown upward falls on one's head according to the law of universal gravitation. Sin brings with it the disappearance of life... But the destiny of the world and of the human being is not limited by this just judgment. There is God's mercy, and it is higher and more important than judgment. The Synodal translation here conveys the meaning of the Greek word very precisely: mercy triumphs over judgment. This revelation is incredible, and it has the most direct relation to our hope; it is precisely by this triumph of mercy that the world is beautiful.

But for the apostle James it is important that we understand his thought correctly. The triumph of God's mercy does not mean that we can "allow ourselves" sin, relying on the idea that the Lord will "still" have mercy. Such a view appeared already in the apostolic age and was rejected then. The apostle emphasizes that mercy is effective insofar as we ourselves are guided by it in our life. If it is not practiced, it remains inaccessible to us. This, in fact, is why the Lord singles out as the main thing for the human being to love God and neighbor.