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For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he has become guilty of all.
Verse Takeaways
1
The Law is a Single Chain
Commentators explain that God's law is a unified whole. As one scholar puts it, like a chain, it is broken by the failure of just one link. Violating a single command makes a person guilty of breaking the entire law, not because all sins are equally severe, but because it defies the authority of the one Lawgiver.
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Book Overview
James
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7
18th Century
Presbyterian
For whosoever shall keep the whole law. All except the single point referred to. The apostle does not say that this in fact ever did
Whosoever shall keep (οστις τηρηση). Indefinite relative clause with οστις and aorist active subjunctive of τηρεω, old verb, to gu…
19th Century
Anglican
For whosoever shall keep . . .—Better, have kept the whole Law, but shall have offended in one, has become guilty of …
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“For” indicates that James is going to explain how an act of favoritism makes a person a “lawbreaker” (v.9). It is obvious that he has set up a hyp…
16th Century
Protestant
For whosoever shall keep the whole law. His only meaning is that God will not be honored with exceptions, nor will He allow us to remove f…
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
For whosoever shall keep the whole law Or the greatest part of it, excepting only in one point, as follows: Adam, in…
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Those who profess faith in Christ as the Lord of glory must not show favoritism based on mere outward circumstances and appearances, in a manner in…
