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If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (James 2:8)

The verb “fulfill” (τελέω teleō) means to satisfy, perfect, to bring something to completion with defect or blemish. Here, it refers to the completion of carrying out the royal law and doing so perfectly. In other words, we are to do so completely, wholly, or entirely. This law is called the “royal law.” Although the definite article is absent, this in no way obscures the meaning of the term as being the law of God or of Christ (cf. 4:11). This chief command entails all of God’s other commands (cf. Lev 19:18, quoted by Jesus in Matt 22:39; Rom 13:8; Gal 5:14). A vast literature throughout the history of theology reflects on this love command. For example, Justin[1] associates it with the ascribing of the people of God as a “kingdom of priests.” (Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9)[2] (Richardson 1997, 120) Jesus said,

Matthew 22:37-40 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

³⁷And he said to him: “‘You must love the Lord^[3] your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’^[4] ³⁸This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’^[5] ⁴⁰On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”

On this, the apostle Paul wrote, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Gal. 5:14) He also wrote, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; for this reason, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. 13:10) The apostle John wrote, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) This “royal law” was clearly stated in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

James says to his readers that if they were to live by the “royal law according to scripture;” then, “you are doing well.” James is penning his letter from the mindset of his readers. Doing so as though he were thinking what they were thinking. He covers one subject after another, which had and has a tremendous impact on the readers then and now. (See James 1:13, 26; 2:14; 3:13; 4:13) If these were trying to rationalize that their favoritism of the rich was merely their showing ‘love of neighbor,’ they missed the mark. Their love of God and neighbor was to be according to Scripture, and Scripture does not suggest that they express their love by being hospitable to the rich yet showing disdain for the poor. Thus, from the beginning, the love of neighbor applied to all regardless of one’s means or station in life. This will be made all too clear below in verses 10-11.

If any in the congregation felt that James’ comments on the rich were over the top, he is setting them straight here, as Scripture is the final authority on all matters. The rich are among those to receive love of neighbor but not as though they should be loved in some favored, privileged, exceptional way, as the “royal law” makes clear. Jesus helped his disciples appreciate that we love those friendly toward, and even our enemies. We love our enemies by being open to any opportunity to get them to accept Christ. We need to be impartial and practical in our love of others, just as was true of Jesus himself. (Matt. 5:43-48) If the congregation that James wrote to was carrying out the “royal law” in harmony with what Scripture meant, not what they felt it meant, they ‘were doing well.’ James was saying that Christians are obligated to show loving-kindness to anyone, anytime. Both rich and poor were to be treated equally, as both are neighbors in the eyes of God.

[1] Apol. I.12; Cl. Al. Strom. 6.164; 7.73

[2] cf. F. E. Vokes, “The Ten Commandments in the New Testament and in First Century Judaism,” SE 5 (1968): 145–54.

[3] This is a reference to the Father, I.e., Jehovah of the Old Testament

[4] A quotation from Deuteronomy 6:5

[5] A quotation from Leviticus 19:18