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James 2:10
10 For [gar] whosoever [hostis] shall keep [tereo] the whole [holos] law [nomos], and yet [de] offend [ptaio] in [en] one [heis] point, he is [ginomai] guilty [enochos] of all [pas]. KJV-Interlinear
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. NASB
The spiritual life is not a cafeteria from which you can pick and choose what you will believe or will not believe, what you will obey or not obey, what you will agree with or not agree with.
In a sense, the spiritual life is extremely rigid in that God demands obedience to His mandates, while at the same time, the spiritual life gives a person the maximum of freedom of function in life.
In contrast, the temporal life is filled with relativism, boasting of freedom and flexibility in life, when in fact the temporal or non-spiritual life makes one an absolute slave with extreme limitations in life. Freedom to commit sin is not freedom at all, but an abuse of truth and life. And when it really comes down to it, the temporal life is nothing more than a life outside of Gods will, a life equal to nothingness.
When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden, they had but one sin possibility. And once committed, they lost their entire relationship with God. They incurred spiritual death and lived in risk of separation from God forever. One sin was all it took to ruin it all for the entire human race.
But of course out of evil, God can work good, and our salvation option was provided for us all.
And now, we have numerous sin opportunities in life. But again, all it takes is one in order to sever our relationship with God.
As for unbelievers, the sin aspects of life have only to deal with their function in society with respect to the acceptable norms and standards of life. They are already spiritually dead. We are all born that way. Faith in Christ is our way out of that predicament.
But for believers, sin affects your functioning spiritual life. You are either in fellowship or you are not.
When you confess your sins to God the Father, then you are placed in fellowship. When you commit a single sin, you are automatically out of fellowship.
Being guilty of one sin has the same spiritual affect as being guilty of all sins. There is no such thing as being half in fellowship and half out. Likewise, just because the spiritual repercussions of all sins is the same (loss of fellowship), does not mean that the repercussions in society are the same (social ostracism, jail time, etc.), nor does it justify any act of sin.
In society, we have different penalties for different sins. Murder comes with a prison sentence, while gossip comes with a reputation sentence of sorts. In either case, your spiritual life is disengaged pending your confession to God the Father. And both sins or crimes can be reconciled to God through confession, while at the same time we still have to deal with the functioning laws of society, whether they be social or criminal.
A man in prison has the opportunity to advance to spiritual maturity while serving out his life sentence, just as a gossip has the same opportunity.
Your circumstances, or the location of your home are irrelevant.
But to all persons, obedience to Gods mandates is paramount. You cannot pick and choose your way through divine mandates. If wives are to be obedient to their husbands, do they nod, snicker, and are they excused? If a gossip justifies his maliciousness against someone because they deserve it, are they justified in their actions? If a husband, who has responsibility over his family, chooses to engage in drunkenness or other selfish activities in total disregard of his family, is he exempt because he is the boss?
In every case, God issues divine mandates, and in every case they must be obeyed. No exceptions.
Why does James bring this to our attention? Because your spiritual life is your most valuable possession. It affects your entire life now and in eternity. It is your source of a relationship with God. It is your source of stability in life. It is your source of investment and prosperity forever. In effect, your spiritual life commands a value, which exceeds trillions of trillions of trillions and more.
Why would you risk losing it for the temporary pleasure, or stubbornness, of disobedience to God?
What could temporary pleasure or stubbornness possibly gain for you, that God cannot do better?
