What is the Law of Liberty in the Bible? (James 1:25)

There are several types of law in the Bible, and if you don’t know which is which, you could get confused. Or worse. Follow the wrong sort of law and you could fall from grace and cut yourself off from Christ.

The laws in scripture

There’s the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ.

There’s the law written on our hearts and the royal law.

There is the law of sin and the law of the Spirit of life; the law of righteousness and the law of faith. But the law we’re interested in, is this one:

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25)

The law of liberty is not a better or improved version of the Law of Moses. It is not a shinier version of the Ten Commandments. That old law binds people, but the law of liberty sets us free.

The law of liberty is not the scriptures, the gospel, or the teachings of Christ – although those things certainly point to the law of liberty.

Nor is it the royal law that James also mentions.

What is the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25)?

The perfect law is the law fulfilled or completed in Christ. When James calls it the perfect law, the word he uses (teleios) means “perfect,” “complete,” or “brought to its end and finished.” On the cross, Christ fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law (Matt. 5:17) and the result is that in him we are free.

To “look intently” at the completed law is to appreciate what Christ has done for us. To abide by it is to rest in his finished work.

Someone who trusts wholly in Christ’s work is doing the one work that matters and they will be blessed as a result. In contrast, the forgetful hearer gives little thought for Christ’s work. They hear the gospel, but they don’t accept it fully in their heart. Rather than abiding in Christ, they rely on their imperfect performance. They may try to keep religious rules or old covenant laws, but they will be cursed in what they do for the law is incapable of releasing life (Gal. 3:10).

The law of liberty describes what Jesus has done (perfectly fulfilled or completed the law) and the fruit he will bear in our lives (freedom and liberty) when we yield to him.

A new law for a new covenant

Under the old covenant, people looked into the mirror of the law and saw their faults. But in the new covenant, we look to Jesus and see his glory.

The old law demanded perfection but the law of liberty is perfect on your behalf. The Law of Moses bound people with heavy demands, but the law of liberty sets us free (2 Cor. 3:17, Gal. 5:1).

What do we do with the law of liberty?

After summarizing the entire Law of Moses (“Do not murder,” etc.) in the royal command (“Love your neighbor as yourself”), James reminds his Jewish audience of the severe consequences of breaking any part of that law. “Whoever stumbles in one point is guilty of breaking all.” Since no one apart from Jesus ever kept the law perfectly, he is essentially saying the same thing as Paul: “No one is made righteous through keeping the law. We all fall short” (see Rom. 3:23, Gal. 2:16).

Given the irrefutable sentence of condemnation, James points his readers to another law: The law of liberty.

The perfect law that brings freedom is the liberating rule of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 1:25). On the cross, Jesus Christ fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law (Matt. 5:17) and the result is that in him we are free from its curse.

So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:12)

If you speak and act as though you will be judged by the old Law of Moses, you can expect merciless condemnation. But if you live under the superior law of liberty – the rule of Christ – you can expect the kind of mercy that triumphs over judgment (see next James 2:13).

Put your trust in the Law of Moses and you’ll be cursed because the law written on stone ministers condemnation and death (Gal. 3:10). But look into the law of liberty and you’ll be blessed to discover that all your sins have been forgiven and all demands against you have been fully satisfied in Christ (Rom. 4:7–8).

How do we abide in the perfect law of liberty?

We abide by keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and trusting his indwelling Spirit to guide us. We choose to rest instead of worry knowing that our heavenly Father cares for us and is well able to bring his purposes to pass in our lives.

Thank God for the law of liberty that blesses us with salvation and freedom.

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Read this scripture in context on the Grace Commentary, your free verse-by-verse study guide.

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