I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to have a moral community or nation without faith in God, because without it everything rapidly comes down to “me,” and “me” alone is meaningless.  Today Americans have stopped acting in terms of their own moral, ethical and religious beliefs and principles.  They’ve stopped acting on what they knew was right—and the “me” has become the measure of everything. ¹. Taking God at His Word solves all of our problems along this line. Putting the Word of God into use in your everyday life is the heart and soul of the growing Christian.

Epistle of James: Chapter One

PARAGRAPH SUMMARY: James 1:19-27

Pastor James urges the Scattered with four mandates centered on putting the Word of God into daily use. Failure to act is deception and leads to shallow Christianity according to Jesus. This post, covers instruction three, doing the Word generally.

James 1:22–25 (KJV) – 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

DEFINITIONS:

• word/λόγος/logos
  • Word; message; The Word; account. Used 329 times in the New Testament
• deceiving/παραλογίζομαι/paralogizomai
  • Deceive; defraud; cheat.
  • ‘deceive’ – (english definition) – To cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid ².
• doer/ποιητής/poiētēs
  • One who does; a poet, a producer, one who does something by producing something, maker. ³
• beholding/κατανοέω/katanoeō
  • Notice, consider, think about, observe, contemplate, to put the mind down upon. ⁴
• natural/γένεσις/εως/genesis
  • Birth; existence; origin.
• glass/ἔσοπτρον/esoptron
  • A mirror
• beholdeth/κατανοέω/katanoeō
  • To notice; consider; to look at in a reflective manner; consider or contemplate. ⁵.
• forgetteth/ἐπιλανθάνομαι/epilanthanomai
  • Forget or neglect
• looketh/παρακύπτω/parakyptō
  • Bend over or stoop down to take a look. Same word as John 20:5 describing John’s look into the empty tomb of Jesus at the resurrection.
• perfect/τέλειος/teleios
  • Same word as James 1:4, defined as full or complete.
• law/νόμος/nomos
  • Law or principle.
• liberty/ἐλευθερία/eleutheria
  • Freedom
• continueth/παραμένω/paramenō
  • Continue; remain; abide; persevere (ESV), to keep on; devoted; loyal.
• forgetful/ἐπιλησμονή/epilēsmonē
  • The hearer who immediately forgets; the only use of the word in the New Testament.
• being/γίνομαι/ginomai
  • To become; to be born.
• work/ἔργον/ergon
  • Work or action.
• deed/ποίησις/poiēsis
  • Work or creation.
• blessed/μακάριος/makarios
  • Happy; blessed; fortunate.

BACKGROUND:

• Mirrors in New Testament Times
  • In New Testament times mirrors were made from brass or polished bronze.  The best source was ‘Corinthian Bronze’, (Keener) an alloy of metals valued more than gold.  Mirrors made of glass were invented in Sidon in the first century AD. ⁶  See also, Exodus 38:8.

QUESTIONS:

• How Do You Become a Doer of the Word?
  • In the situations we face in everyday life, make it a habit to ask yourself what God’s Word says about that area and obey those words.
• What is the self-deception that James describes?
  • Self-deception occurs when thinking that hearing and amassing knowledge of God’s Word, is the only responsibility we have toward it. Have you ever heard any teaching on prayer? What’s best? To understand different types of prayer or to immerse yourself in the fine art? How many Bible subjects follow this same course? Can you hear Jesus teaching on the subject of worry in his Sermon on the Mount? What value is hearing his words if you choose  to bathe your fretfulness in ulcers? Help from God’s Word comes to those who obey the sage advice to ‘cast all your anxieties on the Lord’, knowing He cares for you (1Peter 5:7-8).
• Is the ‘Mirror’ Forgetting Intentional or Unintentional?
  • Unintentional since the individual took the time to ponder reflectively what he heard from the Word. One solution remains. Have a disciplined approach to God’s Word. Be an intentional and thoughtful doer. Slow down, think, meditate and refuse to allow his Word to slip from your grasp.
• Does the sense of ‘forgetting’ just mean Christians having a physical memory issue?
  • No, the issue is spiritual not physical. Forgetting is mind-set and heart attitude. When the heart enthrones God and His Word, when the need to do the will of God dominates your life, the physical limits of memory are overcome. When you become distracted from the spiritual life, the opposite occurs.
• How does this person become ‘blessed in his deed?’
  • By receiving the good and positive result of acting on the Word. The benefit shows up in every day life. Note the words ‘shall be blessed’ as future tense; meaning one will receive the blessing after he does ‘the doing of the Word’.

COMMENTS:

• ‘be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves’
  • Pastoral Imperative Three: James 1:22-25
  • Progression
    • Look at the discussion step-by-step. First, James inspires those who are ‘hearers’ to ‘receive the implanted word’ (verse 21). Next, he encourages them to do something with what they have received. The problems that arise from not doing what one knows to do vary (James 4:17). Matthew 5:19 calls the nondoers ‘least’ in the kingdom. Luke 11:28 and John 13:17 suggest a lack of blessing for these same people. Luke 6:46-49 shows us the potential ruin in one’s life that can come from not putting the Word into use.
• deceiving your own selves.
  • The Deception of Hearing Only
    • The deception of hearing only is a self-inflicted gunshot to the spirit life. Many believe in the illusion of inactivity. They think it is more than okay to cluster to hear a Sunday sermon without putting God’s Word into motion. Do you have this mental attitude? Are you convinced that public attendance to the Sunday message alone is real deal Christianity?  Shouldn’t following Jesus mean acting like him? Walking like him? Helping people as He helped them? The only sanctuary against deception lies in just doing God’s Word.
• ‘For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer,’
  • ‘For’ Leads Into An Explanation Verse of Twenty Two
    • The word ‘for’ introduces us to ‘why we should be doers and not just hearers.’
  • Becoming a Doer of the Word Involves Intentionality
    • To become a producer of God’s Word involves intentionality. You do not automatically aspire to it. ‘Being a doer’ involves more than the brilliant performance of religious duties. Devotional ‘doing’ is important. Working to gain knowledge of God’s Word is handy. At best, knowledge is the forerunner of action. Illustrations of this idea abound in life and nature. You can collect weight lifting knowledge, for instance, but unless you move the weights, no improvement takes place.
  • Two Types of Believers
    • Two styles of believers come into focus. Those who ‘hear’ versus those who ‘hear and do’. Separation, between these believers occurs when one takes the necessary step of application. Luke’s gospel plainly shows us the difference between the two (Luke 6:46-49). To takes ones place as a ‘doer’, one must constantly compare himself to the Word of God. Preserving or cultivating the habit of asking questions like, “What does the Word of God have to say about this area of my life?” Similarly, ‘what does the Word say here? Or am I obeying the Bible in this area? Constant examination in this arena keeps one safe, breeds confidence, and makes one like to the Master. The testimony of Jesus was “I always ‘do’ what pleases the Father” (John 8:29).
• ‘he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:’
  • Mirrors, Hearers and Doers
    • James uses a simile. He says a person looking in a mirror ‘is like’ one who only hears the Word and does nothing with what he has heard. Jesus used this figure of speech. He made the same point about ‘hearers’ and ‘doers’ (Luke 6:47) stating, ‘Whoever comes to me, and hears my sayings, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like:’ See also Luke 6:49.
  • Your Natural or Birth Face As An Example of a Forgetful Hearer
    The picture is of a man who thoughtfully studies his face in front of a mirror. What does he see? What does the reflection reveal? A face a trapped coal miner would stand up and take notice of? Hair that would trigger the most insensitive of metal detectors? Teeth that would make a volcano blush? The mirror did its job. It can only reflect what is there. It communicated the basic need, change. Unfortunately, the man walks away without reaching for the tools of change; a hairbrush, toothbrush, a bar of soap. In this simile, the mirror equals the Word of God which a man contemplatively hears. The Word speaks. The Word reveals to the man his state. It communicated the basic need, change. The Word only reflects what is there. But the man leaves his session with the Word without adjusting. This happening plays out Sundays in churches across the world. God’s Word goes forth with explanation and believers, who understandingly hear the message, go on without making any necessary changes. What’s missing? What are the spiritual tools of change? What do I need to add to my Christian tool belt? Have you thought about thinking? To change, you have to think deliberately. You need to meditate meaningfully. You need to weigh yourself carefully in the balanced scales of what you have heard. To change, hash over what you have heard. Ponder the path of your feet (Prov. 4:26) as the sage suggests.
• ‘For he beholdeth himself,’
  • Illogical Living
    
    • Forgetting, after a quick glimpse in the mirror, is understandable. But, this man took the time to look, reflect and ponder his face doing nothing about what he saw. How illogical? Similarly, hearing and brooding over God’s wisdom, and then leaving the Word on its pages comes to the same nonsense in God’s kingdom.
• ‘and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.’
  • A Different Path Than ‘Going Your Own Way’
    • James, by implication, encourages a different route instead of forgetting. He roots for more than believers ‘going their own way’. Keep the word centered in your life.  Take the time to read, study, meditate and confess. But add to that a dedication to do what you have learned. This yields spiritual success.
  • What Forgetting the Word is Like
    • Here is a Christian who has failed to recall the truth of God’s Word as it applies specifically to his life. The resulting lack of action is similar to an unsaved person; neither person acts on truth. Applying God’s Word makes the difference. The author of Hebrews gives us a similar admonition (Hebrews 2:1) encouraging us to not allow what we have heard to slip. Conscientiousness provides a safety net. On ‘forgetting’ see Psalms 103:2, 119:16,93,109,141,153, & 176, Proverbs 3:1, 4:5, 31:5, Hosea 4:6 for added insight. The Holy Spirit will help you with this task if you turn to Him (John 14:26) making the issue of ‘not forgetting the Word’ a matter of trust and dependence instead of relying on your physical memory.
  • A Poster Child for Lack of Progress
    • Going your way, doing the same old same old is the reverse of spiritual growth and development. The old saying is true. If you only do what you have always done, you will only get what you have always gotten. To go higher, you must read some and  evaluate some. And then, after reading and evaluating some, act some. If you can read, evaluate, and put the result into action, you can grow some. You can change from a lull with no realized progress to constant growth and development. Do not allow your life to become a poster child for lack of progress.
• ‘But whoso looketh’
  • The Extra Effort of ‘Looking’
    • The word ‘looking’ implies extra effort. It is not the casual hearing of verses 23 and 24 seen in the word ‘behold’. This ‘looking’ individual did not just hear the Word but took the time to examine and put into motion what he heard. This action takes the ‘hearing of the Word’ to the next level. The people in Berea were this caliber believer. They heard the Word and then searched the scriptures daily. (Acts 17:10-11).
• ‘into the perfect law of liberty,’
  • Perfect Law: Another Name for ‘the Bible’
    • Another way of saying ‘the Bible or the entire Word of God.’ It does not refer solely to Old Testament ‘law’ nor does it carry the legalistic sense here, an important distinction for the intended Diaspora audience. James uses the term ‘the word’ in verse 22, ‘implanted’ or ‘engrafted word’ in verse 21 and ‘word of truth’ in verse 18 and here ‘the law’, equating all of these. The adjective ‘perfect’, or ‘complete’, should be understood knowing that James was one of the earliest New Testament writings. ‘Perfect law’ cannot be a statement made showing God’s revelation as finished since the New Testament was still being written. ‘Complete’ or ‘perfect law’ should mean perfect as far as results; that no other message can produce ‘perfect’ freedom than this perfect Word of God revealed through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
  • Another translation.
    • This could easily be translated ‘principle of freedom.’ The ‘law of liberty’ sets us free from the Law of Moses. Leaning on the Word of God brings perfect or complete freedom. Real freedom can be acquired no other way. John 8:32.
• ‘and continueth therein,’
  • The Mindset of A Doer of the Word
    • The word ‘continues’ sheds a flattering light on ‘being a doer of the Word.’ It reveals the mind-set of ‘doers’. A doer of the Word owns an unyielding trait of perseverance and devotion to the scriptures. He  sticks to the Holy Spirit’s ministry of revelation. Devotion is an everyday affair. Everyday, a ‘doer’ applies the Word, does the Word, and remains in the Word. In his spiritual development, he has learned to overcome intermittent ‘up and down’ Christianity. You should strive to these heights. You should believe for everything the Word tells you to believe for. You should stand for everything the Word tells you to stand for. You should obey all the Word tells you to obey.
  • Looking: A Continual and Persevering Trait
    • Both words, looking and continuing, perform in the active or uninterrupted sense. You can translate as ‘one who looks and continues to look’ or ‘one who perseveres and keeps on persevering’. Consistency marks the real man of God. It tattoos the doer of God’s Word producing the blessing of God.
• ‘he being not a forgetful hearer,’
  • The Choice to Hear
    • The phrase ‘he being not’ a forgetful hearer signals choice. You can choose to hear. You can choose the opposite. Both people arrive through the avenue of choice. Only the doer arrives in style.
  • A Characteristic of One Who Does the Word
    • Nonforgetful hearers do the Word of God consistently. The Spirit’s ministry is to bring the Word to mind. Faith is necessary here. As you lean on God, you can recall the admonitions in the Word and act on them. Peter spoke of ‘putting people in remembrance.’ This is the same thought.
• ‘but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.’
  • The Work of Doing the Word
    • A doer of the work is a doer of the deed. The phrase stresses the work involved in doing  what you hear. Doing the Word involves action. It involves motion. It’s a verb not a noun. Doing the Word and doing the Work are equivalent.
  • Final Contrasts Between Two Believers
    • Note the contrasts between two believers from the Pulpit Commentary. ⁷
      • The one man “beholdeth;” the other “looketh.”
      • The one man “goeth away;” the other “continueth” to look.
      • The one man “straightway forgetteth;” the other is “a doer that worketh.”

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References