Not Just Hearers - James 1:22-25
“Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
I think the best place to start with this passage is to first clarify that it is talking to believers in Jesus Christ; by that I mean, those who have placed their life squarely in the saving work of Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for their sin. It is by His work alone that we can have total forgiveness and hope of an eternity in Heaven and it is by our faith alone that we can receive that salvation from Him.
As I’ve been listening to a sermon series on the book of James (here), I’ve been consistently reminded that:
Our works do not save us;
however, (Real, saving) faith does produce works.
Let me explain. A saving faith in Jesus Christ should produce visible change. Scripture talks a lot about God’s work in us after salvation. It also has a lot to say about how we have a role and responsibility to participate in that process. The book of James is full of just such instructions.
Here, you’ll see that James likens God’s Word (the Bible) to a mirror. What’s the purpose of a mirror? To fix what you see? No. It’s job is merely to reveal what needs to be fixed. Whether it’s a bad case of bed-head, food stuck in your teeth, or something far more serious like an unusual / changing spot or growth on your skin*, the mirror is not your solution. You must act on what you have seen and observed. That’s what James is trying to communicate to us here. God’s Word is vital in helping us to see ourselves and the truth about ourselves.
Let us not merely “hear” (look at the Word of God - the mirror), let us ask Him to reveal to us what needs to change in order to be a more accurate reflection of Him and then allow Him to be our Great Physician in providing the help and ability to change.