Hearer and Doer
Passage for Today
James 1:19-27
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 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. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 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.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 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. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 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.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Questions
- Why is it more important to listen than speak?
- What must be our response to hearing God's word?
- What have you been hearing from God's word recently that you need to go and do?
Devotion
By Lifeway
True belief causes Christians to live out their faith according to God’s Word. We don’t passively hear the Word. Rather, action should always follow genuine heart change. The one who merely hears the word and has a lifestyle that is characteristically against doing what he hears has not truly received the gospel.
Many scholars have called the Book of James a commentary on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They mean James uses similar language and images to describe a life of true faith. The Sermon on the Mount concludes with a famous parable about building a house. This is the heart of James’s letter: hearing and doing, faith expressed in our works.
James left no room in his letter for the idea of hearing the truth and not doing what it says. He didn’t want his readers to deceive themselves into thinking they could be Christians merely by believing the right things about Jesus. Following Jesus requires action. As a disciple, you not only have to believe that Christ is worth following, but you also have to take steps of faith to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him daily (see Luke 9:23).
Being a doer has two components: putting away filthiness and seeking pure religion. If the word religion gets you bent out of shape, set aside your personal interpretation of what that means. James was talking about a devoted life that’s pleasing to God.
* This devotion was found at Bible.com titled “James: Faith/Works” by Lifeway.
True belief causes Christians to live out their faith according to God’s Word. We don’t passively hear the Word. Rather, action should always follow genuine heart change. The one who merely hears the word and has a lifestyle that is characteristically against doing what he hears has not truly received the gospel.
Many scholars have called the Book of James a commentary on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They mean James uses similar language and images to describe a life of true faith. The Sermon on the Mount concludes with a famous parable about building a house. This is the heart of James’s letter: hearing and doing, faith expressed in our works.
James left no room in his letter for the idea of hearing the truth and not doing what it says. He didn’t want his readers to deceive themselves into thinking they could be Christians merely by believing the right things about Jesus. Following Jesus requires action. As a disciple, you not only have to believe that Christ is worth following, but you also have to take steps of faith to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him daily (see Luke 9:23).
Being a doer has two components: putting away filthiness and seeking pure religion. If the word religion gets you bent out of shape, set aside your personal interpretation of what that means. James was talking about a devoted life that’s pleasing to God.
* This devotion was found at Bible.com titled “James: Faith/Works” by Lifeway.
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