Hearers and Doers
“But 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.”
James 1:22-25
There is a danger of hearing God’s word, knowing it is true, even believing it, but not putting it into practice. There is a danger of accumulating knowledge and thinking that makes us spiritual and godly. James says it is possible to view God’s word in such a way that you hear it but don’t do it. Mirrors were actually shiny surfaces such as polished metal that you could look at and see your reflection. They didn’t have glass mirrors in the way that we might think about them. It was not as common or easy to see your reflection then as it is now because these types of reflective surfaces would be rare. It would be very special to have a “mirror” in which to clearly see yourself. Imagine then taking the time to find a reflective surface to see yourself and once looking, walk away and immediately forget what you look like. It defeats the whole purpose of looking in the mirror!
This is what it is like to hear God’s word and not put it into practice. You are deceiving yourself thinking you are spiritually mature. You may have acquired a lot of information and be knowledgeable, but you are not growing into Christ-likeness. You have deceived yourself. Perhaps you have deceived other people too. James says, the blessed person is the “one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres.” This means, not only do you apply God’s word on occasion but that you faithfully apply Scripture to your life consistently over time.
Notice the result, the person who perseveres in doing good by applying God’s word to his or her life will be truly blessed in what he does. Paul puts it this way, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:7-9). The person who sows to the Spirit reaps eternal benefits. He also reminds us of the importance of perseverance. I heard one pastor describe the Christian life as a “long walk in the same direction.” If you want to grow spiritually, if you want to be a mature Christian, you need to daily apply God’s word to your life consistently over months and years. When you do, you will experience the blessing of God.
