Sermon Central
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Doers, Not Hearers Only.
Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on May 3, 2024 (message contributor)
Summary: Practical implications of our new birth.
DOERS, NOT HEARERS ONLY.
We must be careful that we are “doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving our own selves” (James 1:22). Having heard and received, we must then put the word into action in our lives. Good works do not make us Christians, but Christians will do good works. Practical Christianity is not a spectator sport (cf. Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21)!
It is unfortunate that, having heard the word of God, we so easily forget what we heard. James illustrates this with his picture of a man who looks in the mirror, sees his messy hair, and who then goes away and forgets that he needs to comb his hair (James 1:23-24). By contrast, the “blessed” man looks intently into the “perfect law of liberty”, applies it in his life, and puts it into action. Not that he is “blessed” for the deed, but rather he is blessed “in” the deed (James 1:25).
Our studies of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ reveal it to be a “perfect law of liberty,” (James 1:25) setting us free from the law of bondage of sin unto death and leading us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
James here introduces three marks of true spirituality: bridling the tongue, our attitude to widows and orphans, and personal purity (James 1:26-27).
Our words speak forth what is in our hearts: and if our heart is full of “the word of truth” (James 1:18), we will surely allow that word to guide us in our speech. “Slow to speak” (James 1:19) and “bridling the tongue” (James 1:26) are not exhortations to silence, but a warning against hasty, unconsidered speech. When we are not doers of the word, but hearers only, we are “deceiving our own selves” (James 1:22); when we make a show of religion, and bridle not our tongues, we are “deceiving our own hearts” (James 1:26).
Widows and orphans stand for all those who are deprived of their means of support. The Fatherhood of God is here held up as our reason to “visit” them in their need. And if our “religion” is “undefiled”, and God is our Father, we will “keep ourselves unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
