James 1:19-27

Translation

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let each person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not carry out the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore in humility put off every vulgarity and abundance of evil, and receive the implanted word which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.

23 For if someone is hearing the word and not doing, this is like a man observing the face of his birth in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself and goes away and immediately forgets of what sort he was. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and abides in it, not being one who hears and forgets but a doer of work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

26 If someone thinks to be religious but cannot hold in check his tongue but deceives his heart, this one’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion pure and undefiled in the presence of God the Father is this, to care for orphans and widows in their tribulation, and for one to keep himself unstained from the world.

Outline of Text:

1. V19-20 Know This
• Comprehend, understand, know with the mind these instructions
• Be quick to hear
• Be slow to speak
• Be slow to anger
• Anger does not produce righteousness
• God requires righteousness
2. V21 Because of Word and Knowledge: What is the Therefore There For
• From v18 we have words for James about the Word of truth
• From vv19-20 we have words from James about aspects of the believing life
• Therefore:
• Put away filthiness
• Put away rampant wickedness
• Receive with meekness the implanted word
• Implanted: placed in, permanently established. Something placed in something else for the purpose of growth. From two words meaning in and to germinate. Continuing the fruits imagery from v18, we were brought forth by the Word of truth and that Word was also implanted in us, but implanted so that we ourselves might grow, or rather so that the word might grow in us and produce even more fruit.
• The word able to save your souls
3. V22-25 Hearers and Doers
• V22 Doers and not hearers only
• Be doers of the word
• Not hearers only – these deceive themselves, feeling their participation in the Christian walk is satisfied as they hear and receive the Word. Mental reception and assent is seen as enough, but no great dedication is given to living out the Word.
• V23-24 Like a man forgetting himself
• Like a man who carefully studies himself in a mirror
• Despite his careful study, when he leaves the mirror he forgets himself. Despite attentiveness to and reception of the Word, when away the “hearer only” is quick to forget the truth.
• V25 The blessed man
• The one looking into the law
• Perfect law of liberty
• Not a direct reference to the Mosaic law, but to the Will of God. It is God’s will that should guide and direct our path, and his will is revealed to us through the Word. His will is perfect and represents the highest way for humans to live. Only when we live as we were created to live will we experience true liberty.
• Who then perseveres
• Not a hearer who forgets
• A doer who acts
• How this looks when lived out is described in a small way in vv19-21 and vv26-27
• He will be blessed in what he does
4. V26-27 Pure Religion
• Thinks he is religious, but:
• Does not bridle his tongue
• Deceives his heart
• Religion is worthless.
• True religion, pure and undefiled before God
• Visit widows and orphans in their affliction
• Keep oneself unstained from the world
• Pointing back to v21 and perhaps vv13-15

Sermon Manuscript

There was once a family of bears living in a forest. This was a sophisticated family, well-educated and quite proper when it came to matters of social interaction. Papa bear had a hobby. He loved bridges. As such he read every book about bridges that he could get his hands on. He knew just about all there was to know about bridges, and his knowledge could rival most human bridge builders. Papa Bear would often stop and talk with other bears about building bridges. They would discuss the finer points of the craft and would imagine the specifications for the grandest bridges the world had ever seen. Whenever Papa Bear met someone new he would introduce himself as a bridge builder. As the new person heard Papa Bear speak, the new person would have no doubt that here stood a master bridge builder.

There was just one problem. Papa Bear had never in his life built a bridge. In fact, he had never really even seen one being built. All he knew about bridges came from his reading and from the bridges he himself crossed. Now, for all his knowledge it would have been foolish of bridge building companies to ignore him. Several companies offered him jobs.  “Why should I take this?” the bear would respond, “It will only take up my time!” And so he continued, the only bear in the world to have the title of Bridge Builder without ever having actually built a bridge.

Our passage this morning comes from James 1:19-27. In this passage James speaks to us of Christians who are very much like Papa Bear from our story. Let’s hear what God says to us through his servant James.

Verse 22 tells us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. I believe the rest of today’s passage focuses in on those words. The core of James’ message is found in verse 22 and the surrounding verses provide additional meaning and context.

James first reminds us of some aspects of the Christian character. These words help to paint a picture of what the believer’s life looks like when we are doers and not just hearers. The Christian is one who is quick to hear, quick to listen to others while also being slow to speak. I think this is an essential part to the humility that Christians are called to live. Not putting ourselves forward, not thrusting ourselves on others, but listening and loving, speaking when it will be helpful, not just when it will get ourselves noticed. Too much of what we do is to get others to look at us. Will we instead act with the interest of others in mind? Listening to others, hearing their thoughts, concerns, fears, joys – and sharing with them in those things. Paul is talking about this sort of thing in Philippians 2:3 when he says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” But be careful! While you are quick to listen, also be slow to anger. I do know people who are good listeners but they listen only to find something that will stir them up, that will set them off. They listen for the purpose of criticism, not for the purpose of building up another person. That is the goal of our listening – to be able to help build other people up.

Anger, James reminds us in verse 20, does not produce the righteousness that God requires of us. This is something God calls for from all believers: that we would live righteous lives before him. So often our anger is brought about due to selfish and quite unrighteous issues. It distracts us from how we are supposed to live and instead focuses us on something or other that is an offense to us. I do believe there are occasions when it is acceptable for Christians to be angry (hence the instruction is to be slow to anger, not to never be angry) but those occasions do not involve personal grudges or preferences but involve great injustices against God and man.

In verse 21 James gives us a therefore. I will always remember someone once teaching me, “When you see a therefore, always ask the question: what is the therefore there for?” James tells us therefore – because of something he has already said – we are to live in a certain way and we are to receive the implanted word. James is tying together two things he has just said. The first is in verse 18. There he tells us that God “brought us forth by the word of truth”. The second we have just read, the expectation that believers are to produce the righteousness of God. Because God brought us forth by his word, and because he calls for us to be righteous, we are to put away all filthiness and wickedness. James says rampant wickedness – recognizing just how great is the wickedness that so often fills our lives and our societies. But Christian, you do not belong to wickedness any longer, you belong to Christ! The living Word, Jesus Christ, has saved you and has called you to righteousness. Why do you continue to cling to the lusts of the flesh, the desire of your eye?

James goes on in verse 21 to call for us to receive the implanted word, which he says is able to save our souls. The phrase “implanted word” is a phrase that speaks of growth, as one would plant a seed. The Word has been planted within us and God’s intention is that it would continue to grow in us even to the producing of fruit. We are to be fruitful believers, with the fruit of the Word of God being evident in our lives. It is interesting that in verse 18 we are called the firstfruits because of the Word, and now we are to produce fruit because of the Word.

Verses 22-25 are a vital reminder for Christians. This is an area we so often fall short. We are guilty of being the person described by James. He speaks of a man who is like the bear in our story earlier. This person hears the Word of God – he has studied the Scriptures, he has received the revelation, he has heard the teachings of the church – he knows his stuff! And yet he does not live it out. You could talk doctrine and theology with this person all day long, and yet you cannot see him putting into practice the things that he knows and believes.

James says that we are not to be hearers only, deceiving ourselves. There is deceit involved in this way of life. How often do we feel good because of what we know about God and the Bible, and yet we never get beyond our knowledge? We think that because we have learned the great truths of the Bible, we have arrived at biblical righteousness. But James reminds us that it is not enough just to know what God has taught us. Righteous living involves more than just right thinking! Also be doers of the Word, carrying out the will of God who has saved you!

We DO need to know the Bible, we DO need to know what God would teach us. James at no point disregards biblical knowledge and teaching. These are vital parts of the Christian life. But they are not the only parts. We live in a day when biblical knowledge seems to be at an all-time low. I once had a friend ask me if it was Noah or Paul that did the flood thing. Many people lack a basic knowledge about the Bible, knowledge that they need to have! Even in our churches many people fail to know some fundamental truths about God’s word. But why is that? I think one reason is that people have ceased to see the Bible as being relevant to their lives. But how did this happen? Why don’t people see how important the Bible is? Could it be because they haven’t seen anyone live out the Word of God? They haven’t seen what it means to practice the things that we preach? They have heard the voices of many people who know the Word, but they have not seen the lives of those who then go on to do the Word.

It is not enough to proclaim the gospel with our voices if we are not proclaiming the gospel with our lives.

James says that a hearer only is like a man who has forgotten himself. He has seen his image in a mirror but goes away and immediately forgets what he has seen. There is more to this than a simple example of forgetfulness. The Bible does serve as a mirror to our lives. It reveals to us our sinfulness, the desperate condition we have been in. It reveals to us a savior who came to redeem us of our sins. And it shows us how we are to live as the redeemed people of God. To hear only and not do is to ignore that which tells us who we were, who we are, and what we are to be.

In verse 25 James declares blessings on the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres in doing what it calls for us to do. This reference to the perfect law of liberty does not talk about the Mosaic law in the Old Testament, not specifically at least. It talks about the whole council of God, the will of God for how people are to act. It is God’s perfect will for humanity that declares how we are to live. We were created to live and move and act in certain ways, and only when we live as we were created will we truly be free. An airplane is of no use trying to act as a boat; humans are not fully living if we are ignoring the will of our creator. Only with his word, his will, can we find liberty. And with obedience comes the promise of a blessed life. Not necessarily happiness as humans often describe it, not necessarily great material possession. Suffering often accompanies the Christian life. But we are blessed by God himself, and his blessing is greater than all suffering.

The last part of our passage, verses 26-27, talks about pure religion. Religion is a word many Christians today do not like using. “I don’t have a religion, I have a relationship!” many are known to say. I understand the reasons for saying this, but the word religion is not a word the Bible avoids. Our goal should be to experience true religion, pure religion, religion that is pleasing to God. James tells us what pure religion is like. First, the person who is not slow to speak does not have pure religion. James is briefly giving the picture of a loud, perhaps boastful person. Someone who thinks more of himself than of others. His words are worth more to him than what anyone else could possibly say, and so he is quick to speak so that others might be able to glean wisdom from his words. Perhaps he is a hearer of the word, and he spends great chunks of time telling people what he has heard. Like the bear, always talking about the finer points of Christianity. And yet we never see his words translated into action. His religion is worthless. Meaningless. He may well be saved, but he is not living the life of Christ. Religion that is pure, worthwhile, undefiled before God is religion that is lived out in service to others. To take care of orphans and widows when they experience troubles. To help those in need. To show love to a small child or an old man. To care more about others than you do about yourself.

Pure religion is also to remain unstained by the world. To let you rub off on the world, not the world rub off on you. To heed the words of Paul in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Religion is hard work, but it is work we are called to do. The reward of following Christ will stretch into eternity, but everything we do for our own ends will someday come to an end. The day is coming when this world and everything in it will burn up, be made new. The things we build up in this world will come to an end. Only the things done for God will have results that stretch into eternity. Let’s choose Christ, not self. Let’s be doers of the Word, not hearers other. Showing others the gospel with our lives, and giving them a hunger for the truths we have heard from Scripture. Hearing and doing go together for the believer and when we live out both we will truly be blessed by the Lord.