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| Hearing and Doing (James 1:21-27) | |||||
 Printer Friendly Version - opens in separate window Have you ever been accused of "easy-believism"? That "cheap grace" brand of Christianity that appropriates the Cross but doesn't apply the new life? This is what James is dealing with here.The "therefore" of verse 21 refers to what has already been said in verse 18, i.e. in light of the fact that, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be the first fruits of all he created" we should, "get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word implanted in you, which can save you". The word of truth is the gospel, which Paul has declared to be "the power of God for the Salvation of everyone who believes" (Ro.1:16) and, through the new birth, this word is implanted in the believer's heart and saves. There is an echo here of an Old Testament prophecy: "This is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33) The word implanted in v.18 becomes the word applied in the rest of the passage and this progression from believing to doing echoes Jesus, Lk.11:28, and Paul, Ro.2:13. Saving power is accompanied by a summons to obey and the believer can declare "I am saved!" while determining to live a saved life. The nature of this new life and the contrast between doers and hearers only is cleverly illustrated by James in the picture of two men looking in a mirror: "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - will be blessed in what he does" The hearer only may look and look but, in turning away, he soon forgets what he has seen. The doer can be said to truly look intently because the very act of doing holds the perfect law before him constantly as it is worked out in his life. In other words, the hearer only hears in a moment while the doer does for all of his life. The first forgets, the latter remains, or perseveres. Can there be any doubt that there is blessing in consistent gospel living? The "perfect law" here is the Christian ethical code in the gospel and gives freedom. It is not a burdensome law for the simple reason that it is accompanied, indeed preceded by the provision of God in enabling the believer by writing that law on his heart. This is clearly illustrated by a passage in 1 Peter 1:23-2:2 that clearly parallels this in James, showing an early and clear tradition and teaching in the church from which both draw: "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flower of the field; The grass withers and the flowers fall, But the word of the Lord stands forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Lie newborn babies crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. This is the Christian: born again of imperishable seed; nourished by the enduring word of God; craving spiritual milk and seeking to grow up in the faith by application of the word that has been implanted. Christians believe in works, indeed works are an inevitable outworking of faith. It is important that we understand this and are able to teach it clearly and compellingly to others. More, it is important that others see it in our lives before they hear it from our mouths otherwise we will unintentionally justify the charge of easy-believism and put a stumbling block before them. |
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