Be Doers Of The Word, James 1: 22-25

Dan Doyle

“Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves” (v. 22). This is the essence, the very meaning of our faith. The Word of God is a Living Word. Our Christian faith is more than hearing, liking, or being inspired by what we hear. Because it is a living word, it must go beyond being simply heard; it must be lived openly and consistently, and, given the realities of this world, lived courageously. Hearing the word is safe. ‘Doing’ the word may be dangerous. It has always been so.

James tells us that the ‘hearer’ of the word that does not also ‘do’ it is like “a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does” (vs. 23-25). How are we to understand these challenging words? While ‘hearing’ the word is of great value, it is the ‘doing’ that brings the word alive in me and in how I live my life with all others.

The Apostle James reminds us that the Word of God is a law, and it must take root in us. Why? Because the very purpose of God’s Law is to bring about moral excellence within us, and to protect and promote that same moral excellence for the greater good, not just of the self, but for the family and society as a whole, to make life more joyful and perfect. For this to happen, we must not just contemplate the law of God in our own hearts and minds; we must practice it. In other words, if we do not practice God’s word, it has no life in us and can have no positive effect.

But James’ message here is simply echoing Jesus’ own words. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words and acts on them” (Lk 6: 46-47). Jesus then tells the parable about the man who builds his house on sand and the man who builds his house on rock. This goes to the core of the matter. If our faith and sense of self are built on the foundation of God’s Law, in his Living Word, Jesus Christ, we can withstand any storm that might come our way by living his Word openly, joyfully, and courageously in all situations. On the other hand, if we build our life and identity upon a foundation of worldly things, when difficult times and trials come to us, as they tend to do, all we have put our trust in will fail us in the end.

We also know, at some level, that doing God’s word in this world is no easy matter, either internally or externally. Even the greatest saints of that past, and those among us now, know that they sometimes fall short. As Christian believers, we can trust in God’s infinite capacity for mercy and in his infinitely generous grace. God has told us that he will always be with us and for us, ‘until the end of time’ (ours or the world’s). He keeps speaking his word to us and patiently waits for us not only to hear it, but to choose to do it in all things, times, and places.

When God spoke his Word, his Son, into the world, many were deaf to it; many chose not to listen and turned away rather to listen to the manifold voices of this world. This is still true today. This is why James’ admonition to “do the word” remains both important and challenging today. God’s word, as we see in Jesus Christ, is love. Can we say that there is much too little of that Word of Love in the world today? As Christians, then, we might ask ourselves, “Where do we stand in not just hearing, but in ‘doing’ God’s Word of Love in our daily lives? Is our life built on the shifting sands of worldly desires, or is it built on the solid rock of God’s Word?

Lord, we pray that you pour your abundant grace upon us so that we might understand your Word more intimately and then desire more and more to ‘do’ it in our daily lives. Help us to love your Word so deeply that we can do nothing less than share it openly, courageously, and joyfully with all others, in all places, and in all situations. We pray this in your name, Jesus. Amen.