17 Mar Recap | James | Do the Word

Though we may claim to believe in the truth of Scripture, if it does not shape the way that we live on a daily basis, we are merely fooling ourselves. James warns Christians to be doers of the Word and not just listeners. He begins this week’s passage with a series of quick commands to his readers.

He draws us in first, starting out with “understand this.” James is calling for his readers to humble themselves and receive the wisdom that he intends to give to them. As Christians we must understand that wisdom is not found within ourselves, where it can be entangled in cultural biases and subjective feelings, but rather it is something that requires one to be humbled and come under the authority of God’s Word.

James urges Christians to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry,” a command that is bound to be more difficult for some people than others. These are small, specific ways that a person is conformed to Christ’s image. James decries human anger saying it “does not produce the righteousness God desires.” This anger is unlike God’s in that it is self-centered in nature, rooted in a belief that the world must bend to one’s own desires and serve one’s own needs.

James calls Christians to repentance, to turn away from “all the filth and evil in your lives,” which could be any number of things for a given individual. Sadly, the indwelling sin that James speaks of is enticing in its familiarity to us. It is where we find a kind of short-term comfort and pleasure.

Instead of accepting the perverse comfort of it, we are to “accept the word God has planted in your hearts,” a word which often feels very foreign and cold. It takes time for desires to shift in the process of repentance because our sinful natures are so averse to it. We are being called to walk on a road that is extremely narrow.

James’s next point is central to his entire letter. He contrasts only listening to God’s Word with doing what it says. If we only listen to the Word of God and turn our pursuit of it into a merely ritualistic, academic one, we are only fooling ourselves. According to James, this kind of engagement with God’s Word is like a person who looks into the mirror and forgets his or her appearance after walking away.

God has been clear in the Scriptures in His diagnosis of the human condition, and it is not a positive one. He leaves no room for complacency and inaction – we are compelled to move in urgency if we truly see ourselves in the mirror of His word. The truth is that our souls need a “goad” – an instrument to poke and prod us back to the narrow path when we find ourselves leaving it. The Scriptures are meant to be this goad to us, always guiding us and correcting us when we turn away from righteousness. Our engagement with Scripture is meant to be an active one.

God’s Word, says James, is “the perfect law.” It does not enslave or harshly reign as one might think, but rather sets a person free. This is the great paradox: that to obey is to be free, and to disobey is to lose all freedom. Though sin invites us with the liberty it seems to offer, in the end it proves to be a cruel master that mercilessly bids us do its will.

To the degree that we as Christians listen to the truth of the Word of God and do not obey it, we are deluding ourselves and engaging in religion that is worthless. What is in found in our souls will inevitably be found in our lives. But if God’s truth and action are not found in the reality of our lives, it is possible that they may not be in our souls either.

Application

• You must be consistently carving out time for personal Bible study. You have to find the time of day that is best for you when you will be able to best receive the truth of Scripture.

• Evaluate how you think, feel, and believe by the Scriptures instead of the culture at large.

• In what ways will you obey? Take a handful of notes from each teaching and highlight at least one or two ways in which you will move in obedient response. Community groups are where we work out what it looks like to obey in specific ways in our own lives.

• Approach and plan out the spiritual endeavors of your week as strategically as you would other areas of your life.

• For more teaching and resources on Bible study, check out our Core Values sermon on being Biblically Oriented here. The Grace Church Teaching App is another great resource and can be downloaded in the iTunes App Store.

• If you are interested in taking a class on how to study the Bible, let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

-Brian Barbee