Studies in James, Part 5: James 1:22 - 25

  So tonight I am finally getting to my promised blog post on James 1:22 – 27.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (1:22)

With this verse James takes up what is arguably one of the central themes of his epistle – the need for action. True faith brings about results, and it is not something which people will never take note of.

Why then does it seem that while I struggle so much to be obedient to the Word, I still find myself falling short and failing to consistently be a doer of the Word? If the scripture says to be kind and loving, tenderhearted, forgiving others as Christ forgave me, being patient and not easily prone to wrath, and above all, trusting God fully and offering up my body as a living sacrifice, and I find myself failing in every regard, what must be done? Must I conclude that I am not saved? In light of the other teachings of the new testament concerning the Christian's struggle with sin, I would conclude otherwise. But still, what do I lack that causes me to consistently fail being a doer of the word?

This is an age old question to which many people have proposed many different answers. It is said by some that what I would then need to experience is a definite second work of grace which purges me of my sin nature and allow me to live, in essence, sinlessly. On the other extreme, some teach a complete defeatism - as if sin abounds more than grace, and we as Christians are doomed to live in sin until we die.

What does the scripture say on this matter? Let us turn to Romans chapter 6, where the apostle Paul says this:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The answer here is presented in painfully clear terms. We can walk after the Spirit, or walk after the flesh. That is, we can do God's will, or we can do our will – the will of our sinful flesh. It is impossible for the unsaved man to walk after the Spirit, nor would he ever desire to do so. The fact that we loathe and abhor the sin which so easily besets us is, in a way, assurance that we indeed have the Spirit of Christ working in our hearts. But what does it exactly mean to walk after the Spirit? It means to do God's will, which is impossible for us, but with the Spirit of Christ it is possible. When the Spirit works in our hearts, we come to abhor and loathe sin and desire in our hearts to do the will of God.

But we seem to have this unconscious mentality which goes something along the lines of 'how far can I go before I make God mad?' I will talk about this for a bit.

Under the old covenant which God made with Israel through Moses, everything was set out in stone. The people knew what 'made God mad', so to speak. Yet in vain do we search the new testament for specifics on 'how far' we can gratify our desires before sinning against the Lord. Instead, we are simply told in Romans 8:1 to walk after the Spirit, and in doing so we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. God (from what I have observed in the scriptures) does not seem as interested in laying down all sorts of laws for us to follow as He is in having us obey Him out of love from the heart. Indeed, love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10).

How do we walk after the Spirit? Surrender. How do we surrender? By entrusting our all to God, submitting to His lordship over every area of our life. How is this accomplished? By faith.

    Having quoted an entire chapter of scripture, and spent several paragraphs describing the Christian struggle with sin and our victory in surrender, allow me now to move on to the next verses in James chapter 1.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 2:23 – 25)

Here we see the Word of God likened to a mirror. We look into it and see all our imperfections, blemishes, and sins. It shows us exactly where we are lacking.

James exhorts his readers to continue to compare themselves with the law of liberty, and not to forget what manner of men they are, but to continually seek to grow into the likeness of Christ.

Again and again, we see exhortations to abandon spiritual lethargy and press on towards perfection.

I think this will wrap up my post for tonight, and I will speak about verses 26 – 27 in a separate post.