¹⁹ This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does...

⁸ If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. ¹⁴ What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

As we continue to look at James letter to the church from the daily reading in the One Year Bible(link available on links page), I would like to reflect on a few basic thoughts that run through these verses.  

 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 

 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ... Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

To be doers of the word and not merely hearers means we have more than a knowledge of who God is, it means that our belief in who God the Father, Jesus the risen savior and the Holy Spirit affects our lives. We are changed . That change is expressed on how we live. As James continues his discussion of faith he says in James 2:19   You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. It is not enough that we know and believe who God is. We need to have a life changing encounter and an ongoing relationship with God. If we know and believe who He is we may respect and fear Him, but we need to love Him. Jesus says in John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. So if we study the word, knowing  and understanding it's historical context, the meaning in Hebrew and Greek, yet if it has no effect on what we do, how we act, we are "deluded."

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. We have a tendency, whether as individuals or bodies of believers, denominations or what ever other name  we place on our faith, to have certain doctrines that we regard more highly than others. That in and of itself is not necessarily a problem. It is okay for us to gather together with other like-minded people who hold certain core values. It becomes a problem when we begin to take it to the extent where we will tolerate,  accept or at least wink at some things while holding strictly to one or more other areas of the law. When we begin to classify one sin as worse than another we are in danger of violating all of God's commandments. Rather than having preferred doctrine, what often happens is that we have preferred sin. Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. So the power of the cross pays the price for all sin. All sin that is which we acknowledge, and repent of. The only sin the cross has no power over is the one we choose to hold on to.

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ... Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. This third theme brings us back to the first. If we believe in God and understand what He has done for us, we will love Him. As it says in 1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us. In response to that love we then do as Jesus says in John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. Our love for Him and indeed our faith in Him causes us to do the works. We can never do enough to earn our position with God. But, because He has freely given the gift of salvation, eternal life and abundant living, we respond with acts of love and faith. James here was focussing on acts of faith expressed through the care of those less fortunate and that is certainly a worthy expression of love and faith. Jesus though also calls us to another level of acts of faith. He says in John 14:11-15

¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. ¹² Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.¹⁵ “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

That's the context in which Jesus says to keep His commandments. We are to do the works that He did. These do indeed include the works of love and care for the less fortunate. They also though include the works He commanded in Mark 16

¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. ¹⁷ These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 

 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.