Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers

James 1:19-2:17 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

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.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

2 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. ² For if a man comes into your ^[j]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, ³ and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? ⁷ Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

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.

In today’s text it says:  Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves… If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.   We see again that what God wants from us and for us; what His word tells us is not that we are to just do good works toward others, but we are also to do what is right and good in God’s sight. We are to be loving and compassionate; helping others and we are also to keep ourselves unstained by the world. If we are doers of the word, we must be doers of all that the word says. If we are doers, we cannot be pickers and choosers, doing only the things in the word that we agree with. If we are doers of the word, while we show love and compassion to others regardless of their situation and circumstances, we don’t embrace and participate in their sins.

The text says:  My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?   We need to recognize that “personal favoritism,” predjudice and similar attitudes really know no barriers. They are not limited to financial standing, but also include every other way that we find to define and divide ourselves from others. We need to take care in our efforts to be fair, that we do not fall into the trap and the pattern of our culture and society. We need to not by trying so hard to be fair to one group, have predjudice toward another.  Many in our society who scream for equality have the strongest attitude of personal favoritism; they are the most predjudiced. Those with faith in Christ cannot allow themselves to be the same. We need to look at others with the same unconditional love that God sees us. Romans 5:8 says: God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died for the rich and the poor; for every race; for everyone without an attitude of personal favoritism; without prejudice.

The text ends saying:  What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,  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? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.  Again, faith and works are not an either or for believers; instead they go hand in hand.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says:  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.   Good works are the result of our salvation through faith, not the cause of it. If we truly believe, we will work out and walk out our faith. We will be doers of the word and not only hearers.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit that You loved me and love me without prejuduce. May Your word be deeply implanted in me and may I be a doer of Your word. May I be faithful to show love and compassion to others without prejudice and may I also remain unstained by the sin of the world. May my faith be evident through the good works that You prepared for me to walk in.   Amen.