Be a Doer

James 1:22-25: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 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.”

Be a Doer, Not Just a Hearer

God’s Word contains valuable instructions for how to live a life that is pleasing to God, glorifying Him. However, it is not enough to listen to these instructions; we need to follow them. We need to be not just a hearer, but a doer. God is pleased when we read His Word; but when we do not follow up with actually following His Word, we are not obeying as we should.

When we hear God’s Word but do not follow it, we are not deceiving God with our behavior. We might deceive others, giving them a false impression of our commitment to God’s Word. But in the end, we are only deceiving ourselves. We are missing out on a life of fulfillment and the joy of living the life that God has called us to live — that God has created us to live.

God’s Word is a Mirror

When I get ready in the morning, I examine myself in a mirror to make sure that I am at least fairly presentable. No doubt you have a large mirror in your home as well. The purpose of this mirror is to provide an accurate reflection so that we can make any necessary adjustments in our appearance. If I look in the mirror and notice that my hair is messy, I have a stain on my shirt, and my pants do not match my outfit, this is all useful information. But if I do not then comb my hair, change my shirt, and find a matching pair of pants, then I have failed to benefit from the information provided by the mirror. The information was valuable, and my failure to act on it does not decrease its value. Rather, it eliminates the benefit I could have received from its value.

James provides this word picture of a man beholding himself in a glass, or a mirror, to make a specific point. The Bible provides an accurate reflection of who we are. When we study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit reveals to us areas in our life where we are falling short of God’s standard, whether through wrong actions that we should not be doing, or right actions that we are neglecting.

God’s Word Reveals Our Heart

God’s Word is described this way in Hebrews 4:12.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

As “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” the Bible reveals even more than a mirror does — it gets down into the depths of our heart, to our private thoughts, and exposes them. This is consistent with how God sees us, as described in 1 Samuel 16:7. In this passage, God has sent the prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel from among the sons of Jesse. Samuel was impressed by Eliab’s countenance and stature, thinking these external attributes made him the natural choice to be the next king of Israel.

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

Our physical characteristics—how we look, our height, and so forth—do not impress God. He judges us by our obedience to His Word. That is why it is essential to faithfully read and study it. But when we read the Bible, when we “look[eth] into the perfect law of liberty”, it does us no good if we do not “continue[th] in it.” Being a faithful hearer is good, but being a doer of the Word is essential for God’s blessing.

The Parable of the Two Sons

This same principle of hearing and doing comes up in a parable of two sons related by Jesus. 

Matthew 21:28-32 “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

In this parable, there were two sons. Both heard the instruction of the father, but only one actually followed the instruction. Only one did the will of his father. For us to be faithful sons and daughters to our Heavenly Father, we have to do more than hear His Word: we must faithfully obey His Word. And God’s Word says that, if we do, we will be blessed in our deeds.

Be a Doer, Not a Judge

Though James 1:22 is likely the most famous passage about being a ‘doer,’ it is not the only passage in that book that references this. Let us briefly examine one more passage that provides a warning about a behavior that prevents us from being a good ‘doer.’

James 4:11-12 “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” 

Here, James is warning believers from judging, criticizing, and condemning the behavior of others. This judgmental attitude was often seen in the Pharisees during Jesus’ earthly ministry, but it is sadly seen in many churches today.

It is a right and proper thing to study God’s Word to determine how we should be living. However, when we take the knowledge that we have gained from our study of the Bible and use it to judge or be unkind to fellow believers, sometimes who are younger in the faith, and condemn them for their behavior as not being up to God’s standard, we are acting in a way that is contrary to God.

God is the Judge, Not Us

God does not call us to stand in judgement for the sins of others. It is God who will judge. Many passages in God’s Word bear this out.

Matthew 7:1-5: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

One point that Jesus is making in this passage is that none of us are sinless, and thus we are not in a position to judge another person. God, who is perfect and sinless, is the only proper judge. He judges faithfully. Allow Him to show you your sin today.

Judge Yourself, Not One Another

Romans 14:10-13: “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”

Similarly, Paul is warning the believers in Rome not to judge each other, reminding them that they will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ. On that day, Jesus will judge the things they did or did not do for Him.

Judging a fellow believer can place a stumbling block in their way, and this could cause them to stumble in their faith, preventing their proper growth and maturity.

1 Corinthians 8:7-9: “Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your’s become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.”

At the same time, we should also not let our liberty create a stumbling block for believers. Rather, seek to point others to Jesus. We are not called to judge believers for our preferences or standards.

None of this is to say that we should ignore sin. Sin within the church must be appropriately confronted by the church, and unrepentant sin should result in discipline (Matthew 18:15-17).

Our desire is to be doers of the Word. To do that, we must be attentive hearers, obedient followers, and withhold judgment from our fellow believers – “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”

---

About Michael Pack