Thursday | James 1:19-27
James 1:19-27
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Have you ever heard the expression “put your money where your mouth is” or “this is where the rubber meets the road”? The concept behind expressions like those suggests moments of truth, where one backs up or puts to test what’s being said or what’s been happening behind the scenes.
In a similar sense, this is what James is laying down on the table for his readers. In other words, his challenge is that Christianity is not simply a system or phrase of belief, but it is your entire life being transformed by the gospel. There is fruit in your walk.
There are three kinds of people. Actually, there are three kinds of sinners:
Religious sinners: religious sinners tend to add to the word of God and stray toward a legalistic and often self-righteous proclamation of the gospel;
Rebellious sinners: rebellious sinners pick and choose what they like and don’t like about Scripture and often use the Word of God for their own benefit. We would say that they license the proclamation of the gospel;
Redeemed sinners: redeemed sinners understand that that grace of God not only sustains but transforms them. It is not that they are perfect, but made new. Obedience to God is a response to His love for them, not a manner of earning it.
Obedience is a response to the gift of faith that we have been given in Christ. Therefore, what we do isn’t a means to try and earn God’s love, the Christian already has it as a result of what God has done for them in Christ.
Consider the condition of your heart today. Confess your sin before the Lord and fix your eyes upon Jesus for your sin has been forgiven, your identity is sealed, and your obedience is one of gratitude, not performance.