Be Doers of the Word

Be Doers of the Word

“People may doubt what you say, but will believe what you do”

Christians frequently find it difficult to distinguish between Christian and legalistic forms of obedience. What distinguishes godly obedience from non-Christian moral efforts? We have a valuable window into the distinctive quality of Christian obedience thanks to the apostle James. It appears in the first section of his letter:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 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. (James 1:22–25)

James contrasts practicing the Word with merely hearing it. According to him, listening without acting is equivalent to seeing in the mirror, leaving, and forgetting how you look.

For example, “listening” is equivalent to seeing in the mirror, while “not doing” is equivalent to leaving and forgetting. Obeying the Word requires more than just hearing it. You are lying to yourself if all you do is listen. You’re fooling yourself. There must be something more to it.

The main question now is, what exactly is the “something more”? Is it only due to our own efforts? Or is Christian obedience special in some way? James claims that gazing in the appropriate mirror and acting upon what you see is the “something more.” The law of liberty, also referred to by James as the Word of truth through which we are born again (1:18), the implanted Word that saves us (1:21), and the royal law of liberty, is the correct mirror (2:8–12). In other words, the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are understood in light of the good news of Jesus, and the mirror into which we should carefully peer. That is the command that we are to carry out, thus to obey  is to carry out the gospel.

Now, what does that mean?

Gospel-Doing (Doers of the Word)

The gospel practitioner looks into the royal law of liberty’s mirror. He recognizes himself in the enduring and living Word of God. Doing the Word, also known as “gospel-doing,” is relying on Jesus and your identity in Him for all of your resources. You were brought up beside Christ. In the heavens, you are seated next to him (Eph. 2:5–6). Your life is concealed in God with Christ. When he manifests one day, you’ll join him in glory as well. You will be made manifest in the totality of who and what God created you to be (your actual self). But for now, it’s concealed (Col. 3:1–3).

In order to live out the gospel, you must first see yourself in the context of the royal law. You see yourself in that mirror, then act accordingly. This goes beyond simple moral exemplarism. What would Jesus do? alone is not sufficient. That is frequently too abstract and far away to be very helpful. What would I do if I were filled with Jesus is the question.

One way we utilize our imagination to advance our holiness is what C. S. Lewis called “good pretending.” Simply put, bad pretending is hypocrisy. When we pose as someone or something we are not. When we practice being who we already are morally and flawlessly in Christ, as well as who we shall one day be in Christ legally and positionally, we are good pretenders. Good pretending isn’t hypocrisy; it’s an effort at consistency guided by the Holy Spirit. A poor substitute for reality is pretending. When the facade precedes the reality, faking is done well. Children engage in this behavior when they act like adults so that they can mature. And it is what Christians in our state of pilgrimage do when instructed to carry out the Word.

In practice, it works like this: Imagine what you’d be like if you truly experienced deep, gospel regeneration. If you truly thought that the God of the living would provide for all of your needs. That you are so full of God’s love that you don’t need to manipulate others to achieve what you desire because you are aware of his acceptance, approval, and embracement of you. Think about the version of yourself that is love-filled, stable, and free. Put that hypothetical you in your life’s circumstances now. How would that hypothetical gospel-you act? What would you do if you truly loved God with all of your heart and your neighbor with all of your soul?

When you know the solution, pray to God for guidance before acting (even if you suspect your motives are mixed). Do the acts of love even if they lack (part of) the substance, to put it another way. Don’t wait till your intentions are completely pure. Remorse for your immoral intentions, wicked tastes, and spiritual indifference. Take a look at yourself in the gospel, the releasing rule of King Jesus. In light of the wonderful news, consider where you are. Don’t just leave and forget this moment. Remember. Hold onto the image of yourself in Christ. Even if you don’t fully feel what you saw, move on and act upon what you observed. And you will be blessed in what you do, according to James.

Doing the Word refers to this. Be a doer—a gospel-doer—of the Word for the rest of your life.

Case Studies in Doer of the Word

Although the idea might still seem a little abstract, concrete forms a solid foundation, as any mason will tell you. Doing the Word must be understood in the context of the real-world challenges we will encounter throughout our lives. I’ve decided to start with two of them.

Success

How do we approach success as a minister of the gospel? the point when everything we touch turns to gold? The family is successful, the ministry is successful, the job is satisfying, and our hearth and home are content. When that occurs, we may be inclined to brag—to lord it over others, either publicly by flaunting it or covertly by using Christian techniques to remind everyone of our accomplishments. We gather mirrors rather than peering into the royal law’s mirror. In truth, we use others as mirrors to reflect our glory. We create entire kingdoms for ourselves that are based on the admiration, envy, or praise of others. We get a perverse feeling of joy when we make other people long for the life we lead (and the second sense of satisfaction when they are unable to).

So what should we do when God requires us to deal with success and fruitfulness? We must practice the Word. What do we have that we did not receive? This is a question we should ask ourselves when we examine the royal law of liberty. And why would we boast that we did it ourselves if we had got it? (1 Cor. 4:7). We must keep in mind that life is not measured by the number of our goods or the riches of our achievements (Luke 12:15). that it is challenging for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom and that prosperity comes in many forms other than money (Matt. 19:23; 1 Tim. 6:6). We must keep in mind that Paul views dealing with wealth and plenty as a challenge (Phil. 4:12).

It’s far too easy in our success to claim, “I can achieve all things via wealth, which strengthens me.” Being productive and successful in a way that demonstrates that our power derives solely from Christ and not from our wealth is challenging. We must always keep in mind what makes us who we are: “By the grace of God, I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). We practice the Word as a result of this self-understanding.

Other People’s Success

On the other hand, sometimes we fail miserably. Our wishes are not fulfilled. We observe how other people climb steadily higher and higher into our hopes and dreams. The friend is hired. The competitor is promoted. The chance is there for someone else. We experience the pain of exclusion as we witness our friends getting married. Or we get married, witness the birth of our friends’ children, and feel a pang of exclusion. Or we enter the ministry and see how one church in the neighborhood is thriving while ours is struggling. Our neck hurts from gazing up so much; someone else’s platform is raised.

What should we do in that situation? We must practice the Word. Their achievement must not become a barrier for us. Their blessings cannot be taken personally by us. We must withstand the venom of enmity and competition (Matt. 20:15). We have to put an end to enmity and hatred. The law of liberty reminds us that God’s generosity knows no limitations. He won’t be able to shower us with all of his blessings in one lifetime. Therefore, we can thank God for other people’s blessings.

So, amid our achievements and (temporary) failings, may we all have the grace to look deeply into the royal law of liberty, to see ourselves in Christ, and to do the Word with his grace.

God bless you.

 

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