They are not merely to receive and hear the Word; they must also act upon it. Compare St. Paul's teaching in Romans 2:13 , "For not the hearers ( ἀκροαταὶ ) of a law are just before God, but the doers of a law shall be justified." ἀκροατής occurs nowhere else except in these passages. Deceiving your own selves ( παραλογίζειν ); to lead astray by false reasonings; only here and in Colossians 2:4 . Not uncommon in the LXX . read more
Hearers and doers. The writer has said in James 1:21 that the wise hearer is a " receiver " of the Word, and he now proceeds to emphasize the fact that he is also a "doer" of it. " Receiving " represents the root of the Christian life, and "doing" indicates its fruit. I. THE INJUNCTION . ( James 1:22 ) Very many hearers of the gospel are not sufficiently upon their guard against the dreadful danger of being " hearers only." Some, when the service is over, seldom think... read more
Illustration from life, showing the folly of being led astray. His natural face ( τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ); literally, the face of his birth. The expression is an unusual one, but there is no doubt of its meaning. In a glass ; rather, in a mirror , ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ : cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12 , δἰ ἐσόπτρου . The mirror of burnished brass. read more
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only - Obey the gospel, and do not merely listen to it. Compare Matthew 7:21.Deceiving your own selves - It is implied here, that by merely hearing the word but not doing it, they would deceive their own souls. The nature of this deception was this, that they would imagine that that was all which was required, whereas the main thing was that they should be obedient. If a man supposes that by a mere punctual attendance on preaching, or a respectful... read more
For if any be ... - The ground of the comparison in these verses is obvious. The apostle refers to what all persons experience, the fact that we do not retain a distinct impression of ourselves after we have looked in a mirror. While actually looking in the mirror, we see all our features, and can trace them distinctly; when we turn away, the image and the impression both vanish. When looking in the mirror, we can see all the defects and blemishes of our person; if there is a scar, a deformity,... read more
James 1:22. But be ye doers of the word See on Matthew 7:21; Matthew 7:24. We are then doers of the word, when, being enlightened by its doctrines, awed by its threatenings, and encouraged by its promises, we, through the aid of divine grace, love and obey its precepts, both those which enjoin repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as terms necessary to be complied with in order to our justification and regeneration, and those subsequent commands which show how those, who... read more
James 1:23-24. If any be a hearer of the word merely, and not a doer If he do not comply with its design, do not so consider and believe it as to lay it to heart, and be influenced by its doctrines, obey its precepts, embrace and rely on its promises, revere and stand in awe of its threatenings, guarding against what would expose him to them; he is like a man beholding From custom or by accident; his natural face in a glass Without any intention to discover, and wash or wipe off, the... read more
1:19-2:26 PUTTING BELIEF INTO PRACTICEThe Bible and everyday life (1:19-27)A tendency in human nature is for people to become ill-tempered, especially in times of difficulty or stress. Christians must not excuse their ill-temper by claiming that they are defending God’s honour. Such attitudes have no place in the Christian life. They must be replaced by new attitudes that arise from studying God’s Word and putting its teachings into practice (19-21).Christians must not merely read God’s Word,... read more
be = become. hearers . Greek. akroates. Only here, verses: James 1:23 , James 1:25 .Romans 2:13 . deceiving . Greek. paralogizomai, to deceive by false reasoning. Only here and Colossians 2:4 . read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:19-27
The law of the new life. "Ye know this, my beloved brethren;" viz. that ye have been begotten again by God. But now, from this vantage-ground, he presses the necessity of a consistent life. They have espoused, by God's grace, a new ideal of character and conduct; let their whole life show forth its power. This is the topic of the whole passage, and it divides itself very naturally into the related subjects of—meekness, self-knowledge, and practical religion (see Punchard, in Bishop... read more