Reference: James 1:21-25
Have you ever taken into considerationjust exactly what it means to be not only a hearer of God's word, but also adoer of God's word? I want you to notice that the apostle James is letting usknow that we absolutely must be a hearer of the word of God, but he alsostresses a lot of emphesis on the fact that we must be a doer of the word inorder to be justified. In the second chapter of this same epistle, James tellsus that a man can only be justified if he has works along with his faith.
These works that James is talking aboutare the works that we will have if we are doers of the word along with being ahearer. Many people today are totally ignorant of what these works are that theapostle James is referring to that will justify us in the sight of God. Anytimeworks are referred to, most people get the idea that one would be trying toearn their salvation, but this easily proves that these people are what theBible calls hearers of the word and not doers of the word.
A hearer of the word is a person that willhear what the word says without being a doer of the word. The main reason whymost people are hearers without being a doer is simply because of the fact thatthey are not truly hearing the truth of God's holy and righteous word asrevealed in the gospel. I say this simply because of the fact that God's wordplainly reveals that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and isprofitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and for instruction inrighteousenss that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto allgood works.
Words of instructions easily reveals thatthey are word that will tell us to do something. If you will check the averageteaching in today's religious world, you will find out that they are onehundred percent against any form of works at all. This is because they are ledto believe that works are trying to earn your salvation, but this only provesthat they are either void of knowing what the truth is or else they want to bea hearer of the word and not a doer of the word. There are thousands of peoplein the world today thinking they are alright as long as they attend some churchand listen to what the pastor has to say, but they are not willing to be a doerof what God's word truly has to say.
Since most religious organizations areagainst works, this is why many people have become a hearer and not a doer ofGod's word. It seems that all denominational organizations are totally againstthe truth that the gospel truly reveals. This truth is the truth concerning howa person is saved. The average person today is led to believe that to be savedis done simply by a confession and belief on Christ, but God's word revealsthat we can only be saved by receiving with meekness the engrafted word whichis able to save our souls. To receive the word in order to be saved means thatwe must receive and walk in all truth revealed in the gospel, but the averageperson today is basing their salvation on a simple verse of scripture without continuingon in the word of God for the revealed truth that will set them completelyfree.
Trying to get the truth to people todaywill cause them to think that one would be trying to earn their salvation, butthis truth is what will make us to be what the word of God calls a doer of theword. To be a doer of the word means that we receive and obey what the wordtells us to do. The word of God reveals many things that we must do, but mostpeople today think that this would be trying to earn ones salvation. Theaverage confessing christian today is led to believe that they became a newcreation in Christ at the precise moment that they accepted Christ as theirpersonal Lord and Saviour. To tell them the revealed truth about this matter,how that God's word reveals that we grow into new creation in Christ as we walkin and receive the truth of the gospel, they will not accept this thinking theywould be trying to earn their salvation.
If you believe that you became a newcreation in Christ when you confessed belief on Christ then you couldn'tpossibly receive the truth about how we grow into a new creation in a dailyprocess simply because of the fact that you think you are already a newcreation in Christ. It is a very easy thing to hear the truth and not do whatit says to do and yet think that you are alright as long as you hear what theword of God has to say.
The apostle James tells us that if we be ahearer only and not a doer, then we would be deceiving our own self. I wouldsay that there are many people failing to do what the word of God says and yetthink they are christians, but if you think we can be christians and fail to dowhat the Bible tells us to do, then we are only deceiving ourselves. Manypeople think that God doesn't expect us to cease completely from sin'spleasures because this would make us miserable and would be too boring. Goddoes not excuse any sin no matter how small one might think it may be.
Many people think they are getting awaywith their sins, but they are deceiving themselves and this will keep themseperated from God not being able to get anywhere with him. People are notgrowing strong spiritually simply because they are not abstaining from allevil. They get the idea that God over looks their sin, but thinking this willcause us to stay in the position we are in without growing spiritually strong.
It is very dangerous to get in a lukewarmcondition, because we are told that God will spue us out of his mouth. Alukewarm condition is failing to grow spiritually. To grow spiritually can onlybe done by our abstaining from sin no matter how the flesh may react against itand to continue in God's word and come to a knowledge of all the revealed truthcontained in the gospel.
Many people are failing to walk in arighteous life thinking that to be a christian is being used of God in themanner that the early disciples were used. The Bible reveals that we becomeservants of righteousness, but most people don't want to be this type ofservant. They want to be used and manifest the power of God in the many greatmanifestations that the apostles manifested, but they are completely void ofthe truth that all scripture is given to instruct us in righteousness unto aperfect man. If God wants to manifest great works of power through a person, hemost certainly will do so, but we better understand that we must be holy as heis holy and the only way we can do this is to walk in and receive the truththat will make us free..