The Season of Resurrection: Part 7

James 1:22-27
    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.
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What good is it if we hear the message of Jesus Christ, but do not believe it? Or if we are taught how to live but fail to actually live? Saint James teaches that we should not only listen to the Word of God, but do it. The way this is accomplished is by looking intently into the Law of Liberty, coming to truly know what we see there, and acting accordingly.

Look “into the perfect law, the law of liberty.” (James 1:25) James likens this to gazing at yourself in the mirror. You look into the mirror to get to know what you look like, to see if there is anything in your teeth, to see if you look generally put together. So what are we gazing into when we peer into the perfect law of liberty? We are taking a good close look at nothing less than God’s revelation of Himself to us in His Word.

The law of liberty is God’s Word. It is the Bible. Law is simply another word for teaching or instruction. James is talking about the “implanted word” that he told us to receive back in verse 21.  In Lutheran terms, as odd as it may seem, this includes both “Law” and “Gospel”. 

As we peer into the Word of God, we learn, not about the shape of our own face, but about the shape of God and the shape of our own souls. Of first importance, the Bible teaches us who God is. His noble character, love, justice, holiness, and more are shown to us again and again. He is Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. He is Triune. He is unknowable on our own power, yet clearly revealed to us by His grace. 

Centrally, God is shown to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the cross, God brings together each of His attributes: wrath, justice, love, forgiveness, and glory. He clearly and finally reveals how He will deal with us in our sin; by sacrificing the life of His beloved Son to redeem us. Through His Word we gain true knowledge of God.

That Word also reveals our own soul. So much of our lives as fallen humans is spent trying to cover up our faults, making ourselves look better than we are, and self-medicating so that we do not need to think about the futility of life in a meaningless world. 

The Bible cuts through all this and reveals that we are the intentional creation of God. (Genesis 1-2) We are sinners fallen far short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23) We are redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. (Romans 3:24-25) We are now free to walk in the law of liberty. (Ephesians 5:8) In the Word of God, we see who we were, who God is, and who we are redeemed and called to be.

This knowledge should then move us to action. When we see the holiness of God and the depravity of our own sin, we should act in repentance: confess our sins and seek to amend our ways. When we see that Jesus has shed His blood to save and forgive us, we should act in faith: holding fast to the promise that our debt is paid and confessing our faith in Jesus loudly and clearly. When we see the new freedom that we have in Christ, to live in line with God’s calling, we act in Christian obedience. The holy Spirit moves us to bridle our tongues, care for the helpless, and flee from sin and worldly passions. (James 1:26-27) 
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Let us not be hearers only, but doers of the Word: hear, repent, believe, and live.

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