James Chapter 1:22-27/Commentary

Page 1

The Book of James Chapter 1:22-27

1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” “But”: It is so easy to think that we are doing some great thing by merely reading the Bible or by listening to a sermon. Draper notes, “The greatest tragedy in this century is people who gather information, but never get that information into their lives. There are people like that in church. They enjoy the singing, the preaching, and the Bible study. They like to come and receive blessings, but they never do anything. Some people drive miles and miles to get blessed. We do not need people who want to get blessed, but people who want to be a blessing” (pp. 57-58). “Prove yourselves”: “Observe, not only do, but be doers: the substantive means more than the verb; it carries an enduring, a sort of official force with it; ‘let this be your occupation’” (Alford p. 1599). “Go on being or becoming”, “show yourselves more and more” (1 Cor. 14:20; Eph. 5:1). “It is a subtle distinction, but well worth noting, that James wrote ‘be ye doers of the word’ (KJV), rather than merely ‘do the word’. This way of stating it places emphasis upon the kind of person the Christian is to be, not just some act he is to perform” (Kent p. 65). Again, note where the responsibility is placed—upon the individual Christian. Some people “do” portions of what the word teaches, but they do not enjoy or love the message itself, and especially the God who gave it. Jesus pointed out that if we love God with our whole being, we will naturally want to do our very best in carrying out every command He has given (Matthew 22:37-40).

1


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.