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James’ epistle is often regarded as a guide for practical Christianity, as exemplified in James 1:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (ESV).
James illustrates the difference between a hearer and a doer of the Word in the next verses: “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” (James 1:23–24, ESV). The subsequent verse completes James’ thought: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (verse 25, NKJV). James’ analogy leads to a simple conclusion: merely hearing God’s Word is not enough; we must also be doers of the Word.
The hearer of the Word simply listens to God’s Word and stops there. In the first-century church, it was customary for someone to read Scripture aloud while the assembly listened, a practice that continues today through public Bible reading. In our modern context, the “hearer of the word” applies to those who attend church, listen to sermons, and engage with their Bibles. What distinguishes the hearer of the Word from the doer is action. A doer not only comprehends the Word but obeys it. The doer lives out the message received.
In a broad sense, God’s Word encompasses the entirety of God’s revealed truth. We bear a responsibility to practice what is preached. James is insistent in his imperative: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). The hearer-only will forget what he heard (James 1:25); the doer will reinforce the truth in his mind through action. The doer focuses on understanding and meditating on Scripture and then applies the truths to his or her life.
In a more specific sense, God’s Word refers to the gospel, which James calls “the perfect law that gives freedom” (James 1:25). The message of Jesus Christ is the authoritative standard for all of humanity, and it gives liberty through the new birth. Hearers of the gospel are those who have heard what God has done through Christ. However, the gospel message has its full impact when we repent and believe, leading to a transformed life. That is, we are not just hearers of the gospel message; we must also be doers, allowing the Spirit to guide us in our new lives and living out what we have heard.
Many of us are fortunate enough to have easy access to God’s Word. We possess printed Bibles and digital Bibles, and we hear from faithful preachers who help us better understand Scripture. However, these privileges are in vain if we only remain hearers of the Word and not doers. As James points out, it is absurd to gaze into a mirror and then forget our reflection. In the same way, it is senseless to hear God’s Word and take no action.
This emphasis on being doers rather than just hearers is found in other parts of Scripture, too. In Matthew 7:24–27, Jesus compares the doer of His teachings to “a wise man who built his house on the rock,” but the mere hearer is “a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” John also urges us not to merely “love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Even Paul, often celebrated for his message of grace through faith, included imperatives in his epistles, such as Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
James wraps up his command to be doers of the Word, not just hearers, with the promise of blessing: “Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” Or, as the psalmist said, “In keeping [God’s commands] is great reward” (Psalm 19:11).
