The One Who Merly Hears the Word: James Lesson 11

 We are going back to James 1 for one more message today. We will be looking at verses 22-27. This is our second message from this passage. Last week we looked at what these verses revealed about being a doer of the word. We must come back to these verses because they have more to say about the person who is not a doer than they say about the doer. From what these verses tell us about the one who is not a doer we can paint an accurate portrait of the ones described in verse 22 as “merely hearers.” To get started lets read these verses together.

 We have taken a bit of an unorthodox approach to unpacking the truth in this passage. In our first message on this passage we looked at the importance of receiving the word implanted which is able to save your souls. This was in verses 19-21. To receive the word we must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We must have hearts that are receptive. If we are quick to speak in our defense, or we get angry over what the word reveals, we are not quick to hear what the word is saying.

 We must also receive the word with pure hearts. This is why James tells us to put aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. Our desire must be to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. When the word identifies those things not pleasing to the Lord, we must be willing to repent.

 Receiving the word also requires humility. In humility we receive the implanted word. Humility is that quality in the true Christian that acknowledges the need to hear what God has to say. I need God’s truth. I need the truth regarding my life and how to live for the glory of God.

 Last week we focused on proving ourselves doers of the word. Verse 25 was our focus. We saw what it means to look intently at the perfect law. It is to understand the intent of God’s law.  It is impossible to become an effectual doer of God’s perfect law apart from salvation through Jesus Christ. 

 There is a lot in this passage we have not covered. This passage says a lot about those who are merely hearers. We need to see what James tells us about those who merely hear the word and do not become effectual doers of the word. James gives us an explanation of this kind of person in very descriptive terms. By looking at what James tells us we can paint a portrait of the one who is merely a hearer of the word.

 Why do we need to paint a portrait of the one who is merely a hearer and not a doer of the word? We need to see a picture of this person because pictures accurately depict what is true. 

Sometimes we are uncomfortable with the truth. That is why I always suck in my gut when my picture is being taken. I don’t want to see the real truth about the size of my belly. It doesn’t make sense to hide it in a picture because the truth is always evident to everyone else. Because I can’t walk around all the time with my gut sucked in, everyone sees the size of my belly. Pictures serve to remind me of the fact that I really need to do something about the problem. Those who are merely hearers have a problem, and something can and should be done about this problem.

 The hearer only needs the portrait because he or she needs to see themselves for what they truly are and they need this because they are deluded. In fact, they have deluded themselves. There is a problem that needs to be revealed. There is a reality that needs to be exposed. Unless the picture is painted that allows this person to see themselves for what they truly are, they will not see the truth.

 The one who is merely a hearer and not a doer of the word is not always easy to spot. They can quote a lot of Bible verses. They can be involved in many aspects of Christian service. They can outwardly appear to be impressive. But what is presented outwardly isn’t necessarily the real picture. It is when you get a glimpse into what this person is at home that you get the real picture. If you could review his computer’s website history you would probably get an idea of the true person. If you could look at a record of his financial transactions you would get an idea of the truth. If you talked with this person’s spouse you would get a more accurate picture than you would get from your conversations at church. If you were to talk to his children and they were free to speak the truth, you would likely gain helpful insight. Those who live in the same house with this person know he or she is a hearer only, but the person does not see the truth. The forgetful hearer is deluded. 

 Why? Because they have deluded themselves. The word “deluded” is a compound word in the Greek, “paralogizomai.” The preposition “para” means “beside” or “along side.” You may hear the root for the word “logic” in the main part, “logizomai.” The word means “to reason falsely or incorrectly.” The idea of the word indicates that this person has the truth of the word along side the true condition of his or her life and they reason falsely or incorrectly regarding what they see. This is a self-inflicted misleading of the mind.

Self-delusion will always result in false reasoning. The tense of this verb indicates ongoing self-delusion. There is ongoing delusion. There is an ongoing problem that will never correct itself. The voice of the verb indicates that this is self-inflicted. It is in the middle voice. The deluded one has no one to blame but himself. He or she is responsible for their delusion because they look at the word and refuse to acknowledge the truth revealed by the word.

 In Mark 12 there is a fairly clear illustration of those who were deluded. Remember the Sadducees in the days of Jesus. When they came to Him with their ridiculous question about the seven brothers who had all married a woman and none had produced a child, they were trying to trap Jesus. Jesus told them in a very straightforward message that their problem was that they did not understand the Scriptures. He said, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?” He pointed out truth that was glaringly obvious reality that God was the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. All these were long dead, but God was still their God. They did not cease to exist because they had died. Jesus concluded His challenge to them with the statement, “you are greatly mistaken.” (Mark 12:18-27)

 Jesus held up the mirror of God’s undeniable truth to these deluded Sadducees to see. They had to have seen what Jesus revealed. Yet, they would not repent and conform their beliefs, nor their behaviors to conform to the word of God. They became forgetful hearers. It is as if they were saying, “Our minds are made up, don’t try to confuse us with the facts.”

 This is confirmed by the word James uses to describe those who are “merely hearers.” “akroates” (ak-row-a-tase) was used in classical Greek to refer to someone who listened to something for pleasure, such as a poem recited, or a song sung or played on an instrument. James uses this word to describe someone who is just listening without practicing what one hears. The deluded hearer may be intrigued or informed by the word, but they will reason incorrectly regarding the word. They will not see the need to do anything other than hear the word. The whole point of the story of the two houses built on two foundations was that the one who does not act on what he hears has built a spiritual house that will not stand in the storm of God’s judgment.

 Since James is writing this to “the beloved brethren” it is worth noting where we will find the person described by James. He will be found among the beloved brethren. He or she could very well be sitting in the assembly of the effectual doers. The deluded hearer will hear the same message everyone else hears today, but the results will be different. The hearer will have the opportunity to learn the truth from the word of God. However, the hearer, once having the truth about what kind of person he or she is, will reason incorrectly. His mind is made up that he does not need to change anything in his life to conform to the truth.

 James tells us that this person is like the man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. The mirrors of James’ day were made of highly polished brass or bronze and only gave a dim and distorted reflection. The person had to get in the right light and look carefully to get an accurate understanding of what his natural face looked like. The word “looks” is an intensified form of the verb which indicates careful consideration of what one looks like. This person hasn’t forgotten what he looks like because he only glanced casually. He has forgotten what he looks like even though he has given careful consideration to what the reflection revealed.

 The forgetful hearer isn’t forgetful because he lacks an understanding of what he sees when the word reveals what kind of person he was. He has looked closely enough, and has given enough consideration to what is revealed, but he forgets because he refuses to take action. He refuses to acknowledge that he needs to do anything in response to the truth. The delusion prevents this person from seeing that this truth pertains to him. He looks long enough to have his sinful ways exposed, but he reasons incorrectly and concludes that there is no need to do anything about what he sees. So he forgets what kind of person he is.

 What is the real issue with the one who merely hears? He is, in fact, a hard hearted hearer of the word. He forgets because he is unregenerate. He forgets because there is no spiritual resource within him to unite the word with faith. He forgets because he is a natural man who does not receive the things of the Spirit of God as Paul describes in 1 Cor. 2. The things of the Spirit of God, such as the word of God, are spiritually discerned. He is a forgetful hearer and not an effectual doer, therefore, regardless of what he thinks himself to be, he will be one who is damned on the day of judgment because he did not act on the word of God. 

 There is a second feature of the hearer only. Not only is he deluded, he is also deceived. Look at verse 26. “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” Delusion and deception, while different realities, are common companions. This is what James tells us. The delusional person thinks himself to be religious. He has looked into the mirror of God’s truth and reasoned incorrectly regarding the condition of his heart. Because he is deluded, or delusional, he is easily deceived. He deceives his own heart. The evidence of his deceived heart is that his tongue is not bridled. He likes to quote his verses and tell of his religious activities to convince everyone how spiritual he is, but the reality is that he has been seduced into error. This is the meaning of the word deceived. Eve was deceived. She was seduced into error.

 What has seduced him is his involvement in empty, vain, external religiosity. He thinks that because he can talk the religious talk, and because he does everything he thinks a Christian does outwardly, that he has covered all the bases. The fact that he does not bridle his tongue means that he loves to talk about his accomplishments. He loves to toot his own horn, if you will. He is not shy about butting into the conversations of others and injecting his opinions and points of view. But James is clear. This man’s religion is worthless. It is meaningless. It is vain. It is nothing more than external. It is all for show. It is like the religion of the Pharisees who loved to pray on the corner in the marketplace to be seen by men and admired for their spirituality.

This man is deceived into thinking all is well. So were the people of whom Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:21-23. It will not matter if the deceived hearer has prophesied in the name of Jesus and cast out demons or performed miracles in His name. Jesus will demand his departure because he does not do the will of the Father who is in heaven. Those who Jesus warned would be commanded to depart because He never knew them are among those who were deceived. They were deceived into believing their external, vain, empty religious activities were proof that they were right with God.

 We find here a third characteristic of the hearer only. This person is selfish. We saw last week that the effectual doer is characterized by a pure and undefiled religion that visits the orphan and the widow in distress. You may remember from last week that this describes more than a mere visit. It describes an active involvement in providing ongoing care for those who are among the most needy in society. This unselfishness characterizes the one who has been truly regenerated by the work of salvation.

 But because the deluded, deceived one who is a hearer only has a religion that is worthless, they will be characterized by selfishness. The forgetful hearer loves, but only himself. 

The true love that characterizes the genuine Christian’s life is a sacrificial, selfless, serving love. It is a love that gives without expecting anything in return. It is a love that meets needs. It is a love that does not look down on others, or think oneself as superior to others. It is a love that is patient, kind, and not jealous. It is a love that does not brag, and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not take into account a wrong suffered. You are familiar with the full description. You also see it when it is real in a person and you can see it when it is not real. It will be a façade on the forgetful hearer. It will not be genuine, selfless love. It will only be a mask that person wears for the purpose of looking good when seen by others.

There is another characteristic. We learned last week that the effectual doer will keep himself unstained by the world. The forgetful hearer, the one who is merely a hearer only, will be characterized by compromise with the world because his religion is neither pure nor undefiled. He may hide his compromise with the world while in the company of true Christians, but in his private life he or she is stained by the world. There will be evidence of a love for the world and the things of the world and John tells us that if that is the case, there is no real love for the Father.

The last thing we must see about the hearer only is that his life will lack the blessings of God upon the things he does. We learned last week that the effectual doer will be blessed in what he does. This is what we find at the end of verse 25. By implication we can accurately conclude that the one who is a deluded, and deceived, and only outwardly religious, selfish, and compromised by the world, will be one upon whose life the blessings of God are absent. This person will not be blessed in what he does because God cannot bless what he does.

Going back to the Psalm 1 description of one who is blessed is the one who delights in the law of God, and who meditates on God’s word day and night, the one who is like a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither and in whatever he does he prospers. This is an apt description of the doer of God’s word. The fruitful blessings of God upon this person’s life will show up in this person’s marriage. The blessings of God on the effectual doer’s marriage will produce a marriage in which God is glorified. The effectual doer is a husband who loves his wife like Christ loves the church, or a wife who respects her husband and lives in submission. 

These blessings will show up in the family. The effectual doer’s children will be much more likely to have been influenced to be faithful followers of Christ. The mere hearer will have no credibility and therefore no influence on his children. The effectual doer’s professional life will be ordered in such a way as to be positioned to be blessed by God. God will bless nothing in the mere hearer’s life. The blessings of God will generally be upon the ministries in which the effectual doer is involved. Not so with the one who is merely a hearer.

But these blessings will be absent in the one who is a forgetful hearer only. Because his religion is only external, vain, and empty, his life will not produce real and lasting fruit.

Admittedly, this is not a pretty picture. Unfortunately, it is an all-too-accurate picture of many within the church. There is a way to correct everything we find wrong with the one who merely hears. James has given us the remedy. Let me encourage you to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. How is the righteousness of God achieved? It is received from God as a gift. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Becoming an effectual doer of the word reveals that one has received the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Receive the implanted word that is able to save your soul.

We receive the implanted word with a receptive heart. Receive the word with a pure heart. Repent of the sin, described by James as filthiness and wickedness, and receive the word implanted into a heart that is clean, deeply plowed, and free from weeds and contaminates. In humility receive the implanted word which is able to save your souls.

Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. Look intently into the perfect law. Let God’s law reveal the truth concerning the condition of your heart. The perfect law, revealing the righteous standards of a holy God will show you how hopeless and helpless you are as a slave to sin. The perfect law is the tutor that leads us to Christ. It will show you clearly your need for the Sinless Son of God who alone lived perfectly the perfect law and fulfilled its requirements in your place. The perfect law becomes the law of liberty which is available in Christ alone. As you repent and trust Christ you become a new creation in whom old things pass away and all things become new. God makes you a new creature with new desires. You will become an effectual doer of the word.

You won’t be perfect. Perhaps this look at this portrait today reveals how you may look at times. I find evidence in myself that I am, on occasion, a forgetful hearer. None of us will be perfect as effectual doers of the word. We must look at the direction of our lives. We cannot expect perfection. We examine ourselves to see if the evidence of our lives aligns with the effectual doer, or the one who merely hears.

 Let’s pray.