Doing the Word

Awkward title, isn't it? Yet that's what we should be doing according to James 1:22:  "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (HCSB) The Greek words are nouns, so it's an accurate rendition of what James wrote. So what does it mean to "do the Word"? That's pretty much what James spends most of his epistle describing.

It must have been tough to be James. Maybe if you're a younger sibling you understand the issues he might have faced. Can't you see Mary saying, "James, why can't you be more like your older brother? Jesus always listens. He never gets into. You should be more like him." Maybe that's one of the reasons his brothers weren't immediate followers of Jesus; perhaps there was a little sibling-rivalry resentment to overcome. (That, of course, is just my speculation, not Scripture, so take it for wht it's worth.)

Yet James did ultimately believe in Jesus, and became not only a follower of His but a leader in the early church. He was called "James the Just' for his outstanding character. According to early accounts, he was respected not only by Christians but by many Jews. His advice at the Council of Jerusalem shows a man who seeks to be both just and fair in his dealings. James really did become a "doer of the Word," so his encouragement to his readers and to us is significant.

I believe one of the reasons so many churches have little impact on their communities and on the world at large is that they become so focused on being right in their beliefs that they forget to live out those truths before the world. I would be the last one to argue that having correct theology and a strong understanding of Scripture is unimportant. However, even if our theology is perfect and our grasp of the Bible deep, that knowledge and understanding is useless if not put into practice. If the truth of God doesn't make a difference in the way we live, then we are living by another truth and only going through the motions of being a Christian.

James certainly believed in the importance of reading and meditating on the Word. Just two verses later, after his illustration of looking into a mirror, he writes, "But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does." (1:25, HCSB) Our time and meditation on the Word is what gives us the motivation to do what is good. We cannot do what the Lord wants us to do if we don't know what that is, and we can't know what that is if we don't read, study, and understand what He tells us in His Word.

I'm a bit of an academic, and perhaps if you are reading this you are, too. I have to be careful that I don't get so caught up in an academic pursuit of Christianity that I forget to have a living, breathing, and active faith.

So by all means study the Bible, understand your theology, and listen to the Word preached and taught. Just don't leave it in the classroom. Make sure you take what you know and live it, and show your world what faith in Jesus looks like in action. Do the Word!