Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

JAMES 1:22

1:22 deceiving your own selves. James shows the seriousness of the sin of merely hearing the Word and failing to obey the Word.

Joel R. Beeke, Michael P. V. Barrett, and Gerald M. Bilkes, eds., The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014), 1810.

Most “Christians” have heard this verse in some context before. In the past, I have compared those who sit and listen to the Word of God but refuse to implement what they hear as bench (pew) warmers. Yet until today, I failed to conceive of the seriousness of the sin such action or better put non-action entails.

James in writing here makes it clear, as does Paul, that those who think that they can sit idly and let others do all the work for the Kingdom of God have deceived themselves into believing they are true believers, OUCH!

1:22–24 Hearing and Doing the Word

MERE HISTORICAL FAITH IS INSUFFICIENT. JOHANN SPANGENBERG: What does St. Paul do in this epistle? He does not deal with faith or the righteousness of faith but with the righteousness of works. He reproaches those who think they are righteous and saved alone through historical faith. This is when they only confess the articles of the faith concerning the incarnation, the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ with their mouths and yet no fruit of faith follows. There have always been such people and there still are.

“Be doers of the word,” says St. James, “and not hearers alone so that you do not deceive yourselves.” This exhortation is necessary because who can boast about the greatness of his faith and the gospel when their deeds, manners, behavior, and life oppose such faith and the teaching of the gospel? If a person is to be a good tree, that is, worthy of being called a believer, then good fruit, that is, an honorable Christian life and conduct, must follow, otherwise such a life is nothing but outward appearance and hypocrisy.

Whom does St. James call doers of the word? Those who actually demonstrate that they are Christians who not only hear the gospel with their ears or speak about it with their mouths, but who also grasp it in their hearts and then put it into practice, ordering their lives after it.
To whom does St. James compare a simple hearer of the word? He speaks thus: “If someone is a hearer of the word and not a doer of it, they are like someone who sees their face in a mirror and then an hour after they have seen themselves they forget how they look.” This is a fine image because just as the reflection in a mirror quickly vanishes and is forgotten, so it is with mere hearers of the word who do not actually grasp its meaning nor have God’s word constantly in their hearts and order their lives after the gospel. EPISTLE FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES BY DIVINE POWER. HULDRYCH ZWINGLI: The position of this whole epistle is that those are vain and hypocritical who prattle much concerning faith, concerning God, and concerning virtues, while they are without the fruit of good works. For although the justification and salvation of all is by election and faith, nevertheless works of charity most certainly are signs of election and faith, so that if they are absent (which belongs to human judgment) it is certain that election and faith are not present, because the tree may be known by its fruits. Many are those who thus learn the gospel by heart, so that they even have it memorized, they speak splendidly concerning Christ, they sing sweetly, they read daily, they listen daily, they even teach others, but they never ponder the strength and spirit of the gospel. Christ is neither here nor there: he comes to those who love him; he dwells among those who keep his commands. The kingdom of God is not in speech but in power. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. HULDRYCH ZWINGLI’S BRIEF AND EXCELLENT EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE OF BLESSED JAMES 1:22.

CHRISTIANS ARE GOOD TREES THAT BEAR GOOD FRUIT. BALTHASAR HUBMAIER: Just as a good tree cannot be without fruit at the proper season, so it is also impossible for true faith to be without good works. Those who say they can do nothing good deceive themselves and there is no true faith in them. APOLOGY, JAMES 1:22–24.

Ronald K. Rittgers and Timothy George, eds., Hebrews, James: New Testament, vol. XIII, Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2017), 220–221.

22–27. Nothing can be more evident, from the whole scope of James’s Epistle, taken in one mass of particulars, than that he is admonishing the real Church of GOD, made up of true, regenerated believers, against the nominal Church of Professors, in whose hearts, no saving change had been wrought. There were in this Apostle’s days, as there have been in all ages of the Church, as well as in our days, vain talkers, whose religion consisted only in name. Such we read of. Heb. 6:4, 5, 6; Titus 1–16. And James, through the whole of this Epistle, is continually speaking of these nominal christians, by way of instructing the LORD’S people. I beg the Reader, to pause over the Apostle’s expression, of the perfect law of liberty. What can be meant by it, but the Person and work of CHRIST? The engrafted word, and the uncreated word, are those mirrors here referred to, into which by looking, we behold the LORD’S perfections for his people. Paul hath a similar figure. But we all (saith the Apostle) with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the LORD are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the SPIRIT of the LORD. 2 Cor. 3:18. Here, as in JAMES, the Church of true children regenerated, and made new creatures in CHRIST JESUS, are considered, as looking wholly to JESUS. And thus looking under the SPIRIT’S influence, (for where the SPIRIT of the LORD is, there is liberty,) to JESUS, they imbibe his graces, are made to imitate his example, and delight in all that belongs to JESUS, and the holy principles of his Gospel. This is the life of GOD’S children, a doer of the word, and not a hearer only. Whereas the nominal professor, knoweth these things only by name. And although he may observe the greatest punctuality, in attending ordinances; yet; where the heart is not regenerated, head-knowledge is but vain. The love of CHRIST is only known, and felt, and enjoyed in the renewed man. Where this is wanting, all is wanting. Where GOD the SPIRIT hath wrought the saving change, all acts of grace, more or less, will follow; and not only the purity of those principles, begotten by regeneration, will shew themselves in the life and conversation, in visiting the fatherless and widows, in their affliction, but through the SPIRIT, the child of GOD will be enabled to mortify the deeds of the body; and be kept from mingling with the heathen, and learning their works. Psm. 106:35; Rom. 8:13.

Robert Hawker, Poor Man’s New Testament Commentary: Philippians–Revelation, vol. 3 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2013), 325–326.