Have you ever wanted advice on how to do something, whether it was to fix an electrical outlet or lose a few pounds? It is easy to find instructional videos on the internet. But if we spend hours watching someone tell us what to do, and then fail to follow their instructions, we won’t accomplish anything.

James’s readers were people who loved the revelation of God as it was preserved in the Old Testament. These believers were inheritors of the Law of Moses and children of Israel. They understood that God revealed Himself in His Word, and they valued that revelation. But God’s revelation also included instruction for people to obey. God wants those who love Him to behave like Him. In his letter, James addresses those who read God’s Word but fail to do what it says.

If you listened to the Word (which at that time was often read publicly), but didn’t do what it says, James explained that you are deceived (v. 22)! The Word of God was not meant to be merely listened to but obeyed. To illustrate the point, James considers a person who looks in a mirror, but after noticing that they need to change their appearance, just walks away and ignores the sight. Of note are those who “do not keep a tight rein on their tongues” (v. 26). Again, James uses the same word “deceived.”

A mirror reveals what needs to be changed. But what it shows is only valuable if a change is made. So it is, explains James, with the Word of God. He describes God’s Word as the “perfect law” (v. 25). Blessing comes when we do not just listen and then forget what it says but actually do it!

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