James 1:23

James 1:23 says, For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  James then compared a person who was a hearer but not a doer of the word to a person looking at their face in a mirror.  He could only see a reflection, but not what he looked like to others. When we look at ourselves in a mirror, we can only see a reflection of our outward appearance and not what we look like spiritually to ourselves or to others.  The same is true of those who profess to be Christians but never do anything to show the world that they are.  

Verse twenty-four adds, For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  After a person looks at himself or herself in a mirror, once they are no longer looking in the mirror, they leave not remembering what they looked like in the mirror.  We then have a mental image of what we look like, but it often is not what other people see.  When we hear God’s word, but it has no impact on how we live our lives, then we may see ourselves as being a Christian, but what we do or don’t do may show the world something entirely different. 

Verse twenty-five continues, But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  James then said if someone looked into the perfect law of liberty that we receive by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and continue to live by faith in Him, then that person will not be just a forgetful hearer but a faithful doer of God’s work.  When a person is a faithful doer of the word, he or she will be blessed by God, not for the work itself, but by faithfully doing the work God calls them to.  We cannot just be professed Christians who do nothing for God and be blessed by God.  Our actions should be consistent with our words.  

Verse twenty-six states, If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.  James then says that if we profess to be a Christian but cannot control what we say then we deceive our hearts and our religion is vain.  There are many religious people today who do not seem to be able to control what they say about others or the world in general.  What they say becomes their religion instead of faith in Jesus Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit directing their speech.  

Verse twenty-seven adds, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.  James gives us the characteristics of pure religion.  He said that it is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, or to put those in need above us.  If we have no concern for the less fortunate, then we are not doing what God calls us to do, and our words of faith are empty.