"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Pretty loooong.

James 1:22 above is one of the most misinterpreted bible verses. Many preach this in the context of "you see, you have to obey the Law of Moses in order to be godly." Many wrongly see the verse as meaning:"You must be doers of the Ten Commandments and not hearers alone." Not so when you read the verse in its context. When you take a "text" out of its context, you are left with a "con."

See the verse in its context:

19 "Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. 20 For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires]. 21 So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]. 23 For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; 24 For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

25 But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)."

It is important to obey the Word of Truth and not just be doers of it. But what is this "Word" that we are to obey?

- Notice verse 21: 

"the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls."

The law cannot not save any soul. The law condemns all who try to obey it in a bid to be godly. All who try are cursed according to Galatians 3:10- "Anyone who tries to please God by obeying the Law is under a curse. The Scriptures say, “Everyone who doesn’t obey everything in the Law is under a curse.” And no one can.

This Word that we are to be doers of isn't keeping the Ten Commandments in order to be righteous. The letter kills. But when we receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ, we get to live in triumph over sin and death through Christ (Romans 5:17.)

- Notice verse 22 that many misinterpret:

"But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]."

So what Word are we to obey as believers in Christ, not under law but under Grace? John 1:17 tells us: "For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Paul said in Acts 20:32 - "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Believer, the Word (message) we are to obey is the Message of Christ -  THE WORD OF HIS GRACE, not the Law. Galatians 5:4 tells us what happens to those who are doers of the law: 

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Grace is the Message of Christ; we are to be doers of His word- the gospel of Grace aka Good News. Remember James 1:21-22 above:

"...and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]."

The letter kills but the Word that we are to be doers of has the power to save souls. See what the Message of Christ that saves (and that we are to do) is about in Romans 1:16-17-

16 "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

The Word that we are to be doers of tells us how God makes us right in His sight. We see a detailed account of how God makes us right in His sight in Romans 3:

"26...for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

This is the Word that we are to be doers of: believing that in Christ, we are righteous by faith and not by human effort at obeying the law. This is the crux of the gospel of Christ: Righteousness by faith in Christ.

God's word expressly tells us in Romans 5:9- "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Because of the finished work of Christ, even the vilest offender who believes is made righteous in God's sight (Romans 5:9) and HAS eternal life (John 3:16.) Many are hearers of this "now" Word but are not doers of the Word, believing that they are righteous by obeying the letter that condemns the best of us and puts all of its doers under the curse. This reasoning is contrary to the Truth that makes free. This is the Word of Truth: Romans 3:28-

"So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

This brings us back to James 1: "But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]. 23 For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; 24 For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like."

See the TPT version- "Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life! 23 If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. 24 You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. 25 But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!"

Notice that those who are not doers of the word are those who do not live out the message that they hear which is Righteousness by faith? So how does one observe himself in a mirror and then forget what he was like? We see this in 2 Corinthians 3:18-

"But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed to the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

When we look into the mirror of our lives, there is so much imperfection. But God does not want the believer in Christ to see himself as imperfect. He wants us to believe and see ourselves as He sees us - Righteous through Christ's blood: Romans 5:9-

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

God sees us as righteous through and through because of the shed blood of His Son. Notice it is HIS righteousness not ours from obeying the law which Isaiah 64:6 describes as "a menstrual rag." We practice or "are doers of Righteousness" when we keep on believing and hold fast to what His word says of us:

"For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.”"

We are doers of the Word when we no longer look to our own ability to obey the law to make us righteous in God's sight but depend wholly on His gift of righteousness to us in Christ for salvation. All of this in spite of our many imperfections that are obvious in the physical. This is what it means to be a doer of the Word.

Believer, see the only work that God wants us to do in John 6 where some people asked our Saviour a crucial question that many are being misled about today- John 6:38-29:

"They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do? 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one He has sent.”

Under Grace, believing in Jesus Christ is obedience. This is how we GET TO live right. But many who profess Christ are not doers of His word. Many hear the Word of Truth -Righteousness by faith- and do not obey (believe.) Many profess Christ but are not obeying the Truth- believing that we are righteous by faith through Christ. These are those of whom James said in James 1:23-

"For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; 24 For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like."

See the TPT- 23 "If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. 24 You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. 25 But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!"

There is no liberty under the law of Moses. Only curse and bondage. Recall 2 Corinthians 3:18- "But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed to the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

These ones that James speak of hear the gospel of Grace and how we are righteous by faith and not by works but don't believe it. They go off and forget who they were like in God's sight - "For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight”" - and promptly forget/reject their blood-bought right-standing with God, evidenced by trying to obey the law in order to attain the same right-standing with God that Christ died that we might have. This is what it means to reject Christ. The results are dire: Sin has dominion over those who are trying to obey the law in order to be godly- "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.

Believers, let's not be found here. Being a doer of the word is fighting to believe that we are righteous by faith and not by doing works of the law. The law is not of faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God.

The Law is God's word and the truth, and every single dot of it will come to pass. But all who are doers of the law are cursed (Galatians 3:10) and under the dominion of sin. The law condemns the best of us. It condemns anyone who believes he can keep even a tiny bit of it.

In Christ, we are not under law but under Grace. Grace is the "now" Truth that makes us free. This is the Good News: Righteousness by faith. Practicing God's (gift of) righteousness is what it means to be a doer of the Word.

Believer, with Christ as your righteousness, understand that when you sin, God is no longer holding your sins against you. Thank Him that you have been forgiven and confess your righteousness in Him that you believe in your heart. Only when we receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ do we get to live in triumph over sin and death: Romans 5:17-

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

The crux of the gospel of Christ is Righteousness by faith through Christ. God gives His righteousness as a gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ, no matter how vile our sins. Our day to day living is imperfect but as we look in the mirror of our lives and see not our flaws but His glory, we are being transformed to the same image from glory to glory by His Spirit. Believing the Good News of Righteousness by faith is what it means to be a doer of the Word. All other things are added unto us as we, by grace, continue to believe that we are righteous by faith.

Believer in Christ, by grace, whenever you look in the mirror of your life, don't see yourself as that person who is still held down by many sins and imperfections. See yourself the same way God perceives you in the mirror of His word (Righteous) and always rememeber your divine origin. Remember-

"If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. 24 You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. 25 But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!"

Believe Right and you will Live Right.