Chapter 4 Stop Fooling Yourself - James 1:19-27

The focus of this next section in James' letter is on the risks of lying to yourself: "deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22); "deceiveth his own heart" (James 1:26). It is one thing for a Christian to sin because Satan tricks him. But if he lies to himself, that's a much bigger problem.

A lot of people are lying to themselves when they think they are saved. "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt. 7:22–23).

However, there are also real Christians who are lying to themselves about how they live as Christians. They think they are spiritually mature, but they are not. It indicates that a person is grown up when they are honest with themselves, know who they are, and admit their needs. The immature person acts like they are rich and have everything they need (Rev. 3:17).

The right relationship with God through His Word leads to spiritual reality. If we are in the right relationship with God's truth, we can't be dishonest or hypocritical. James said in these verses that we have three duties to God's Word. If we do these duties, we will have an honest relationship with God and other people.

First, Take in the Word (1:19–21)

James referred to God's Word as "the engrafted word" (James 1:21), signifying "the implanted word." He used the parable of the sower from Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23 to compare God's Word to seed and the human heart to soil. Jesus told a story about four types of hearts: the hard heart, which didn't understand or accept the Word and didn't bear any fruit; the shallow heart, which was very emotional but didn't have any depth and didn't bear any fruit; the crowded heart, which didn't repent and let sin crowd out the Word; and the fruitful heart, which accepted the Word, let it take root, and produced a harvest of fruit.

The ultimate criterion of salvation is fruit. Having fruit means living a different life, having Christian morals and behavior, and serving others to honor God. This fruit could be winning people to Christ (Rom. 1:16), living a holy life (Rom. 6:22), sharing what we have (Rom. 15:28), having a good spiritual character (Gal. 5:22–23), doing good works (Col. 1:10), or even praising the Lord (Heb. 13:15). We must always remember that it is possible to make religious works that do not have life in them and do not bring glory to God. The seed for more fruit is in real fruit, so the harvest keeps growing fruit, more fruit, and a lot of fruit (John 15:1–5).

The Word of God won't work in our lives if we don't take it in the right way. Jesus said, "Take heed what ye hear" (Mark 4:24) and "Take heed how ye hear" (Luke 8:18). Too many people are in that sad state where they "hear but do not understand" (Matt. 13:13). They go to church and Bible classes, but they never seem to become better. Is it the teacher's or the preacher's fault? The issue might lie with the teacher or preacher, but it could also be the responsibility of the listening individual. It is possible to be "dull of hearing" (Heb. 5:11) because your spiritual life is growing dull and dead.

To plant the seed of the Word in our hearts, we must follow James' instructions.

Quick to hear (v. 19a). "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. 13:9)! "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom. 10:17). The servant is quick to hear his master's voice, and the mother is quick to hear her baby's smallest cry. The same should be true for the believer.

The life of King David (2 Sam. 23:14–17) is a powerful example of this truth. David was hiding from the Philistines, who had taken over Bethlehem. He wanted a drink of the cool water from the well in Bethlehem, which he had visited many times as a child and young adult. He didn't tell his men to do anything; he just thought to himself, "Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" (2 Sam. 23:15). Three of his strong men heard their king sigh for the water, so they put their lives on the line to get it and bring it to him. They were "quick to listen."

Take your time before you speak (v. 19b). We ought to listen more than we speak, as we possess two ears and only one mouth. We argue with God's Word too many times, even if we don't say it out loud. "He who holds his tongue is wise" (Prov. 10:19). "He that hath knowledge spareth his words" (Prov. 17:27). The lawyer in Luke 10:29 didn't wait to speak; instead, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" The early church services were casual, and the people who listened would often argue with the speaker. James wrote to people who were fighting and even going to war (James 4:1).

Not quick to get angry (v. 19c). Don't be mad at God or His Word. "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly." (Prov. 14:29). When Nathan the prophet told King David the story of "the stolen ewe lamb," the king got mad, but not at the right person. Nathan said, "You are the man," and David then admitted, "I have sinned" (2 Sam. 12). Peter was slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to get angry in the garden. He almost killed a man with the sword. Many fights in churches happen because people are angry and say things too quickly. God is angry with sin (Eph. 4:26), and if we love the Lord, we must hate sin (Ps. 97:10). But God's righteousness does not come from man's anger (James 1:20). Anger is the opposite of the patience God wants us to have as we grow in Christ (James 1:3–4).

I saw a poster once that said, "Temper is such a valuable thing; it is a shame to lose it!" Temper is what makes steel strong. The person who can't become mad at sin doesn't have much power to fight it. James tells us not to get mad at God's Word because it shows us our sins. People who don't like the truth about themselves and their sinfulness rebel against God's Word, just like the man who broke the mirror.

A heart that is ready (v. 21). James thought of the human heart as a garden. If you didn't take care of it, the soil would only grow weeds. He told us to "pull out the weeds" and get the ground ready for the "implanted Word of God." The phrase "superfluity of naughtiness" makes me think of a garden that is full of weeds that can't be controlled. It is unwise to attempt to receive God's Word into an unprepared heart.

How do we prepare our hearts to be ready for God's Word? First, we should confess our sins and ask the Father to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Then, we should think about God's love and grace and ask Him to "plow up" any hardness in our hearts. "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns" (Jer. 4:3). Lastly, we need to be "meek" (James 1:21). In James 1:19–20, "wrath" is the opposite of "meekness." When you receive the Word with humility, you accept it, don't argue with it, and respect it as the Word of God. You don't try to make it fit with what you think.

We are lying to ourselves if we don't receive the implanted Word. People who like to argue about different "points of view" may just be fooling themselves. They may believe that their "discussions" are fostering their spiritual growth, but in reality, they could be contributing to the growth of weeds.