Practice the word (James 1:22-25) Part 2 of 2

There is a second way in which the word of God acts as a mirror.

Restoration (Ex. 38:8). Moses used the women's metal-looking glasses to make the laver when he built the tabernacle. Between the brazen altar of sacrifice and the holy place was a massive basin called the laver (see Exodus 30:17–21 for more information). The priests washed their hands and feet in the laver before going into the holy place to serve. The basin was full of water.

The Word of God is comparable to water used for washing, as it provides cleansing. "Now you are clean because of what I have said to you" (John 15:3). The church is made holy and cleansed by the "washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26). When a sinner places their faith in Christ, they are permanently cleaned (1 Cor. 6:9–11; Titus 3:4–6). 6:9–11; Titus 3:4–6). But as the believer walks through this world, his hands and feet are dirty, and he needs to be cleansed (John 13:1–11).

The Word is like a mirror that shows us our sins and helps us get rid of them. It promises to cleanse us (1 John 1:9), and as we apply it, it cleanses our hearts and minds of spiritual dirt. The blood of Christ takes away the guilt, and the Word's water helps to wash away the sin.

The story of Nathan and David in 2 Samuel 12 shows how true the gospel is. Nathan recounted the story of the stolen ewe lamb to David, which infuriated him with its depiction of sin. The prophet said, "You are the man," and he held up the Word's mirror for David to see himself. The result was confession and repentance: "I have sinned against the Lord!" The Word's mirror did its job of looking at things.

Nathan didn't stop there, though. He also used the Word to fix things (restoration). "The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." (2 Sam. 12:13). The message was the promise of forgiveness and cleansing, and it came from the Word. David went to the laver and cleaned his hands and feet.

If we stop with examination and restoration, we won't get the full benefit of the Word's mirror ministry. There is a third ministry.

Change (2 Cor. 3:18). After the Lord restores us, He wants to change us so that we will grow in grace and not sin again. Many Christians admit their sins and ask for forgiveness, but they often fail to grow spiritually enough to overcome sin and their weaknesses.

The second letter to the Corinthians talks about the differences between the old covenant ministry of law and the new covenant ministry of grace. The law is written on stone tablets and is outside of us. But salvation means that God's Word is written on our hearts. The ministry of the old covenant condemned and killed people, but the ministry of the new covenant gives people life and forgiveness. The glory of the law faded over time, but the glory of God's grace grew stronger and stronger. The law was only for a short time, but the new covenant of grace will last forever.

Paul uses Moses and his veil to show this truth. Moses' face was shining when he came down from the mountain where he met God (Ex. 34:29–35). He didn't want the Jews to see this glory fading away, so he put on a veil to hide it. He took off the veil when he got back to the mountain. The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died, and the veil that separated people from God was taken down. The Old Testament prophet wore a veil to hide the glory that was fading. The New Testament believer has an unveiled face, and the glory grows greater and greater!

You may explain 2 Corinthians 3:18 in this way: 'When the child of God looks into the Word of God [the glass, the mirror], he sees the Son of God, and he is transformed by the Spirit of God to share in the glory of God!' The word "changed" in the Greek gives us our English word "metamorphosis"—a change on the outside that comes from the inside. When an ugly worm turns into a beautiful butterfly, the term used to describe this process is metamorphosis. When a believer spends time reading the Word and seeing Christ, he or she is changed: the glory on the inside shows up on the outside.

This is the word that Matthew 17:2 uses to mean "transfigured." The glory of Christ on the mount was not reflected; it was radiated from within. You will discover the same word in Romans 12:2: “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The Spirit renews our minds and shows us God's glory as we think about the Word. We do not become spiritual Christians overnight. The Spirit of God works through the Word of God to make these changes happen.

We shouldn't hide anything; that's the main thing. Take off the veil! “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
(Ps. 139:23–24). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Our first responsibility is to receive the Word. Then, we must practice the Word; otherwise, we are deceiving ourselves. This leads to a third responsibility . . .