James 1:22 KJV
[22] “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
In this verse, James shares three truths concerning the believer and his Bible. First, he gives us a command to be a doer of the Word. Second, he gives us a warning not to become a hearer only of the Word. Finally, he mentions the danger of deceiving ourselves about the Word.
The Word of God is powerful and can transform our lives. However, we must obey the Word. We must apply the instruction that we read. The Bible is a book of action, and it requires action for those who hear it. The Bible will give us victory over sin, peace in troublesome times, and guidance for our daily living. The key to this kind of victory is obedience!
Those members who only hear the Word but never practice it live in constant defeat and deception. They tell themselves they are okay while they struggle along with no victory. They mark their Bible but do not allow the Bible to mark them. Bible preaching will only fatten the intellect of a hearer but will never develop them into a mature child of God. We must never pride ourselves on how much knowledge of the Word we have gained. We must examine ourselves and ask the hard question, “How much of what I hear do I put into practice?”
The deception in this verse is that believers are fooled into thinking they are spiritual when in reality they are not. They believe they are wise in what they have heard, but they foolishly have not applied the truths. They have built their Christian lives on the sinking sand of how much they’ve been exposed to rather than the solid foundation of how much they have applied. Ask yourself dear reader are you a doer or a deceiver? It’s not about how much you have heard, but how much do you obey?