Theme : Be hearers and not doers? True or False?
JP's reference : James 1:23-25, Gal 3:2-5, Hebrews 4:2
Something wrong with being "not hearers only, but doers of the
word? Let's consider the verses being discussed.
1. (1:28 - 1:55)
23 For if anyone is a hearer
of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in
a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets
what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and
is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in
what he does. - James 1:23-25
i. When James
mentioned the word "Word", did he mean "you are more than a Conqueror"?
"Righteous in Christ"? "New Creation"? What is the Word?
There is only one word in the bible, that is the Law of God.
2 And
you shall remember that the Lord your
God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test
you, to know what was in
your heart, whether you would keep His
commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you,
allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did
your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread
alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your garments did not
wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 You should know in
your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your
God chastens you. 6 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
- Deut 8:2-6
7 Let
the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous
man his thoughts;Let him return to the Lord,And He will have mercy on him;And to our God,For He will abundantly pardon.
Nor are your ways My ways,” says
the Lord.
9 “For as the
heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways
higher than your ways,
And My thoughts
than your thoughts.
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:7-11
8 “For
My thoughts are not
your thoughts,
10 “For
as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]- Matt 4:11
The Word that Proceeds from the mouth of God, are his
commandments, his way of life, his Laws.
17 “Do not think that
I came to destroy the Law or the
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill
(Strong's Greek 4137, πληρόω, universally and absolutely, to fulfil, i. e. "to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the
prophets) to receive fulfilment": Matthew 5:17; cf.
Weiss, Das Matthäusevang. as above with, p. 146f). 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,
one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever
therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and
teaches them, he shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless
your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. - Matt 5:17-20
2.
(1:55-2;12)
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is
like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets
what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and
is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in
what he does. - James 1:23-25
His emphasis is on the perfect
law of liberty which he defined as
"Grace", "Law of the Spirit of Life", Law of Faith. He
stops there and said, "the one who is the doer of the word is the one who
keeps on hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing.... " But did James
stop there? No, the next part of the verse says,
"... and
is not a forgetful hearer but a doer
of the work,... "
Yes, we have been Justified by Faith, it's Salvation by faith
and not of works. Does our Christian
walk stop at just Justification by Faith? What did Paul says about good works?
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the
gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should
boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephe 2:8-10
We are not
saved BY WORKS, but we are saved FOR WORKS! What did Jesus say about
those who did not continue in doing good works (did not obeying his
commandments)?
14 Blessed are those
who do His commandments,[g] that
they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates
into the city. 15 But[h] outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and
idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. - Rev 22:14-15
Referring to
2:47-2:49, where in James 1:23-25 says "keep on hearing"?? This
passage is plain and simple, the Prophets and the Apostles taught the same
thing, the Law, the commandments and the new covenant, James is simply asking
us to follow them. Are
you sure you don't want to be doer of the word?
3. 3:22-4:12
2 This
only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?3 Are you so foolish?
Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?4 Have you suffered so
many things in vain—if indeed it
was in
vain? 5 Therefore
He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does
He do it by
the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? - Gal 2:2-5
Firstly, let
us define what did Paul meant by works
of the Law? Was Paul forbidding the Galatians Christians from Obeying the
10 Commandments? Let us take a look at the background of the Book of Galatians.
Clue number 1: They made Circumcision a criteria to be a Christian
2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with
Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that
gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of
reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. 3 Yet not even
Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by
stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might
bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that
the truth of the gospel might continue with you. - Gal 2:1-5
*What did the false brethren secretly brought in to bring
them back to bondage? 10 Commandments? No, it's the Mosaic Laws of
Circumcision.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you
nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep
the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law (i.e Circumcision);
you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:2-4
11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense
of the cross has ceased. 12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut
themselves off! - Gal 5:11-12
13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your
flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new
creation. - Gal 6:13-15
Clue number 2:
Priority given for the Circumcised (the Jews)
11 Now when Peter[a] had
come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain
men came from James, he would eat with
the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing
those who were of the circumcision.13 And the rest of the
Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away
with their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that
they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter
before them all,
“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner
of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you[b] compel Gentiles to live as Jews?[c] 15 We who
are Jews
by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is
not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be
justified. - Gal 2:11-16
*Was Peter
criticised for upholding the 10 Commandments? No, he was criticised for showing
favouritism to the Jews. He was living as if he was still a Jew (Works of the
Law)
"....
man is not justified by the works of the law (Justification by the Law of Moses,
not 10 commandments) but by faith in Jesus Christ (Justification by Faith)
"...
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law (Justification
by the Law of Moses, not 10 commandments); for by the works of the law (Justification
by the Law of Moses, not 10 commandments) no flesh shall be justified.
Clue number 3: Observing of days and months
8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those
which by nature are not gods.9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God,
how is it that you turn again to the weak
and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days
and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. -
Gal 4:8-11
Paul DID NOT address the Galatians for obeying the 10
commandments. He addressed the Galatians for inserting the "Beggarly
Elements" into the Gospel, thus giving "additional" criteria in order
to be Justified by Faith. This is further explained by Paul in Galatians,
23 But before faith (Jesus
as our atonement of violation against the 10 commandments) came, we were
kept under guard by the law (Sacrifice
bulls and goats to atone for Israel's violation of the 10 commandments, not
talking about the 10 commandments itself), kept for the faith which would
afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
- Gal 3:23-25
Therefore,
*Old
covenant = Law of Moses, Blood of bulls and Goats as an annual atonement for Israel's violation of the 10 Commandments.
*New
Covenant = Law of Liberty, Blood of Jesus as a permanent atonement for Israel's violation of the 10 Commandments.
Hence
in both the Old and New Covenant, the Law cannot be taken away, or else
Christ's death is in vain. So how can Paul be teaching the Galatians to cease
obedience to God's Commandments? There is nowhere in Gal 2:2-3 that says
"we are saved by keep on hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing....
"
What did Jesus says about
Lawlessness?
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in
Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart
from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ - Matt 7:21-23
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord,
open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not
know you.’ - Matt 25:11
41 “Then He will also
say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and
you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and
you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and
you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will
answer Him,[d] saying,
‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or
in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer
them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to
one of the least of these, you did not do it to
Me.’ 46 And these will go
away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matt
25:41-46
And
Finally.... to recap...
14 Blessed are those
who do His commandments,[g] that
they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates
into the city. 15 But[h] outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and
idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. - Rev 22:14-15
Joseph
Prince is teaching you how to be Lawless, he is actually giving you an
instruction of.... how to go to hell...
